May 15, 2015   

A member of the high school robotics team Girls of Steel will join with the Field Robotics Center to run “Programming Your Future With Robotics,” a week-long camp for teaching computing concepts to middle school girls.

Sophia Lee, a junior at North Allegheny High School, received funding for the June 15-19 camp from AspireIT, an initiative of the National Center for Women & Information Technology. Lee will lead the camp, which she designed in partnership with the Field Robotics Center. The Field Robotics Center also sponsors the Girls of Steel team, which just participated in its fifth FIRST Robotics Championship.

Girls attending the camp will learn to program with Scratch, and to design and build their own robots with LEGO MINDSTORMS EV3 and Hummingbird Robotics kits. More information, including how to register to attend, is available here.

“It is important for girls to participate in computing and technology because it may not only lead to career opportunities but also provide greater technological innovation due to more diverse perspectives and ideas,” Lee said. “We hope this camp will encourage more girls to see themselves doing computing and robotics in the future.”