For the third year in a row, the number of girls participating in OPEF VEX Robotics has increased. This year, 18% of the students participating in our program are girls, up from 14% last year. We also have more female high school students returning to mentor our students than ever before. Our efforts to get more female adult mentors has also resulted in two female UIC engineering students joining our program this year.
Girls have played an important role in our program. In 2012-13, The Terminators–a team of three sixth grade girls and one seventh grade boy–consistently beat high school students at regional tournaments and reached the semi-finals at the 2013 U.S. National VEX Robotics Championship. There is no question that the women of OPEF VEX Robotics know how to rock robotics!