UC Davis C-STEM Girls in Robotics Leadership (GIRL) and GIRL+ Camps build a pipeline for women in STEM with robotics camps
The UC Davis Center for Integrated Computing and STEM Education (C-STEM) seeks to transform math and tech pedagogy through integrated learning, which connects concepts across subjects and curricula. Among the C-STEM Center’s primary objectives is addressing the disparity in academic performance of students traditionally underrepresented in STEM, referred to in education as the “achievement gap.”
The center’s flagship offerings include a series of summer camps for middle and high school girls that teach engineering and technology concepts through hands-on activities and peer mentorship.
The one-week Girls in Robotics Leadership (GIRL) Camp introduces seventh and eighth grade girls to engineering, programming and film production. Each camp participant is given access to a computer with a C/C++ interpreter and a reconfigurable modular robot called a Linkbot, as well as a virtual Linkbot in simulation programs to help them practice coding without worrying about hardware.