NASA’s Independent Verification & Validation (IV&V) Program Education Resource Center (ERC) partnered with WVU Tech to host a STEM celebration and tournament in Charleston recently, which was geared toward recruiting young women to participate in competitive robotics teams.
The Competition of VEX Educational Robotics to Advance Girls Education (COVERAGE) event, held on Tuesday, May 24, inspired and supported female middle and high school students to pursue STEM careers in West Virginia. The event was funded by the Greater Kanawha Valley Foundation (GKVF) and the NASA WV Space Grant Consortium.
“Our all-girls VEX scrimmage was a major success with dozens of new young women introduced to competitive robotics by veteran students from across the state,” NASA IV&V Program Manager Dr. Todd Ensign said.
Female STEM professionals were in attendance to offer their mentorship to the young women, including West Virginia native and American science communicator Emily Calandrelli, who gave the keynote speech. Calandrelli has a history of being involved in the VEX Girl Powered Events.
Over 100 students, guests and competitors attended the event, and Sissonville Middle School took home the winning trophies.
Ensign said the event was a great point of pride for the ERC, and he hopes to make it a regular day on the calendar.
“The NASA IV&V ERC was proud to put on this event at the Clay Center for the Science and Arts, in collaboration with WVU Tech, the WV Space Grant Consortium, and the GKVF,” Ensign said. “We look forward to continuing this new tradition every year with the goal of increasing the diversity of our robotics teams in West Virginia.”
For more information, contact:
Clarissa R. Cottrill
Communications Specialist
NASA IV&V Program Strategic Communications Office
Clarissa.r.cottrill@nasa.gov