IEEE Women in Engineering Magazine - December 2011 - 31

The price of the entry fee and the kit is US$60, making it an
affordable endeavor for students.

to these teachers and can thus improve
students' science classroom experiences.
Hands-on programs like these have
been shown to be very successful in helping more students enter-and more
importantly, remain in-STEM fields in
college and beyond. Whether a program
uses robots, cars, or science projects as the
catalyst, the opportunity to apply math and
science to a practical project helps students
see that STEM subjects go well beyond
standardized testing and rote classroom
work. The added experience in creativity,
project management, teamwork, and communication starts preparing students for
real-world STEM careers at an early age.
Most competitions of this nature have
similar features: a kit of parts, a set of
rules and goals, and the opportunity to
build "team spirit" by decorating the

Students work on their robot in the "pit" during the Robot
Challenge.

robot and outfitting the team in uniforms
and costumes. The Robot Challenge also
requires a written report and oral presentation to judges. Awards are given
in consideration of many aspects of the
competition, from communication and
team spirit to fabrication and robot performance, to emphasize the importance
of a well-rounded team where everyone
is involved. This part, the WIE organizers
say, is often the most rewarding part-the
visibility into the amount the students
have learned and the excitement that
comes through in the presentations.
Running a program like this is not
trivial; there are kits, venues, participants,
financing, and other logistics to coordinate. But according to 2011 Program
Chair Theresa Vasquez, "It's worth every
minute of the planning, planning, plan-

The "Seuss Sisters" were one of the colorful teams
participating in the competition.

ning." Flood says she would not hesitate to
recommend that any other group organize
an outreach program like this, but she
suggests that each group tailor it according to their local resources; for example,
the kit does not have to be the same one
used in New Jersey and Baltimore and
might even have parts donated by a local
company. All three organizers agree that
dedicated volunteers are a key to success.
"It's impossible to thank them enough for
the time they put in," says McDevitt.
The 2012 Robot Challenge in the SNJ
and Baltimore regions will kick off in January and culminate in the competition in
April. For more information, check out
http://www.robotchallenge.com.
-Mikell Taylor

Teams dressed in diverse costumes during the Robot Challege.

DECEMBER 2011

IEEE WOMEN IN ENGINEERING MAGAZINE

31



http://www.robotchallenge.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of IEEE Women in Engineering Magazine - December 2011

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