On Saturday, April 6th, we hosted our Robotics Workshop at UCSD! During the workshop, the girls were able to code LEGO EV3 Mindstorm robots to complete a variety of different tasks like drawing and sensing colors. To start out the workshop, Serena and Audrey (the leaders) taught the girls about what robotics is and how it’s used in the real-world — for everything from vacuum cleaners to hospital tasks. Then Dr. Eguchi, a UCSD professor who helped organize the workshop, told the girls about different robotics opportunities they have at their disposal, as well as emphasized the importance of robots in today’s world.
Next, Serena and Audrey gave the girls an introduction to Mindstorms — the application they used during the workshop to code their robots. After the intro, the girls got started on coding. They problem-solved and worked in groups to get their robots to travel back and forth, turn, and move in different shapes like squares and circles. After completing the challenges, the workshop leaders gave a brief introduction to sensors (specifically touch and color ones), and then it was time for snack break. After filling up on some delicious cookies and bananas, it was time for everyone to get back to work! The girls worked with color sensors and coded their robots to stop at black tape, as well as make a square along black tape that the sensor was coded to not touch. Then, for the final activity, the girls combined their knowledge from previous challenges to get their robots to draw. They used legos and rubber bands to make their own pen holders, then got their robots to draw different shapes on poster boards—both old shapes they’d already coded for as well as new ones. After finishing their robot-made art, the girls posed with their creations and some even got to take them home. Overall, it was another successful and educational AGSS workshop. Be sure to look our for our next workshop, the annual All Girls Math Tournament, on May 18th from 1:45pm-5:30pm!
0 Comments
On Saturday, March 16th, we hosted our python workshop in collaboration with Del Norte High School’s Girls in CS club at Mission Valley Library. To begin, we discussed computer science in the real world, including examples, our woman in STEM, Grace Hopper. Then, we moved on to programming itself, and how we give instructions to computers with different languages. Our first coding activity was a classic for any programmer - “hello, world”. Once the girls had written their first line of code, we delved more into the specifics of syntax, variables, data types, and more!
For our first activity, once the girls had learned about loops, they organized lines of code on slips of paper into a loop program. Then, after a quick break for snacks, they moved on to turtle, a graphical library that can draw using code. Once learning a few turtle commands, participants chose one of four drawings to create using turtle, including a flower, a balloon, a star, and a clover. Our final coding activity was sprite animation, using sample photos to create a simple running animation. One participant commented that she enjoyed programming because it was a “simpler way of talking to the computer.” We hope to see you at our next workshop on robotics!
On Saturday, February 24, we hosted our Environmental Science workshop at City Heights Library! The girls learned all about the relationship between humans and the environment, including concepts such as predator/prey relationships and food chains. In our first activity, participants created their own food chains with energy sources, producers, consumers, and decomposers. Then, we discussed symbiosis and the different types of symbiotic relationships.
For the next part of the workshop, our focus shifted towards sustainability. After covering pollution and the damage it does, participants brainstormed methods of reducing, reusing, and recycling. Once they had learned what qualifies as recyclable, the girls took common trash items and decided which ones they thought were recyclable. After a quick break for snacks, we moved onto pollution, discussing the sources, the effects, and how we’ve experienced it in real life. Finally, the participants learned about biomes and different environments. Our last activity was a survival game to show how different adaptations help organisms survive in different environments. Dice rolls determined the traits of a moth for each participant, and then we went through different environmental scenarios such as temperature changes, predators, and more to see which combinations of traits survived the longest. Look out for our python workshop on March 16th! On Monday, February 26th, AGSS hosted a workshop about Data Science at the Boys’ and Girls’ Club at Southwood! Designed and hosted by our Technology Curriculum Head, Tsega Kidanu, we first covered the basics of data science, including why it is so important to analyze the world around us. We then went over the different types of data, such as qualitative and quantitative data, and the different types of graphs it can be organized into.
We then demonstrated how data can be collected by surveying students to learn about everyone’s favorite sports, and turned this information into a relevant graph together. After practicing this skill, we distributed assorted candies to the students, who sorted them by the type of candy, then by color, then by size. They recorded this data and as a class, we visualized it with a bar graph - now they were thinking like real data scientists! On Monday, February 19th, AGSS hosted a workshop about Atoms and Elements at the Boys’ and Girls’ club at Southwood! At this workshop, which was designed by our Science Curriculum Head Cynthia Jia and hosted by our president Selena Akay, we went over the parts of an atom. Students were also introduced to the periodic table, its significance, and how to navigate it. To practice, we did a quick activity on how to extract information about the elements using the periodic table terminology!
We built upon the knowledge of atoms that they gained earlier by introducing the concept of molecules. Our activity for the day was creating atoms! First, they drew the atomic structure of the element of their choosing on a piece of paper, and then they modeled their drawing using pipe cleaners for electron shells, gummy bears for protons and neutrons, and marshmallows for the electrons. I’m positive that we’ll be keeping an ion these future scientists’ accomplishments!  On February 12th, UVA AGSS hosted a workshop on Non-Newtonian Fluids at the Boys and Girls Club of Southwood! Students learned about the different states and properties of matter. We then delved deep into the idea of a substance that could belong to more than one category of matter at the same time - non-newtonian fluids! We discussed real-world examples of this unique substance before moving onto our activity for the day.
The students were given supplies to make their very own non-newtonian fluid, oobleck. This fascinating substance is solid when compressed, but liquid when left alone. It’s totally unlike most materials seen in the world around us! Like real scientists, students made observations on what happened to the fluid as it was stirred or squished, and shared with the class.
On Saturday, January 20th, we hosted our geometry workshop at Logan Heights Library, where 35 girls learned all about two and three-dimensional shapes. After discussing our example woman in STEM, Emmy Noether, and her accomplishments in abstract algebra, the participants learned about various properties of triangles and quadrilaterals. They also earned prizes for answering questions such as naming types of triangles. Then, the girls proved that the angles of triangles add up to 180 degrees by folding the corners of paper triangles into a straight line. Before moving on to three-dimensional shapes, the girls learned about how proofs work and how mathematicians discover them.
To begin our section on three-dimensional shapes, participants learned about types of prisms, pyramids, polyhedrons, and more! They then put this into action with paper nets, which showed how 3D shapes are made out of 2D shapes. After taking a quick break for snacks, we then moved on to examples of the math that the girls learned about in nature. Finally, the girls created modular origami and put 2D origami shapes together to make a variety of shapes including cubes and polyhedrons. One participant commented that “my favorite part was the origami because I liked making all the different shapes with paper.” Be sure to look out for our ecology workshop on February 17th! On December 16th, we hosted our annual Holiday STEM Party at the Logan Heights Library. At various holiday-themed stations, our participants tested their engineering, logic, and craft abilities in various STEM activities.
First up, participants created Elf Potions. Using red cabbage juice, we learned about chemistry and tested the pH of vinegar, milk, water, baking soda, and dish soap. One participant “I liked seeing the different colors of the mixture when we added cabbage juice.” At our next festive station, the girls competed to engineer the tallest or sturdiest gingerbread houses, using knowledge of geometry and structural design. Each team chose to focus on stacking the highest tower of graham crackers and candy, or to use frosting to make their house last the longest in an earthquake test. One participant exclaimed: “I just love making gingerbread houses,” and her teammate added: “Or in this case, graham-cracker houses!” After the break, to learn about geometry and angles, participants folded and cut their own fractal snowflakes! Some folds made right angles, while others made acute angles. By cutting out different shapes, the girls could open up the papers and see a beautiful, geometric snowflakes! In another thrilling competition, participants constructed their own Candy Catapults to try and launch peppermints into a cup. They incorporated knowledge of simple machines and physics to engineer their catapult. One participant “liked that it was challenging.” Lastly, the girls solved some holiday mystery puzzles! From sudoku with holiday images to solving a Gift Mix-Up problem, we challenged our minds to spread some fun holiday cheer. We hope you can join us for our next workshop about Geometry on January 20th, which will take place at Logan Heights Library. Happy Holidays!!
On Saturday, November 18th, we hosted our Engineering Design Workshop at the Allied Gardens/Benjamin Library, where 35 kids worked together in groups to build cars. We began by listening to a short lecture on the basics of engineering design, including what it is and what steps it requires. Then, we started our main activity, which was building cars. The first step was identifying the problem: how to go from point A to point B in the fastest and most efficient way possible. Then, we reviewed knowledge on friction, air resistance, mass, weight distribution, and potential and kinetic energy that would be helpful to keep in mind when building the cars. After that, we went to the second step, which was sketching the car designs. The kids used the material list to plan their designs for ten minutes, and then they moved on to prototyping. They made a first version of their car using cardboard, tape, hot glue, straws, and many other materials, keeping in mind that they had the opportunity to improve upon it later. After a quick snack break, the kids tested their cars on ramps around the room, and used their experiences to try and improve their cars. One girl commented that “this is my favorite part because it’s super fun!” Finally, after the redesigning, all the groups competed against each other. Their cars were evaluated on three criteria — fastest, most materially efficient, and best-looking. Overall, the girls had lots of fun, with one of them saying that “I really want to come back.”
 On November 13th, UVA AGSS hosted a workshop on Sound Waves! Students were first given an overview of the physics behind sound waves. They learned that all sound is actually just energy created by a chain reaction of vibrating particles. They then were taught how to identify the parts of a sound wave, such as compression and rarefaction, and how animals use sound waves in the form of echolocation to find objects.
After learning about the science behind how guitars amplify sound, we then guided them through our activity for the day: rubber band banjos! Students created their own instruments with paper plates, rubber bands, and a wooden stick, and let their imagination run wild with the decorations. We loved hearing everyone’s banjo songs and seeing their creative designs! |
All Girls STEM Society is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.