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The Engineers of the Future
At the FIRST Robotics Competition, three all-female teams are helping to rewire a male-dominated profession.
Team: The Firebirds
Hometown: Flourtown, PA
Brianna Devenny, age 17 (front row, fourth from left): "Our robot has visited a home for seniors and did a walk to raise money for heart research. We've also helped form a robotics team in Ghana, and we’re collecting 'retired' robots from other FIRST teams to send to them. We hear the boys say, 'Oh, these girls didn’t do anything—their mentors probably built the robot for them.' But when it turns out that we know everything about it, they say, 'Oh, all right,' and walk away with their tail between their legs."
Brianna Devenny, age 17 (front row, fourth from left): "Our robot has visited a home for seniors and did a walk to raise money for heart research. We've also helped form a robotics team in Ghana, and we’re collecting 'retired' robots from other FIRST teams to send to them. We hear the boys say, 'Oh, these girls didn’t do anything—their mentors probably built the robot for them.' But when it turns out that we know everything about it, they say, 'Oh, all right,' and walk away with their tail between their legs."
Related Resources
- For more information about FIRST, visit USFirst.org
From the May 2009 issue of O, The Oprah Magazine
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Photos: Courtesy of FIRST
