C-STEM Center Receives $2.4M to Introduce African American Girls to Engineering and Robotics

With a $2.4 million grant from the National Science Foundation, the UC Davis Center for Integrated Computing and STEM Education (C-STEM) will establish a new initiative to introduce Black/African American girls to engineering and robotics and provide them with resources to be leaders in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) in their schools, communities and careers.

The Ujima (Collective Work and Responsibility) Girls in Robotics Leadership Project is a free, hands-on engineering and robotics program that teaches girls in middle and high school engineering and leadership in a culturally-relevant environment. The project is led by C-STEM director and mechanical and aerospace engineering professor Harry Cheng, UC Davis School of Education assistant professor Faheemah Mustafaa and Teresa Aldredge, the former board president of the Umoja Community Education Foundation and a senior advisor to the C-STEM Center.

“This is an exciting opportunity to further encourage the creativity, leadership and scientific genius of Black girls and young women in ways that many don't have access to in their day-to-day schooling,” said Mustafaa. “I am hopeful about the mutually-empowering benefit of this project for the participants, our research team and everyone else involved.”

Introducing girls to STEM applications and leadership in middle school and nurturing that interest through high school increases the likelihood that they’ll stay in the field. Supporting Black girls’ STEM skills in identify-affirming, fun and supportive environments lowers access barriers and further increases their odds of pursuing STEM careers.

“This grant will illuminate the talent that our Black girls already have inside them and provide a safe and nurturing environment for growth and development,” said Aldredge. “I’m honored to be a part of this important endeavor for our community.”

Building a Community

The Ujima GIRL programs takes the C-STEM Center’s already successful GIRL/GIRL+ camps—which have been serving girls across California since 2013 and 2018 respectively—and adds the cultural piece for African American students. The “Ujima” name is a Swahili word for “collective work and responsibility,” an important principle in many Black/African American spaces. It also symbolizes the program’s emphasis on community.

Together with California Community Colleges and the Umoja Community Education Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to enhancing the educational experience of African American students, the team will recruit African American college students to lead each Ujima GIRL or GIRL+ Camp, develop curriculum and serve as mentors.

Cheng’s vision is to build a “mentoring pipeline” that keeps participants involved from their first Ujima GIRL Camp through college. Ujima GIRL Camp alumni in high school can return as assistant coaches and participate in the GIRL+ camp, while GIRL/GIRL+ alumni can return as coaches in college. In addition, he also wants to encourage and empower participants to create their own Ujima GIRL clubs at their local schools, where they can share their experiences with other girls.

“We want to give students a life-changing experience and inspire them to go into college, post-secondary studies and careers in STEM,” said Cheng. “This program will help them make a real-world connection with math, because we want to give them the tools to be successful in their academic programs and learn in the years ahead.”

Starting in 2022, the program will host 48 Ujima GIRL and 48 GIRL+ camps statewide and nurture about 2,000 students. If the first three years are successful, the team hopes to expand the program nationwide.

“I hope that we can increase the number of partners and sponsors so we can effectively expand and inspire more girls with the resources they need,” said Cheng. “There are so many who want to contribute to the cause, and we stand ready to provide the opportunity to join forces and work together.”

UC Davis C-STEM Center is currently recruiting a program manager for the project.

Learn more about the project and how to participate.