STEMulating Strategies for Securing Students in STEM
doctors and future aspiring STEM professionals had fun working through a given set of challenges using their NXT MINDSTORM robot. Kayla Grubben and Amya Gupta, members of the Girlbotics team say they just “love robots” and building and programming them. As the overall winners of the challenges, both Kayla and Amya “dig” science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), and aspire to be future engineers. “I love math and the consistency in answers” says Amya. “I love technology as it is a window to creating and innovating” says Kayla.
Warren from Team LK, both aspiring engineers who love working through the challenges at the camp, are equally enthusiastic in voicing their interest. “I love STEM” says Lexi, a fifth grader at Bushnell Elementary school in Tampa. Tying back to educators’ thoughts during the workshop on connecting curriculum to hands-on activities and showcasing practical applications of STEM, Lexi stated that she “always likes to know how things are made and how they work.” As part of the challenges campers attending the week-long all girls robotics camp reconfigured LEGO MINDSTORMS Robots and programmed them to follow specific commands. Caroline Lamoreux and Clare Mooney, fifth graders at St. Lawrence Catholic School in Tampa, were also among the group of campers who articulated the challenges as thought-provoking. “I especially liked the hands-on stuff like building the robot” said Caroline who voiced a common interest among campers about enjoying working with their hands, and building and programming robots.
with STEM subjects, and are conducted in a competitive, problem-based learning environment. To get their innovative and problem solving skills animated, campers were assigned with a task to create their own product and present it to their team members. In this task, Caroline and her teammate, Clare, emerged as trailblazers as they added new components to the robot and started talking with their robot to execute any commands.
Click on image below to watch a news clip about FLATE’s ALL Girls Camp on WTSP News Channel 10
great story with impelling photos