GIRLS

Washington Robotics The sport of science, technology, and teamwork.  

INSPIRING YOUNG WOMEN TO BE

TOMORROW’S LEADERS

INITIATIVE

 

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INSPIRING YOUNG WOMEN TO BE TOMORROW’S LEADERS About Us Washington FIRST Robo cs inspires young individuals to be science and technol-ogy leaders by engaging them in exci ng mentor-based, compe ve robo cs programs. By par cipa ng in FIRST, kids develop well-rounded life capabili es, including self-confidence, communica on skills and leadership.  

FIRST Girls Initiative Mission The science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) workforce is essen al to America’s growing economy. Yet, according to a 2013 Boston Consul ng Group report quoted by the Washington STEM Framework for Ac on and                 Accountability Valida on Project, local companies will experience 50,000       vacancies by 2017. STEM and health care jobs account for 90 percent of these       vacancies. Filling these posi ons will require a STEM educated workforce statewide. Despite the need for STEM employees, women today only make up 28 percent of tenure track faculty in STEM fields. 1  

Through Washington FIRST         Robo cs, we have the opportunity to engage female  students in STEM at an early age.  With less than 20 percent of women acquiring com-puter science and engineering de-grees, Washington FIRST Robo cs is     dedicated to increasing STEM    interest and bridging the gender gap through the future STEM  work-force. With the generous support of Intellectual Ventures, we have launched the Girls FIRST Ini a ve. This ini a ve encompasses a matrix, data points, and recruitment efforts to spark interest in STEM among girls and wom-en within Washington State. Join us in our efforts to diversify the STEM work-force and to empower young women and men of all backgrounds across the globe! 

 

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WHY GIRLS? WHY STEM? ...Because Industry Needs Women “Women currently make up 58% of the United States workforce. Though women are the majority of our country’s workforce, they are poorly represented in STEM fields.”

- Women’s Collaborative Project

Our vision is to stimulate interest in STEM through robotics programs in hope that girls will pursue STEM careers!

45.9% of Chemists and material scientists are women.

28.9% of environmental scientists are geoscientists are women.

22.3% of Chemical Engineers are women

13.1% of Civil Engineers are Women

8.8% of Electrical and Electronics Engineers are Women

17.8% of Industrial Engineers are Women

5.5% of Mechanical Engineers are Women *Girl Scouts of America, The Girls Collaborative Project, The State of Girls and Women in STEM, 2013.

THE STATISTICS

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WHY GIRLS? WHY STEM? (cont.) ...Because Stereotypes are Obstacles Humans from every gender, culture, and ethnicity have stereotypes that affect their percep on on their individual success. It is the stereotype that women cannot succeed in math and science that       overshadows the female percep on. 

How much do gender stereotypes play into the human’s percep on on their STEM ability? The research of The American Associa on of        University Women (AAUW) suggests that       elementary school children consciously believe in the truth of stereotypes.  In a 2006 survey conducted by AAUW, 38% of boys agreed with the statement, “the smartest girls in my school are not popular,” and 17% of girls and 14% of boys thought it was true that “teachers think it is not important for girls to be good at math.” 2.  These           conscious beliefs may be more powerful than held beliefs because we are not 

aware of them.  

However, research shows that human beings can succeed beyond stereo-types. Psychologist Janet Hyde of the University of Wisconsin published a report in 2008 that showed standard-ized test scores taken in 2005-2007 by nearly 7 million students in 10 states.  The researchers found that math and science scores of boys and girls were split 50/50, sugges ng that there is "no gender difference" in scores among children in 2nd and 11th grade. 

Overall, gender does not determine success in STEM fields.  Every human being is born with equal STEM capabili es.  It is important to begin STEM interest at an early age so female and male students are not discouraged. The overall goal of the Girls FIRST Ini a ve is to overcome gender stereotypes and to tell both boys and girls that they are equally capable of success!  

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OUR RESEARCH

Washington FIRST Robotics conducted online survey’s and mini-focus discus-sions across all four programs with girls, boys and mentors participating. The findings compliment years of national studies.

50 % of Jr. FIRST Lego League/FIRST Lego League team members are

girls.

35 % of FIRST Tech Challenge team members are girls.

28 % of FIRST Robotic Competition team members are girls.

Our research shows that on average female and male interest in FIRST programs is equal in elementary school. However, female interest declines as children age and enter middle and high school. The overall goal of the FIRST Girls Initiative is to not overpower female presence, but to learn how to maintain girl’s interest in STEM they enter middle and high school.

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1-2-3 LET’S GO!

Make FIRST game experiences more relevant and connected to real-world problems.

According to a 2012 survey conducted by the Girl Scouts of America, over 94% of participating girls reported that they wanted to pursue a career path on which they can serve their community. About 65% of Girl Scouts interested in STEM fields desired a STEM career path related to health and social science. In order to maintain and promote female interest, FIRST must be dedicated to the creation of an environment that is relevant to outside world issues.

Develop and provide mentor training for adults and students.

The report also noted that 47% of par-ticipating girls would feel uncomfortable if placed in a classroom in which they are the only female student. By training mentors and recruiting additional female mentors, Washington FIRST Robotics can minimize the fine line between intim-idation and success for girls, and inspire career connections.

Define heroes and target girls whose parents do not have a STEM background

71% of Girl Scouts reported that their parents have a STEM career, and have encouraged them to pursue STEM-related interests. It is more difficult for girls whose parents do not have STEM backgrounds to discover their love for STEM. Washington FIRST Robotics must encour-age these girls by defining heroes that can help them find their potential passion for math and science.

2

Generation STEM, Girl Scouts of America, 2013

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CALL TO ACTION!

Washington FIRST Robotics will be in the field this summer and fall recruiting, training, and supporting female mentors and girls to join teams within the Washington FIRST Ro-botics community. We inspire to empower young women and to make a difference in the FIRST community! Join us today by investing, mentoring and volunteering with us!

For more information and how you can get involved, please contact: Hilary Waite at hilary@firstwa.org Erin McCallum at erin@firstwa.org

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“Every year I'm amazed by the students who get engaged in FIRST. The most successful years for Franklin High School team Xbot is when the team is lead by female co-captains. Get involved, see how cool science, math, robotics and FIRST can be. GIRLS rule!”

“There is no doubt in my mind that a strong STEM workforce is crucial to ensuring innovation in today’s technology driven world. Women have had some great impact on areas of STEM, and by encouraging girls to pursue these areas in education, we are paving the way to a brighter future. When we’ve finally overcome gender barriers in STEM, we will have unlocked half of the world’s inventive brainpower.”

“Imagine what fantastic ideas and innovations are waiting to be discovered and invented by girls! When we dare to branch out of the girly stereotype, anything is possible and the sky is the limit!”

WOMEN STEM LEADERS OF THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST

Kimberly Hicks Systems Engineer, The Boeing Company

Adrienne Brown President and COO Intellectual Ventures

Donna Lew Mentor, Franklin High School Team 488 Xbot

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Amy Myers Walla Walla FIRST Lego League Team, Girl Scouts Amy has earned a B.A. in biology and chemistry from Whitman College and a MPH (health education focus) from the University Washington. Amy loves FLL and has witnessed firsthand the benefits of the FLL program while working as a mentor for a group of fifth grade girls from a high-poverty elementary school. She currently lives in Walla Walla and is a full-time

Chelsea Olson Electrical Engineer, The Boeing Company Mentor, FIRST Robotics Competition Chelsea recently graduated from the University of Washington with a B.S. in Electrical Engineering , and is currently seeking her M.A. of Engineering. She got involved as a mentor for FIRST Robotics Competition team 2046 Bear Metal in 2012 and has been a significant member of the FIRST volunteer family ever since.

GIRLS FIRST COMMITTEE

Jennifer Mortensen Corporate Communications Marketing, Intellectual Ventures After receiving a B.A. in English and a minor in environmental studies from the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma., Jennifer amassed ex-perience in science and tech communications at a leading magazine publisher and at an infec-tious disease research institute. In 2012 she joined the corporate communications team at Intellectual Ventures.

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Sarah Powazek Issaquah High School

Sarah is a sophomore at Issaquah High School and is a member of FIRST Robotics Competition team 1318. On her team, she analyzes, designs, and drives the robot. She looks forward to working on the advisory board to help recruit more girls in FIRST and STEM !

Jennifer came onto FIRST Robotics as a freshman on the FIRST Tech Challenge rookie team 4590. She has been involved in the growth and development of FIRST programs in her community. She has been a leader, mentor, and friend to many people through her experiences in robotics. She will pursue a degree in robotics an embedded systems at the University of Advancing Technology in September 2014!

As a teacher for over 20 years, Kat has taught many subjects at a variety of levels but science has always been her first love. The FIRST Robotics programs are a hobby, which allow Kat to share her love of learning and science with kids. Each year brings a new game challenge which excites

Kat Stebbins FIRST Robotics Team Coordinator, Moses Lake, WA

Jennifer Taflin Kings High School

GIRLS FIRST COMMITEE (cont.)

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Director-Career and Technical Education, Spokane Public Schools

Work Cited http://www.aauw.org/ http://www.girlscouts.org/research/pdf/generation_stem_full_report.pdf 2014 Washington FIRST Robotics survey that was conducted a couple of month ago (how should I cite this? ) http://news.sciencemag.org/education/2008/07/girls-boys-math Boston Consulting Group/

Cassidy Barnes Franklin High School Cassidy is a freshman who does community outreach for the FIRST Robotics Competition team Xbot at Franklin High School. In her spare time, she participates in choir and drama!

GIRLS FIRST Committee

Lisa has been an administrator in Spokane Pub-lic Schools for the past 21 years. She is the Director of Career and Technical Education and has been in this position for the past 11 years. Lisa has catalyzed an opportunity for all students ( K-12) in Spokane Public Schools to participate in engineering and computer Science through FIRST Lego League/JR, and FIRST Ro-botics Challenge over the next three years. Lisa is an alumna of Gonzaga University with a Mas-ter’s Degree in Educational Administration.

Lisa White Director of Instructional Programs, Spokane Public Schools

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Washington FIRST Robotics 21238 68th Avenue South Kent, WA 98032 www.firstwa.org WASHINGTONFIRSTROBOTICS FIRST_WA TAX ID: 45-2443839

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