MassRobotics kicked off periods for the 5th yr in Boston and the twond yr of the growth in Lowell in January 2025. This system was developed to encourage and empower various highschool ladies to pursue a profession in robotics and promote range within the robotics workforce.
This Jumpstart program has many elements together with a technical curriculum for constructing abilities in design, simulation, and coding, bodily hands-on fabrication and electronics, skilled improvement, mentors, and a paid internship within the robotics and know-how subject.
It’s the mix of all of the elements that makes it impactful and game-changing for the scholars who undergo this system. Whereas the MassRobotics crew orchestrates and gives a number of the curriculum, a big portion is developed by and taught by volunteers from trade. The weekly Saturday periods additionally embody a lunch time fireplace chat between a lady in trade or academia and a Jumpstart Fellow in this system internet hosting the Q&A.
Within the first session the Fellows discovered concerning the energy of connections and networking.
Kristen Bates, an HR skilled, supplied a session on LinkedIn and suggestions for utilizing it efficiently to community, job search, and outreach. College students arrange their profiles and can proceed to replace and add mentors all through this system, constructing their networks.
Our mentor session in Lowell was with Dr. Holly Yanco, Distinguished College Professor , Chair of the Laptop Science Division and NERVE Middle Director, the place the Lowell cohort holds their weekly periods. Holly supplied insights into her profession decisions and shared recommendation with these interested by pursuing an instructional profession. (Photograph of Holly & with pupil with hearth within the background)
The Boston cohort mentor was Nettrice Gaskins, a digital artist and educational who connects algorithms in computation, particularly utilizing generative artwork.
Lightspeed Manufacturing engineers and assembles customized Printed Circuit Boards (PCBs) and works with corporations to prototype, manufacture, and restore gear, together with every part from robotics and drones to medical gear and IoT. Because of the complete Lightspeed crew for internet hosting our Jumpstart Fellows. Wealthy has been a supporter from Day 1, personally teaches the soldering curriculum to the Jumpstart cohorts, and donates gear to our STEM Lab. That is the 5th yr Wealthy has hosted our Boston cohort, and annually has been an unbelievable expertise for the Fellows.
The Lowell Cohort spent one in all their periods fabricating silicon fingers and attaching them to motors to construct grippers. UMass Lowell workers has developed and taught this curriculum yearly to the Jumpstart Fellows and it has been a part of the Jumpstart Program since Cohort 1.
The Lowell Cohort additionally visited MassRobotics for coaching within the Machine Store, had an introduction to energy instruments with the chance for some hands-on studying. In addition they discovered find out how to use the laser cutter and fabricated their nametags.
We then kicked off the CAD portion of the curriculum, which incorporates various periods studying to design in SolidWorks. This offers the Felows a strong basis for prototyping and constructing, which they’ll use of their last design initiatives. These design periods have been developed by Rachael Naoum, from SolidWorks. Rachael has been a volunteer and supporter of the Jumpstart Program for five years and teaches these periods yearly.
Thanks to SO MANY supporters of the Jumpstart Fellowship Program who make it doable for us to convey one of these affect to future leaders in tech:
- La Fondation Dassault Systèmes for supporting our program yearly (5 cohorts!)
- Mass Know-how Collaborative for funding the Lowell growth for a 2nd yr!
- UMass Lowell and the NERVE Middle for offering a terrific area to host our periods in Lowell
- Beacon Interactive Programs for the acquisition of recent laptops for the Lowell cohort
- SolidWorks for the scholar licenses for 30 college students
AND OF COURSE to the MANY volunteers and mentors to this point:
Rachael Naoum, Betsy Jaspers, Holly Yanco, Maru Cabrera, Nattrice Gaskins, Natalie Brown, Emma Garvey, Sridevi Varna, Kristen Bates
Our program continues to hunt internship alternatives for our Jumpstart Fellows – to supply significant work the place they’ll use the abilities they’ve discovered in this system together with SolidWorks, Python, soldering, digital fabrication, 3D printing, and hand instruments. If you’re interested by collaborating as an employer please fill out this way.
