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All-Girls Team

    NASA had mentored a FIRST robotics team from a private boys high school for some years. In 2006 the educators at NASA reached out to extend their help to high school girls and in association with the Girl Scouts of Northern California created the Space Cookies.

Even as the number of programs encouraging girls to move into technology grow the need for females in science & technology becomes clearer.

Year % of women among people with Masters in Engineering % women among employed engineers
1975 2.5% N/A
1983 9.3% 5.8%
1994 15.4% 8.3%
1996 17.1% 8.5%
1999 N/A 10.6%

Statistics from the website of the Society of Women Engineers: http://www.societyofwomenengineers.org/SWE/ProgDev/stat/stathome.html

Barriers to Girls in Science and Technology Education

Surveys of literature shows that there are three main reasons why middle and high school girls do not try or continue or enter into  technology education.
  1. Teachers seem to favor boys over girls in terms of classroom attention and in terms of substantive, positive interaction.
  2. In co-ed groups, boys tend to crowd the girls out and make pursuing a traditional, male-dominated study less appealing.
  3. Girls are motivated when their education is connected to the real world and real problems. Schools often fail to provide such a connection in traditional education.
See Research on Barriers to Girls in Technology Education for details

An All-Girl FIRST Robotics Team is a Good Answer

The all-girl environment provides a safe environment for girls to learn and deepen their involvement in technology. Female mentors provide role models as well as a tangible connection to where this sort of interest can lead. The FIRST robotics competition provides real, tangible goals to reach and real-life problems to solve.

This is what Space Cookie team members have to say:

Meghna (11th) & Founding Member:
“The first year most of us came in knowing next to nothing. You’d think that would be off-putting, but for some reason that just encouraged us to try as hard as we could. That environment of total support is something that the Space Cookies was founded on, because it was something that was lacking. And I hope that one day an all-girl’s team won’t be necessary, but the truth is that girl’s are underrepresented in science & technology.  But our team provides a place for us to explore these fields and of indulge in ultimate nerdiness, no questions asked.”

Callie (9th):
"Many people are surprised when I tell them I'm on a robotics team. I think a lot of girls are fed the message that they shouldn't be smart, that being interested in science isn't cool. And then they lose interest. On our team, we feel safe to ask questions, fail at things, and to try again. We are completely comfortable being with each other, and the lab almost always has a festive air. There are jokes, laughter, and smiles. You will find us standing around tables strewn with wires and gears and metal shavings; munching on cookies and fixing the newest problems."

Lilian (12th) & Co-Captain:
"I just love robotics; I would've joined a co-ed team if it weren't for certain scheduling circumstances at the time. After seeing the massive discrepancies between the numbers of girls and boys on co-ed teams, I discovered that most girls do not quite share my attitude. Being part of the Space Cookies is a great opportunity for me to encourage other girls to pursue their technical interests, particularly because it's an environment where many of them feel more comfortable."

Valerie (10th):
"I think us being an all-girl team makes us special; there are few robotics teams out there that are just made up of girls. It makes me feel like I belong more. I would probably join a co-ed team, but if there were only a few girls and the majority was boys, I wouldn't feel the same as I feel being with the Space Cookies. I just am more comfortable being in a team that's exclusively girls."


All the girls agree—

"The Space Cookies team is one of the few havens where we can get together, work together, and learn together. Some us drive for hours to get to the lab; but it's worth it, just for those 'AHA!' moments that spark complete understanding across our faces."
Why an All-Girls Team?