My Story
Engineering and STEM, in general, has always been an area of interest to me. During elementary and middle school, I attended many engineering and STEM events and took Engineering courses over the summer at a local community college. I was exposed to a new world that interested me. This interest in engineering grew as I took a Project Lead the Way (PLTW) course in middle school. When I entered high school I chose to take the Intro to Engineering Design course, which I was immediately drawn to.
I later realized I loved working with CAD software and making my own automata boxes which made me want to introduce these engineering principles to younger girls. During my second semester for freshman year, I began meeting with girl scout troops and running a station at local STEM fairs. Some of the activities I did with the girls were design process games and DIY lava lamps. Seeing the change you can make in some of these girls' lives just through a 30-minute lesson is rewarding.
My Project
At one of the elementary schools in my district, an after school club, GEMS, is composed of primarily underprivileged girls. This club works on introducing STEM principles in young girls. But in recent years club participation has decreased. I will be working with GEMS, introducing a new angle to the club to change girls' outlooks' and inspire them to join. I plan on doing hands-on activities, such as LEGO structural engineering activities and integrating the design process.This club will meet twice a month. During the first meeting of the month they will learn through an interactive powerpoint about the field of engineering we are focusing on and during the second meeting they will get to make something related to that field.
There will also be a major project which the girls can either pick themselves or chose from a list that will include things such as automata boxes. These projects will be presented at a GEMS night, where parents can come and see all the different projects their kids have been working on. Materials such as 3-D printers and LEGOs are already available for use and I will be able to coordinate club meetings by working with Ms. Nelson the K-8 STEM director. Meetings would be 45 minutes long after school and all girls interested in participating will be allowed to join and come to as many meetings as they can. The club will be taught by student leaders interested in STEM, such as myself.
Not only do I plan on working with GEMS, but I will also continue working with girl scout troops on earning STEM badges. I have been working with girl scouts since my freshman year and although the GEMS club is my project, I intend to continue working with the girl scouts troops. Similar to the GEMS club I will do a lesson and hands-on activity focusing on engineering. I can coordinate these girl scout meetings by reaching out to the Troop leaders and teach during one of their scheduled meetings.