Mumbai: IIT Bombay wants more rural girls in STEM

A persistent gender gap has existed for years in science technology engineering and mathematics STEM disciplines worldwide affecting all levels To address this issue and encourage more girls to pursue STEM Professor Rajesh Zele of IIT Bombay along with a team of student volunteers initiated the Women in Science and Engineering from Rural Parts of India WiSE programmeDuring the fiveday mentorship programme held on the IITB campus 160 Std IX girls from rural areas of Maharashtra Bihar and Odisha had the opportunity to engage in a range of handson activities IITB launched the programme to inspire girls from rural India and generate enthusiasm for STEM subjects The programme includes mentorship from accomplished women achievers and academiciansThe 160 girls who participated in the fiveday WiSE programme organised at the Indian Institute of Technology BombayIn the week of May 22 2023 160 girls from 40 schools accompanied by their science and maths teachers arrived at IITB Out of the 40 schools 34 were from Maharashtra Professor Rajesh Zele from the Department of Electrical Engineering at IIT Bombay shed light on the programme stating ldquoThe girls experienced campus life at IITB by staying in Hostel 15 for five daysDuring this time they followed an intensive schedule from 9 am to 7 pm engaging in various activities Over 70 student volunteers from IITB ensured the flawless execution of the entire programme Each day started with interactive discussions with women inspirers from diverse backgrounds and professionsrdquoFlying highThe programme allowed each girl to participate in exciting handson experiences using kits developed at the aiCAS Artificial Intelligence Circuits and Systems Lab They progressed from building simple light bulb circuits to more complex FM radios in the first two days Subsequently they constructed circuits controlled by microprocessors introducing them to programming On the fourth day the girls built remotecontrolled rover robots from scratch The grand finale involved building small drones that each girl had the opportunity to fly Professor Zele expressed the joy of witnessing the girls excitement as they flew the drones they had built themselves Additionally the girls learned how to solve the Rubikrsquos Cube with the majority achieving success within five minutesThe women inspireThe programme included interactions with women inspirers who shared their stories and experiences Savita Dakle a pioneering woman spearheaded the organic farming movement among women narrated her journey from being an SSC dropout to leading a million farmers across India by providing insights online Sneha Kulkarni the first woman air force helicopter helicopter pilot shared gripping tales from her flight experiences Psychologist Dr Minal Joshi addressed mental health issues faced by adolescent girls in a detailed QampA sessionParticipants attempt to manoeuvre small dronesMicrobiologist Mugdha Belwalkar conducted enlightening chemistry experiments while Manisha Giri shared her poignant journey of making career sacrifices to become a successful Super 30 primary teacher Maths wizard Professor Sivganga Udhan highlighted how her love for math sustained her through challenging times Professors Sandhya Sreekumar and Supriya Poduval Pal broke the stigma surrounding menstruation and encouraged young girls to speak up about this issue Dr Zehra Husain the first woman neurosurgeon in a maledominated field shared her experiences and also showed a recorded brain tumour removal surgery Valentina Grieco who came from Milan Italy shared her life experiences offering the girls exposure to a foreign cultureProfessor Zele said ldquoThere are multiple factors that led to this initiative The science and engineering disciplines in India are known to be maledominated While there is almost equal participation from men and women in K10 education higher education in rural areas heavily favours men Cultural expectations and societal pressures often lead women to give up on further education and careers prioritising early marriage and starting a family While working and teaching at IITB I observed that only around 1015 per cent of research students were women I wanted to make a differencerdquoHe added ldquoDuring the pandemic I was invited by Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti to give a talk to Std IX students from one of their rural residential schools in Mysuru It was an eyeopening experience It made me think about what I could do to guide and support these girlsrdquo Professor Zele approached the commissioner of Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti with his idea and the Samiti instead of selecting the topperforming students chose those who faced academic challenges and lacked support This marked the beginning of the initiativeldquoThese 160 girls and their teachers who participated in the sessions will now return to their villages and share their experiences and knowledge with other students in their own and neighbouring schools They have learned about electronics biology design and more We plan to conduct online sessions for these girls every quarterrdquo he said Professor Zele encouraged students at IITB to mentor and support these girls academically in the long run If any of the girls face financial difficulties during their academic journey IITB will provide assistance to ensure their education continues uninterrupted160No of girls who participated in the WiSE programme at IIT