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The WATCH programme gives participants an insight into engineering disciplines and the chance to get involved in a real 21st century project.
In the unique programme, girls can learn about the world of smart devices, 3D modelling and printing, but also build their electrical engineering skills. Agora staff will be presenting the programme in Debrecen’s secondary schools to 10th grade girls these days.
Launched in 2021, the initiative aims to make STEM fields attractive to young people through real-life engineering tasks, while participants will also experience the benefits and joy of teamwork. The organisers want girls who previously thought that engineering was not an option for them to see it as a possible career path.
Girls who join the programme not only get a glimpse into engineering and programming, but also meet successful engineers.
Participants will learn first-hand about the opportunities in science careers, the beauty of engineering and discover their own strengths.
Over 150 secondary school girls have participated in WATCH over the past three academic years. The basic training gives students the theoretical and practical knowledge they will need for future projects, while the WATCH sessions give them for example an insight into the world of smart devices, and also give them a grounding in electrical engineering.
3D modelling gives secondary school students the chance to design something really special and use their creativity to turn their ideas into reality. In the workshops, girls can learn how to use a three-dimensional graphics editor to create unique objects.
Each year in June, the participants present the interactive tools implemented in the career guidance programme at a closing event, but the projects can also be seen at the Campus Festival in July and at the Researchers’ Night and the Science Fair in autumn. In previous years, the WATCH workshop has produced a smart mirror, a laser pyrography, an automatic animal feeder, a mini-robot, a weather station, a robotic hand, an LED cube and a reflex test, among other things.
Some WATCH projects have already been given a permanent home in the Agora Interactive Space, such as the Laser Harp, the Servo Motor Clock, the Plasma Plate, the Sand Art Table and the Rotating Lotus. The unique WATCH programme, specifically for girls, is supported by NI (now part of Emerson Test & Measurement Business) as a strategic partner.
Registration for the programme, which will start next January, is open until the 12th of December via Agora’s website. The program is primarily recommended for 10th grade girls.
More information is available on the Agora website.
Source and photo credit: dehir.hu
