Nevada is not a state known for its educational opportunities, and as such, there are limited opportunities for kids in STEM, particularly for girls in engineering. Imagine if an introduction into science, technology, engineering, and math wasn’t where kids are just sitting in front of a whiteboard to learn what they see as boring numbers, but where they can get hands-on experience in STEM by simply playing with LEGOs. FIRST Nevada has imagined this, and is working on making sure that all youth, no matter their identity or background, have a fun and inspirational path to a future in engineering.
FIRST Robotics is a non-profit organization which stands for “For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology” and is a global robotics community that holds thousands of events a year, dedicated to discovery, innovation, impact, inclusion, teamwork, and fun. To do this, they host three different annual competitions for different ages 4-18. These are FIRST LEGO League (FLL), FIRST Technical Challenge (FTC), and FIRST Robotics Challenge (FRC), which separate based on the skills learned in each division and what age group they are available to. Over the years, a 4th grader that starts with small LEGO bots can grow up with the competitions, and their robot will scale up with them so that by the time they’re in high school, their robot might be as tall as they are. In every division, thousands of FIRST teams must build, code, and drive robots that can advance to global competitions, but FIRST is about more than just robots. Every team, whether it consists of nine-year-olds or high school seniors, must have an impact on their community.
There is a distinct drop off in women in the sciences after high school. Through impact projects, FIRST teams can improve the local STEM communities and broaden the reach of robotics. Team-created initiatives such as #FIRSTLikeAGirl strive to increase the diversity of engineering fields, bringing awareness to the imbalance of gender in STEM Fields. FIRST has been getting results too, as their studies have shown that 48% of female FIRST alumni declare an engineering or computer science major. In Nevada, female FIRST alumni are 3.4 times more likely to major in engineering when in college, and they can use the skills they learned through the competition in the future. Supporting efforts of girls in STEM without pitting them against boys is just another part of encouraging all youth to participate in and pursue STEM.
To fulfill its mission, FIRST will continue to inspire the future generations of students to engage with ever-advancing technology and to ensure that all youth, even from underrepresented, underserved, or vulnerable populations, have a chance to pursue engineering through its initiatives, grants, and resources. In this, every single team at FIRST should embody the same principles. As such, girls in Nevada can take advantage of the opportunities that FIRST provides to girls in STEM, and join one of many FIRST teams in the valley that are available at schools or as community teams. Even just getting involved through volunteering is a good way to pursue an interest in engineering, and it can start at any age, with any background at FIRST.
More information can be found at firstinspires.org.
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