Several of our One Giant Leap Australia Foundation student ambassadors joined with some of their friends to create a team , ‘The Gadget Girls’, to enter this year’s KIBO-Robot Programming Challenge (RPC). This is an educational competition to solve various given problems by designing code to control real robots in the International Space Station (ISS). The program is hosted by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) in cooperation with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). One Giant Leap Australia Foundation is the Australian national coordinator for the challenge.
The Gadget Girls formed to participate in this challenge to step out of their comfort zone and take the opportunity to learn new skills. Eight girls from across New South Wales, have come together to prove that winning and losing isn’t what you should be focusing on. Instead they are focusing on participation and giving their all, regardless of the outcome, for the experience, skills and learning gained along the way.
The Gadget Girls is an all-girl team led by Team Leader Jessica who gathers the team and ensures that the members remain clam and stay on track. The team debates, merges, and improves the brainstormed idea and decides on a final design for the solution that fits financial and time constraints.
The girls hope to break down stereotypes surrounding robotics and coding, with it predominantly being perceived, portrayed, and marketed as a male dominated activity or career path. If they don’t fit the stereotype, these perceptions can put people off learning these skills. This is especially true for young females who might otherwise be interested in learning coding and robotics or pursuing it as a career.
The Gadget Girls are asking for community support so they can compete successfully in the KIBO-RPC. They want to get their name into the public eye to promote robotics and coding to anyone who interested. The Gadget Girls want to promote female empowerment and encourage the youth of today to follow their hopes and dreams. The girls want to inspire other young people to take a chance and try something new no matter what the outcome, as there is always something to learn in any situation. They want others to understand that they have all had to work hard to get where they are today, and to get what they want. That if you want something you have to work for it, it isn’t just given to you.
Team Members:
Jessica Kreskay (OGLA Foundation student ambassador and team manager)
Jascenta Kreskay
Nicola Baker (OGLA Foundation student ambassador)
Ella Kloots
Alyssa Cockrell
Eloise Castan
Pooja Pillay (OGLA Foundation student ambassador)
Shalin Jahagirdar (OGLA Foundation student ambassador)
Follow the girls journey:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_gadget_girls/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/gadget_girls_20
Mission Website: https://jaxa.krpc.jp/
If you would like to support them on their journey you can do so here:
gofundme.com/f/kibo-robotics-programming-challenge
You can read about our student ambassadors here:
student-ambassador-program
