IEEE Women in Engineering Magazine - June 2015 - 25

They wanted to model the new software on MIT's Scratch, a drag-and-drop
block-based language that has brought
programming to those as young as
second grade. Two staff members built
BlocksCAD as a visual interface on top
of the open source CAD software OpenSCAD, and today they use BlocksCAD in
workshops and for off-site school groups.
"All the math is still there," Houh
says. "We hid nothing. It is still fully featured. It's built on a more advanced tool.
It's more visual and helps them learn
the math."
The reception of BlocksCAD has
been great, and their goal is to release
it publicly as open source software.
They initiated a Kickstarter campaign
but were unable to reach their funding
goal of US$42,000 to take the existing
BlocksCAD prototype to the next level by
making it Web based and open sourced
as well as refining the interface, making the software more robust, and creating documentation. Today, bolstered by
the enthusiasm of both educators and
parents, they are working on alternative
ways to fund it.
"Here's the nice thing about it," Houh
explains. "It's a pedagogical tool. Kids are
really motivated to learn more math."

ties for younger kids to stay engaged, but
places like Einstein's Workshop help fill
the void.
-Katianne Williams

Girls, Boys, and 'Bots

The St. Clare's robotics team
At St. Clare's School in Staten Island,
New York, science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education starts early. With the school's strong
focus on STEM, by the time students

York City to bring home the trophy (appropriately made out of LEGOs) for research,
robot, and all-around teamwork.
Team members Chris, Brianna, and
Melissa have known each other for years.
Tommy joined St. Clare's in sixth grade.
All four are close friends, and the 2013-
2014 season was their first year together
as an FLL team. Now eighth graders, the
team is preparing for their final season
before aging out and scattering to different high schools in the New York area.
Although the kids say that they notice
no difference between the girls and boys
in their school when it comes to interest and engagement in all things math

The Einstein Model
"We are trying to build a techie community center," Rapoport says. The goal
FLL team members Melissa and Brianna are both considering engineering careers.
is a space where younger kids can see
what older kids are working on, and
and science, FLL participation numbers
are old enough to join a FIRST LEGO
older kids can see what adults are workseem to indicate that at least the areas
League (FLL) team in fourth
ing on. Einstein's Workshop
of robotics is still a boys domain. FLL
grade,
they've
already
employs a "small army" of
Much
participation numbers are typically about
learned some basic rohigh school students
of the efforts
70% male and 30% female.
botics and cultivated
to teach classes and
in STEM are
For those girls who do join, concerns
strategies for develcoach FLL teams.
with mixed-gender FLL teams can echo
really focused
oping and presentMuch of the efthose raised in lab courses at colleges
ing a scientific
fort in STEM that
toward older kids,
across the country-are girls actively
research project.
people are talking
but by that time,
engaging in robot build and project
Last year, St.
about are really fo"We've lost a
invention, or are they being confined
Clare's Robotics
cused toward older
lot of human
to other assignments like fundraising,
Team 2 capitalized
kids, but by that time,
researching, and poster making, while
on those opportunities
Houh says, "We've lost
capital."
the boys take the STEM helm?
by beating out over 75
a lot of human capital."
Fortunately, this close-knit team
other FLL teams at the Jacob
Houh hopes that if younger
seemed appropriately confused by such
Javits Convention Center in New
kids receive more support outside
gender parity questions as if such diviof school, they will stay interested lonDigital Object Identifier 10.1109/MWIE.2015.2408713
sions had never occurred to them.
ger. There are not that many opportuniDate of publication: 12 May 2015

june 2015

iEEE women in engineering magazine

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of IEEE Women in Engineering Magazine - June 2015