Students from Lake Pend Oreille and Clark Fork High Schools recently attended a Women in Science and Engineering (WISE) event hosted by the University of Idaho and North Idaho College. The ten young women had the opportunity to learn about careers in forensic science, math, computer science, and engineering from university students and their professors and from people working in the field.

During one activity, students learned the frustrating side of coding as they composed a set of directions for a robot to assemble a pizza. Their coding deficiencies resulted in less than perfect pizzas, but they learned from a computer science student a little about the real dangers. Larry, who is constrained by a cage for safety reasons, was not told, in code, when to stop dropping his arm and karate chopped right through a solid wood and metal table.

The event was interesting and inspiring and provided real insight into the possibilities for young women in STEM careers.