Robots roamed the halls at Bucks, as middle school-aged girls learned robotics at the latest Techgirlz workshop.
The free workshop, held on March 28 under the direction of Professor Arta Szathmary of the college’s STEM department, hosted 35 sixth-eighth grade girls.
Instructors and assistants, along with Szathmary and Christine Delahanty, associate professor of STEM, instructed the girls on how to use The Scribble and Finch Robots, the latest in robotics designed for education.
The group of enthusiastic young girls learned everything from downloading the software to activating the Finch to programming the Scribble to follow a straight line.
Through hands-on training, the girls had the opportunity to work together and use problem-solving skills to navigate the software.
Instructors gave a brief history and step by step directions, but most of the girls were eager to figure it out on their own.
The girls maneuvered the Finch Robot around the halls, testing its ability to sense obstacles and watching the LED light glow in its beak as it detected impediments. The girls nicknamed the robot “The Manta Ray” because of its shape.
Szathmary explained that robots such as these have been used to have increase enrollment in computer science class and it has been proven to help.
Designed to target a younger demographic, the Scribbler has been used by the Institute for Personal Robots in Education, or IPRE, to aid in the education of computer science. Its design comes equipped with three photo resistor light sensors, infrared emitter, and infrared detector for input of sensory information.
“I love to see them figure it out,” said Szathmary.
Her enthusiasm was shared as Delahanty praised Szathmary for her dedication to these workshops.
Delahanty explained that she feels lucky to be a part of the whole thing and, “helps whenever she can.”
“This is a great introduction to programming and robotics,” said Delahanty.
Workshops like this show young girls what technology is all about, while giving them an outlet to express their interest in things such as robotics with others who share their enthusiasm.
Mothers in the group expressed their gratitude for giving the girls a place where they feel comfortable and have the ability to be themselves without judgment.
This was an important factor to one mother who asked to remain anonymous. “This is a safe place for them,” she said.
The Techgirlz mission is to involve middle school age girls in the world of technology early on in hopes that they might consider a career in the field and close the gender gap.
Volunteers who believe in the mission helped with the workshop, including some of the mothers.
Techgirlz workshops will continue to be held Saturday afternoons at the Newtown campus. The next event, “Raspberry Pi” will be on April 25.
Registration for the all the events can be found at www.sites.google.com/site/techgirlzbccc/.