Science and STEM

Girl Power

The Girl Power in Engineering and IT program is run by the University of Melbourne to promote and inform young women about the opportunities available in engineering and IT. The aim of the program is to combat the gender imbalance in engineering and IT, encourage female students to engage themselves in the male-dominated fields and to fight the stigma surrounding women in STEM. The four-year program, from Years 9 to 12, consists of work experience, mentoring with current female engineering and IT students and a three-night-camp in July which we (Vivien Owens and Candice Chan Yai Ching) attended.

The camp was held during the July term holidays, 4th to 7th of July, located at Trinity College, which is a Residential College on the outskirts of the University of Melbourne. We arrived on Sunday afternoon, excited and full of anticipation, where we were greeted with a welcoming pack - which included a hoodie, backpack, drink bottle, other items - and introduced to the program. Once we were settled into our individual rooms in one of the two main buildings on the campus, we had free time to get to know the girls on the camp, and finished off the day with dinner and a trivia night.

The second day was the start of our rotations, where we were split up into three groups, taken on a comprehensive campus tour and then took turns attending three activities. The first rotation was about Sustainable Housing. We learnt about the necessity for appropriate and affordable housing in developing countries, and finished the session with a challenge to build a house which could float on water. The second activity of the day was another challenge - this time, each pair tried to build the strongest bridge. While some structures collapsed with very little weight, some were surprisingly durable!

The third activity was one of the highlights of the camp, as we had the opportunity to spend time in the brand new Telstra Maker Space. Over two days, we sanded, varnished and assembled a laser cut wooden light box, complete with 3D-printed latches and an LED lighting system. The Maker Space is a facility available for use by all University of Melbourne students, and contains a multitude of machines, which can manipulate wood, metal, plastic, glass and fibreglass. It was incredible to experience all of the new machines and tour the space.

Tuesday brought a range of new activities to explore. The first session was an Arduino and coding workshop with Robogals, where we programmed a series of LEDs to imitate a traffic light sequence. We were then lucky enough to participate in a Virtual Reality session where members of the group had to instruct the member using the VR headset on how to diffuse a virtual bomb. We used communication and cooperation to solve the puzzles. Lunch was spent with the Melbourne University Motor Racing (MUR) team, where we got to experience a race track simulation, try their combustion and electrical race vehicles and learn about the 12-month design and construction process. Many engineering students use their own unique skills to create sections of the bikes.

The camp gave us many opportunities to learn the possibilities of careers in engineering and IT, especially during the careers panel in the Gateway building theatre on Tuesday night. The panel was organised and led by Professor Sandra Kentish, Head of the School of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering. We had the privilege of meeting and discussing potential careers with four female professionals with careers in aerospace engineering, network engineering, ethical hacking, chemical research and biomedical engineering. These women gave us inspiring discussions of their journey and advice regarding engineering and IT careers.

Wednesday was the last day of the Girl Power camp. We started the day with a GROK programming and coding activity where we were split into groups based on our previous knowledge and experience with Python programming. We were introduced to computational thinking concepts where we got to learn and apply our knowledge about Python to create interactive games. At the end of the day, we presented our short group video we created during the camp, explaining the stigma surrounding girls pursuing engineering and IT in study pathways and careers. The camp was then wrapped up and everyone said their goodbyes and thanks to all their friends and mentors.

The Girl Power in Engineering and IT camp was an incredible opportunity that we were honoured to attend. The interactive workshops -  Sustainable Housing, Bridge Building, Telstra Maker Space, VR workshop, Robogals Arduino workshop, and GROK activity - gave us a glimpse into the engineering and IT industry. It was a phenomenal way to expose us to the beginning of the four-year program, provide us the information, connections, confidence and motivation to pursue a future in engineering and IT.

We encourage all Year 7 and 8s to apply for this program when they reach Year 9, as it is a great introduction to the wide world of STEM. All young women should consider a career in Engineering and IT, especially if you enjoy problem solving or want to help your community. Even though men still typically dominate this field, we have the power to create an equal playing field across these industries.

Daisy Callos

STEM Coordinator