Free Robotics Course For Gifted Girls

Did you know?

By the age of six, children begin to categorise jobs as either male or female. By 13, they rule out careers that don’t fit with gender stereotypes. And 60% of girls aspire to stereotypically ‘female’ jobs by the age of 16. In Australia, women make up 28% of the STEM workforce, with only 14% in engineering. 

There is a visible gender disparity in the STEM workforce, as well as in higher education, across the globe. Reducing the gender disparity in these fields will provide more opportunities for women to earn a decent income, as well as foster professional environments that are safer and more productive for women.

So, what can we do about it?

We decided to start a new free project intended to inspire, engage, and empower girls in computer science, engineering, and related fields. The program is meant for students with high intellectual potential who will be immersed in a class of their intellectual peers.

The gifted students will be part of an elite girls-only team called THE RAYS. The free program will run every Tuesday from 4 to 5 pm during school terms at Thebarton Community Centre.

The girls will start by learning the basics of Robotics, which include Computer Science, Electrical Engineering and Mechanical Engineering. Upon completion, they will work on advanced Robotics projects and participate in RoboCup, First Lego League (FLL), and World Robot Olympiad (WRO) competitions.

Due to current restrictions, the class will be limited to 10 people. If the number of candidates exceeds the capacity, we will organise a STEM exam to select the best students. A waiting list will also be available.

Admission conditions:

1. Age between 10 and 18.
2. The learner must not be an existing or former student of Adelaide Robotics Academy.
3. The candidate must demonstrate an interest in STEM areas. The preferred method will be to present the latest school report, which must include A or B grades in at least one of the following subjects: Science, Mathematics, or Technology. If students are unable to produce such a document, they may be offered the option to take an exam that will test their reasoning capabilities.
4. They must bring their own laptops (Windows or Mac).

If you are interested in securing your children’s future career and they meet the above conditions, please contact us to enrol in the course.

Who are we?

The Adelaide Robotics Academy is a STEM school for students aged 10 to 18. We run an after-school club at Thebarton Community Centre as well as incursions for schools in Adelaide. 

At the Adelaide Robotics Academy, students learn Computational Thinking, Programming, and Engineering based on a curriculum designed by Carnegie Mellon University. 

The syllabus includes resources, materials, competitions, and tools for EV3, Arduino and Tello. The courses offer a structured sequence of programming activities within real-world, project-based contexts.

The projects are designed to get students thinking about the patterns and structure of not just robotics, but also programming and problem-solving more generally. We are the only club that competes against mainstream schools in the RoboCup Junior State Championship. And we won! Five trophies in 2019 in Innovation and Sumo Bots, and three cups in 2020 for Robo Soccer.

Upon completion, students are invited to take a practical test and a 70-question theoretical exam. If successful, they are awarded a Certificate from Carnegie Mellon University. 

Apart from building and programming EV3 robots, we learn Electronics by creating custom Arduino robots. Additionally, we have special classes for DJI drone programming. Both the coding and engineering courses are based on the principles of Computational Thinking. 

Each year, our students attend several excursions to inspiring Adelaide companies involved in high-tech, automation, artificial intelligence, and engineering.

Sources:

1. Career Industry Council of Australia: https://cica.org.au/wp-content/uploads/DrawingTheFuture.pdf
2. Australian Government Department of Industry, Science, Energy and Resources: https://www.industry.gov.au/sites/default/files/2019-04/advancing-women-in-stem.pdf
3. Professionals Australia: http://www.professionalsaustralia.org.au/professional-women/wp-content/uploads/sites/48/2014/03/WOMEN_IN_STEM_v2.pdf
4. Inspiring the Future Australia: https://www.inspiringthefuture.org.au/page/inspiring-futures-for-young-women-about-why-is-it-
5. Australian Nuclear Association: http://www.nuclearaustralia.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/Lackenby-ANA2015.pdf
6. Plan Australia, The Dream Gap: https://www.plan.org.au/-/media/plan/documents/reports/idg-2017/the-dream-gap_final.pdf
7. Ford, Carole (2011). Boys are doctors, girls are nurses: the resilience of gender as a determinant in the career aspirations of girls. Master’s (Research) thesis, James Cook University: https://researchonline.jcu.edu.au/30041/1/30041_Ford_2011_thesis.pdf
8. Women’s Health East: http://whe.org.au/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2017/11/No-limitations-guide_FINAL.pdf
9. Australian Bureau of Statistics: https://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/[email protected]/Lookup/by%20Subject/4125.0~Sep%202018~Main%20Features~Economic%20Security~4

Looking after tomorrow’s generations!