After a very exciting FIRST season, FIRST Ladies is excited to announce big plans for this summer! In partnership with FTC Iowa and the University of Iowa, we will be hosting a two-day interactive FIRST Ladies Conference! 

The conference will take place on June 26 and 27 in Iowa City, IA on the beautiful University of Iowa campus! Click here for additional information on the conference, and click here to go straight to registration. This is a very exciting opportunity for girls and women throughout the FIRST program to learn from each other, get hands-on engineering experiences, network with female experts, and tour top STEM facilities. 

We hope you will join the FIRST Ladies and FTC Iowa staff to enjoy this awesome event! While there is a cost to register, this registration fee will cover the cost of  two days worth of food, facilities use, lab tours, and additional swag from the conference. 

    Hi! It’s Analisa again. I actually know very few women in STEM, so when I decided I wanted to interview women in these fields, I went to Dr. Adams and she connected me with Susan Conway. I was absolutely ecstatic to meet another woman in STEM and incredibly thankful that she was willing to meet up with me. So, enough of my blabbering, here’s the interview.

Me: To start off, what is your major and what is it that you do?
Susan: I have my degree in software engineering and I’m an is an engineering department manager at General Dynamics [an aerospace and defense company].
Me: Did you know you wanted to go into software engineering when you entered college?
Susan: Yes, I always knew.
Me: What was it that made you want to go into that field?
Susan: I’d always enjoyed math and science. And in my senior year of high school, I took my first programming class and really liked it.
Me: What was something that you had to overcome in college?
Susan: I would say that for me it was that in engineering you’re in classes are are almost all male. When I was going to school, there were times where I was the only girl in the class. It was a lot different from my dorm situation, where, of course, there were girls. I didn’t really have any female friends who were in engineering alongside me because there were so few of us.
Me: With all your classes, how did you keep sane?
Susan: There were times when I wanted to stop engineering. The curriculum is really difficult. My roommate was in elementary education and I would see her have so much more free time. She would be able to read leisure books and I would be like “oh my gosh I have all these classes Monday through Friday.” There were times where I wanted to go into something easier. I even thought of switching to accounting. My advisor really encouraged me to stick it out and that’s what I did. It was hard, but now I love what I’m doing. And even though I’m working on a program late into the night, it’s something I really enjoy doing. You just have to say “yes it is hard right now but I can get through it.” You have to have that sticktoitness.
Me: What was it like for you going from college into the field?
Susan: Like I said, you don’t learn how to be a software engineering. I mean, there’s programming and all. But I deal with the military world. Everything is defense contracts and there’s a whole lot more rigidity and documentation then you would ever think.
Also, you can work on programs for years and years, and they won’t ever make it to the field, which is a lot different than school. In school, you get a program done and you’re done. It’s learning that you can be in a phase of a program for months and months.
One of the cool things about when I graduated was that I had a skills with the Ada program, which is now obsolete. But at that time, it was cutting edge, and not a lot of folks knew the language. It was pretty cool for me as a new engineer.
Me: What’s something that you really just love about your job?
Susan: What I love most about what I’m doing is that I do a lot with recruiting with younger people. I work with getting kids interested in STEM. I start back with elementary schools through boys and girls clubs. We [General Dynamics] have a program where we bring them in and teach them what engineering is and what they need to do to go into engineering and get into college. We do workshops with them and take them on tours of ASU and try to get them excited about going to college. With the younger engineers, I just really enjoy finding mentors for them. When you’re in school, it teaches you how to solve problems in your field. Technology changes quickly, so college teaches you how to problem solve. But that doesn’t necessarily teach you how to be an engineer, and so there’s a big transition from college to the field and working on projects, which is why we have mentors.
Me: Was there anything you didn’t expect about the field you’re in?
Susan: For me, it was how fast technology changes. When you’re in college, you think what you’re working on is the cutting edge, which it is, at the time you’re taking it. You just don’t see how quickly things change and how easily it is to become obsolete in STEM. You have to keep up with everything. It’s not “okay I’ve learned what I need to” you have to keep working on your skills and stay up to date.
Me: Is that challenge something you enjoy?
Susan: Oh definitely I love it.
Me: What are skills you learned that weren’t taught in a school?
Susan: In engineering or any STEM field, you have to be very methodical. I don’t think they teach you exactly to be an engineer. I’m very organized and excel in management skills, which they don’t teach, but you learn. I worked for a long time, but when I had my two boys, I was a stay at home mom for years. I used those skills that I got from engineering and job, and applied them every day life.
Me: Something that I’ve wondered about is having kids while being in STEM, because the jobs are demanding. How did you go about that?
Susan: I was really lucky because I was out for 11 years when I went back. I had to work hard to maintain my skills. I did some consulting work here and there. But, it was amazing how quickly I fell back into it. I had work to emphasize my strong points and did whatever work I needed to do to refresh my technical skills. It’s definitely difficult being a female in engineering…. There’s a bias towards women towards women when they have kids. Like when a guy who stays home because their kid is sick it’s like “oh isn’t that great he’s helping out” vs when a woman stays home it’s like “she’s always having to do that.” With guys it’s viewed as a positive, whereas with women it’s an annoyance.
Me: Still, if you could go back and see yourself right when you were starting to form an interest in software, what would you say to yourself?
Susan: I think I would say you can do this, it’s going to be hard, but enjoy all of it. Even the times when you want to give up, embrace that what you’re doing is exciting and challenging. Preserve through it.
Me: And what would you say to a girl who wants to go into STEM, but is hesitant?
Susan: I’d tell her to do it. Find something you’re passionate about, and that’ll help you through the difficult times. Also, to find other women who are in STEM. Use that to commiserate together to realize that you’re in similar situations.

    






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An amazing opportunity for girls and women in computing is open! The National Center for Women and Information Technology (NCWIT) holds annual competitions for all ages. The Aspirations in Computing Award, or AiC, is their competition for high-school students.

Many FIRST students have won awards through AiC on the state and/or national levels. NCWIT has a strong presence at FIRST events – last year at Worlds they held a cupcake social and also had a booth at Scholarship Row!

There are many fantastic prizes available for AiC winners! Last year I was honored to be a runner-up at the national level and to receive the Affiliate Award in my state. As a result of this, I received a cash prize, cool swag, and access to the NCWIT AiC private Facebook group. This group is a wonderful resource – members are constantly posting about various opportunities in the computing field, tips for programming, and scholarships/internships.

Applications for the award are open until November 7 th . If you apply, you will answer questions about your computing experience, and you will write essays on topics such as leadership and future goals. Additionally, a mentor must endorse your application.

This is a wonderful opportunity – here is the link to learn more about AiC: https://www.aspirations.org/

This blog was written by Katie Johnson, a member of FIRST Tech Challenge Team #3595, Schrödinger’s Hat. If you are interested in blogging for FIRST Ladies, click here to sign up on the schedule

Gracious Professionalism is the basis of everything FIRST, and the core value that seems to have gathered the most following and have made the greatest impact in our worldwide community. What is very interesting about Gracious Professionalism and the acceptance that FIRST students have provided it, is that each and every student seems to have a different meaning of what Gracious Professionalism means. Let's examine what a few FIRST LEGO League students along with FIRST itself says about Gracious Professionalism:

We prompted students with the question, “What does Gracious Professionalism mean to you?”.

“Gracious Professionalism is everything that we strive to do as a team. It’s helping other teams when they have questions, helping teammates with their ideas and being nice to other teams at competition.”

“When I think of Gracious Professionalism, I think of being nice and it reminds me that FIRST and robotics should be fun. I love meeting with my team, and our coach always has reminds us to use Gracious Professionalism with our teammates.”

This one is from FIRST itself.

“Gracious Professionalism is part of the ethos of FIRST. It's a way of doing things that encourages high-quality work, emphasizes the value of others, and respects individuals and the community. With Gracious Professionalism, fierce competition and mutual gain are not separate notions. Gracious professionals learn and compete like crazy, but treat one another with respect and kindness in the process. They avoid treating anyone like losers. No chest thumping tough talk, but no sticky-sweet platitudes either. Knowledge, competition, and empathy are comfortably blended. In the long run, Gracious Professionalism is part of pursuing a meaningful life. One can add to society and enjoy the satisfaction of knowing one has acted with integrity and sensitivity.”

    What one can observe for these descriptions of Gracious Professionalism is that it would be incompatible with a dictionary. In no way can Gracious Professionalism be described in a single sentence, but rather context and thorough discussion is needed to develop an understanding of what FIRST has been able to do with Gracious Professionalism. It embodies competing well with other teams, positively collaborating with teammates, creating beneficial mentor relationships and effectively spreading awareness in regards to the values of FIRST. Gracious Professionalism has spread so rapidly because of its broad definition, it allows students to take Gracious Professionalism for what they think it is, and implement it inside and out of FIRST Robotics.

It is remarkable to study Gracious Professionalism, and see how it has been embraced by students everywhere who have made it what it is today. Gracious Professionalism puts power into the student's hand, and lets them spread FIRST values in whatever capacity they feel is most effective to them. If you remember one thing you have read here, remember this: Gracious Professionalism is a broad and open idea, and it's up to you how it's implemented.

This blog was written by FTC Team 9789, TOXIC. If you are interested in blogging for FIRST Ladies, click here to sign up on the schedule. 

Say hello to this year's FIRST Tech Challenge game: Velocity Vortex! This year teams will need to design a robot to manipulate both small softball-size "particles" (wiffle balls) and a large "cap ball" (small yoga balls). By analyzing the game and the point distribution, teams will need to decide whether they want to lift, launch, or push balls in order to score on this new field. 

Here are some resources your team can use to be successful this season:
- Official FTC Game Manuals (Pt. 1 and Pt. 2)
- Official Game Animation
- FIRST Fundraising Toolkit
- Programming and Technology Resources

Let us know what your team think of this new game in the comments, and share your tips for a successful season!

If your team is interested in blogging for FIRST Ladies, click here to sign up on the schedule. 

In recent months, debate over bathroom access has brought the issue of accommodating transgender students to the forefront of mainstream culture. This discussion, however, has yet to take a large place in the FIRST community. With up to 1.5% of students being transgender, teams should be aware of how to make a team environment where all are welcome, no matter their gender identity. This post will hopefully offer some useful advice.

Here are a few tips to help your team be accommodating to these students:

Offer LGBTQ literacy training at the beginning of the year or season:
LGBTQ literacy training teaches team members how to conduct themselves in a way that creates an open and safe team environment. This training explains commonly used terminology and also common mistakes to avoid.

This training can be conducted by a team member, coach, mentor or someone knowledgeable in the community. The training should ideally be followed by a review of expectations to ensure that everyone on the team is aware

GLSEN has some great resources for LGBTQ literacy training:
https://www.glsen.org/sites/default/files/GLSEN%20Safe%20Space%20Kit%202016_0.pdf

Make preferred gender pronouns a part of your team: he/she/they/ whichever pronoun they prefer.
Correct pronouns are an important part of making anyone feel welcome. They can simply be a part of team introductions. This simple step goes a long way to making your team a safe space for everyone.

Make your bathrooms accessible
In addition to being a major health concern, access to bathrooms consistent with one’s gender identity is essential to help students avoid unnecessary anxiety and feel comfortable on your team.

For more information on accessible bathroom facilities: www.lambdalegal.org/know-your-rights/transgender/restroom-faq
If your team tracks gender statistics of your team members, offer alternative options.
Some students may identify as genders outside of the man-woman binary, such as agender, genderqueer or genderfluid. To accommodate these students, the question can simply ask students to write in their gender in a provided space.

Treat trans students as any other student
If a team member transitions to another gender identity, or confides in you that they are transgender, offer them all of the support and accommodation they need, but remember that they are still the same person they were before.
​
I hope this post was helpful in making your team and FIRST a safer space for everyone to pursue STEM.

This blog was written by Cole Brabec of FRC Team 1710. If you are interested in blogging for FIRST Ladies, click here to sign up on the schedule.

Hello world, it’s Claudia. After months of pestering, I finally got my roommate Crystal to agree to co-write the blog for today. We just moved out of our apartment and will be moving into a house together soon, so it’s safe to say we like each other enough to be in close proximity on the regular. When in college, whoever you room with can have an impact on your experience as a student. I’m sure you’ve heard horror stories about situations that have gotten really bad, but we wanted to share our experience of when it goes really really well. ​

What are you studying and why?
Crystal: I am pursuing a BS in Mechanical Engineering and a BA in Computer Science.
Claudia: I am pursuing a BFA in Graphic Design, a BS in Product Design, and a minor in Mandarin Chinese.

Did FIRST have any impact on your decision to study that?
Crystal: Yea it did. FIRST was what exposed me to the world of engineering and I never looked back.
Claudia: I actually started out as a prospective mechanical engineer but when that didn’t work out, I turned to the only other thing I was good at which was design. I did both mechanical and design work when I was in FIRST so ultimately FIRST impacted both decisions.

What’s the best part about living with someone who was in FIRST?
Crystal: Robotics is a huge part of my life and it’s awesome to have someone who immediately understands that part. For example, when I remember a robotics moment I don’t have to start with the “what are robots?” speil I can just start freaking out and Claudia just gets it. It’s also fun to have someone living with you that you can drag into your various FIRST related projects.
Claudia: Honestly having someone to rant to about robotics is the best. As a design student, most of the people I come in contact with have never heard of robotics so it’s nice to just freak out about a rule change or game release with someone who ‘gets it.’ The rides to game releases and competitions are also really really nice.

What’s the worst part about living with someone who was in FIRST?
Crystal: This probably comes with just having roommates in general but Claudia sees A LOT of my awkward and weird moments. She even is able to mock the way I freak out to a T.
Claudia: Crystal knew me since I was a sophomore in high school. Let’s just say I was still figuring myself out and it wasn’t pretty.

What’s your favorite memory of living with each other?
Crystal: Staying up late on Mondays to watch Rupaul’s drag race even when there is class the next day.
Claudia: Crystal showed me the world of bubble tea and I’ve been forever changed.

What’s something that surprised you about the other?
Crystal: Claudia is very passionate about the things she does. I always knew she was super energetic but man when she gets involved in something, she just goes all out. It’s really impressive.
Claudia: Crystal is really studious. I mean the girl wakes up at 6am on a Saturday just to do homework. I’ve lived with her for a year and I still don’t understand.

Anything else you would like to add?
Crystal: One of the coolest things about rooming with another FIRSTer has just been the change in our relationship. Claudia and I met through FIRST but living together is how Claudia grew to be one of my closest friends (even if we are constantly giving each other a hard time).
Claudia: Crystal is one of my closest friends in the sense that she is a weenie. Most people probably think we hate each other because we are always giving each other a hard time, but that’s just what our friendship language is.

https://www.tumblr.com/search/first+robotics
https://www.buzzfeed.com/katieheaney/21-things-that-happen-when-you-live-with-your-best-friend?utm_term=.ql1BvMKMdd#.uh9DYwXwmm
https://www.buzzfeed.com/regajha/amazing-benefits-of-living-with-your-best-friends?utm_term=.hpBVZlQlMM#.uu97aEnE44
https://www.buzzfeed.com/floperry/things-that-will-inevitably-happen-when-you-live-with-you?utm_term=.wje3RaXaxx#.uf9PODjDWW
https://www.buzzfeed.com/jenlewis/little-buddy?utm_term=.qs1Ny575oo#.efv4EXJX00​

If you are interested in blogging for FIRST Ladies, click here to sign up on the schedule. 

“Lose yourself in what you love; you find yourself there.”  I shamelessly got from a corporate marketing campaign, but hey, sometimes inspiration comes from the most unexpected of places.

College undergrad is a place where many people follow this mantra, where they find out who they are, what their passion is, and who their people are. All of this happens so fast that you can barely capture the current moment. I am a third year college student and that scares me. I have all of these expectations of what college is supposed to be and it is half over and now what do I do? Have I done enough? Do I even know where I am going in life? Am I ready to even think about what comes after this magical place called undergrad? Am I prepared enough for the “real world”?

Maybe I should take a step back. Yes, college is one of those periods of your life where there are endless things to do and seemingly not enough time. I entered college with what I have found to be a very common mindset, which I call the “open loop mentality”. For those unfamiliar with an open loop, it is a technical term for something that, because it is programmed to do so, keeps doing the exact same thing without any feedback. Relating it to humans and my mentality, it is the mindset of doing things, often times a lot of things, without critical thought into why you are doing them. We only have so much time in the day, and what we spend our heartbeats on is important. I loved trying new things as a first-year and even as a second-year student: I tried new clubs, I found new hobbies, I even (unsuccessfully) tried to start a club. I loved every single moment of those new, sometimes spontaneous experiences with new people and new places.

During my second year, I was taking a lot of credits, was an officer of one club, actively involved in two more, building an Oreo Soaking Robot, designing playground equipment, working a 20-hour a week job, had friends and roommates that I loved to hang out with, and was attempting to get involved in research on campus. Not too long into the year, I had a breakdown. Then I had another one. Then another. After far too long in this torturous cycle, I had the courage to ask for help. That was hard. It still is hard, and it will never stop being hard. Although in this moment I felt as though I was at my weakest, it was my greatest moment of strength. I felt as vulnerable as could be; I was admitting my faults, sharing them openly, and doing something no one likes to do – admitting I was lost.

Individually, I loved every one of my commitments – collectively though, I was ruining my college experience. I was misinterpreting the quote that I love so much, thinking it was, “Lose yourself in EVERYTHING that you love” and rather than finding myself, I was losing my passion, my drive, and my energy.  I was becoming a shell of my true self because I was overcommitting, underperforming, and not able to spend time with the people I loved.

Fortunately, solace came with warmer weather and a much needed break from responsibility – known affectionately as summer.  However, this break was also the time I needed to intentionally end my own “open loop mentality”. I was clearly trying to do too much and I really couldn’t fully appreciate any single one of my commitments. It was not worth the breakdowns, the stress, and the endless cycle of not enough sleep and too much to do.

I owned the fact that I needed to change and in order to change, I had to learn from my mistakes and failures. It was apparent that I had to cut back on commitments but that was the first time I realized I didn’t know how to say no. In all honestly, I wasn’t doing anyone any good by saying yes to everything and not being able to put my full heart into anything.

There are some things that I will never say no to: helping a friend in distress, calling home, spontaneous moments with friends. However, there are some things that I do need to say no to: working more hours even though the work is done, trying to make something perfect when “good enough” really is good enough, overcommitting myself to things that I am just not passionate about, and most of all doing things because I am in a made up competition to have the best resume.

Now I do say no. This does not mean that I will stop being busy; it just means that I am finding the purpose in the things I do spend my heartbeats on. This filter and reflection is what ended my “open loop mentality.” Don’t get me wrong, I probably will continue to build robots, and get coffee with friends, and take a lot of credits, and work my 20-hour a week job, and have spontaneous moments, but this time, I am going to keep my capacity in mind, because staying within my capacity keeps me sane, and my mind, body, and friends (even the ones I just said no to) will thank me.

This blog was written by Ethan Brownell, a mechanical engineering junior at the University of Minnesota and is a fan of most things. If you are interested in blogging for FIRST Ladies, click here to sign up on the schedule.