VRC Girl Powered Online Challenge Sponsored by Google
Girl Powered is an initiative to redefine the face of STEM by creating a more inclusive environment for all students within the robotics community. Together, with the support of the entire community, we strive to encourage equal participation of young women and men in competitive robotics. We want to use this challenge to show the robotics community at large just what it means to be a Girl Powered VRC Challenge team!
Things to keep in mind for a successful submission:
- When you hear the phrase, Girl Powered, what comes to mind? How is it reflected in your team’s approach to robotics?
- Share how your team took initiative to create a more inclusive environment that attracts a diverse group of students.
- Share how each team member tried various roles on the team (designing, building, driving, programming, strategy, awards, etc.). Explain what you learned through this experience.
- How do you believe diversity of perspective changes your robot design, your team chemistry, and even your ability to succeed?
- Who is your STEM role model and why? Does this person inspire you to have a more inclusive team/program? How?
We want compelling, engaging stories that give us insight into how you’ve taken the Girl Powered initiative and incorporated it into your experience on a VRC Challenge team. The benefit of having a diverse team becomes apparent through your individual stories.
Winners
The Firestone Falcon Females
7316B, Girl Powered EST. 2016-2017
Hello and welcome to our submission to the Girl Powered challenge! We have been a Girl-Powered team since early Starstruck with a ratio of 50% or more girls every year. Below, you can find our submission and an essay on the topic of girls in STEM.
Women’s culture
We thought it would be fun to do this project because many women in our history did things that changed the world, the nation, and more. I would tell you more but you can just read our presentation.
8931R Team Girl Power!
In our team, we have three girls. These three girls have worked tirelessly to improve our club and the overall environment to help girls in STEM succeed. Through dedication, ingenuity, and excitement, our VEX community has improved greatly, especially for girls just entering the field.
Girls changing the face of STEM
Girls have such a meaningful significance to the world of STEM and it especially shows in VEX robotics. We would like to show how we incorporate ideas of women empowerment and equality into our team. We believe having girls is important in VEX!
Seeing Through Different Eyes
This essay talks about the change that we, as a Girl Powered team, went through when the either graders on our team left.
Girl Powered Online Submission
Hi! We are team 2501B The Hive, we are excited to share our experiences on GIRL POWERED with you! Team members include Chase and Alysa. We have both driven and programmed for the team, after looking at our scores and how we felt about it, we decided that Chase is the better driver and Alysa is the better programmer. We both build, design, and notebook. Chase still helps program and Alysa drives for strategy and practice. We both excel at speaking with judges and mentoring younger students. We recognize each others strengths for the competitions, while practicing all the skills in the lab....
Does Vex Need More Girls?
Vex IQ - no, Vex in general has branched out and become even more popular in recent years. However, the question that has yet to be asked is: Does Vex Need More Girls? Are we promoting Girl Power throughout or have we just become lazy, stepped aside and let the boys take over. This is what my story/essay is about. I hope you enjoy!