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Proud to be from Pittsburgh: Girls of Steel

PITTSBURGH — If you build them, they will come.
 
Students, driven by a love of learning, are building robots during a week-long Lego league summer camp in Pittsburgh's Strip District.
 
"It's pleasing that you see that you created something and you completed it, this project, I really like it," said camper Nora McDougall.
 
This is the camp's first year, but the group behind it, Girls of Steel, has been working since 2010 to inspire young women to get more involved in the STEM fields of science, technology, engineering and math.
 
This year the group consisted of 39 girls from 22 different schools.
          
"There isn't anything else like Girls of Steel in the Greater Pittsburgh area," said camp manager Terry Richards. "It's a program for girls to learn science, technology, engineering and math by participating in a FIRST robotics program."
 
The Girls of Steel build robots that they then take to competitions across the country.
 
"This is a different challenge every year. You're using your brain, thinking and you get to look back at the end of the six weeks and say 'I built this. This is something I can be proud of,'" said Girls of Steel member Becca Volk.
 
The camp is one of their outreach efforts to get young students excited about engineering and science field.
 
"We really want to spread the message that anyone, anywhere, any age can do engineering,"  Volk said.
 
One thing that make the camp stand out is that students, not adults, are teaching other students, and campers say that makes things really fun.
 
"I'm glad to have them as mentors. They're never harsh. They're just great people," said camper Patrick Alexander.
 
Girls of Steel collaborated with another robotics team, Not the Droids You are Looking For, for this year's camp.
 
The group has an open house on Aug. 24th from 1-3pm at the Gates Highbay on Carnegie Mellon's campus.
 
To learn more about the event or organization log on to www.girlsofsteelrobotics.com

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