Although more girls are being encouraged in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) areas in K–12 programs, there are still gender disparities at the postsecondary levels, with women receiving far fewer degrees in computer science, engineering, and mathematics/statistics fields than their male peers, according to a study by the National Science Foundation (see the full compilation of statistics on girls and STEM from the National Girls Collaborative Project at http://www.ngcproject.org/statistics).
How do we ensure that girls’ interests in STEM areas transcend what they learn in the K–12 classroom? Perhaps the answer lies in extracurricular pursuits, especially in community involvement and outreach for this population. It’s a theory that seems to be working well for the 25 girls on The Lady Cans FIRST Robotics Team.
The Lady Cans, which started in 2009 with six girls, now compete annually in the FIRST Robotics competition, which aims to involve middle and high school students in engineering principles as they design a robot to complete a game challenge. The details of the competition are released to teams each January, and teams then have 6 weeks to complete their robot, plus write a business plan and prepare for presentation of both aspects. Since its inception (one of the team members, Claire, a senior at Austin’s Anderson High School and a 5-year member of the team, notes that the team came about when one of its founding members “wanted to participate in a robotics program that was separate from her big brother’s team”), the team has been supported wholeheartedly by the Girl Scouts of Central Texas, which provides “an environment where [girls] can explore their skills and fulfill and go beyond their potential,” Claire adds. (Claire also mentioned that the girls continue to collaborate with the team they spun off from—Anderson’s AusTIN CANs—in terms of design strategy and business development.)
Because the turn-around process between receiving a challenge and presenting a design is so short, the Lady Cans have discovered that teamwork is essential. As sixth-year team member Caroline (also a senior at Anderson High School) told me, this dependence on your team members comes in two forms. First, during the brainstorming and development stage, girls must be willing to “accept all ideas, no matter how outrageous they must seem.” Once the ideas are more in place and the work begins, communication is key for the girls, both between members and with their mentors. Because girls from different parts of Central Texas come to work on the robot at different times, they must rely on notes and other communication from their teammates to help guide them as to what still needs to be completed and what progress has already been made. Finally, because the girls are working on transitioning the team to be led more by the team members (and less by adult mentors), the communication needs have increased along with the demands, with Caroline adding that the girls are now responsible for additional tasks such as “finding sponsors, designing the robot, inventorying parts and creating shopping lists, among many other important roles.”
Although these girls love what they do with the engineering of their robots, I learned that their work on the team goes beyond such skills. Last year, the Lady Cans not only competed in the FIRST Robotics Competition, but also took on the “Leave Your Legacy Business Plan Challenge” sponsored by Dell, where they were required to develop a business plan focused on the girls’ community impact initiatives. The team also created a video to convince Dell to invest in its business plan. And three of Dell’s top executives, including Michael Dell himself, ultimately met with the girls, agreeing to invest $3,000 in the team’s plan to expand its robotics camp to local Boys and Girls Clubs after the Girl Scouts won the overall competition.
Arianna, a junior from Austin’s McCallum High School, suggests that the group encourages girls to tackle any skill sets they’re wanting to develop: “Part of our core values is to make sure that every girl learn the skills necessary to be confident in a STEM field and in the FIRST community. If a girl wants to learn programming, computer aided design, business skills, designing websites, managing our social media or running a business, we really make sure that they get the opportunity to do so. We pride ourselves on our interteam education.” Claire adds that she’s seen how her early passion for writing could be adapted to fit different activities, growing her written skills “exponentially.”
All three girls are passionate about the encouraging welcome they found with the Lady Cans team, suggesting that girls wanting to get started with such a team or other group not be afraid to jump right in and ask questions or share their ideas. They told me they hope girls take on the mantra of “Just do it” and get “involved as early as possible,” and more importantly, realize the many chances out there for developing one’s passions: “Being part of the millennial generation, we have an opportunity that not as many women have faced recently—an opportunity to do what we want to do while still continuing to change societal stigmas facing women.” (And yes, those are the girls’ words to me when I asked what advice they’d give other girls wanting to get involved in STEM areas—can you see the powerful impact such a message could have on your students?)
By coupling the robotics team with the community outreach principles central to the Girl Scouts’ mission, the Lady Cans have truly seen the value of STEM beyond their textbooks and classroom experiments. Arianna puts it best: “FIRST has really allowed me to use what I learned in school in a real-world application. I can now take the math and physics that previously made no sense and make it relate to what I’m doing. It’s extremely fulfilling to see the ideas that come out of my brain evolve into a 3-dimensional object that can be used in the industry.”
