Creativity, computer programming and emotions were the key words at the Coding Girls hackathon held yesterday at the Rome Campus Bio-Medico University.
The event is part of a programme promoted by the Fondazione Mondo Digitale and the United States Embassy in Italy in collaboration with Microsoft, held throughout Italy, stopping at Turin, Trieste, Milan, Rome, Salerno, Naples and Catania. The objective of the national tour is to interest young women in STEAM subjects (STEAM is an acronym for Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, Math), contributing to overcome the gender gap in scientific and technological sectors.
The high school women participating in the hackathon will be welcomed by: Giulio Iannello, Dean of the Departmental Faculty of Engineering and Professor of Computer Science, Rome “Campus Bio-Medico” University; Marlene Nice, Deputy Cultural Affairs Officer, United States Embassy in Italy; Mirta Michilli, Director General, Fondazione Mondo Digitale.
The team of the computer challenge launched by American Supercoach Emily Thomforde is Equal, which allowed the students to develop exciting projects that call on us to reflect. In fact, the Coding Girls produced works of coding, creativity and sensibility with the help of volunteers (students from the IIS Peano Hub in Monterotondo and university students) who were present throughout the event.
The day was further brightened by the message of Professor Maria Chiara Carrozza, who defined coding as the “grammar of the future” and advised the young women to undertake scientific studies and careers that will be necessary to provide knowledge and competences for the jobs of the future.
In the video, the interviews held at the Rome “Campus Bio-Medico” University Press Office.
Winning Teams
1st Place: Powerful Girls composed of four 17-year-old students from IIS Emanuele Loi in Nettuno:
- Raffaella Criscuolo
- Francesca Corrias
- Alessandra Romei
- Claudia Lo Mascolo
Project Collage di storie – the protagonist(s) remove their masks and invite us to step beyond our prejudices and take a better look. That’s where we will find passion, emotion and characteristics that independently of our biological gender, skin colour and sexual orientation, make us all EQUAL.
2nd Place: L (A² + S²) composed of 5 students from IIS Peano in Monterotondo (Rome):
- Alice Campolmi, 16
- Laura Zuinisi, 16
- Alessia Simonetti, 15
- Sara Mozzetti, 15
- Samantha Di Genova, 15
The project: the team compared the world of men to that of women to raise awareness on gender inequality. And notwithstanding the situation, the world of women still reaches objectives, revealing that in the end we are all EQUAL.
3rd Place: Volterra 1.1 composed of four young women from IIS Volterra in Ciampino:
- Giuliana Pjetri, 15
- Irene Miccioni, 14
- Marta Censi; 15
- Francesca Pelicella, 14
Project Gioco delle differenze (Game of Differences) – the first objective of the game is to compare to equal figures. Then, the aim is to find the element that unites all the represented figures (male and female astronauts). In the second step, the aim is to step beyond clothing and apparent differences. Everything that remains is EQUAL.
Learn more about the Coding Girls Tour on Annalisa Cassarino’s [@Annalisa_FMD] Blog about the Coding Girls.
Moreover, on the donne.mondodigitale.org site, we are collecting all the material addressing the gender divide: projects, programmes, activities, stories, testimonials, etc.
