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Weekend robotics workshops help middle and high school girls dispel “computing phobia.”
“My goal is to make computing 'normal' for girls,” says Sabina Chen from Lincoln Laboratory's Advanced Capabilities and Systems Group, who led a workshop that taught middle school girls how to program a robotic car to autonomously follow colored cones. The girls attended this enrichment class for eight consecutive Saturdays from September to November. “The class is about exposure [to computing] and interest-building,” she explains.
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The motivation behind holding the girls-only workshops is to foster a curiosity and familiarity in computing that may lead to a future increase in the number of women engaged in computer science. According to ComputerScience.org, in 2018 only 18 percent of bachelor's degrees in computer science were awarded to women; in electrical engineering, a major that often leads to professions involving computing, the percentage is even lower, at 13.7. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that women make up only about 21 percent of computer programmers, 19 percent of software developers, and 32 percent of website developers."
news.mit.edu
Weekend robotics workshops help middle and high school girls dispel “computing phobia.”
“My goal is to make computing 'normal' for girls,” says Sabina Chen from Lincoln Laboratory's Advanced Capabilities and Systems Group, who led a workshop that taught middle school girls how to program a robotic car to autonomously follow colored cones. The girls attended this enrichment class for eight consecutive Saturdays from September to November. “The class is about exposure [to computing] and interest-building,” she explains.
*snip*
The motivation behind holding the girls-only workshops is to foster a curiosity and familiarity in computing that may lead to a future increase in the number of women engaged in computer science. According to ComputerScience.org, in 2018 only 18 percent of bachelor's degrees in computer science were awarded to women; in electrical engineering, a major that often leads to professions involving computing, the percentage is even lower, at 13.7. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that women make up only about 21 percent of computer programmers, 19 percent of software developers, and 32 percent of website developers."
Boston-area girls discover a passion for coding
Sabina Chen from Lincoln Laboratory led a workshop that taught middle school girls how to program a robotic car to autonomously follow colored cones. Meanwhile, Eyassu Shimelis was conducting a similar series of classes for 21 high school girls.
news.mit.edu