In the latest news coming from IIT Bombay, some are for women who work in Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). IIT Bombay has introduced an outreach initiative called WISE - which stands for Women in Science Engineering from Rural Parts of India). This is about combatting the gender ratio within STEM courses.
The first event under the programme, which will now be an annual affair, was held recently. According to reports, along with aiming for rural girls studying in the ninth grade, this initiative also aims to introduce STEM courses. Besides that, the course is inclusive of a periodical mentorship structure through which student volunteers at IIT Bombay will follow up with the girls.
More About This Initiative:
The first event, which was held between May 22 and 26, had a total number of 160 girls from 40 schools studying in the rural parts of Maharashtra, Bihar, and Odisha at the IIT Bombay campus. Students got an opportunity to stay at the campus for a week – in Hostel 15 – and got a special peep into IIT life.
Following that, girls had an intensive schedule which included hand on experiments at various labs from the institute. Exercises ranged from building a simple light bulb circuit to a complex FM radio, building various sensor and actuator circuits controlled by a simple microprocessor, and working on a remote-controlled rover robot from scratch. The schedule is also packed with motivational interaction sessions with inspiring women in STEM fields.
Shivstuti Sambhare, one of the participants, said, “I am good at Mathematics. But I was not sure how one would make a career in the subject. I am grateful for this program as I got to meet a professor of Mathematics at IIT Bombay. She shared how she was also good at mathematics in her school life and decided to study engineering. I will now appear for the JEE for engineering admission.”
Sunita Gund, her teacher at the Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya in Sangli, said, “Even if ten of the girls take up STEM, this program will be successful. But what is more rewarding is how it has been able to broaden their horizons. Children who were thinking of taking up job-oriented, vocational courses are certainly re-thinking their paths. These girls have been able to relate with inspiring personalities, some of whom also had rural backgrounds. We could see a great difference in the level of confidence among students after the visit to IIT Bombay.”
