Hello, we are Parastoo Porhonar and Aveen Najm, both Computer Science students at Cardiff Met. During our studies we had the chance of undertaking work experience with three different organisations: Cardiff Met’s EUREKA Robotics Lab, Techniquest, and Girls Who Code.
In November 2019, our course leaders at Cardiff Met shared an advertisement for three positions as IT Engagement Assistants with Techniquest – an educational charity with a science discovery centre based in Cardiff. Techniquest’s goal is to embed science in Welsh culture by supporting engagement and science education in Wales. Crucially, they offer a range of services to schools and teachers and work closely with the public.
The interns were to take on the role of STEM ambassadors and communicators with a focus on coding. The successful candidates would spend a number of days in primary schools assisting in the delivery of LEGO WeDo workshops, as well as one evening a week leading Girls Who Code workshops with young people in Cardiff.
We both decided to apply, also thanks to the encouragement of our professor and mentor, Dr Fiona Carroll. After passing the interview process in November 2019, we were offered the job. In January 2020 we undertook a training session at Techniquest on both the LEGO WeDo and the Girls Who Code programmes. We met some key people from both organisations and got ready to go!
From January onwards, we supported Techniquest’s Science Communicators in the delivery of the LEGO WeDo workshops in over 10 primary schools in the Cardiff area. We worked with pupils from all age groups – from early years (aged 3-5) to Stage 1 (KS1, aged 5-7) and Stage 2 (KS2, aged 7-11). Sometimes over 25 students per workshop!
Techniquest provided the kit for each workshop. In every session, the kids were taught how to control LEGO robots through a practical and fun exercise that saw them manipulate a simple script programme in the LEGO WeDo application on iPads. This is a fun way to teach kids the logical thinking concepts that they need to work with technology and build robots. The kids were enjoying every moment, and appreciated having us there to answer questions and help when they got stuck. At the end of each sessions, they would always ask to repeat the experience all over again! It was exciting to work with kids. Experiencing their eagerness to learn was fulfilling.
We also facilitated Girls Who Code after school sessions. Girls Who Code is an international non-profit organisation founded in 2010 which offers free coding and computer science programmes to girls aged 11-18. The sessions were held at Grangetown Hub. It was a very rewarding experience – the girls were so excited about the sessions and had so much interest in learning.
During the sessions, we supported teenage girls with their first steps in coding. They were tasked with building their first animation video, and we helped them think about their idea, as well as research, plan, design and develop their animation project in a lively and welcoming atmosphere. It was so fulfilling to support them. It is essential to educate and train girls on the computing skills needed to excel in technology jobs and careers. In our efforts to achieve this goal, we developed a framework for free and flexible computer science programmes for girls aged 11-18 years in Cardiff.
Both Techniquest and Girls Who Code’s workshops provide an opportunity to achieve gender parity in tech, empowering and encouraging young women to develop an interest in technology. We were proud to do our part in providing these opportunities for girls to be inspired and acquire computing skills from a young age.
For us, it was also very exciting to gain experience in robotics demonstration, communication, workshop facilitation, and teamwork. These work experiences have helped us acquire essential skills and improve our professionalism in robotics and more. We have learned to use communication and technology to empower people and give back to the community. Our interest in inspiring more girls into tech careers is certainly not stopping here – and we may well continue to work with these organisations in our free time in the future.
