Wawasee High School Robotics Team Hosts ‘Girl Powered’ Event
Wawasee High School Robotics Team Hosts ‘Girl Powered’ Event
Posted
Staff Report-
Wawasee High School Robotics Team Hosts ‘Girl Powered’ EventSYRACUSE — The Wawasee Iron Pride robotics team hosted its second annual “Girl Powered” event, “Indiana Gets Girl Powered II,” Oct. 13 at Wawasee High School.
The event was in conjunction with the global “Girl Powered Initiative” started by the Robotics Education and Competition Foundation. Twelve mentors volunteered their time, experience and expertise to empower the next generation of women to join STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) fields. A total of 44 girls ages 10 to 18 signed up from as far away as Indianapolis.
The afternoon started with an icebreaker activity: grouping girls with a mentor and challenging them to build the tallest structure possible from a limited amount of uncooked spaghetti noodles, tape and string that would support a marshmallow. The winning structure measured 43? inches tall.
In small group sessions that followed, girls could visit the mentors and discuss their field of expertise.
During a panel discussion, the mentors shared about finding their voices in industries where they are largely underrepresented and how to persevere to achieve their goals.
Girls and mentors could also try their hand at driving a robot, built by Iron Pride’s own team 574F, consisting of Vanessa Wright, Anah Sommers, Alivia Stidams and Mykie Moses.
The event included a meal, a chocolate fountain and a photo booth.
Mentors included Rebecca Thomas, chemical engineer and plant manager at Land O’ Lakes; Rachel Janitz, spinal medical device sales representative for Stryker Spine and an Indianapolis Colts cheerleader; Jessica Zurcher, quality development program engineer at Zimmer Biomet; Rachel Haselby, tech-prep and computer science teacher at Rochester High School; Marlene Mulero Betances, president and CEO of EnPak LLC; Luanne Tilstra, Ph.D., professor of chemistry at Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology; Chissa Rivaldi, biologist working on her Ph.D. at Notre Dame; Rebecca Chaney, mechanical and manufacturing engineer at DePuy Synthes; Rose McClimans, bridge engineer at RQAW and an Indianapolis Colts cheerleader; Lori Stanley, organ transplant and neurosurgery nurse at Riley Hospital and an Indianapolis Colts cheerleader; Anna Tilstra-Smith, biomedical engineering student at Rochester Institute of Technology, working at Zimmer Biomet; and Jessi Martin, biomedical engineering student at University of Akron, working in development engineering at Zimmer Biomet.
Indiana Gets Girl Powered II was organized by Wawasee educators and robotics coaches Jed Wandland and Julie Hays.
The event was sponsored by the Kosciusko County Community Foundation, Linda Chastain of State Farm, Indianapolis Colts cheerleaders and New Market of Syracuse.
