Girls take on robotics

From robot soccer players to automated pizza makers, this camp has got it all, providing you are a young woman with an interest in science. Now in its 19th year, the four-week program draws high school-age girls from throughout the United States and abroad. This year's residents include students from Australia, Spain and New Zealand.

According to Gail E. Scordilis, Smith's director of educational outreach, about half of the 100 girls scheduled to attend the program this summer receive financial aid. Only 10 percent of the campers end up enrolling at Smith, but 70 percent go on to study science in college.

"It's a reflection of our mission around women in science and engineering," she said.

During a recent session, teams of students spent two weeks programming robots made from Legos to perform various tasks. One team created robot versions of soccer players Renaldo Cristiano and David Beckham. Another fashioned a pizza conveyor belt where robots tossed tomato sauce and cheese onto an English muffin.

Alejandra Hernandez, of Oakland, Calif., and Iovanna Valera, of New York City, created a traffic cop simulator called "Nab the Speed Demon." The project featured a Lego vehicle that was programmed to follow a strip of black tape around a maze of streets. When the vehicle passed a sensor it triggered a camera, that took a photograph of the speeder.

Valera, 14, attends the Young Women's Leadership School of East Harlem, one of several high schools with which Smith has an educational relationship.

"One day I was in science class and a student from Smith College came and started talking about the program," Valera said.

Hernandez, 17, said she heard about the science program from a friend who had attended.

"It's a great experience," she said. "I like to work with electronics and robots."

Although Valera intends to stick with her true love and become a veterinarian, Hernandez said she plans to study engineering in college.