In celebration of this year’s “International Day of Women and Girls in Science” we thought it would be nice to bring together a collection of our most popular articles featuring young women who have each come from very different backgrounds to work within a scientific environment. We hope their experiences will inspire our young female readers!

Scroll down for a short overview of each article.

Great success for former EUMETSAT praktikantin

In this article we explored the story of Christa Stipp. Christa started out many years ago as an intern here at EUMETSAT. The experience was so positive that it laid the foundations for Christa’s love of weather and science.

Christa went on to study meteorology and is now a very popular TV weather presenter for the German TV channel ZDF.

Scientist on a mission gets back to where it all started

Just like Christa, Anna-Meagan Fairley had her first practical experience as a student here at EUMETSAT. She worked in the control centre where we keep a check on the health of our satellites and she later went on to focus on health studies.

Anna is now a researcher on infectious diseases.

Inside EUMETSAT: meet Selene

EUMETSAT is not just about satellites: in this blog post you can read about Selene, a very bright intern who worked within the communication department. Selene helped her colleagues form social media communication strategies and got her first taste of an international organisation.

Selene is currently studying communications at the University of Mainz.

Meet Stefania: LEO spacecraft operations engineer at EUMETSAT

Stefania is the real-life example that dreams really do come true! As a child she dreamt of space and working with satellites. Turns out, after an interesting career, she is now one of the youngest LEO spacecraft operations engineers at EUMETSAT.

Read more about her inspiring story here.

Working as a remote sensing scientist

Anne O’Carroll is a remote sensing scientist within EUMETSAT’s ocean team. In this article she explains everything you need to know if you’re planning on following her path and want to start a career in remote sensing.

Originally published at l-zone.info. For more interesting stories on science and space, be sure to head to the website!

International Day of Women and Girls in Science 2019 was originally published in STEAM Education on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Investigaciones recientes indican que los dispositivos tangibles aumentan de gran manera el nivel de inmersión, dado que los estudiantes se encuentran manipulando objetos en un mundo real. Sin embargo también se entiende que dispositivos no tangibles (como herramientas de programación) evitan limitaciones en cuanto a espacio real o presencia física se refiere

Por tanto, lo que parece lógico es un enfoque híbrido entre robótica y programación, donde una fusión entre lo físico y lo virtual proporciona más flexibilidad a los docentes y a los estudiantes.

Varios estudios señalan que educar mediante la interacción con los robots añade posibilidades adicionales al enfoque tradicional centrado en la construcción y programación de robots. La principal suposición de este enfoque es que la interacción con los robots puede reforzar los procesos educativos y los resultados, tales como el aprendizaje conceptual y el entrenamiento cognitivo, motivar a los estudiantes, apoyar la curiosidad y aumentar la conciencia sobre la robótica.

La robótica y la programación en conjunto introducen una dimensión maravillosa , a la experiencia de aprendizaje porque la potencia computacional se localiza no (solamente) en una pantalla sino (también) en objetos tangibles, que comparten con nosotros un espacio físico y la posibilidad de ser perturbados por nuestro entorno. Aprender a través de la robótica aumenta el compromiso de los niños en actividades basadas en la manipulación, el desarrollo de habilidades motoras, la coordinación ojo-mano y una forma de entender las ideas abstractas. Además, las actividades basadas en robots proporcionan un contexto apropiado para el comportamiento cooperativo y el trabajo en equipo. La literatura informa de resultados valiosos en los programas educativos basados en la tecnología, tales como:

1.Competencia en el esfuerzo intelectual, adquisición de conocimientos informáticos y fluidez tecnológica.

2.Auto-confianza en el manejo de conceptos y problemas técnicos.

3.Competencias de colaboración y cooperación.

4.Uso de la tecnología para establecer contactos con compañeros y adultos creando relaciones cara a cara o en comunidades virtuales.

5.Sentido de presencia y realidad física en entornos cada vez más digitalizados o mediados.

6.Conocimiento de sus valores personales y respeto por los demás, uso responsable de la tecnología.

7.Nuevas ideas de aplicación de la tecnología para mejorar nuestro medio ambiente (la escuela, la comunidad, la sociedad).

Basado en: Article publicat a Educaweb, el 15 de diciembre de 2016.

Robótica educativa en las aulas was originally published in STEAM Education on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Two main approaches are available for teaching coding within CoSpaces Edu. The first is based on Google’s Blockly. This is ideal for younger students that are familiar with block based coding apps such as Scratch. Programs can be created by snapping together blocks which generate javascript. The second option involves actually coding in javascript (and typescript) by using the built-in text editor.

The Key Stage 2 Computing National Curriculum states that students should learn how to use sequence, selection and repetition when coding. These three concepts can be delivered very effectively using CoSpaces Edu.

Sequence

Students can easily combine blocks that execute in sequence. The following code will first turn the rocket before raising it into the air.

Selection

Adding conditional logic offers more options for controlling when code is executed. In the following example, the rocket only moves when the timer reaches zero. The timer is a variable. The ‘if — do’ part defines the condition i.e. if the timer = 0 then move the rocket.

Repetition

Repeating code is easy as there is a section devoted to loops. You can choose from a variety of options. For example, we can make the rocket repeat a certain action e.g. rotate 180 degrees ten times:

Other coding concepts can be delivered using CoSpaces Edu including variables and lists. When students are confident coding in blockly they can progress to using javascript.

Projects can be viewed on mobile devices using the CoSpaces Edu app which can be downloaded onto iOS and Android devices. Two modes can be used to view the projects: gyroscope and cardboard. Gyroscope works well for larger devices e.g. iPad as the device can be rotated to view the 360 images. If your students have access to VR headsets then cardboard mode can be activated to allow for a more immersive VR experience.

CoSpacesEdu: Sequence, Selection & Repetition using Blockly was originally published in STEAM Education on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Just like Wonder Woman who changes the world through creative problem solving, communication and teamwork, you too can become a Tech Super Hero by learning to CODE a computer.

Coding is one of the most in-demand skills today, with as many as 7 million job openings that require coding know-how. Additionally, computing skills are the most sought-after in the US job market, with demand growing 3X the national average, according to a report by Girls who Code and Accenture.

Yet, women are sorely underrepresented in tech and are set to decline from 24 percent today to 22 percent by 2025. Moreover, Latinas make up just 2 percent of the STEM workforce in the United States, according to the National Science Foundation and Latinas in STEM.

That’s why community leaders throughout greater Los Angeles and the nation including organizations such as the Broadcom Foundation and the Hispanic Heritage Foundation are encouraging young Latinas to become Tech Super Heroes by trying their hand at coding. Through targeted programs designed specifically to spark and sustain girls’ interest and inspiring role models like Latina Tech Super Hero Jennifer Arguello who took her first steps into coding at just 6 years old and has been quoted as saying “nothing is impossible,” we aim to increase women, especially Latinas, in the STEM field.

The Hispanic Heritage Foundation promotes programs like the National Computer as a Second Language Initiative to enable youth to learn coding as an essential career skill, and there is an active movement to teach young women to code through outreach programs at colleges, universities and informal learning spaces.

Students from districts throughout the Southland, such as Compton, Lynwwod and Los Angeles are participating in Girls Maker Academies. “Our primary objective is to inspire young Latinas to be creators rather than just consumers of technology,” says Leyla De Silva Riley, Director of Academic Innovation, Partnerships at the University of California, Irvine’s Henry Samueli School of Engineering & Donald Bren School of Information and Computer Sciences and Executive Director of the OC STEM Initiative. “The weekend workshops empower 6th through 8th graders to become 21st century makers and designers who are proficient with 3D printers, laser cutters, computer aided design (CAD) software and industrial sewing machines. They are inspired to deepen their coding knowledge through summer programs like UCI’s FABcamp.”

Science museums are also offering coding experiences that can reach young Latinas. The Discovery Cube has launched Tech Camps to demonstrate coding concepts at both the Orange County and Los Angeles campuses using the Raspberry Pi — the super-tiny, super-inexpensive user-friendly computer invented by a Broadcom engineer.

Says Joe Adams, President of Discovery Cube, “we are emphasizing the “T” for Technology in STEM to make coding more approachable for our earliest learners.”

Southland business professionals who code are encouraged to empower Latinas as future Tech Super Heroes by mentoring them through organizations such as the Leaders On Fast Track (LOFT) or Girls Scouts of Orange County.

“Although more Latinas are learning to code at school or in after school programs, they can also try their hand at coding through kid-friendly, fun online applications,” says Paula Golden, President of the Broadcom Foundation. “In addition to programs such as Code.org and Scratch that teach kids foundational coding principles, there are exciting games like Wonder Woman by Google Play where kids help Wonder Woman fight the bad guys by using simple programming concepts.”

With so many opportunities to acquire powerful coding skills, it’s time to tap into community and online resources to become the next Latina Tech Super Hero.

“Latinas are significantly underrepresented in STEM fields that offer them unlimited career opportunities,” notes Carl McKinzie, trustee of the Riordan Foundation of Los Angeles and Broadcom Foundation based in Orange County, Calif. “Learning to code opens the door to exciting and lucrative jobs in every imaginable occupation, from medicine and biotech to entertainment and fashion design. Your future will be WONDER-FUL!”

Tap into Your Superpower — Coding! was originally published in STEAM Education on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

“Forgotten America’s” dissatisfaction is predicated upon both real and perceived grievances, which I won’t go into. However, the dissatisfaction has led to a suspicion of anything even perceived as contrary to the concerns. Regretfully, the scientific enterprise, which is and should be a non-partisan issue, is caught in the crossfire. Further, there is a palpable distrust of scientific opinion. Given these issues, are scientists effectively communicating with politicians and American citizens about the unbiased nature and importance of science? Or are we sending the wrong message? I believe the latter.

Regretfully, the scientific enterprise, which is and should be a non-partisan issue, is caught in the crossfire.

Most people hailed the March for Science a success. While the turnout was nearly as impressive as the event’s intentions, I believe that it may hurt science by mixing with and being diluted by other politically charged messages. Politicization of science will only hurt its non-partisan nature and will reinforce the incorrect notion that science is a special interest group, thereby increasing polarization. Rather than protesting nationally, scientists should engage with fellow citizens at the local level in town hall-style meetings with fellow citizens to exchange concerns, as pointed out in a recent New York Times article (http://tinyurl.com/hujtu7j).

Political commentary by both scientists and supporters of science could very well backfire. For instance, while Bill Nye’s new Netflix show seeks to win the general American public over to science, could it be secretly undermining its own objectives by trivializing science? Quite possibly so.

Rather than protesting nationally, scientists should engage with fellow citizens at the local level in town hall-style meetings with fellow citizens to exchange concerns.

Could Jimmy Kimmel’s heartfelt and personal plea (http://tinyurl.com/kmgbgse) for healthcare reform, which was well-meaning and sympathetically received by most Americans, be viewed as a publicity stunt by some? It indeed was. While the popularization of otherwise importance science issues in popular media increases awareness and support, it can lead to black-and-white thinking and create further entrenchment.

So, what should we do?

• First, supporters of science must be careful with their rhetoric so as not to increase the already gaping chasm.
• Second, scientists must learn to communicate their message simply, as decried by a former U.N. chief (http://tinyurl.com/moktx3t).
• Third, scientists must also learn to effectively frame their arguments within the context of what their detractors would be most receptive to (http://tinyurl.com/kfy2vrv).
• Finally, scientists must learn to acknowledge contrary ideas, rather than disparage and vehemently repudiate their mere existence.

Taken together, these steps will meet greater future success and goodwill than current short-sighted approaches.

Ahsan Choudary is a student in the Translational Science Ph.D. program. He was also the 2016 Presidential Ambassador Scholar for the Graduate School. The “Beyond The Bench” series features articles written by students and postdoctoral fellows at the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences at The University of Texas Health Science Center San Antonio.

Copyright © 2017 The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio

Lost in Translation: Politics, Science, and Bad Communication was originally published in STEAM Education on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Project approach

A learning playlist incorporate different types of learning activities around a topic, skill or subject, and may also integrate personal experiences submitted by individuals resulting from prior learning. Each person can take the activities proposed in the playlists and contribute with their own knowledge —both formally and/or informally acquired— to achieve the learning goals. Thus, the assessment of the playlist allows to certify both the the evidences proposed to validate activities and the knowledge acquired informally. Once the activities have been completed a digital badge can be released in order to recognize the learning skills (see figure below).

This approach was applied in a project dealing with the topic “SwafS-11–2017: Scientific education outside the classroom”, within the European Commission’s “Horizon 2020” call, the European Union Framework Programe for Research and Innovation. The purpose of the SwafS-11–2017 topic is to analyze the available knowledge about science education outside the classroom and its impact. Furthermore, it seeks to know how to strengthen and enhance the available scientific knowledge, the perspective of how this form of informal schooling can be accredited and whether there is a way to evaluate the quality of educational content.

In line with the SwafS-11–2017 topic a project called “Releasing Scientific Knowledge” (RESCIK) has been presented to “Horizon 2020”. RESCIK aims to identify relevant scientific practices experienced by informal learners — which nowadays occur mainly in digital spaces — so the knowledge obtained can be released and allowed to flourish, and to certify the acquired skills for different purposes. The scope is intended to:

1. facilitate the identification of scientific practices and learning that occur in non-standard environments, particularly in digital mediated informal spaces;
2. allow the knowledge obtained through these practices to emerge;
3. and to evaluate and certify acquired skills for different purposes.

In addition, the project also aims to provide new ways of connecting scientific knowledge with areas where it may be required. So this general approach would be offering new possibilities for both citizens and agents working in the field of science:

1. citizens who possess certain scientific knowledge acquired outside the classroom will have the opportunity to validate this knowledge and increase their scientific abilities by participating in non-formal learning processes on topics that are of interest to them;
2. and also agents and stakeholders interested in the practice and dissemination of science will be able to use that particular knowledge for different purposes, such as participation in crowd-science practices, the identification of scientific vocations or transferring the scientific knowledge informally obtained to the professional field.

Methodology

The project will provide educational non-formal agents who are in contact with citizens interested in science — libraries, civic/community organizations, media/city/maker-labs, non-governmental organizations, museums, non-profits or other youth-serving institutions/organizations, open projects — with a set of methodological and technological tools that allow them to provide, openly through the Internet, learning playlists in which to embed the scientific knowledge informally acquired as well as to certify the skills the participants obtained in that learning process (see figure below).

RESCIK project will develop a digital platform aimed at both non-formal agents and informal learners (see figure below):

1. Non-formal agents. The system will allow them to create learning playlists, so they will be able to design a curated group of activities and experiences stitched together into a compelling media-rich narrative around a common scientific theme. The platform will also include a system of digital badges designed for citizens that will allow them to obtain recognition of the knowledge and skills acquired in informal spaces.
2. Informal learners. Interested citizens will be able to utilize the playlists, incorporating into them the experiences they have acquired informally, and get digital badges that recognize the set of acquired skills.

A pilot process will be launched in which a representative group of European organizations will be openly offering online learning playlists on various scientific topics that will be accessible to European citizens. The playlists targeted for scientific learning will be published openly through the platform so that it will be possible to generate a repository that will act as a digital map on the scientific knowledge of the citizenry and the most common practices related to informal and non-formal learning of science.

Expected impacts

The project is expected to produce two types of impacts. On the one hand, to advance in the field of open learning methodologies that are based on the aggregation of activities of diverse type around a topic. This is a very suitable methodology for digital spaces, which have the capacity to disaggregate learning practices and recognize acquired skills in an equally reticular way.

And there is a second type of innovations that result from giving citizens the resources to openly propose their own knowledge —whether acquired completely informally or also in non-formal or formal processes in different contexts— to be validated under regular processes, and also to be endorsed by certifying entities.

Note: Please feel free to fill out this form if you / your entity are interested in joining RESCIK project.

Learning Playlists to Capture Scientific Informal Knowledge was originally published in STEAM Education on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Fear lies within

There was a group of 8th grade boys who came to me around 2 years back to learn JAVA for a year-end exam they had to write in 5 days. When asked for their course, they handed me their notebooks with some 20 odd hand-written programs. The questions starting from WAP… and programs starting from public static void main () {…}. And then, right from opening bracket to closing bracket, everything between the lines was learnt by heart, verbatim. There wasn’t any logical differentiation between ‘=’ and ‘==’, or a “,” and ‘;’ or ‘for’ and ‘while’ or ‘do-while’ loops. For all the excuses, there was just one justification “Our Sir told us this way!” There was no excitement or learning in this method.

Those 5 days were like right from scratch to the level they could write programs logically, without mugging up and they did well in the exam. But what happened next was disturbing. I asked them to write their codes on computer because eventually that’s where codes are meant to be written, not on papers. There was 10 minutes silence in the room and 20 minutes persuasion to go back to paper-pen, their hands trembled and finally they convinced me to copy their hand-written codes for that day! I agreed. But when it turned into compile-time and run-time errors and syntax errors to top the list, things got very interesting. Rectifying our own mistakes and learning from them, is a gift we give ourselves. The earlier we learn from it, the better we get and that much farther we can go.

Discipline is an Art

How beautiful it is to move into kids’ time-space and teach them the way they learn! Let them comprehend that while preparing their 2-minutes Maggie noodles, or their daily chores schedule, they can lead to something big like ALGORITHMS. How messy their noodles could be, or how chaotic their day could be if they skipped or re-ordered any of the steps. SEQUENCE IS IMPORTANT. How being in discipline can produce better algorithms and being smart and punctual can produce OPTIMIZED ALGORITHMS in time & space.

We are part of a vicious cycle

We need to make them observe the fact that our real lives are programmed too, either by ourselves or by nature. Once we start receiving those signals, we start finding PATTERNS in them. Why do their nursery rhymes end with similar rhyming words? Why do their dancing moves repeat the steps, why do they have to follow the same routine everyday and suddenly what happens on Sunday? Why do patterns break? How does the multiplication times table follow certain patterns, how does day and night follow a pattern or for that matter, water-cycle or butterfly-life cycle? When they learn these patterns, they tend to be inquisitive about patterns in general-how do they start and repeat, what is the sequence in each iteration, how many times does it repeat, when does it stop, will it ever stop or not? The answer to each of these questions is astonishing LOOPS. Vicious cycles and efforts to break these loops are the most fascinating part of programming.

Name is Enough!!

One sunny afternoon, my boy brought a music sheet from school and it read like this :

Verse 1

Yeah, you can be the greatest. You can be the best

You can be the King Kong banging on your chest

You can beat the world. You can beat the war

You can talk to God, go banging on his door.

You can throw your hands up. You can beat the clock (yeah)

You can move a mountain. You can break rocks

You can be a master. Don’t wait for luck

Dedicate yourself and your gonna find yourself

CHORUS

Standing in the hall of fame (yeah) And the world’s gonna know your name (yeah)

’Cause you burn with the brightest flame (yeah) And the world’s gonna know your name (yeah)

And you’ll be on the walls of the hall of fame !!!

Verse 2

You can go the distance You can run the mile

You can walk straight through hell with a smile

You can be the hero You can get the gold

Breaking all the records they thought never could be broke

Yeah, do it for your people Do it for your pride

How are you ever gonna know if you never even try?

Do it for your country Do it for your name, ’Cause there’s gonna be a day…

CHORUS

Verse 1

CHORUS

Verse 2

CHORUS

Does it ring any bells? Sequence — yes, Patterns — OK, yes! But why Chorus written 4 times above, is just mentioned as CHORUS once and rest it’s just reference other times. Same holds for Verse 1 and 2. How drawing shapes, numbers, alphabets learnt once and you ask them anywhere, anytime, they have same quick response fetched from layers of memories and here is the answer! How this quick response is translated from already fed reference- in other words, FUNCTION CALL! Define once and use the name to refer to it as many times as you want.

Negotiation: War to Win or Lose or Draw or Mutual Agreement!

Who else can be the best negotiators than kids? Every now and then parents are negotiating on terms and conditions.

If you wake up on time then we will ………………….. else we will …………………..

If you finish your meal on time AND behave well then we will ……………else we will ………………

If you finish homework on time OR if you finish your project on time then we will ……. else we will ……….

And that’s how the story goes. Within these daily negotiation deals, we are making choices, CONDITIONAL choices, which is another building block of programming.

It’s all in-programmed thereafter

Once as a parent and educator you have exposed them to these faculties, their brain starts thinking this way. Introduce them to any programming language be it, C, C++, Java or any other high-level programming language or scripting language, they will master it. Give them real life scenarios, break them into smaller chunks, try to find granular steps and then look for patterns in it for repeating steps, loop them. Try to recall previous already done tasks instead of doing all-over again, prototype them. Life gives us new ways to look at.

Integrating other subjects to computers

Visual learning always has long-term effect. When children can see their times tables are following patterns and can be fed as data-entry in Excel Sheets and apply formulae on them, they see magic. When they can paint their imaginations in Paint or Canva, when they can write their stories or make projects in Word and edit them with crazy editing tools, we open a world of opportunities for them. Most fun is when they want to show off their skills to the world and PowerPoint, Prezi, blogs, websites become their best resorts, let them flaunt. When they pick up TED-Ed talks, YouTube documentaries, or Pinterest for research, let them quench their thirst for knowledge, you’re upbringing an independent learner. Schools are no more monopoly of knowledge, the world of internet when guided judicially, can hone ignited minds.

Computer Education is more than Programming-Coding and Digital Literacy…

While being a computer pro, where my half my day is spent in front of the laptop, I have assigned limited screen-time to my son who is 7 year old. When I see new parents pleasing their children with smart phones, I-pads and tablets, as a substitute for their time, as an excuse of making them tech-pro and boasting about their gadget handling skills without educating them for digital footprints or cyber security, my heart goes off. Science and technology can make or break a child’s future, depending on how you use them.

When I asked my son, why he liked to work on computers, his first reply was that he could edit his mistakes instantly. He could learn, re-learn and unlearn to achieve perfection. And second was that he wanted to save papers. Recycle bin is better than trash can. His future plans are to become animator for Pixar movies because he loves math, drawing and he believes that he can code them for his creations soon!

Computer Education for children: Recycle Bin is better than Trash Can was originally published in STEAM Education on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

I take scouting seriously: my family recited the Boy Scout Law at my father’s funeral as my brother, an Eagle Scout, wept.

Last week, I started a blog about how programs like scouting and the Broadcom MASTERS® create modern-day rites of passage through which young people can find their place in a society that amplifies the positive values and aspirational interests that enables them to become adults in-full and leaders in science, engineering, letters and the arts as well as society at large.

The National Boy Scout Jamboree has been a scouting rite of passage for decades; one that all scouts are encouraged to experience as they go from Tenderfoot to the “apex of leadership and character.” Thus, I was extremely gratified by the Boy Scouts of America CEO’s public disavowal of President Trump’s address at the National Jamboree when, rather than giving guidance and inspiration from a revered elder who tapped into the values embodied in one hundred years of scouting and the United States Constitution, the president gave a toxic rambling speech laced with profanity, bigotry and libertine fantasies to 40,000 impressionable adolescents between the ages of 11 and 17.

The 2017 Jamboree snafu reignited national conversations about the power of adult influences on adolescents whose tribal instincts are awakening. Cultural anthropologists inform us that because we human beings evolve from close-knit social infrastructures, many of these tribal characteristics are hard-wired into us: we seek to belong. With the advent of functional MRI scanning, we know that the process of individuating from one’s family and gravitating into social cliques is more than cultural — it is actually part of the neurological development of the adolescent brain.

When kids are old enough to ride a bike to the grocery store or visit the mall without a parent or guardian in tow, they begin to make independent choices in interests, friends and associations, which are first steps toward integrating into a new, chosen community or tribe. This is a time of life when adolescents experience an enormous sense of power because the drive to pursue independent interests and make new circles of friends outside of the family unit is very compelling. Conversely, it is a time of tremendous instability, uncertainty and anxiety. Thus, cultures over millennia have established carefully crafted formal rites of passage to help their young safely transition to taking up the responsibilities and privileges of adulthood.

A rite of passage such a walkabout, quinceañera, bar/bat mitzvah or first communion creates a bridge across the turbulent waters of adolescence. The rituals often have common characteristics: separation from childhood ways; preparation or instruction by an elder; and a welcome celebration that formally acknowledges the young person’s change of status. Through the initiation process, an adolescent develops a strong sense of self and adheres to customs and mores of a larger social circle in which he or she take on the role of an adult.

Broadcom Foundation supported the first STEM badge for girl scouts and drew heavily on the positive elements of scouting when developing the Broadcom MASTERS, with the conviction that modern rites of passage help middle schoolers become a confident young adults by connecting them to a community that supports their interests in STEM education.

Drawing on the archetypal rites, Broadcom MASTERS Finalists are placed in teams of like-minded peers and take up adult STEM challenges together. They find inspiration from instruction by adult role models who enjoy exciting STEM careers and their personal growth and achievements are celebrated at a medaling ceremony before family and friends. Through this process, the Broadcom MASTERS has enabled young people from diverse backgrounds and schools where they do not have a ready peer group of science-minded kids to find their place in a global STEM community where Facebook and Snapchat help bind together their 21st century tribes.

Over the years that I have been associated with the Broadcom Foundation, my belief in the power of ancient rites of passage to help adolescents find their place in society in order develop the adult skills and disciplines needed become future scientists and engineers, grows stronger with every program we sponsor. While crafting this blog, I received a letter from one of our Broadcom MASTERS delegates that further strengthens my conviction. To future participants of the Broadcom MASTERS, she wrote:

“Many of you may worry about being away from home in the care of ‘strangers’ who you may not understand but I promise you that the moment you arrive, these ‘strangers’ will become more than just mentors but people who genuinely care about your wellbeing happiness and success…. do not let your fear inhibit you for enjoying yourself…. do not let the fear of loneliness, misunderstanding or a new environment hold you back because — as a Broadcom MASTER — you are limitless.”

by Paula Golden, President of Broadcom Foundation

STEM, Scouting and Finding Your Tribe was originally published in STEAM Education on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Imagine seven 7–11-year-olds using drills, hot glue guns and hand saws for the first time. To say I was anxious is an understatement. I was balancing helping them use tools for the first time and encouraging them to get building their designs. When I was helping one kid by holding a heavy piece of wood, I wasn’t watching others using glue guns safely. And when I was helping a child use a drill, I couldn’t make sure little hands weren’t in the path of a saw.

From the beginning, I needed to build trust with the children. I needed to give them the knowledge for using the tools correctly, but also the confidence that they could do it without me watching. It was important for them to be safe under my care, but also, the success of the event relied on the children feeling confident and being able to use tools and build designs on their own when they left my supervision. I wanted them to leave me with the skills and confidence needed to do projects at home.

It would have been easy to tell each child what would work and what wouldn’t. Put simply, some of their designs were impossible to build in a day. Children’s imaginations are vast and they had huge dreams about what they could achieve. Telling them what works and what doesn’t would have made my job a lot easier. I could have had more control over the room, but then, they wouldn’t have learned valuable lessons through trying, failing and trying again. I bit my tongue and let them get on with the building. At the end of the day, I want them to feel confident trying new things and know how to move forward from failures.

For 6 hours, I worried about their failed projects ending in tears. I didn’t expect them to have pride in what they built even though they didn’t go to plan. Before their grown-ups whisked them away, we had a show and tell session. Each child was beaming and confident in what they achieved during the day. We had balloon powered canons, marble runs, perpetual motion machines and a magical, techy teleporting device. For the kids, it wasn’t important for their devices to be fully functioning. They wanted toys to fit their imaginative play. They were proud of what they accomplished and I was happy that they all tried using all the tools.

In my next posts, I’ll discuss my interactions with the children. I’ll touch on how I had to consciously refrain from using cautious language that would discourage the kids from trying.

If you’d like your child to attend one of our workshops, here are some of our upcoming events.

Originally published at www.mybrighttoys.com.

How I watched and let kids fail was originally published in STEAM Education on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.