Who We Are
Team 5199 SWENext is a subset of FIRST Robotics Team 5199, the Robot Dolphins from Outer Space. We strive to inspire those in underrepresented groups to pursue STEM and robotics and provide them with a pathway to success. So far, we have hosted numerous panels and created a STEM Sisterhood program that participates in FIRST Lego League (FLL).
Dolphin Girls
Globally, there are too few women in STEM. Team 5199 has increased outreach across the district to include greater participation from young girls who initially may not think robotics is cool. However, when they meet the boys and girls already on the team, and avail themselves to the 200 scholarship providers offering over $25 million in college scholarship opportunities available exclusively for robotic team members, they find out how cool it is to become the future technology leaders on campus. It all starts with their involvement in robotics.
Until 2017, our team volunteered every Wednesday with the Boys and Girls Club, teaching them robotics through Lego kits. Since becoming a class, we have conducted STEM workshops and demonstrations, encouraging young girls to join our team. We also host outreach events, such as our Girls in Robotics panel. This panel attracted over thirty young girls and inspired them to participate in FIRST!
Growth
Since our team’s rookie year, we have had 4 female presidents and even more women in other leadership roles. Currently, roughly 30% of the girls on our team hold leadership positions. At its inception the team roster included only a single female, and each year we’ve endeavored to increase those numbers. To date we have increased participation among women to 37%.
We can do better! Our team has explored ways to increase membership not only of young women but also of other minorities. We have committed to these methods in our Equity Action Plan. In this plan, we outline our goals, identify our weaknesses, and present solutions.