Activities such as the FIRST® LEGO® League Challenge held this past April in Kortrijk, Belgium, inspire youth with hands-on STEM learning opportunities. The event, which involved student-built robots competing in various challenges, hosted more than 200 participants from 27 teams between the ages of 6 to 16 years old. Rockwell Automation’s Martine Van Leuvenhaege (in pink), who served as a volunteer judge, is pictured with one of the winning teams. 
Hundreds of Rockwell Automation employees serve as STEM mentors to students worldwide. Pictured: Rockwell commercial engineers Marta Carrera Gonzalez and David Salazar set up a Cargo Connect board at the FIRST® LEGO® League Challenge held this past April in Kortrijk, Belgium. 
Student teams participating in the FIRST® LEGO® League Challenge in Kortrijk, Belgium worked with robot educators to complete 16 different Cargo Connect challenges, one of which is pictured.
Each year for the past 9 years on June 23, International Women in Engineering Day, sponsored by the Women’s Engineering Society (WES), has focused attention on career opportunities and global achievements of women in engineering.
According to WES, 16.5% of engineers are women. One of the reasons for the underrepresentation of women in engineering, according to AAUW, is that girls and women are systematically tracked away from science and math throughout their education, limiting their access, preparation, and opportunities to go into these fields as adults.
Through various STEM education and outreach activities, Rockwell Automation (NYSE: ROK) is working to change that, ultimately encouraging more young girls and women to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.
One way of increasing the interest of young girls in STEM-related fields is through role models. According to a Microsoft survey, 63% of middle school girls who know women in STEM enjoyed STEM-related subjects. In comparison, only 46% of middle school girls who don’t personally know women in STEM feel powerful doing STEM. Similarly, 72% of girls who personally know women in STEM know how to pursue a STEM career, compared to 47% of those who don’t personally know women in STEM.
Within Rockwell Automation, women engineers are reaching out to the community to champion STEM, inspire the next generation of girls to pursue STEM careers, and provide a support system for women in tech once they enter the workforce.
Examples of Rockwell employee volunteerism include FIRST Lego League and Green Light for Girls. Four of Rockwell’s 14 employee resource groups focus on expanding STEM careers for women: ADVANCE Young Professionals, Professional Women’s Council, Rockwell Automation Supporting Women in Engineering, and Rockwell Automation Women in the Field.
Learn more about Rockwell’s STEM education outreach efforts.
Published June 23, 2022