Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard(left) presents 2012 Young Australian of the Year, Marita Cheng(right) with Award
Marita founded Robogals Global in 2008, as a response to the traditionally low levels of participation by women in engineering and technology. Robogals uses LEGO Mindstorms based activities to teach schoolgirls about engineering and the difference engineers have made to our lives. Robogals has run robotics workshops for 3,000 girls across 80 schools in Australia, with 17 chapters across Australia. Robogals has also gone global with Chapters in New Zealand and the United Kingdom.
In Robogals' robotics workshops, the girls construct and program LEGO NXT robotics kits. The lessons have been designed to engage students in a range of engineering topics in a way that is both fun and creative. The workshops include an introduction to the different areas of engineering, and how engineers impact our daily lives.
Details: http://www.rjmcnamara.com/?p=6489