GENIUS Inspiration

Girl Scouts in Georgia have teamed up to form a robotics team aptly dubbed: GENIUS (Girls Exploring New Ideas Using Science).  Fighting against the odds, the girls of GENIUS represent an underrepresented group in STEM: females.  According to the U.S. Department of Commerce, only 24% of STEM jobs are held by women. 

GENIUS happily proclaims to be a group of “geeks.”  GENIUS competed in the FIRST LEGO League building robots with LEGO Mindstorms, in an effort to solve a biomedical engineering challenge.  Their creation: a backup camera system for their friend’s wheelchair.  The girls say their experiences with the STEM group have inspired them to continue on to seek careers in STEM fields.

Source:

http://mdjonline.com/view/full_story/15326881/article-A-genius-idea--Robotics-team-gaining-attention--winning-awards?instance=secondary_story_left_column

Stars Shine a Light on FIRST & STEM

Will.i.am is bringing back the “cool factor” to science.  In the prime-time special “i.am, FIRST – Science is Rock and Roll,” host Dean Kamen (inventor of the Segway) promoted STEM education while celebrating the 20^th annual FIRST Robotics competition.   Bringing celebrity attention to science may reignite student’s interest in seeking careers in science fields. 

The back-to-school special featured celebrities such as Justin Bieber, Britney Spears, Bono, Jack Black, Miley Cyrus, Snoop Dogg, Justin Timberlake, Josh Duhamel, and American Idol judge Aerosmith’s Steve Tyler.  The celebrities all joined in to discuss the importance of science in today’s world.  President Obama opened the special with a message encouraging students to keep the spirit of science innovation “alive.” 

Will.i.am became involved when a friend introduced him to Kamen.  Kamen explained FIRST Robotics to Will.i.am, to which the celebrity collaborated with Kamen to bring attention to the championship on its 20^th anniversary.  Will.i.am has stated that he does not want to encourage kids to strive for celebrity status, but rather “encourage them to enter such fields as science, math, engineering, and technology.”

Source:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/larry-bock/william-black-eyed-peas-science_b_934499.html