Getting Girls Hooked on Physics and Engineering Design
By Arundhati Jayarao, Ph.D. - CEE, Principal STEM Strategist
Science and Mathematics fascinated me even as a young girl. Never great at memorization or rote, I was drawn to the fields of physical sciences and mathematics charmed by the sheer logic of the subject matter. As I ventured into a full-fledged physics research career, I was struck by the dearth of female role models in the field. Granted that was the eighties, but what piques me is the fact that year after year the NSF science and engineering indicators point to no growth, perhaps even decline in the number of female engineers and physicists despite positive gains in women’s educational aspirations.
According to the 2012 NSF Science and Engineering indicators, ‘women have earned about 57% of all bachelor's degrees and half of all science and engineering bachelor's degrees since the late 1990s. In general, men earn a majority of bachelor's degrees in engineering, computer sciences, and physics. More women than men earn degrees in chemistry; biological, agricultural, and social sciences; and psychology. In the last 10 years, the proportion of science and engineering bachelor's degrees awarded to women has not grown measurably and has declined in computer sciences, mathematics, and engineering.’
As I forayed into the field of education donning the role of a high school physics and chemistry teacher at an independent girl’s school, I craved to communicate my passion for the physical sciences to the young ladies in my classroom. Easier said than done! As I taught the classes, I recognized that problem solving and applied concepts in science posed major hurdles to science appreciation. What I found logical as a young girl (and continued to do so) seemed to drive my girls to the edge of a precipice!
An article on gender equality informed me “Science (physics and engineering) programs and assignments are many times devoid of meaning and importance to people’s lives.….. Girls, on the other hand, will be more attracted to technology (physics and engineering), if it has some meaning or positive purpose in a real-world context”. Though I didn’t agree with that sentence completely, I latched on to that thought and developed an alternative assessment project that could be fun, innovative and result in a positive physics learning environment.
I needed to ensure there was relevance to everyday life, ton of humor and of course, the use of physics principles! Always a fan of Rueben Garret Lucius Goldberg aka Rube Goldberg, a renowned American inventor, sculptor, author, engineer and cartoonist extraordinaire, I thought what better than a Rube Goldberg Machine Challenge? As fans of Rube Goldberg can attest, his unforgettable cartoon character and inventor, Professor Lucifer Gorgonzola Butts, illustrated inventions that are known today as the ‘Rube Goldberg Machine’, an extremely complicated device that executes a very simple task in a complex, multi-step and indirect way. Many of Goldberg's illustrations portrayed complicated, almost absurd but immensely innovative machines.
So at the end of a module on mechanics, I invited the girls to use concepts of Newton’s Laws, momentum and energy transformations, simple and compound machines to design and construct a Rube Goldberg machine. The machine would have to perform a simple, everyday task that could be self-selected by the girls but would have to be accomplished using at least 15 steps. It would also require the use of innovative energy transformations versus a simple battery. The machine was allowed to have only a single human intervention. The students were allowed to start the machine on its first step and the machine would have to be so devised as to perform the remaining 15 steps without any additional nudging.
This involved finding creative solutions relying on basic principles of physics. It encouraged girls to use machine tools, gears, pulleys and levers to build the machines. Students worked in teams, brainstormed in a lab, and willingly (or so I would like to believe!) spent several weekend hours to build the machine. They rummaged through their homes for castaway items that could be innovated as gears, levers and pulleys. My students came up with intricate ideas to perform simple tasks ranging from squeezing toothpaste, to sprinkles on cupcakes, to switching on a blender. Once the girls realized the significance of physics principles, they readily competed in making the coolest, weirdest or prettiest looking Rube Goldberg machines. On the day of presentation, the machines were brought out and demonstrated to the school engaging the interest of the entire 6-12 grade school body. In fact, the admissions office loved to showcase the machines as a unique feature of the school curriculum.
No doubt there was plenty of moaning and groaning (at the very least) as a crucial step would refuse to work after hours of set-up, leading the girls to invent new solutions to make it work. However, the brainstorming, designing, inventing and building the machine was an achievement that the girls could look back and compliment themselves about. It gave the girls an insight into physics, applied science and a meaningful entry into engineering design. In addition, they crossed an important gender barrier to invent a machine that would leave them with a ‘can-do’ spirit of accomplishment, pride in using machine tools, and the delight of playing with complex mechanical objects they created – all in the name of physics!
Albert Einstein was right on many counts but never more so than when he said – “In the matter of physics, the first lessons should contain nothing but what is experimental and interesting to see. A pretty experiment is in itself often more valuable than twenty formulae extracted from our minds."