BPC-DP: SpelBots: African American Women Showcasing Robotics and Computer Science to Underrepresented K-12 Students Nationally

Spelman学院将通过SpelBots机器人和计算项目，以及为K-12学生创建全国SpelBots俱乐部，在全国范围内扩大与女性和代表性不足的学生在计算机科学和机器人领域的合作。“拼写机器人”是一个由非裔美国女性学生组成的团队，她们进行机器人研究，参加全球机器人和计算机科学竞赛，并开展K-12外展活动。该项目的长远目标是利用SpelBots活动，为未被充分代表的社区提供尖端计算机科学和机器人技术方面的职业榜样。该项目将为未被充分代表的学生和他们的老师带来改变态度的计算机科学和机器人展示，并结合这些展示，通过社交媒体和当地讲习班促进K-12学生中机器人和计算机科学俱乐部的形成和指导。此外，它还将在计算机科学和机器人研究、推广和竞赛项目方面招募、指导和培训本科非洲裔美国女学生。此外，该项目将为当地历史悠久的黑人学院和大学的学生提供这些活动的建议。目标是：(1)调查展示方法在暴露、激励、招聘和指导代表性不足的初高中计算机学生方面的有效性；(2)研究我们在计算机科学方面的招聘和留用活动对非裔美国女性（特别是代表性不足的学生）的影响，以传播最佳实践；(3)增加非裔美国大学生女性自主人形机器人和移动机器人研究的数量。

Spelman College will expand its work with women and underrepresented students in computer science and robotics nationally through the SpelBots robotics and computing program and the creation of the National SPELBOTS Club for K-12 students. The SpelBots are a team of female, African American students who conduct robotics research, compete worldwide in robotics and computer science competitions, and conduct K-12 outreach. The long-range vision of this project is to leverage the SpelBots activities to provide career role models in cutting-edge computer science and robotics from underrepresented communities. This project will bring attitude-changing computer science and robotics showcase presentations to underrepresented students and their teachers, and in conjunction with these showcases, promote the formation and mentoring of robotics and computer science clubs among K-12 students using social media as well as local workshops. Further, it will recruit, mentor and train undergraduate African American women students in computer science and robotics research, outreach, and competition projects. In addition, this project will provide advising for these activities for students at local historically black colleges and universities. The goals are to (1) investigate the effectiveness of the showcase approach to exposing, exciting, recruiting, and mentoring underrepresented middle and high school students in computing, (2) study the impact of our recruitment and retention activities in computer science among African American women, specifically, and underrepresented students, generally, in order to disseminate best practices, and (3) increase the amount of autonomous humanoid and mobile robotics research performed by African American undergraduate women.