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Our team sponsor (school end, our great robotics teacher Mr. Shelton) had us write ways to recruit more female members to the robotics team as part of our final (shame I'm leaving Dillard, I'm gonna miss it) I think that getting girls in the team is easier done if you have a good art department for your team (as in making banners, t-shirt design, ANYTHING like that). We had a few girls this past season, but only a couple that were really involved in a major way. If you count all of them, we had 5 or so I think. Either way, its good for the team.
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Furthermore, how do you define "heavy involvement" in the inspiration process? Because they didn't make the banners you wanted, are they less involved? Because they stayed on the sidelines, watching rather than participating, are they less inspired? I'm curious to see what criteria you use to detemine's someone's worth to themselves and to your team. Really. Finally, it's not really even about the team. It's about inspiring individuals, no matter how, why, or when. ...recruiting girls is good for your team? How, exactly? You seem to indicate that they have a bad record of contributing anything you've deemed worthwhile. They seem to be best suited and most likely to draw pictures and make banners and have spirit and do public relations; something which you don't seem to value, really. I mean, why else would you use those aspects of FIRST to recruit people who aren't "really involved?" Is it to pad your numbers? Is it that so you can wear the number of girls on your team like a proud badge of equality and fairness? Please. |
Actaully I was speeking more from the numbers i saw in my high school years. My high school is a technology magnet, and we have a pretty big female population in the program, but most of them are enrolled mainly or only in graphic arts programs and tv production, very few take courses such as robotics, programming and electronics. I don't know why, but its just how it goes. Not to say the females don't bring anything to the team, actually its quite the contrary, they bring a lot to the teams. In our team, it just happened that we did not have many girls invovled in building like processes, most of them were involved with graphics and fundraising. These jobs are also important mind you, and if FIRST inspires someone to be an animator, or a CEO, does it make it any less important that if FIRST inspires someone to be an engineer?
Its good for the team, simply because its more fun that way, i mean, who wants to be on a team full of guys only? Society also seems to frown upon anything that doesn't involve females, so its also good from a political standpoint. |
Being a female: this is my story
When I joined FIRST my junior year of high school (2001), I was technologically inept, didn't know much about computers or tools, but I recieved decent grades in math and science so I wanted to know if engineering was for me.
When it came to the robot, I spent most of the '01 and '02 seasons overhearing conversations between the engineers and absorbing information, I did simple machining tasks on the band saw or drill press, and participated a little bit with strategy and concept design. Needless to say, I learned a lot... but the team would have had the same great robot whether I was on the team or not. It didn't matter... but the point is, I was inspired (as you all can clearly say now). By helping out with such things such as media, awards, community service, demos, banners... whatever; I felt like a more active member of the team, and that I was giving something back after all. I enjoyed doing such things... I knew I learned a lot about robots, but came to cruch time I let the people who knew what they were doing go attend to the problems... I was needed somewhere else and it felt good to be important somewhere. My point? Every aspect of a team is useful, and don't confuse inspiration with activity. You can never tell what is going on the mind of somebody, so don't assume. Because of the "non-robot" things I did, I gained useful communication skills (ways to sell people on something, less timid, phone calls, ways to deal with ppl, ect... Skills that many engineers sometimes lack) I am continually learning more about how to build the robot every build season, it's an ongoing journey. Basically... all that matters is that I've decided to improve myself technologically. p.s. simultaneous post... oops |
M. Krass:
I'm also a member of patrick's team. We at dillard have a large girl population, as he said, but statistically speaking, they are more apt for graphic design/art/spirt than at building the robot. When we say that someone dosen't contribute to the team, its not in the sense of "They didn't do this the way WE wanted it", its they didnt put any effort at all into just DOING it. Most girls on our team, simply don't feel like putting the effort they see people like myself and others putting in. That's not to say there aren't those that do! We had one team member, who's name was "happy". She was there till 1am with me every night I was there working. She was a great asset to the team, because she put in EFFORT. From a statiscal standpoint, and statiscal only, males on our team tend to put more effort into the team. ...and believe me, we encourage female participation any way we can. Any female interested in the team is greeted with much respect and given every chance. Many times, they're given more oppurtunity than the guys on the team. However, even with all this oppurtunity, only a handful take advantage of it. Its a mindset they often times dont wish to adopt. I'm NOT saying girls are not a good asset, they're just as good as guys. There is no difference in the ability to build a robot. It's just the mindset they acquire, and the Fort Lauderdale Dillard High School mindset of the average female, is not about building a robot....but I've got plans to change all that as the new 108 team leader. ;) |
I have been watching this thread on and off for a while now, and I have been thinking about this.
If you leave a 7 year old boy in a room full of barbie stuff alone, he will eventually grow bored, make sure no one is watching, and start playing with the barbies. Different story if there are other people in the room with him. Reactions will vary greatly here, but it is very likely that he will not play with the barbies. What if we stick the kid in a country where it is socially acceptable for boys to play with barbies? He will play with the barbies whether people are there or not. Here is my point. Recruiting girls actively is only a temporary solution, but it looks good and everyone says, hey, we're fixing the problem, look at us. We've (almost) all bragged about the number of girls on our teams. And it is very important. But we need to have girls on teams become role models, showing that engineering is okay and even cool for girls as well as guys. Well, sorry, but I felt the need to say that. Recruiting girls is only a temporary fix. The girls on FIRST teams must become visible. (Lego league is a good place to start, fresher minds). In doing so, we will ultimately fix the problem, rather than prolonging it. BTW, this is as much about guys doing PR, artsy craftsy stuff and paperwork as it is about girls. |
Well, you need to start somewhere, and recruiting is where that starts. It will take a while to make an impact, but if you can get a growth per year, I think you're doing something right. Basically what I think my teacher was trying to do, was to recruit more girls on to the robotics team to basically like you said, show that its cool to like engineering and be a girl, and the more girls you have on your team, the easier it is to have a steady flow of girls signing up (speculation, but it makes sense to me). I actually project growth at Dillard for female involvment.
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I was the only girl on the team my freshman year, and we didnt really have a spirit team or anything of that sort so my only choice was design or build and I went straight in to build and wouldnt have it any other way..we have the cheerleaders and what not now, but my place is in the shop.
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haha
its sometimes hard to get some engineers to shout
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How does this post keep on getting resurrected?! I thought this fell off of the CD.com web space!! :) |
Well Matt, once in a while, a small group of us (known normally as "forum trolls") tend to on our daily wanderings through cheifdelphi. One of the more popular of these "forum troll" activies involves going back through our old subscribed forums. I do this occasionally to make sure I haven't missed something from an errant e-mail that never made it back to alert me of a new post. Now, you may be wondering "What's wrong with you specialagentjim?". Well, that my friend, is a question which no forum could ever possibly cover.
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It's FAR worse than you think Matt......Far worse...
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