Empower Girls Through STEM is an after-school school Science, Technology, Engineering and Math program (STEM) program, in which students design, build and program animatronics and circuitry projects. You can read a news article about the program here.
Academic skills and content:
- Engineering design basics
- Experience in collaboration
- Oral communication
- Perseverance (grit)
Essential Question: How can students use engineering to bring imaginative ideas to life?
Final Product: The final product is a team-created animatronic device that moves, lights up and makes sound with the activation of sensors using an Arduino Hummingbird Kit and an assortment of materials. Students must understand how algorithms can be used to program distance, sound and light sensors to start and stop motors and servos. In their second year, students add LEDs to clothing and program circuits to respond to sound and light. All projects are showcased multiple times so that students can receive feedback, redesign, and improve on their work.
Suggested duration: 6 months (meeting once a week after school).
This project was developed in partnership with Cal Poly Pomona’s Femineers Program.
Created with the support of the California Department of Education California Career Pathways Trust