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Blog Post #1
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Blog Post #2
El Mitad del Mundo
Sunday, March 12th
11:39 PM ECT Today, we had the opportunity to visit El Mitad del Mundo (‘The Middle of the World’). El Mitad del Mundo is a site located at 0° - 0' - 0" latitude, sitting it right on top of the Equator! Funny enough, the now famous monument erected to demarcate El Mitad del Mundo (called 'Monumento a la Mitad del Mundo' or 'Monument to the Equator' in English) was built in the wrong location, and is actually located 240 meters below the Equator. Despite this inaccuracy, the monument is a beautiful sight to check out, surrounded by colorful bungalow-style souvenir shops and restaurants. It is regularly accented by live Ecuadorian folk music. Additionally, the site is embedded into the valley of the Pichincha volcanic complex. Note that Pichincha is still an active volcano, making Quito the only capital city to be in the vicinity of a volcanically active site! Within the Monumento a la Mitad del Mundo is a multiple level museum that exhibits various aspects of Ecuador’s history and culture--from the practices of indigenous peoples to present day STEM (!!!) in Ecuador. Make the trek up all floors of the museum and you are awarded with the ultimate picturesque view of the Pichincha range. If you’re due good carma, a nice breeze will surely meet you at the top! Check out the gallery of photos taken at El Mitad del Mundo by clicking the button below! |
Blog Post #3
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Blog Post #5
A Race to Learn
Who likes to learn… Who learns first… who learns most? When I think of the talented group of Rice students I think of high performing students that learn at fast rates and are proven “learners”. We know they are highly capable because well because they are at Rice. My question is how many students sitting in Coca Ecuador could learn just as much, just as fast and who love to learn. How many students sitting in low performing schools across the world are aching to learn and turn to learning and excelling in the wrong areas because of influence and environment.
I really like to watch learning take place. I love to watch the lightbulbs go on as students are introduced and immersed in technology. In the same sense, I love to watch the light bulb go on as people realize that they could and should make a real difference in the lives of others. I am sure that our Rice students are highly regarded in their families, communities and even in their colleges. I hope that our Rice students understand that they are potentially changing the lives of the students and teachers that they are working with this week. This work will have long lasting effects. My wish for the Ecuador students is that they find and embrace a love for STEM. I want the students and teachers to understand that it is more important to be creators of technology than users. My hope for the Rice students is that they continue this path of service and impact. From this experience they should learn, teamwork, robotics, but also flexibility, preparedness, compassion and patience. We will never know who learned the most or who capitalizes on the opportunities from this week. I will rest assured that both the Coca students and Rice students will be changed and can use these learned tools to change outcomes. -Paula Harris |
Blog Post #6
The Glint
There is nothing quite like the expression a student or teacher gets when their robot moves for the first time. It is the feeling of creation, of making something that wasn’t before. And it is indescribable to watch. These past few days, I have had the privilege of seeing that expression time and time again on the faces of the teachers and students we work with. I call the expression the ‘glint’ and every time I see it, a jolt runs through me.
Coming into the GEO1X experience, I knew the importance of what we were doing. I often repeated the mission statement to myself. I even noted it in my first blog post. We were going to Ecuador to introduce STEM to students in rural communities through robotics education with the hope of increasing STEM engagement. (Try saying that three times fast!) Even before stepping foot in Ecuador, I was well acquainted with the idea that the GEO1X project could change the way teaching is conducted in classrooms and communities. I had been told several times that robotics education could—and most likely would—pique overall interest in STEM. And I knew and dearly hoped that maybe, just maybe, if the stars aligned correctly, a student would be inspired to pursue education in a STEM field because of our involvement and the robotics curriculum. While I was always cognizant of these things, it wasn’t until I saw the glint that I was really assured of the impact we were making. As aforementioned, I’ve been so fortunate to witness that expression several times these past few days—whether it is when a team’s robot runs for the first time, or when a programed robot functions as it should—and the expression always gives me hope and galvanizes me anew. Sometimes, I’ll see the glint and wonder what it means for the person with the expression in their eyes. Will she incorporate hands-on robotics learning into her classroom curriculum? Will he enjoy other STEM topics more now? Does he want to know more about the inner workings of the robot he’s holding? Will she be inspired to go into mechanical engineering? I ask myself these questions and while I cannot know the answer for sure, I am hopeful because I know the glint is limitless. AMJ |
Blog Post #7: New Vocabulary, New Dreams
I remember the first time I learned the word “engineer”. It was junior year of high school and I was almost done with my first semester of physics. There was a lot of talk around this time of college, potential careers, and the future in general. I remember going home one day and typing into google: careers with architecture and physics. I had always loved design and incorporating my newfound passion for STEM into a career seemed like a logical next step. It only took a bit of research to stumble upon the field of civil engineering.
Now, having almost finished my second year of college, my career path has changed some. I’m currently studying mechanical engineering and am passionate about what I am learning. However, the word “engineer” has only become somewhat more concrete. At times, it still feels like some unattainable career. Yet, I continue working to achieve it, hoping that someday this education will be able to have a meaningful impact in the real world. This is a big reason why I applied for this program. Not only did I want to grow personally, but I wanted to be a positive influence for the people in Coca and Dayuma. The past several days I have been able to witness new passions emerge among the students and professors in Ecuador. I’ve seen students, who have never even heard the word robotics, program and run a complex machine overnight. I’ve seen teachers compete against their colleagues in VEX competitions with an inspiring childlike joy. I’ve seen circuits completed with minimal resistance, drones operated with ease, and claw-arm robots built with such a fine precision. Though not all of the workshop participants were new to VEX robotics, those who were threw themselves fully into the experience without hesitation. While I can’t attribute the impressive outcomes of the workshops solely to our teaching skills, it has been amazing to see how a little encouragement goes a long way. I loved seeing people, regardless of age or gender, working excitedly. I hope robotics can be a gateway to the many areas of STEM education. I hope the workshops provided a boost for larger aspirations. And above all, I hope the foreign word “engineer” becomes a part of the students’ everyday language. -Christina Rincon |
Blog Post #8
The Feminine Voice
I worried a lot about the quality of my voice. At the start of the trip I caught a momentary cold which prompted my voice to be shaky. But it was more than that. During several points of the trip multiple people commented on how much sweeter I sounded in Spanish and it soon became apparent that it was more difficult for me to be taken seriously in Spanish because of the supposed sweetness supporting imposed gender roles. One of the reasons I applied for the program is because I am aware of the strength of gender roles in the Hispanic culture; it was on full display during each workshop, in which there was maximum three female teachers all of whom were inclined to let the men take the lead for construction. That’s why I was worried about my voice, especially during the presentations. I did not want to vocally indicate any fragility or uncertaintity in my abilities. In order to combat the imposed social constrictions I worked as much as possible with the teams to actually construct and build the robots. Specifically, I would introduce myself by name and try to spend more time with the teams with girls. It was critical for me to actually help build because that is where the girls were evidently the most hesitant. Additionally, it has been shown that girls are not as likely to grow up performing building activities like legos or anything remotely related to the actual construction that not only applied to the creation of the robot but also to all engineering fields. In terms of the female professors, I shared more information about my story with them in order for them to have a basis of the potential of their female students. It was more than my voice, of course I had to prove myself capable of solving the mechanical and programming issues but it was a priority for the participants of both genders to not only trust in my abilities but to acknowledge my gender as a positive trait and not a weakness.
-Brenda Venegas |
Blog Post #9
It's Done.
A whole week in a different country, with a different culture and a different dialect. I was so excited to finally get on a plane and see first-hand the insignificance humans hold among their trivialities. I saw the atmosphere and I was in the clouds. My first flight. The wheels hit the ground and a “Welcome to Quito” resonated throughout the cabin and with that, a grave sense of urgency and weight fell upon my shoulders. While it could have been the high altitude, I thought it was my need to play my part in this journey.
We worked on our presentations and we were nervous before the start of the work week, but in all I knew I could not disappoint. Though we were faced with challenges along the way, we were able to surpass them. I did not let anything stop me and if there was something that nobody took on, I did because I knew I could handle it. We began working with the students and teachers. A sense of curiosity filled the room as everyone was eager to being. The students quickly caught on to the material and did not shy away from asking questions and were very forward about everything. I tried to connect and get to know every single person I worked with. I thought this was vital for not only their growth and trust in my instruction, but in my own development. We went to Coca and Dayuma and we were able to work with eight different schools and over 160 people. I believe that we have made an everlasting impact upon these people and they will continue to explore robotics and STEM long after we have left. I befriended many teachers and students because I saw in them what I used to see in me and in my family growing up. Hope and relentlessness. Hard-working individuals who, when given the chance and the resources, can learn, grow, and create marvelous things. I want to go back. I want to do more. My work is not yet done. I believe I am a strong individual who has the voice and the ability to move people, to educate people and to help even more than what I have already done. I thank Rice, Schlumberger and the Ministry of Education of Ecuador for this amazing opportunity. I hope to see great things come out of these students and I hope these teachers have an understanding at how important STEM education is for students. -Eric Rodriguez |
Ecuador in 7,464 Frames
Check out the following vlog that documents the week we spent in Quito, Coca, and Dayuma! (Made by member of Team Schlumberger and world-renowned videographer, Iryna Marchenko.)
Looking Back
Before the start of the trip, I was still not fully aware of what the teaching dynamic would look like in practice. I questioned whether the teachers and students would actually find what we were going to teach them helpful. I had interacted a few times with the other students in my group through our weekly meetings but did not know much about them outside of that. Even those interactions were in an unusual setting so I was unsure how well we would get along once we were teaching together.
Everything changed since our arrival to Quito. Our first bonding experience was finding croissants with jam in the hotel lobby at 3 AM after a 6 hour flight. On Saturday we got to explore the city a little bit, see the national VexIQ competition, and began working on our introductory presentations for Monday. The views from the car were incredible. Mountains that touched the clouds covered in green as far as the eye could see. My eyes became glued to these majestic sights. On Sunday we went to the Equator and had a lot of fun walking around that area. Later in the afternoon we practiced delivering our presentations and coordinated logistics. Everything was ready for the big moment, our introductory presentation and first workshop on Monday. Monday morning, we woke up bright and early at 5 AM. Our plane to El Coca was delayed so we headed to the Amazonas school as soon as we landed. Once there, we were greeted by enthusiastic faces of both students and teachers. The school prepared two dance performances by students with amazing traditional songs from Ecuador. After our presentation was done we began our first workshop. The next four days went by way too quickly. The energy and enthusiasm that students and teachers had was contagious. Our team grew closer as days went by sharing laughs and getting to know each other better. Friday morning we had some closing presentations. We were astounded when we saw the progress that teams of teachers and students had made on their own with their robots. The room was filled with positive energy. As I looked back at the week I felt both content and sad. Happy because I had enjoyed my time so much but sad at the same time because it was time for us to go back home. My friends and I agreed--we could easily spend a few weeks maybe even months exploring El Coca and interacting with all of the wonderful people we had met. Every single person in this trip played an important role within our team. I am very thankful to the school principals for being fantastic hosts. I thank my entire team for being so friendly and open to this new experience. I thank Schlumberger for funding this initiative and Rice for making this experience available to us. Thank you to the Ministry of Education for providing continued support throughout the entire trip. My biggest thank you goes to students and teachers. Their energy stays with me to this day and drives me to make the most out of life. -Hector Chaires |