Girl Power in Engineering at Melbourne University
Exploring pathways to careers in STEM
“Scientists explore what is, while engineers create what has never been.” Engineering is the use of design, science, maths, and creativity to invent things that improve our quality of life. Engineers do everything from designing bridges, to building incredible robots, and inventing all the things we use in our day to day lives.
Engineering has been around for thousands of years, dating back to Egyptians who used precise maths and angles to place solid rock obelisks using only sand, rocks, and rope. Currently, not far from here, at The University of Melbourne, engineers are working on countless projects, in all sorts of areas, like building miniature ultrasounds and massive rovers.
During semester one I took the class, Robots are Coming, where I was given the opportunity to develop my engineering skills by building and programming robots. I really enjoyed the problem-solving aspects of the subject, where we were given the freedom to complete a challenge in the best way we could. While the whole subject was a truly amazing experience it was saddening to see only one other girl in the whole class. I think many female students would love a class like this and would seriously benefit from exposure to engineering in our world.
Over the school holidays, because I chose this robotics subject, I was privileged to attend the selective program, Girl Power in Engineering and IT. The four days I spent touring the Melbourne University campus, staying in the dorms at University College, and attending workshops and lectures was amazing.
On day one, myself and the 40 other girls from all around Victoria, were taken to 4 fascinating lectures, with renowned professors at the university teaching us about things like lasers, nanotechnology, dolphins’ fingerprints and how treatments of heart attacks have developed through time.
Through the course of the camp, we also got to attend a couple different workshops. The first workshop was showcasing dancing robots and how to code them. In our electrical workshop we got to program LED lights and learn about electrical circuits.
We were also able to visit three amazing active study sites at the university.
First off, we were given a tour of the Human Computer Interaction Labs. We got to try out all sorts of augmented reality equipment like VR headsets and a few others.
Next, we got to see a demonstration of the CAREN robot. The Caren Robot, standing for Computer Assisted Rehabilitation Environment, is a machine that simulates tripping to help patients recover after surgery. I was lucky enough to be one of the few that got to have a go on this robot (thankfully I didn’t fall!).
Our last tour was of the Telstra Creator Space. We saw quite a few current projects and even got to create one of our own - a light powered by our own wind turbines. Click the following link if you’d like to see a video documenting my experience on this camp!
Out of all the amazing things I got to do during my stay, the most valuable experience was the ability to meet some like-minded girls who love engineering. Out of all the engineering classes I’ve taken, females are in the minority. It was very helpful for me to spend some time learning about the things I love and make plenty of friends that are all interested in similar career paths.
For any girls interested in a career in STEM, I strongly recommend having a look at this program in year 9. Don’t be discouraged by the lack of girls in engineering. Hopefully, in time, we can level the playing field and have as many women working in STEM areas as there are men.
~Elena Cooke, Year 9
