Applications are now open for the WATCH program, a joint initiative between the Agóra Science Center and NI, designed specifically for high school girls. Participants in the WATCH program will gain insights into engineering fields and have the opportunity to be involved in a real, 21st-century project.
During the unique program’s sessions, girls can familiarize themselves with the world of smart devices, 3D modeling and printing, and also build their basic electrical engineering knowledge. Agóra staff are currently presenting the program to 10th-grade girls in Debrecen schools.
Launched in 2021, the initiative aims to make STEM fields attractive to young people through hands-on experiences solving real-world engineering problems, while participants experience the benefits and joy of teamwork. The organizers would like to see more girls consider engineering as a potential career path, even if they previously thought this option was not for them. Girls joining the program can not only gain insights into engineering and programming, but they can also meet successful female engineers, learn firsthand about the opportunities in STEM fields, the beauty of engineering careers, and discover their own strengths.
Over the past three academic years, more than 150 high school girls have participated in the WATCH program. During the basic training, students acquire the future-oriented theoretical and practical knowledge necessary for completing project work, and in WATCH workshops, they can explore the world of smart devices, for example, and build their basic electrical engineering knowledge. 3D modeling offers high school students the opportunity to design truly unique things and use their creativity to realize their ideas. During the workshops, girls can learn how to use a 3D graphics editing program to create unique objects.
Every June, participants present the interactive tools they have created during the orientation program at a closing event, and in July, the projects can also be seen by the public at the Campus Festival, and in the fall at the Researchers’ Night and Science Fair. In previous years, the WATCH workshop has produced, among other things, a smart mirror, a laser spirograph, an automatic animal feeder, a mini-robot, a weather station, a robotic hand, an LED cube, and a reaction time test. Some WATCH projects, such as the Laser Harp, the Servo Motor Clock, the Plasma Ball, the Sand Art Table, and the Rotating Lotus, have found a permanent place in the Agóra Interactive Space.
The unique WATCH program, specifically for girls, is supported by NI (now part of Emerson Test & Measurement Business) as a strategic partner.
Registration for the program starting in January next year is open until December 12, 2024, on the Agóra website. The program is primarily recommended for 10th-grade girls.
More information can be found on the Agóra website.
