NRI:FND:COLLAB: Girls Immersed in Robotics Learning Simulations (GIRLS)

该项目旨在促进中学女生对机器人、计算机科学以及其他科学、技术、工程和数学(STEM)领域的兴趣和学习。该项目将让在假期周参加夏令营或校外项目的学生身临其境地模拟无处不在的协作机器人如何为受飓风等自然灾害影响的人们提供救援。协作机器人，或协作机器人，是一种旨在与人类在共享环境或工作空间中进行物理交互的机器人。学生们将创建并参与一个身临其境的模拟联合机器人增强的应急响应，通过使用轮式机器人和飞行的可编程无人机来帮助急救人员和其他恢复工作人员。学生还将讨论在这些环境中使用无处不在的协作机器人的社会、经济、伦理和法律影响。由于社会障碍，在STEM领域任职人数不足的女孩和学生在重要学习领域的接触、机会和经验通常较少。这项混合方法研究的指导假设是，在帮助城镇居民从自然灾害中恢复的沉浸式模拟中，女孩会积极响应角色扮演，因此，将表现出对机器人作为一个领域和可能的职业选择的更大参与和兴趣。学生将被分成两组：a)实验组将接受联合机器人课程，该课程以真实世界中对最近波多黎各飓风或类似自然灾害的紧急反应的沉浸式模拟叙事为背景，以及b)对照组将只接受联合机器人课程。该项目的目标是：(1)测试身临其境模拟教育战略作为协作机器人入门的有效性；(2)设计、实施和测试创新的中学协作机器人课程和评估，包括协作机器人在第一反应情况下使用时的社会、经济、伦理和法律影响；(3)通过让传统上代表性不足的人群，特别是拉丁裔女孩，通过沉浸式模拟灾难恢复，扩大对机器人学、计算机科学和STEM领域的参与，其中使用协作机器人技术来帮助人们；以及(4)提高学生的自我效能感、兴趣、意识和参与可能导致未来机器人、计算机科学和STEM职业生涯的合作机器人活动。学生的兴趣和意识将通过岗位前的自我效能、兴趣和职业意识调查进行评估。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

This project aims to promote interest and learning about robotics, computer science, and other fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) among middle school girls. The project will engage students who are attending summer camps or out-of-school programs during vacation weeks in immersive simulations of how ubiquitous, collaborative robots can be used to provide relief to people impacted by natural disasters, such as hurricanes. A collaborative robot, or co-robot, is a robot intended to physically interact with humans in a shared environment or workspace. The students will create and take part in an immersive simulation of a co-robotics enhanced emergency response to assist first responders and other recovery workers by using wheeled robots and flying, programmable drones. Students will also discuss the social, economic, ethical, and legal implications of using ubiquitous co-robots in these settings. Girls and students from populations underrepresented in STEM fields generally have less exposure, access, and experience with important domains of learning due to social barriers. This mixed-methods study is guided by the hypothesis that girls will positively respond to role-playing in immersive simulations of helping residents in a town recover from a natural disaster, and as a result, will exhibit greater engagement and interest in robotics as a field and possible career choice. Students will be separated into two groups: a) An experimental group that will receive a co-robotics curriculum contextualized by a real-world immersive simulation narrative of an emergency response to the recent Puerto Rico hurricane or a similar natural disaster, and b) A comparison group that will receive just the co-robotics curriculum. The goals of the project are: (1) Test the effectiveness of an immersive simulation educational strategy as an introduction to co-robotics; (2) Design, implement, and test the innovative middle school co-robotics curricula and assessments, including the social, economic, ethical, and legal implications of co-robotics as they are used in first responder situations; (3) Broaden participation in robotics, computer science, and STEM fields by engaging traditionally underrepresented populations, specifically Latinx girls, through an immersive simulation of disaster recovery where co-robotics technology is used to help people; and (4) Increase student self-efficacy, interest, awareness, and participation in co-robotics activities that could lead to future robotics, computer science and STEM careers. Student interest, and awareness will be assessed through pre-post self-efficacy, interest, and career awareness surveys.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.