Make: To Build a Better Team, Build a Better Robot - Kate Azar on Women in STEM

[Monochron]

Originally Posted by Citrus Dad

Reading this article, it strikes me that we need to work on social education for both boys and girls on FIRST teams. I think the social chemistry is probably unique on these teams and needs a more specific understanding of context than the general approaches that that seem to be offered.

I have seen similar situations in a couple of settings. Most of the girls on our team (with one notable exception) respond with an attitude of "I don't know anything about tools/building/computers" when asked to help with something technical. We once nearly got in to an argument, albeit light heated, with one of our girls to get her to learn to use a saw. I can only really think of one boy on our team who has ever responded in a similar way. Unfortunately I don't know whether the behavior of the girls comes from something before they join the team, the way the boys on the team treat them, or something else.

[GeeTwo]

Another thing we're doing this year that we're hoping will better integrate the team by gender is requiring all members (and even mentors) to participate BOTH in a business-side committee AND on the technical (robot build and related topics). The two functions will normally meet on different nights, though we may occasionally have brief meetings of one before or after the other when it's convenient. The leaders on both sides will wear equal "rank insignia" on their uniforms at competition. (Yes, we do this: single bars for lieutenants, double bars for department captains, mentors wear FRC mentor pins, lettered varsity and lead mentors add the letter pin, and we may come up with some way to represent the people who've won intra-team awards.)