Project Artemis: Fall 2022
Started in 2018 with the goal to bridge the gender gap in robotics and introduce robotics to young girls, Project Artemis has since expanded its horizons to introduce newly developed content and now include non-binary individuals. The program’s goal remains the same and each year, female and/or non-binary members of the Cupertino Robotics club host incredibly enriching workshops for young students attending local middle schools. The aim for the program is to not only bridge the gender gap but also to ensure minorities and underrepresented groups in our community get the chance to explore STEM in a safe and welcoming environment where all their thoughts and ideas can be expressed free of judgment.
During late October and early November of 2022, female Cupertino Robotics students came together once again and held the Project Artemis workshops for the fifth year since its founding. The fall round of the workshops was held over three 3-hour sessions in the span of 3 weeks. Each week the attendees focused on different topics.
The first week centered around values, hardware parts, and CAD. Starting off with values, the attendees all learned about FIRST values and a brainstormed list of values that the mentors believe should be present in any collaborative scenario. Some values included humility, inclusivity, and courtesy. The session continued on into an explanation of common hardware and electrical parts found in a basic FTC robot. Attendees were able to view and touch different parts such as u-channels, servos, and motors. The end of the session came with an introduction to the world of CAD through onshape. An introduction to a CAD project followed and the designs from the project which ran throughout the next few weeks were later 3D printed for each attendee to take as a souvenir.
The following week, the session focused on review of hardware parts through a fun scavenger hunt game as well as a fun build challenge using simple materials from everyday life. Attendees also got the chance to drive around an FTC chassis which has been noted to often be the most favored part of the fall workshop series.
The final week came with a focus on software and the coding side of robotics. Starting with the basics, attendees participated in a fun grid coding game where pairs worked together to guide each other around a game board using only written commands. Building from there, mentors led the attendees through an online simulation in order for them to learn coding through a fun and interactive source.
Of course the workshops wouldn’t have happened without the mentors who are students dedicated to the purpose of the program. One of the mentor leads, Maisha, shared, “I’ve been mentoring in Project Artemis for the last three years and each year it’s so fun to be able to meet so many young students who are interested in STEM and build so many new relationships with other mentors as well as the attending students!”
