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STEM and Diversity: Mentoring the ERHS FIRST Robotics
By Thomas Rogers Email: [email protected]
Science, Discovery, and the Universe Mechanical Engineering
Introduction I was part of a team of Scholars mentors that went to Eleanor Roosevelt High School in Prince Georges County to help with their FIRST Robotics team. We were there to help the team which faces diminishing funds from the school and a lack of diverse interest.
What I did at Site Each Thursday we would travel to Eleanor Roosevelt to help the FIRST team work on their robot. My objectives for this service were: - To advise the students on principles
that apply to building the robot - Help actually construct, adhere to
safety standards - Understand why students joined the
club - Build a relationship to foster STEM
interest While at the school I worked on helping the students build a winch mechanism so that the robot could lift the totes. At the end of build season I helped work with the team leaders to reorganize the club leadership for next year.
Impact The FIRST team definitely benefited from the mentorship I provided. They were very enthusiastic to learn new engineering principles that could be applied to the build of the robot. All the students showed some level of interest in a STEM career path, with FIRST being the most likely reason they would continue. The work also helped myself. I came to understand the best way to teach students about STEM and engineering. I came into the mentorship not sure how to teach other students and I finished learning the basics of getting interested students to try new solutions. As part of outreach I encouraged a diverse group of students to try and join next year.
Future Plans This service program has really got me thinking about STEM education and how the lacking numbers are dealt with and the motivation provided by institutions. I will want to continue volunteering as a mentor to FIRST robotics teams around Maryland. There is still a large gap after middle school where many students loose interest in STEM careers. As a degree seeking engineer, I want to be able to help keep kids interested.
FIRST MISSION: FIRST is a program that promotes STEM as fun and engaging
through problem –solving.
Eleanor Roosevelt site: ERHS is PG counties northern Science and technology center for High schools.
Maryland STEM Education initiative: Maryland has begun investing a great deal in STEM by introducing the STEM standards of practice education structure beginning in 2015. Prince Georges county has already begun initiating these principles.
The graph above shows the low percentage of women who finish education in a STEM career. It is important that these numbers increase in order to decrease the disparity. This can be done by fostering interest through programs like FIRST. It is important to note that at Eleanor Roosevelt there is a severe diversity gap between the student population and the make up of the robotics team.
Acknowledgements: Advisor/teacher-Matthew Aruch CPSP249T, SDU – Alan Peel, ERHS
Figure: Chart showing population of student body at ERHS. The robotics team is a polar opposite representation.
Figure: Robot at the Chesapeake regional FIRST competition.
Figure: Playing field for the competition.
