Abstract:

The Upper secondary education in Catalonia (Spain) has in the compulsory curriculum a practical subject called Research Project (RP). As its name implies, it consists in making a research study of a specific topic in whatever subject the student choose. This RP is developed during the last year of the Upper Secondary Education, students usually spend between six to eight months in its development, and it is worth 10% of the total grade. If the curriculum is specialized in STEM (science-technology-engineering-mathematics), this STEM-RP is usually more practical and experimental and its approach is very similar to the Project-Based learning (PBL) methodology. As PBL, RP involves students in real-world and open-ended challenges or problems, the use of a variety of technological tools, and requires collaboration, inquiry, creativity, and critical thinking. With their RP, students can be inspired to obtain a deeper knowledge of the topic they are studying and, when the STEM-RP is oriented toward engineering design challenges, students have the opportunity to use and learn about new scientific, mathematical, and engineering tools. To achieve these goals, some High Schools in Catalonia come to an agreement with Universities, companies and research centers. Therefore, the student can develop their RP in a professional context and work with a researcher or lecturer in their specific field of study.

In this paper, we present our own experience in mentoring high school girls with their STEM-RP in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the Rovira i Virgili University, where a woman-engineer lecturer from this department guides, supervises and supports a specific RP focused in engineering topics. The aim is twofold. On the one hand, students can design, construct and test their engineering project using the infrastructures and facilities that are not available in their high school such a CAD programs, 3D printers or all the mechanical equipment (lathe, milling machine…). On the other hand, it is an excellent opportunity to promote vocations for engineering programs in high school girls because having female role models included in STEM activities helps to engage female students in these degrees.

The specific STEM-RP presented in this paper is the design and construction of an automatic pill dispenser electronically controlled and it combines structural mechanics, electronics, manufacturing and CAD design in a biomedical device. The stages in the development of the project, the problems encountered and how they were solved, and the girl’s own perception will be presented and analyzed in detail as a perfect example of how a young woman is totally engaged in an interdisciplinary engineering project.

Keywords:

STEM, Project-Based Learning, women&engineering, mechanical engineering.