Stories About Us

Moms, Daughters Discover Engineering Through Robots

From The Miami Herald

By Kathleen McGrory

Miriam Jean, 15, and her mom walked into the classroom, rolled up their sleeves and got right to work.

A mother-daughter bake-off this was not. The mother held up a small plastic circuit board, while the daughter used a 400-degree soldering iron to attach a thin wire.

''Mete el alambre aqui,'' Gina Rouchon told her daughter. ``Put the wire here.''

The pair spent Thursday afternoon at a mother-daughter robotics workshop at Northwestern Senior High. Over the course of three meetings, the group will learn basic robotics -- and engineer remote-controlled robots that can play soccer. Then they'll have a robotic soccer match.

Teacher Kathy Lyden said she brought the program to Northwestern to expose girls from low-income families to careers in science and engineering.

''We're trying to boost the number of women in the field,'' Lyden said. ``Once they participate in a workshop like this -- and see what they are capable of doing -- they're hooked. It opens doors for them.''

For Taina Jean-Louis, 16, the workshop offered a glimpse into an entirely new world.

''I never thought I'd do anything like this,'' Taina said as she tightened a nut, carefully keeping her long, pink fingernails out of the way.

The workshop was run by StarBot, a Miami-based organization that promotes robotics, in partnership with the Miami-Dade school district. It was funded by a grant from The Children's Trust.

StarBot offered a similar workshop at John A. Ferguson Senior High earlier this school year, founder Nola Garcia said.

''This is life-changing stuff for some of the kids we work with,'' Garcia said, adding that she hopes to expand the program to schools throughout Miami-Dade County.

Lyden, a veteran computer-science teacher, lobbied hard to bring it to Northwestern. She selected the 10 participants. The teens, who range from freshmen to seniors, had all expressed an interest in the sciences. But none had ever built a robot.

''I didn't know anything about robots,'' said Alexis Dawkins, a 15-year-old freshman. ``I didn't know anything about engineering at all. But I came and I'm glad I did.''

The girls and their mothers had their first meeting on Tuesday. Some mothers took off from work to attend.

At first, some of the girls were intimidated -- especially when they saw all of the tiny parts they would need to build a robot. But they earned high marks on soldering, their first big lesson.

''They are some of the best solderers we've ever seen,'' said Garcia, the StarBot chief.

The group reconvened on Thursday afternoon.

They learned about things like light-emitting diodes and photodarlington transistors.

Miriam said she was glad to have her mother there.

''She's a big help because there's some stuff I can't do,'' Miriam said. ``She's fun, too. We've been laughing every second.''

The pair clapped, cheered and embraced when they finished their first robot -- a spider-like machine that moves when exposed to intense light.

Gina Rouchon said it was ''a blessing'' to participate in the activity with her daughter.

''I never thought I'd be in this position, building a robot with my daughter,'' she said. ``I can see her building her intelligence.''

Across the room, Shantrice Mattis, a 14-year-old freshman, sat beside by her grandmother, Crystal Bell.

Shantrice said she was surprised to find herself contemplating a career in robotics.

''Before, when I thought about building robots, I saw men doing it,'' she said.

Shantrice touched her soldering iron to the base of her robot, releasing a stream of wispy white smoke into the air.

''It just shows that women can do anything,'' she said.

For more information on robotics education programs, visit StarBotInc.com