104 Girls in Michigan Complete a Statewide Virtual Robotics Quest

SOUTHFIELD, June 29, 2021 – Winners from the 2020 and 2021 “Girls Solve IT” competition gathered for a virtual event on June 15 in recognition of their completion of a statewide robotics quest. The celebration summarized the journey of how teams of middle school girls solved a series of coding quests via virtual meetings, posting the solutions to social media.  

This year’s Girls Solve IT program, hosted by the Michigan Council of Women in Technology Foundation and powered by Ford, drew 104 girls interested in exploring technology in a fun, interactive and hands-on way. May Russell, MCWT’s K-8 Chief Mission Officer and CIO of Ford Commercial Services called the students trailblazers for their continued commitment despite the pivot to go entirely virtual.   

“We are so proud of all the girls who participated these past two years under tremendously extreme circumstances,” said Russell. “Despite adversity, they are role models for their peers and all the girls who will come after.”     

For the 2021 competition, each team member received her own robot kit and utilized a collaboration site, such as Zoom or Microsoft Teams, to work virtually as a team to solve the various challenges.  

2020 and 2021 winning teams included:  

– 2020 1st Place – Team Space Nuggets: Caelyn Crocker, Addison Dana, Maggie Koopman, Nola Pearson and Sophia Teelander with coach Stephanie Pearson from Caledonia, Michigan 

– 2020 2nd Place (tie) - Team Cupcake Bots: Mariyah Larji, Tori Marsman, Mona Pandit, Suri Peng and Anika Sahas-Shah with coach Jennifer Marsman from Canton, Michigan 

– 2020 2nd Place (tie) - Team Robo Sapiens: Rithika Karthikeyan, Madhunika Ramanathan and Arunima Vasudev with coach Ramanathan Thangapandi from Troy, Michigan 

– 2021 1st Place – Team RoverGirls2.0: Madhunika Ramanathan and Bhavisha Santhoshkumar with coach Ramanathan Thangapandi from Troy, Michigan 

– 2021 2nd Place – Team bedFORD Girls Solve IT: Arianna Haaser, Samantha Brown, Janah Bryne and Maggie Robinson with coach Mary Jane Pridgeon from Bedford, Michigan 

– 2021 3rd Place – Team Water Lilies: Abby Alexander and Emma Andruszko with coach Misty Andruszko from Goodrich, Michigan 

The program stems from a $25,000 grant from the Ford Fund to expand middle school girls’ interest in technology.  

MCWT also hosts summer technology camps, Girl Scout collaborations, middle and high school IT clubs, website design competitions, robotics programs, scholarships, internships, mentoring and networking. In 2020, MCWT’s network included 1,089 members, 500 volunteers and 120 corporate partners, all united through a mission to inspire and grow women in technology.  

The Michigan Council of Women in Technology Foundation supports Michigan’s female IT workforce, students, corporate partners, schools and the overall community with programming, scholarships, networking, learning, mentoring, and technology experiences. Find more information at mcwt.org and connect via LinkedIn and Facebook.   

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