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、计算机科学和其他科学、技术、工程和数学（STEM）领域的兴趣和学习。该项目将让在假期参加夏令营或校外项目的学生沉浸式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济。协作机器人（collaborative robot）是一种在共享环境或工作空间中与人类进行物理交互的机器人。 学生们将创建并参加一个沉浸式的模拟合作机器人增强应急响应，以协助第一反应人员和其他恢复工作人员通过使用轮式机器人和飞行，可编程无人机。 学生还将讨论在这些环境中使用无处不在的合作机器人的社会，经济，道德和法律的影响。 由于社会障碍，来自STEM领域代表性不足的人群的女孩和学生通常在重要的学习领域接触、获得和经验较少。这项混合方法的研究是由假设指导的，即女孩将积极响应角色扮演，帮助城镇居民从自然灾害中恢复的沉浸式模拟，因此，将表现出更大的参与和兴趣机器人作为一个领域和可能的职业选择。学生将被分为两组：a）实验组，将接受一个共同机器人课程的背景下，由一个现实世界的沉浸式模拟叙事的紧急响应最近的波多黎各飓风或类似的自然灾害，和B）一个比较组，将只接受共同机器人课程。该项目的目标是：（1）测试沉浸式模拟教育策略作为合作机器人介绍的有效性;（2）设计，实施和测试创新的中学合作机器人课程和评估，包括社会，经济，道德和合作机器人的法律的影响，因为它们被用于第一响应者的情况;（3）通过吸引传统上代表性不足的人群，特别是拉丁裔女孩，通过沉浸式的灾难恢复模拟，广泛参与机器人，计算机科学和STEM领域，其中联合机器人技术用于帮助人们;和（4）提高学生的自我效能，兴趣，意识和参与合作机器人活动，可能导致未来的机器人，计算机科学和STEM职业。学生的兴趣和意识将通过前后自我效能，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，并被认为值得通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估。

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.