Skip to content
CapRadio

CapRadio

signal status listen live donate
listen live donate signal status
listen live donate signal status
  • News
    • beats
    • State Government
    • Environment
    • Health Care
    • Business
    • Arts and Lifestyle
    • Food and Sustainability
    • PolitiFact California
    • California Dream
    • Videos
    • Photos
  • Music
    • genres
    • Classical
    • Jazz
    • Roots
    • Eclectic
    • Videos
    • Daily Playlist
  • Programs + Podcasts
    • news
    • Morning Edition
    • All Things Considered
    • Marketplace
    • Insight
    • California State of Mind
    • The View From Here
    • music
    • Acid Jazz
    • At the Opera
    • Classical Music
    • Connections
    • Excellence in Jazz
    • Hey, Listen!
    • Insight Music
    • K-ZAP on CapRadio
    • Mick Martin's Blues Party
    • Programs A-Z
    • Podcast Directory
  • Schedules
    • News
    • Music
    • ClassicalStream
    • JazzStream
    • Weekly Schedule
    • Daily Playlist
  • Community
    • Events Calendar
    • CapRadio Garden
    • CapRadio Reads
    • CapRadio Travels
    • Ticket Giveaways
  • Support
    • Evergreen Gift
    • One-Time Gift
    • Corporate Support / Underwriting
    • Vehicle Donation
    • Stock Gift
    • Legacy Gift
    • Endowment Gift
    • Volunteering
    • Benefits
    • Member FAQ
    • e‑Newsletter
    • Drawing Winners
    • Thank You Gifts
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Close Menu
 We Get Support From:
Become a Supporter 
 We Get Support From:
Become a Supporter 

How To Get Girls Into Engineering? Let Them Build Robots

  •  Melody Stone 
Wednesday, March 23, 2016 | Sacramento, CA
Melody Stone / Capital Public Radio

Fembots co-captains, Danielle Velez and Allison Oliveros, look over their team's robot before bagging it up to take to the regional competition.

Melody Stone / Capital Public Radio

St. Francis High School’s robotics team, the Fembots, see the gender gap in engineering as an opportunity, not a problem.

The Fembots are one of the few all-girls FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technologies) robotics teams in the country. The girls brought their original robotic creation to the Northern California FIRST Robotics Competition in Davis Wednesday afternoon. The competition runs through Saturday.

Every year the teams design their robots to compete in a different game, with challenges unique to each season.

This year, the game is “Stronghold,” a medieval tower defense game. Robots compete in alliances, three on three. The goal is to score as many points as possible by traversing terrain and throwing “boulders” into the other alliance’s tower. At the end of a match, the robots can attempt to scale the enemy tower for more points.

Juniors Danielle (Kiki) Velez and Allison Oliveros are co-captains of The Fembots.

“I like being a part of robotics because it allows me to challenge myself, and push my limits and learn more about engineering,” says Velez. “I wouldn’t have that opportunity without this team.”

Oliveros is the programming lead; her team programs the automated series of moves the robot will make at the start of the match. Then, a human operator will take over the machine’s control.

Women are chronically underrepresented in the fields of science, technology, engineering, math. Velez says her team views it as an opportunity.

“When we go to competition, we’re typically the only team with more than three girls,” says Velez. “It’s an awesome feeling to go out there, and show people watching, and show the teenage boys that we can do this, too, and we’re just as good at it - it’s just really validating.”  

The students put in long hours and late nights for six weeks building their robot. At the end of the build season, the robot goes into a bag and is sealed up until the competition.

The silver frame sits on two angled treads. Oliveros says these treads help give their robot a competitive advantage when traversing the dynamic terrains on the field.

“Our track system is kind of unique,” says Oliveros. “We’ve tested it and it does definitely go over pretty well.”

Once teams arrive on site they can make last-minute changes or improvements to their robot. The girls plan on adding an arm so the robot can grab onto and climb the enemy tower.

“It’s very stressful, but it’s also very fun,” says Oliveros about competing.

With only six weeks to put together a robot, a lot can go wrong at the last minute. Last year, the Fembots arrived at competition and assembled their bot, only to discover it exceeded the weight limit.

“That night in the hotel room we made carbon fiber tubes to replace our aluminum tubes on the robot,” says Velez. “ We had to cut back the weight by like ten pounds. It was exciting. At least we got to compete.”

This year, they made sure they were well-below the weight limit.

Peter Strawn is the Fembot’s coach and the academic technology specialist at St. Francis. It’s his first year coaching the team and his first year going to a FIRST competition.

“I love the design of [the robot]. I think it’s really cool that we have something that does all these things on the field,” Strawn says. “It can move around and go over these obstacles - but also aesthetically it looks really cool.”

Over the course of the weekend, the Fembots will be up against more than 50 other teams at the UC Davis Pavilion. The two highest-ranking teams will go on to the national competitions in Saint Louis, Missouri. Win or lose, the Fembots designed and built a robot in six weeks that can traverse bumpy terrain, throw boulders and scale towers.

Strawn says he’s really excited about the life skills each student takes away from being in the robotics program.

“It’s more than just building a robot, it’s problem-solving, it’s critical thinking, it’s collaboration and communication - there are so many skills that go into it.”

THIS YEAR'S CHALLENGE: STRONGHOLD

WHAT IS FIRST?


Follow us for more stories like this

CapRadio provides a trusted source of news because of you.  As a nonprofit organization, donations from people like you sustain the journalism that allows us to discover stories that are important to our audience. If you believe in what we do and support our mission, please donate today.

Donate Today  

    Related Stories

  • Melody Stone / Capital Public Radio

    High Schoolers Battle For Robotic Supremacy

    Friday, March 14, 2014
    Balls fly through the air, the crowd cheers, the announcer excitedly describes the scene as it unfolds – you might think this is any normal high school sporting event, but the players on the court aren't tall athletic humans, they’re robots.

 educationsportsSTEM

Melody Stone

Former Interactive Producer

After working in newspapers and doing print journalism for years, Melody transitioned into digital marketing and design. With a healthy blend of journalistic and digital media skills she builds out interactive web stories for Capradio.org.  Read Full Bio 

Coronavirus Newsletter

Get answers to your questions, the latest updates and easy access to the resources you need, delivered to your inbox.

 

Want to know what to expect? Here's a recent newsletter.

Thanks for subscribing!

We'll send you weekly emails so you can stay informed about the coronavirus in California.

Browse all newsletters

More Stories

Andrew Nixon / Capital Public Radio

New California Law Makes It Easier to Get Care for Mental Health and Substance Abuse

February 28, 2021

CDC via AP

California Coronavirus Updates: Gov. Newsom Signs Bill Incentivizing Schools To Reopen

March 5, 2021

Photo by Anne Wernikoff for CalMatters

Bidding Wars And Overblown Fears: The Curious Case Of The California Exodus

March 5, 2021

Most Viewed

When Can I Get A COVID-19 Vaccine? How Will I Find Out? Answers To Your California Vaccine Questions.

California Coronavirus Updates: State Lawmakers Approve $2 Billion Incentive For Schools To Reopen

California To Allow Limited Attendance At Outdoor Stadiums, Theme Parks

California Coronavirus Updates: Gov. Newsom Signs Bill Incentivizing Schools To Reopen

California To Expand COVID-19 Vaccine Eligibility To Residents With Severe Health Conditions, Disabilities

We Get Support From:
Become a Supporter

Most Viewed

When Can I Get A COVID-19 Vaccine? How Will I Find Out? Answers To Your California Vaccine Questions.

California Coronavirus Updates: State Lawmakers Approve $2 Billion Incentive For Schools To Reopen

California To Allow Limited Attendance At Outdoor Stadiums, Theme Parks

California Coronavirus Updates: Gov. Newsom Signs Bill Incentivizing Schools To Reopen

California To Expand COVID-19 Vaccine Eligibility To Residents With Severe Health Conditions, Disabilities

Back to Top

  • CapRadio

    7055 Folsom Boulevard
    Sacramento, CA 95826-2625

    • (916) 278-8900
    • Toll-free (877) 480-5900
    • Email Us
    • Submit a News Tip
  • Contact Us

  • About Us

    • Contact Us / Feedback
    • Coverage
    • Directions
    • Jobs & Internships
    • Mission / Vision / Core Values
    • Press
    • Staff Directory
    • Board of Directors
  • Listening Options

    • Mobile App
    • On Air Schedules
    • Smart Speakers
    • Playlist
    • Podcasts
    • RSS
  • Connect With Us

    •  Facebook
    •  Twitter
    •  Instagram
    •  YouTube
  • Donate

  • Listen

  • Newsletters

CapRadio stations are licensed to California State University, Sacramento. © 2021, Capital Public Radio. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Website Feedback FCC Public Files: KXJZ KKTO KUOP KQNC KXPR KXSR KXJS. For assistance accessing our public files, please call 916-278-8900 or email us.