CHANGING PEOPLE
BUSINESS PLAN
DIGITAL MEDIA
CHALLENGING PERCEPTIONS
CHAIRMAN'S AWARD SUBMISSION
CONSTRUCTING PROGRAMS
CONTENTS
CREATING POSSIBILITIES
INTRODUCTION
Space Cookies
Team 1868
TEAM SPONSORS
WORLD METAL FINISHING
THE BRIN WOJCICKI FOUNDATION
In 13 years, Space Cookies has grown from 12 to 74 members, who attend 24 Bay Area high schools. We have dedicated thousands of hours to extending FIRST's programs and message of STEM inclusiveness locally and internationally, serving more than 2,000 hours of outreach each year. Our commitment to FIRST's mission has allowed us to create opportunities for thousands of students in communities near and far. Through our efforts, we have reached over a million and a half people since inception, inspiring youth by changing people into leaders, creating possibilities for under served communities, constructing STEM programs, and challenging perceptions of women in STEM.
Applied Welding
SUPPORTING OUR SUCCESS
2016
2015
14 YEARS OF ROBOTS
2007
2014
2011
2012
2008
2018
2017
2010
2019
2013
2009
2006
Different high schools
Ventura Regional: Regional Chairman’s Award Silicon Valley Regional: Woodie Flowers Finalist Award - Ann Wettersten Dean’s List Finalist Award – Divya Mohan Entrepreneurship Award
BY THE NUMBERS
Silicon Valley Regional: Team Spirit Award Regional Finalist
Website visits from
Girls from
Different countries
2,200,000 150+ 11 46
Facebook fans
1,348 1,393 10,064 68
Gold awards
Hours of training each year
Badge Recipients
Alamo Regional: Regional Chairman’s Award Silicon Valley Regional: Industrial Safety Award Team Spirit Award
1 30
21 42
FLL teams assisted
5 2,500
FLL Tournaments
85% 2,000
Annual outreach events
Appearance on The Daily Show with Trevor Noah
FRC teams assisted/mentored
Silicon Valley Regional: Team Spirit Award
3 2,000
WE ARE THE SPACE COOKIES, TEAM 1868, THE FIRST ALL-GIRLS TEAM TO ADVANCE TO EINSTEIN
Children's books
Silicon Valley Regional: Highest Rookie Seed Rookie All-Star Award Einstein Field: Judges’ Award
LA North Regional: Regional Chairman’s Award Regional Winner Silicon Valley Regional: Entrepreneurship Award
Sacramento Regional: Regional Chairman’s Award Dean’s List Finalist Award – Suzannah Osekowsky Regional Finalists Silicon Valley Regional: Regional Finalists Quality Award
Annual Service hours
Canadian Pacific Regional: Regional Chairman’s Award Silicon Valley Regional: Industrial Safety Award Dean's List Finalist Award - Grace Lam Dean's List Finalist Award - Juliet Ablaza Einstein Field: Dean’s List Award – Grace Lam
People reached Since Inception
Silicon Valley Regional: Regional Chairman’s Award Dean’s List Finalist Award – Christina Wettersten Regional Finalist Innovation in Control Award Sacramento Regional: Engineering Inspiration Award Regional Winner Einstein Field: Dean’s List Award – Christina Wettersten
AWARDS
Girl Scout STEM badges
74 24
Sacramento Regional: Regional Chairman’s Award Dean’s List Finalist Award Emily Kellison-Linn Silicon Valley Regional: Regional Finalists Quality Award
States in which our badges have been earned
Followers on Instagram
Silicon Valley Regional: Engineering Inspiration Award Regional Finalist
Pursue STEM majors
Central Valley Regional: Regional Chairman’s Award Silicon Valley Regional: Industrial Safety Award FIRST Championships: Hopper Division Winner
Changing People
Our Cookie Connections Director, Kelly, leads the Rookie Cookie Program. She is in charge of matching rookies and veterans through common interests, planning fun activities for the beginning of meetings, and teaching dances before competition. She also facilitates different rookie projects during Build Season, like the KOP Rookie robot project.
Rookies are paired with veterans who guide them through their first year on the team. Activities designed for rookie-cookie pairs help create a stronger bond between members and build interpersonal skills needed for a successful team dynamic.
WELCOMING GIRLS TO OUR TEAM
2
(2) COOKIE CONNECTIONS DIRECTOR
(1) ROOKIE COOKIE PROGRAM
1
MECH 101 STGY 101 PROT 101 CAD 101 - 105 PIT 101 ELEC 101 - 102 PNEU 101 FAB 101 - 102 SCO 101
INTRO TO BUSINESS MARKETING AND BRANDING OUTREACH & BRANDING GRAPHIC DESIGN PRINCIPLES ANIMATION SPIRIT AWARDS / FINANCES AND GRANTS PHOTO AND VIDEO PUBLIC SPEAKING / PHOTO AND VIDEO
INTRO TO PROGRAMMING INTRO TO C++ METHODS AND CLASSES POLYMORPHISMS PROGRAMMING THE ROBOT FROM SCRATCH PID AND CONTROL LOOPS INTRO TO COMPUTER VISION STATE MACHINES
JENNY T. POOJA Y. EMILY D. LILA S.
ANGEL T. JULIET A. CAROLINE L. EMMY M. SELENA S. CHRISTINE C. ISABEL W.
MECHANICAL WORKSHOPS
PROG 100 PROG 101 PROG 102 PROG 201 PROG 301 PROG 401 PROG 402 PROG 403
OUTREACH LEADERSHIP
INTRO TO MECHANICAL STRATEGY PROTOTYPING BASIC - ADVANCED CAD PIT BASIC - ADVANCED ELECTRICAL PNEUMATICS HAND TOOLS & BASIC FABRICATION SCOUTING
PROGRAMMING CAPTAIN AUTONOMOUS DIRECTOR DRIVETRAIN & FRAMEWORK DIRECTOR SUPERSTRUCTURE DIRECTOR
MECHANICAL CAPTAIN MECHANICAL DIRECTOR MECHANICAL DIRECTOR MECHANICAL DIRECTOR MECHANICAL DIRECTOR SCOUTING & STRATEGY DIRECTOR SCOUTING & STRATEGY DIRECTOR
MECHANICAL LEADERSHIP
PROGRAMMING LEADERSHIP
ORGANIZATION STRUCTURE
BUSINESS WORKSHOPS
PROGRAMMING WORKSHOPS
NATALIE B. ERA D. JULIETTE R. KELLY M.
LILI S. GRACE L. KAYLIA M. KATIE M.
FALL WORKSHOP SERIES
BIZ 101 BIZ 102 BIZ 103 DSN 101 ANI 101 SPT 101 BIZ 201 - 202 BIZ 203 BIZ 301 - 302 BIZ 301
OUTREACH CAPTAIN OUTREACH DIRECTOR FIRST CONNECTIONS DIRECTOR EXTERNAL COMMUNICATIONS AND BRANDING DIRECTOR
BUSINESS OPERATIONS CAPTAIN BUSINESS OPERATIONS & FINANCE DIRECTOR AWARDS DIRECTOR COOKIE CONNECTIONS DIRECTOR
BUSINESS LEADERSHIP
GIRLS TEACHING GIRLS
(1) Mechanical Workshops: During the off-season, the mechanical leaders organized several mechanical workshops to prepare the team for build season. They ran a rookie-led KOP robot project, “Shoot for the Stars,” a mock build season. Girls learned how to use power tools such as the bandsaw, hand drill, drill press, sander, and lathe. (2) CAD Workshops: The CAD, Cookies, and Cocoa series teaches rookies how to CAD the robot’s base as well as basic mechanisms with Solidworks, an engineering design software. Girls have the opportunity to practice their CAD skills in a informal environment. (3) CAD Challenge: During the last week of CAD, Cookies, and Cocoa, girls were challenged to CAD a snowman in Solidworks. (4) Programming Workshops: Every week, programming leaders taught rookies the fundamentals of C++ and coding in FRC. Over the course of a few weeks, girls went from learning basic concepts to testing functional code on past robots. (5) Business Workshops: During our weekly Friday meetings, the business leaders hosted numerous workshops on various topics, including essay writing, grant writing, social media, graphic design, awards, and animation.
4
WORKSHOPS
3
5
A self-professed math and science nerd as a kid, programming mentor Kevin majored in computer science, concentrating in electrical engineering. He is an expert in compilers and video processing. In his day job, he is a software engineer at Intel.
SPACE COOKIE HEAD MENTORS
Allen Huang Ann Cui Ann Wettersten Bob MacDonald Chris Mao Christina Ablaza Dianne Mar Ghia Griarte Henrique Chan Jason Wang Kevin Mai Kristine Ma Michael Lu Michael Mittmann Nick Ostrom Pamela Wagner Phil Wettersten Rachel Berry Ramon Alvarez Robi Banerjee Shosh Cohen Susan Cheng Sangeeta Banerjee Steffie MacDonald Steve Weiss Taylor Weiss Tom Meyer Vijay Vusirikala
MENTOR LIST
NICK OSTROM
SHOSH COHEN
SANGEETA BANERJEE
KEVIN MAI
ANN & PHIL WETTERSTEN
Ann and Phil are the duo that keep our team together. By pouring in countless hours, offering their STEM expertise, and contributing endless patience, their leadership is foundational.
Susan joined the team with her daughter and stayed on to become our troop co-leader. For the past six years, she has led our FLL mentoring in East Palo Alto, helping us expand the program to a second school two years ago. Susan serves as an FLL tournament director every year, organizing up to two events each fall, all staffed by Cookies and their parents.
SUSAN CHENG
By day, Shosh directs Community Engaged Learning for Engineering and is a Lecturer in Mechanical Engineering at Stanford University. On nights and weekends, she works closely with our business team. She has been involved with Girl Scouts for 25 years, is confused by Schrodinger's cat, and loves the Oxford comma and playing ice hockey.
Before becoming an outreach mentor, Sangeeta studied and researched molecular virology, focusing on the SARS-group of viruses. She has written and published four first author papers on her research.
In high school, Nick participated in FRC and introduced CAD to his team. He now works at Tesla on the mobile robotics platform team and is a mechanical mentor for us, providing invaluable guidance.
MENTOR SPOTLIGHTS
SPACE COOKIE SPOTLIGHTS
KATHARINE WOO
ALUMNAE SPOTLIGHTS
SERENA M.
ANGEL T.
Kanchan received a congressional appoint- ment to the US Air Force Academy. A senior mechanical engineering major and women's softball team member, she will begin her pilot training upon her graduation this spring.
Shilpa, an undergraduate at Harvard, was our Programming Captain and Drive Team Operator. She founded the nonprofit Club Academia, was a Microsoft research intern, and has presented at numerous conferences, including TEDx and One Young World.
For the past three summers, Ana has volunteered at the B.O.K., a Therapeutic Horseback Riding Ranch. She teaches mentally and physically disabled children, ages four to fourteen, how to ride and care for horses.
ANA A.
Anna, a senior CS major at Brown, credits Space Cookies for giving her the confidence to pursue a career in STEM. She will join NASA's Jet Propulsion Lab in the fall, where she will be working on maritime and multi-agent robotics.
KANCHAN POTTER
JENNY T.
ANNA SABEL
Jenny is a section editor for the Verde Magazine, a news publication at her school. She loves to explore issues, and her favorite part of journalism is sharing unheard stories with her community.
As President of the CASEEP exchange program, Angel taught English to a group of 100 students in China's Pearl River Delta for two weeks. She can't wait to go back this summer.
SHILPA YARLAGADDA ..YARLAGADDAYarlagadda
Serena has been competing in Speech and Debate tournaments since elementary school. Her favorite event is the Public Forum, and this year, she qualified for the national Silver Tournament of Champions.
Katy, our previous Autonomous director, is majoring in math at Stanford University. She is president of the Math Organization and restarted the Stanford Math Tournament. As an undergrad, she has published three research papers on number theory.
MARK LEON
Founding mentor Mark Leon and Franklin at the Space Cookies lab at NASA Ames
FEATURED ALUM
FOUNDING MENTOR IN MEMORIUM
Space Cookie Alum Lorraine Wong was awarded the 2017 MIT Collier Medal, which was created as a living memorial to Police Officer Sean Collier, who gave his life in service to MIT in 2013. It honors his commitment to engaging with the community. Lorraine worked with Active Minds, which utilizes peer outreach to increase awareness of mental health issues and resources, while serving as a liaison between students, administration, and the mental health community. The suicide of a close high school friend spurred their interest in mental health. This commitment to helping others and an interest in science and technology intertwined in Lorraine from an early age. At the award ceremony, Lorraine noted "In high school, I did robotics with a Girl Scout team called the Space Cookies. It was an amazing experience." During their senior year, Wong helped create a middle school version of the troop, ensuring that girls as young as 12 could participate. At MIT, Lorraine participated in the Women's Initiative, an outreach program that sends students around the country to engage girls in STEM. "It was a special time for them to be on their own, have engineering ands science on their minds, while not having the stereotypes filtering in from other people." "I love MIT's mission," Wong says. "Our motto is 'mind and hand. It's not just science--there's a human aspect to everything we do."
Mark Leon was a key member of the NASA Robotics Alliance Project, managing educational and outreach projects. He was instrumental in starting numerous FIRST teams, including the Space Cookies, as part of the project's larger goal of inspiring high school student to pursue careers in robotics. The Space Cookies lost not just a key mentor, but a true friend, when Mark passed away in April, 2018. He was a tireless advocate for our team, noting that "NASA is committed to building the next generation of robotics engineers that come with new ideas and fresh approaches...one way to accomplish this is to attract and retain a diverse workforce. The Girl Scouts are a strong step in this direction." Mark was a frequent visitor to our lab at the Ames Research Center, known for his spur of the moment lectures on the latest adventures of the Mars Rover and other key Ames research projects. He made it a point to get to know each girl, delighting in our successes and providing unfailing encouragement. Famous for his enthusiastic emceeing at FIRST competitions around the country, Mark will always be remembered for his iconic bright blue hair and his famous shoulder rolls during team introductions. He is missed by all FIRST teams, but left a legacy of wisdom through his well-known catchphrase and sage advice to:
Space Cookie Alum Lorraine Wong receives the 2017 Collier Medal from MIT President Rafael Reif
"DO THE MATH, SAVE THE WORLD"
LORRAINE WONG, MIT 2017 BRAIN & COGNITIVE SCIENCES AND WOMEN'S & GENDER STUDIES
Creating Possibilities
FTC 12027 FTC 7303 FTC 8404 FTC 8625 FTC 8872 FTC 7316 FTC 7593 FTC 7641 FTC 5854 FTC 8367 FTC 8375 FTC 8381 FTC 9144 FTC 9614 FTC 9656 FTC 9784
FRC 6925 FRC 604 FRC 7231 FRC 7632 FRC 5308 FRC 115 FRC 5026 FRC 6803
FLL Insert Name Here FLL iScouts FLL Ling-Ling FLL Optimi Technezei FLL Pandastronauts FLL Palo Alto Teams FLL Phoenix Firebirds Jr. FLL Junior Techstars Jr. FLL Wolfpack
12
FRC 6418 FRC 5818 FRC 5754 FRC 7412 FRC 7632 FTC 10707 FTC 3873 FTC 4475 FTC 4998 FTC 5214 FTC 5773 FTC 6165
FRC TEAMS
FLL Roborockets FLL Schoborules FLL Surevin Elektra Girls FLL Surevin Robonauts FLL Unibots FLL Team Twin Sister, Fremont FLL Galaxy Girls FLL Divabots LL Astrobots FLL Golden Surfers
FTC 8538 FTC 13223 FTC 13832 FTC 14160 FTC 14162 FTC 14259 FTC 14318 FTC 14323 FTC 14341 FTC 14473 FTC 14570 FTC 14770 FTC 14969 FTC 15075 FTC 15170 FTC 15385
86
FRC 5849 FRC 5831 FRC 7667 FRC 6353 FRC 6803 FRC 5940 FRC 5728 FRC 254 FRC 5871 FRC 5737 FRC 6036 FRC 5311 FRC 971 FRC 6822 FRC 1280 FRC 5525 FRC 7419 FRC 7413 FRC 6520 FRC 7741
60
FLL TOURNAMENTS
FTC 9914 FTC 10023 FTC 10298 FTC 11039 FTC 11099 FTC 11311 FTC 11363 FTC 11575 FTC 11689 FTC 11467 FTC 11475
200+
FLL TEAMS
FTC 13345 FTC 11575 FTC 11689 FTC 12635 FTC 12869 FTC 13117 FTC 13162 FTC 13180 FTC 13216 FTC 13217 FTC 13219 FTC 13219
FRC 6936 FRC 5453 FRC 7468 FRC 7587 FRC 7077 FRC 7086 FRC 7438 FRC 7583 FRC 7575 FRC 7128 FRC 7079 FRC 7738 FRC 7439 FRC 7230 FRC 5773 FRC 6652 FRC 6947
FTC TEAMS
JR.FLL TEAMS
We assist FRC teams through social media, Chief Delphi, webinars, and videoconferecning through our sponsor, BlueJeans Networks. We’ve hosted these teams at our lab: 115 - MVRT 604 - Quixilver 1280 - Ragin' C-Biscuits 5728 - Carillo Cybernetics 6036 - Peninsula Robotics 6822 - Shishkabots
FRC TEAMS STARTED
5311 - Space Stars 5728 - Carillo Cybernetics 5521 - Wolf Team Robotics 5737 - Mars Style
FRC TEAMS ASSISTED & MENTORED
2135 Presentation Invasion (2007) 4159 Cardinalbotics (2012-2013 Workshops) 5311 Space Stars 5737 Mars Style 7419 Tech Support 7413 Wingspan 7741 South Taiwan AI Robot 7583 Elonera Embers 7128 XLR8 7738 Helion
WRRF
ASSISTING TEAMS
We offer 24/7 assistance for all FIRST teams, with a focus on FLL teams and rookie FRC teams. From Mexico to Turkey, we have assisted 25 FRC teams through this initiative. We see this as a way to bring together and support more FIRST teams.
Each year, we organize WRRF Workshops, attended by over 100 members from 29 FRC teams around the Bay Area. We also taught workshops on Computer Vision, Deep Learning with Jetson, Introduction to C++, and Solidworks.
COOKIE HELPLINE
FRC TEAMS MENTORED
13345 POLARIS
In 2015, the GIRLbots FTC Team 10707 was founded. They reached out to us and requested high school mentors. Space Cookies attended their weekly meetings and gave them technical advice. They were very successful at their tournament!
3538 LICK ROBOTICS
SPACE COOKIES FTC
Last year, we started Polaris Team 13345, a local FTC team. Under the guidance of our former Space Cookies FTC team, they competed at 3 qualifying events and a regional level event where they were on the finalist alliance.
In 2016, we created a Space Cookies FTC team to accommodate the overwhelming interest in our FRC team. During their time on the team, girls learned coding, design, and other essential skills that would help them when they joined our FRC team the following year. A close-knit team of 10, the girls had a lot of hands-on experience with their robot. Our 2017 FTC team was highly successful, winning the NorCal Fresno Regional FTC Tournament Qualifier.
10707 GIRLBOTS
A Space Cookie alum, Lizzy, started the Lick Robotics Team 8538, the first FTC team in San Francisco. We helped them during their rookie year. They won the Think Award at a regional tournament, qualified for the NorCal Championships, and were alliance captains at Championships.
EPACS
EPAPA
For 11 years and counting, we have mentored the Golden Surfers, a team of 4th and 5th graders from East Palo Alto Charter School. Continuity and stability are important to these kids and their families. Whether they were working hard to build and program the robot or researching for their challenge project, the team learned important teamwork skills while having fun. We are proud of the Golden Surfer’s success and dedication this season and look forward to continuing next year.
FLL TEAMS MENTORED
We mentor 11 FLL teams during the fall, meeting with each team at least twice a week. Throughout the season, the students learn about mechanical design, programming, teamwork, and problem solving skills. We introduce students to new opportunities and engage them in STEM. Several of our teams have won awards at local competitions and qualified for regionals.
INSPIRING FLL
We started the Phoenix Firebirds FLL team last year at East Palo Alto Phoenix Academy to keep graduating Golden Surfers engaged with FIRST. Only able to meet two hours a week, the team members were extremely persistent and worked hard to build and program a robot. The team’s dedication and passion for robotics helped them win the coveted Judges Award. We are excited to continue working with the Firebirds next season.
EAST PALO ALTO FLL
COOKIE TIPS
Here is a collage of the assistance that we have offered and messages we have received from teams through various social media platforms just this past season.
We started and mentored two FLL teams, one of which was an all-girls team, in Madhya Pradesh, a rural part of India. A Space Cookie, Ushana, volunteered to mentor these newly founded FLL teams, offering guidance and advice remotely at their convenience. These rookie teams were very successful; one won the Core Values Award at their first competition. The establishment of these teams sparked inspiration for the children in this rural area.
STEM IN CAMBODIA
INTERNATIONAL FIRST OUTREACH
Over the summer, we taught robotics and STEM concepts to over 100 kids through an after school program in rural Cambodia. We developed a curriculum that teaches robotics, teamwork, and communication skills. Emily, a Space Cookie, traveled to Cambodia to mentor the kids and brought additional robotics kits. Despite the language barrier, the students learned a lot, and discovered a passion for STEM. We plan to integrate robotics into the school’s curriculum and return next summer.
FLL IN INDIA
TEAMS ASSISTED
FLL BY THE NUMBERS
SPACE COOKIE FLL TOURNAMENTS
TEAMS STARTED
TOURNAMENTS
12 200+ 15 11
The Space Cookies have hosted 12 FLL tournaments for more than 200 FLL teams. From Game Announcers to Robot Inspectors, our tournaments are organized and staffed entirely by Space Cookie a and their families. Teams are able to compete in the robot game, present their projects, and develop their core values. This year, we hosted an FLL tournament at Monticello Academy for 16 FLL teams.
ALL SPACE COOKIE RUN
TEAMS MENTORED
COOKIE JAR
Thank you from 5453
We created the Cookie Jar program this past season. This program was set up to coordinate and lend materials to teams that are unable to bring their own to competition. The program extends a helping hand to FIRST teams from all over the world from Shanghai to San Francisco. Some of the materials we currently lend to other teams include: shafts, pulleys, wheels, motors, robot carts, and batteries. Here are some of the messages from Cookie Jar.
Lending batteries to 6970 and 5849
LENDING A COOKIE
Chat with 5831 about lending batteries
SAFETY RESOURCES FOR FIRST TEAMS
Ensuring that we create a safe space is a priority for the Space Cookies. We have developed a comprehensive safety manual to guide team members on how to stay safe in and out of the FRC environment. We provide this resource to our members as well as other FRC teams and others in the community.
GS ONLINE SAFETY HANDOUT
FTC SAFETY SHEET
As a part of the Girl Scout Safety Award, we created an online platform to encourage younger scouts to learn about internet safety. We share these documents with service units across Northern California to help troop leaders incorporate these materials into their programs
SAFETY KIT DISTRIBUTION
To enhance safety awareness, our team went to the 2019 FTC Northern California Regional Championships to deliver First Aid kits that included a safety hazard prevention card. The card included safety glasses standards, appropriate dress, and what to do when operating unfamiliar machinery.
GENERAL SAFETY MANUAL
STEM EDUCATION RESOURCES
This set of lesson plans was specifically developed for volunteers in after school programs. Anyone, regardless of previous experience, can use the lesson plans to teach LEGO robotics. The plans are also available on GénérationRobots.com, which works with more than 1,500 educational organizations in Europe, including schools, media centers, and maker spaces.
Originally created as a Gold Award project, the Quickstart Guide is designed for coaches new to FLL. In addition to providing information on how to get started with registering a new team, the guide provides meeting-by-meeting agendas to ensure students learn the basics of FLL strategy, building and programming their robots, and completing their challenge project.
EDUCATION WITH MINDSTORMS
FLL QUICKSTART GUIDE
Constructing Programs
BONN, GERMANY
BOXES OF COOKIES SOLD
26
35000+
GIRL SCOUT GOLD AWARDS
GIRL SCOUT STEM BADGES
3000+
LEADING THE WAY FOR GIRL SCOUTS
40
BADGE RECIPIENTS
YOKOSUKA, JAPAN
STATES REACHED
FUN FACTS
We created our five badges to fill a gap in Girl Scout STEM programs. They are available on our website to girls across the nation and we run frequent workshops in the Bay Area for local troops. Each badge follows the Girl Scout “Learn-Do-Share” approach: girls learn about a concept, do hands-on activities to give them experience with it, and then share their new knowledge with their communities. Over 3000 scouts have earned our badges from 40 states, Japan, and Germany,
GIRL SCOUT BADGES
In just one Girl Scout badge workshop,we deconstructed more than 100 obsolete telephones. Girl Scouts have used over 10,000 marshmallows to engineer towers made of toothpicks.
TECH TREK Juniors (grades 4-5)
Number Navigator teaches why math is important in everyday life.
CODE CREATOR Cadettes (grades 6-8)
PIONEERING A STEM PROGRAM
Code Creator teaches how complex programs are composed of fundamental concepts.
NUMBER NAVIGATOR Brownies (grades 2-3)
GIRL SCOUT STEM PLEDGE NATIONAL LAUNCH
ENGINEERING IN ACTION Cadettes (grades 6-8)
In 2018, we were honored to be invited to help launch the Girl Scout STEM Pledge, a groundbreaking initiative to reduce the gender gap in STEM fields by bringing millions of girls into the pipeline by 2025. Since then, Girl Scouts USA has relied on us to help pilot their space science and robotics badge programs tailored to each age group.
Engineering in Action introduce girls to different engineering disciplines and innovations and includes numerous hands-on activities and experiments.
Tech Trek activities including doing everyday things with and without technology.
RIVETING ROBOTS Seniors (grades 9-10)
Riveting Robots teaches the underlying technology of robots and how they are used in daily life.
Our website is a key resource for girls looking to complete their robotics badges, including links to FIRST events, information about starting FIRST teams, and opportunities to visit our lab at NASA Ames Research Center.
Girls without local opportunities can schedule a virtual meeting with a Space Cookie to satisfy badge requirements. We talk about our experiences on the team, about FIRST, and how girls can get started on their own robotics journey.
FIRST - GIRL SCOUT RESOURCES
VIRTUAL MEETINGS WITH SPACE COOKIES
WEBSITE BADGE RESOURCES
SPACE COOKIE GIRL SCOUT TOURS LA NORTH AND SVR
At the 2019 Los Angeles North and Silicon Valley Regionals, we enjoyed leading behind-the-scenes tours for local Girl Scout troops. More than 120 Girl Scouts learned about FIRST Robotics and this year’s challenge, Destination: Deep Space. They also talked to teams from around the world and cheered them on while watching exciting matches. Our tours gave girls the opportunity to complete many of the requirements for the Girl Scout Robotics badges, an exciting new series introduced by Girl Scouts as part of the STEM Pledge. The girls were fascinated by the robots and many expressed interest in joining a local FIRST Robotics team.
At Craftapalooza, the Girl Scouts of Northern California Holiday Expo, more than 100 girls learned how to power a lamp with potatoes, create cell phone stands using marshmallows, and take apart old electronics as they earned their Engineering in Action badge.
(1) GOLDEN GATE BRIDGING
(2) CRAFTAPALOOZA
At Girl Scout Badge Day, more than 80 Girl Scouts earned our STEM badges. We had five stations: two “learn” stations, two “do” stations, and one “share” station. The girls made pipe cleaner structures, designed candy cars, and programmed Lego Mindstorms robots.
GIRL SCOUT OUTREACH
Each year, our team participates in the Girl Scout Golden Gate Bridging ceremony, a national event where over 6,000 girl scouts transition from Juniors to Cadettes. We set up a booth to demo our robot and inform girls about our team.
(3) GIRL SCOUT BADGE DAY
SPACE COOKIE GOLD AWARDS
ALUMNAE GOLD AWARDS
Meredie developed detailed lesson plans that allow volunteers with no previous experience to teach LEGO robotics in after school programs. She provided her lesson plans and complete Mindstorm kits to several programs in underresourced communities. Her teaching guide has become one of the most downloaded resources on our website.
Era organized a three week STEM summer camp at Newark Library for over 50 under-served children. Given the success of the camp, the library league raised funding for STEM programs. She also curated an original STEM kit with interactive activities. She constructed 50 kits and sent them to the Unidos por Siempre orphanage and the DOXA community center in Tijuana. The kits are being used to establish a permanent STEM program in Tijuana in April.
ERA D.
MEREDIE C.
ASHLEY C.
DEEPA M.
Ashley created a curriculum for a "quick start" program to help new FLL teams learn all the information necessary to complete the year's FLL challenge. In addition to providing information on how to get started with registering a new team, the guide provides meeting-by-meeting agendas to ensure students learn the basics of FLL strategy, building and programming their robots, and completing their challenge project.
Deepa's Gold Award Project focused on increasing participation of middle school girls in STEM activities. Over the summer she held workshops on the software and hardware of LEGO Robotics and also hosted field trips to local museums. She also created two FLL teams that competed in Into Orbit, last year's FLL challenge.
KEY FINDINGS
A recent study by the Girl Scout Research Institute found that the natural work culture of STEM professions tends to be isolating rather than inclusive. The research also shows that many girls prefer problem solving in groups and that a team-oriented environment is more appealing to them. FIRST's focus on teamwork and mentorship, combined with the Girl Scouts fundamental principle of strong female role models and inclusiveness provide an ideal opportunity to to cultivate girls' interest in STEM. One of our goals is to provide this opportunity to as many girls as possible
FIRST INITIATIVES MAKE A DIFFERENCE
RESEARCH SUPPORTS OUR COMMITMENT
Participation in STEM programming through Girl Scouts is strongly associated with achievement of key leadership skills and academic outcomes. Girls are most satisfied with program components that manifest the Girl Scout processes : girl-led, cooperative learning, and learning by doing. Robotics program participants consider working with others on a team (74%) and building things with their hands (73%) the most important component of their STEM programs. Girls also report that, more than any other program, FIRST Robotics has increased their interest in science and technology and in designing things.
Many teen girls are interested in STEM fields and subjects, drawn by the creative and hands-on aspects that characterize them. Those interested in STEM have a high level of confidence in their abilities and the ability to overcome obstacles. Many have high levels of adult support and encouragement to pursue STEM careers and have been exposed to what STEM careers have to offer. Girls are interested in making a difference in the world and need more STEM exposure, education, and experience with the help of key adults in their lives in order to see how STEM fields can achieve their goals now and in the future.
STEM inclusiveness is also a fundamental principle for FIRST; our position as both a Girl Scout troop and FRC team allows us to take a leading role in the FIRST-Girl Scouts alliance. We are also firm supporters of FIRST’s “Elevating Girls and Young Women in STEM” initiative and the #FIRSTLIKEAGIRL campaign. Space Cookies spend more than 2000 hours each year on community service activities, a critical element in our goal to help close the STEM gender gap by creating an environment that supports and sustains the participation of girls and women in STEM; Like FIRST, our focus on the advancement of girls and women in no way excludes boys, men, or those that may identify differently.
INCLUSIVENESS IS EVERYTHING
photos: gsusa.org
Challenging Perceptions
DESTINATION: DEEP SPACE
(1) Our four team captains hold our blue banners after a double win at the inaugural Los Angeles North Regional. (2) Choosing our alliance partners at the Silicon Valley Regional. (3) A triple Hab climb in the Silicon Valley Regional semifinals. (4) Receiving the Entrepreneurship Award at the Silicon Valley Regional. (5) Members of our drive team ready to take the field at LA North. (6) Getting ready for the Blue Alliance.
SUCCESS ON AND OFF THE PLAYING FIELD
6
SILICON VALLEY FALL FEST
NASA HOLIDAY FAIRE
THERMO FISHER
BAY AREA SCIENCE FESTIVAL
At the NASA Holiday Faire, a party for NASA employees and their families, we set up stations for kids to decorate ornaments, practice their engineering skills by making LEGO structures and building paper airplanes, meet Santa, and see our robot Azure in action.
At the Silicon Valley Fall Festival, we demoed our 2017 robot Artemis and scrimmaged with other FRC teams. We also set up a booth to talk to people about FIRST programs and share our message about STEM inclusiveness.
TOYS FOR TOTS
At Thermo Fisher’s Bring Your Child to Work Day, we demoed our frisbee-throwing robot, taught kids how to autonomously program FLL robots, and helped them build tall, but sturdy, marshmallow towers.
The Marines' Toys for Tots program, through the gift of new toys, helps bring the joy of the holiday season to less fortunate children. Each year, Space Cookies became “elves” to help Santa find the perfect gift for each child.
At the Bay Area Science Festival, attended by more than 35,000 people, we demoed our robot, presented our awards and outreach work, and answered questions about FIRST.
At the Maker Faire Bay Area, a three-day event with 125,000 attendees, we worked with Team 6418 to run a scrimmage with other Bay Area FRC teams.
MAKER FAIRE
OUTREACH EVENTS
CALGAMES
At Intuitive Surgical’s Robonanza event, we engaged in a lively mini-scrimmage with with other teams and answered questions about our team and FIRST for Intuitive employees and guests alike.
At CalGames this fall, we were a part of the winning alliance and received the Entrepreneurship Award. CalGames prepares the team for the upcoming build season and future competitions. All Cookies participated in the different aspects of competition from scouting to working in the pits.
ROBONANZA
OFF SEASON COMPETITION
AN EVENING WITH NASA
HOPPER DIVISION WINNER
FIRST ALL-GIRLS TEAM ON EINSTEIN
At Steamworks Houston Championships, we competed in the Hopper Division with 66 other teams from all around the world. After a long day of exciting qualification matches, we were delighted to join the third-seeded alliance, advancing to the elimination rounds with partners Team 2848 (All Sparks), Team 2903 (NeoBots), and alliance captain Team 604 (Quixilver). After advancing to the finals after intense competition with other division teams, we were thrilled to become the first all-girls team to advance to the Einstein field. Our alliance turned in a strong performance, eventually finishing in fourth place overall.
In P is for Prototype, a young girl’s ideas are shot down by her classmates, but she proves them wrong by putting together a successful robot prototype. In addition to introducing new vocabulary, this book emphasizes the values of effort, hard work, and perseverance.
ALPHA, BETA, COOKIE
AMY AND JADA RESCUE A ROBOT
P IS FOR PROTOTYPE
Amy and Jada tells the story of two young girls who travel through space to repair a broken robot. This book incorporates technical knowledge, fun visuals, and the idea that girls can achieve anything they put their minds to.
CHILDREN'S BOOKS
Alpha Beta Cookie is an alphabet book that includes vocabulary terms related to science, technology, engineering, and math. In addition to these topics, this book includes brief biographies and achievements of prominent women in STEM, thus exposing kids to lesser known but equally important names in scientific and mathematical fields.
We wrote to every woman in the Senate and House of Representatives, thanking them for their service to our country and their support of Girl Scouts. We encouraged them to advocate for STEM initiatives and programs and completed our "Dean's Homework" by asking them to support the Christa McAuliffe commemorative coin.
WOMEN IN CONGRESS
When the Daily Show went looking for some Girl Scouts to help correspondent Desi Lydic earn her robotics badge, they looked no further than the Space Cookies. We had a great time taping "Undercover Girl Scout" in Marin County.
WITH TREVOR NOAH
THE DAILY SHOW
APPEARING ON COMEDY CENTRAL
Chairman's Award Submission
"THE WORK OF TODAY IS THE HISTORY OF TOMORROW, AND WE ARE ITS MAKERS" — JULIETTE G. LOW, FOUNDER, GIRL SCOUTS
CHAIRMAN'S ESSAY
Since 2006, Space Cookies Team 1868 has inspired and prepared the next generation of technology leaders. Founded by NASA and the Girl Scouts, our unique combination of technical expertise and community outreach enables us to change people, create possibilities, construct STEM programs, and challenge perceptions.
A recent study by the Girl Scout Research Institute found that the natural work culture of STEM professions tends to be isolating rather than inclusive. The research also showed that many girls prefer problem solving in groups and that a people/team oriented environment is more appealing to them. FIRST’s focus on teamwork and mentorship, combined with the Girl Scouts’ fundamental principle of strong female role models and inclusiveness provides an ideal opportunity to cultivate girls’ interest in STEM. One of our goals is to provide this opportunity to as many girls as possible. New Space Cookies can attend 30+ workshops, created and taught by veteran girls, on FIRST, mechanical, electrical, animation, programming, and business—totaling to more than 2000 hours of annual training. In line with the research findings, we focus on group activities, starting with our Rookie Cookie program that pairs new girls with veterans. Through our signature CAD, Cookies, and Cocoa evenings, girls learn Solidworks and participate in our annual CAD Challenge. We also run a rookie-led KOP robot project, “Shoot for the Stars”, a mock build season in which rookies apply their new technical, strategy, and teamwork skills. As a student-led team, girls plan everything from outreach events to robot design, and prototyping to fabrication, with guidance from mentors. Space Cookies are well prepared to apply their skills to their academic and professional pursuits: 100% attend college, 85% choose STEM majors, and many remain actively engaged with FIRST as mentors, judges, and emcees. Our alumnae include doctoral students, NASA engineers, and Air Force pilots.
Space Cookies has created possibilities for over 400 FIRST teams. While we have expanded our FIRST outreach worldwide over the past five years, we focus on under resourced members of our own community, where we have mentored and provided financial support to 25 FLL teams. While most FLL teams exist for just one season, it is important for underserved kids to have a team they can rely on. We have mentored the Golden Surfers, an FLL team in East Palo Alto, for 11 years. A team of Space Cookies meets with the team semiweekly as part of an after school program. We cover all costs from registration, equipment, and field kits to team t-shirts and meals. Two years ago, we started the Phoenix Firebirds, giving Golden Surfer alumni the opportunity to continue with FIRST after elementary school. This year, we mentored 11 FLL teams in this manner.
STEM inclusiveness is a fundamental principle for both the Girl Scouts and FIRST; our position as both a Girl Scout troop and FRC team allows us to take a leading role in the FIRST-Girl Scouts alliance.
Through our work with Title 1 schools, we know that many FLL teams are unable to meet with experts as they work on their challenge projects. This year, we partnered with Stanford University to run an “Ask the Expert” video conference attended by 154 teams. We have hosted 12 FLL tournaments, planned and staffed entirely by volunteers from Space Cookie families, offering more than 200 teams technical, project, and presentation assistance. We host local FRC teams for day-long bootcamps in our lab, covering FRC fundamentals and providing field access. We have mentored 4 FTC teams—including Space Cookies FTC—and regularly invite them to our lab. We also host practice matches for local teams. Through our “Cookie Helpline”, we use email and videoconferencing to mentor and assist FIRST teams. While the Helpline focuses on rookie FRC teams and FLL project assistance, we receive requests from teams all over the world; in the last three years, we have helped more than 25 teams from Mexico to Turkey. At regional events, we help teams practice their Chairman’s presentations as part of the CocoNuts Chairman’s Exchange program. We work with our sponsor BlueJeans Network to provide free video conferencing to all FRC teams. Internationally, we started 3 pioneer FRC teams, including the first FRC team in Colombia and first all-girls team in South America. We also helped form Mars Style, one of the first FRC teams in Beijing. Continuing our international efforts, we founded two FLL teams in rural India. Through weekly video conferences and translators, we guide them throughout the season. Last year, we worked with Team 6418 to manage the FRC presence at Maker Faire Bay Area, maintaining a scrimmage with other Bay Area teams over three full days, ensuring That all 125,000 attendees had the chance to see FRC robots in action and learn about FIRST. We are able to leverage support from our sponsors and our extensive social media network to offer assistance to FIRST teams impacted by wildfires or facing financial challenges that prevent them from buying necessary materials or traveling to regional competitions and championships. We are proud to use our resources to help make other FIRST teams successful.
Space Cookies spend more than 2000 hours each year on community service activities, a critical element in our goal to help close the STEM gender gap by creating an environment that supports and sustains the participation of girls and women in STEM; we are also firm supporters of FIRST’s “Elevating Girls and Young Women in STEM” initiative. Like FIRST, our focus on the advancement of girls and women in no way excludes boys, men, or those that may identify differently.
Last year, we were honored to participate in the launch of the Girl Scout STEM Pledge—a multiyear initiative to put 2.6 million girls through hands-on STEM programs by 2025. Our participation was in recognition of our groundbreaking Girl Scout badge program, in which we developed five STEM badges, including the first robotics, engineering, and math badges, and made them available to Girl Scouts nationwide. Since the launch, Girl Scouts have relied on us to test and pilot their new space science and robotics badge series. Our website is a key resource for girls looking to complete their robotics badges; requirements include seeing robots in action and learning about robotics competitions and teams. Our website includes links to FIRST events, information about starting FIRST teams, and for girls without local opportunities, the chance to meet virtually with a Space Cookie to satisfy badge requirements. For local troops, we offer personalized tours at regional competitions. Last year, at our first international competition, we worked with Victoria Girl Guides to offer behind-the-scenes tours at the inaugural Canadian Pacific Regional. Space Cookies introduced more than 80 young girls to the excitement of robotics and FIRST. We enrich Girl Scout programs by running workshops and demonstrating our robots at major events. These include Golden Gate Bridging, “When I Grow Up”, the Girl Scout National Convention, and the annual Northern California holiday expo—events that attract tens of thousands of girls and their families. 26 Space Cookies have earned the Gold Award—the most prestigious award in Girl Scouts—at a rate more than four times the national average. Girls spend 1-2 years working on a project with sustainable community impact. Space Cookie projects have included running STEM camps at Title 1 schools, creating coding curricula, and developing an FLL Quickstart Guide. The Gold Award project “STEM Education Using LEGO Mindstorms” has become one of the most downloaded resources on our website. We are honored to be role models to the 2.6 million members of Girl Scouts USA.
As an all-girls team, we recognize the larger issues and address the challenges that traditional inclusion efforts may dismiss. The STEM gender gap is a societal problem that requires challenging traditional viewpoints. Our highly visible presence at major events like Maker Faire, the Bay Area Science Festival, and Silicon Valley FOAM provides us with a platform to challenge perceptions by showing hundreds of thousands of people what young women are capable of doing. We also demo FIRST robots and give talks at NASA, summer camps, company picnics, open houses, and formal corporate events. Both NVIDIA and Qualcomm have featured us in their FIRST partnership videos. This year marked an exciting first for Space Cookies, as we appeared in a comedy sketch, “Undercover Girl Scout,” on The Daily Show with Trevor Noah, watched by more than a million people. We also help our community in ways far beyond FIRST. We volunteer as Toys for Tots “elves” during the holiday season, make hundreds of cards to send to overseas military, hold an annual prom dress drive for the Princess Project, and reach out to our government representatives to encourage them to champion STEM programs and the Christa McAuliffe coin. With STEM equity in mind, we have charted a new course for outreach by writing, illustrating, and publishing three children’s books, each with a clear message that anyone can change the world through science and engineering.
As a Girl Scout troop, we are in an ideal position to spread FIRST’s message of STEM inclusiveness through creative channels that include books, badges, and hands-on workshops. We have published 3 children’s books and created 5 STEM badges. We are actively engaged with the GS STEM Pledge, helping girls complete their robotics badges by teaching them about FIRST and providing information about FIRST competitions and starting teams.
Describe examples of how your team members act as role models and inspire other FIRST team members to emulate.
As FIRST ambassadors, we are highly visible in our community, appearing at 150+ events and contributing more than 10,000 service hours in the past five years. We represented NASA’s FIRST teams for 120,000 visitors at the Ames anniversary. We are regulars at the Bay Area Science Festival, Maker Faire, and Silicon Valley FOAM, where we talk to thousands of people about FIRST programs and demo our robots. We also run workshops, demos, and book readings at schools, summer camps, and festivals.
Describe the team’s methods for spreading the FIRST message in ways that are effective, scalable, sustainable, and creative
EXECUTIVE SUMMARIES
Our members are role models beyond their FIRST engagement. In the spirit of Gracious Professionalism, we welcome rookie teams to FIRST, offering prompt technical and business support through our Cookie Helpline and mentoring. We are proud to have been awarded one Woodie Flowers Finalist, six Dean’s List Finalists, and two Dean’s List Winners. Outside our team, Space Cookies are journalists, musicians, peer tutors, student government leaders, club officers, and sports team captains.
In the past five years, 61 Space Cookies have graduated; all matriculated at college and they include 7 science, 18 computer science, 27 engineering, and 4 math majors. Our team photographer became a professional photojournalist. Our programming director published two original research papers on number theory. Our alumnae are consistent in citing the tremendous impact that their FIRST experience had on their interest and confidence in pursuing their chosen fields.
Briefly describe the impact of the FIRST program on team participants within the last five years
Describe the impact of the FIRST program on your community within the last five years
Describe the team's initiatives to help start or form other FRC teams
We have started 2 Jr. FLL, 25 FLL, and 3 FTC teams, many of which are in under resourced/Title 1 communities. Last year, we started two FLL teams in Noida, India, one of which is the only all-girls team in the region. Through weekly video calls, we helped team mentors create curriculum about teamwork and FLL skills. One team won the Core Values award at their regional tournament. We also started a Space Cookies FTC team, who won the 2018 Fresno Regional Qualifier.
Describe how your team works with other FIRST teams to serve as mentors to younger or less experienced FIRST teams (including FIRST LEGO League Jr., FIRST LEGO League, & FIRST Tech Challenge)
We have mentored 5 FRC, 4 FTC, 18 FLL, and 2 Jr. FLL teams. We run comprehensive workshops covering mechanical, programming, and business topics for FRC teams. We mentored FRC 5737 in China and FRC 5871 in Idaho via email and video chat. Last year, we started and mentored Phoenix Firebirds, a middle school FLL team, so the Golden Surfers, our elementary team, could continue with FIRST. We also teach CAD, public relations, pneumatics, and finance for local FRC teams at WRRF workshops.
Describe the team's initiatives on assisting other FIRST teams (including Jr.FLL, FLL, FTC, & FRC) with progressing through the FIRST program
Describe the team's initiatives to help start or form other FIRST teams (including Jr.FLL, FLL, and FTC)
With BlueJeans, we provide free video conferencing to all FRC teams. We open our lab to teams, offering technical help and a practice field. We help teams practice presentations as part of the CocoNuts Chairman’s Exchange. Each year, we contact rookie teams and provide prompt technical and business support through our Cookie Helpline; we have assisted 25 teams via the Helpline. Over the past 6 years, we have hosted 12 FLL tournaments, encouraging 192 teams to continue with FIRST.
We have started 4 FRC teams, 3 of which are international. Space Stars in Bogotá was the first FRC team in Colombia and first all-girls FRC team in South America. We hosted them in our lab and homes and helped them create Wolf Team Robotics in Cundinamarca. We helped form Mars Style, one of the first FRC teams in Beijing, and Carrillo Cybernetics, whom we registered and trained in our lab.
In 13 years, Space Cookies has grown to 72 members from 24 Bay Area high schools, with a cumulative 35,000 hours of outreach engaging nearly 2.5 million people. Our commitment to STEM outreach and inclusiveness has allowed us to create opportunities for thousands of students in communities near and far. We have mentored FIRST teams from India to China to Colombia. Due to our expansive local and international influence, we are role models for girls and underserved youth worldwide.
We give back to our sponsors by demoing our robots and representing their STEM education programs in the community. We represented GS FIRST programs at the national launch of the Girl Scout STEM Pledge. We run the activities at NASA’s annual holiday party, participated in Cooler Master’s DREAM challenge, and are featured in Qualcomm’s and NVIDIA’s FIRST partnership videos. We took a comedic turn this year on “The Daily Show with Trevor Noah”, showing that Girl Scouts can do anything!
With a mission to inspire students to engage in STEM, FIRST is an international robotics competition in which teams design and build complex robots under extreme time pressure, mentored by industry experts. Student-led teams learn technical and leadership skills while practicing Gracious Professionalism. FIRST is much more than robots; teams also participate in year-round local and global outreach to inspire others to get involved in FIRST and STEM programs as mentors and participants.
Describe your Corporate/University Sponsors
For FIRST Robotics Competition teams older than 5 years, briefly describe your team’s broader impact from its inception
NASA and Girl Scouts have sponsored us since our founding and NASA graciously provides our lab at Ames Research Center. Other multi-year sponsors include Abbott, Apple, the Brin Wojcicki Foundation, Cooler Master, Google, Intuitive Surgical, Microsoft, NVIDIA, Qualcomm, and numerous local welders, fabricators, and hardware suppliers. Through grants and in-kind support, our sponsors help cover the costs for our robots, community outreach, competition, and scholarships.
Describe how your team would explain what FIRST is to someone who has never heard of it
Describe the strength of your partnership with your sponsors within the last five years
Our position as both a Girl Scout troop and FRC team allows us to take a leading role in the FIRST-Girl Scouts alliance and in supporting FIRST’s “Elevating Girls and Young Women in STEM” initiative. We create an environment that supports and sustains the participation of girls and women in STEM with our mentorship and GS STEM badges. We also devote thousands of hours to community outreach, sharing FIRST’s fundamental principle that STEM is for everyone.
Briefly describe other matters of interest to the FIRST judges, if any
Summary Business Plan
TEAM ORGANIZATION STRUCTURE
A large girl-led team requires a well structured organization. Our 4 captains, 15 directors, and project leaders collaborate and lead activities in the mechanical, programming, and business subteams. Girls complete several prerequisites to prepare for competition season, including off season FIRST competitions, community outreach, fundraising, essay writing, and technical training. Guided by mentors, business leaders manage revenue generation and expenditures; this includes writing grant proposals, organizing fundraisers, and presenting to local businesses. We track revenues and expenses carefully and make our finances open and transparent. An organization chart is included in Appendix A.
Founded in 2006 as a collaboration between NASA and Girl Scouts, Space Cookies is an all-girls robotics team based at the NASA Ames Research Center in Mountain View, California. In the past 13 years, we have grown from 12 to 72 girls with members from 24 different Bay Area high schools. Starting in 2016, we capped our team size to accommodate safety requirements and to allow all girls to have an equal learning experience. High demand to join our team inspired our founding of an FTC team so that all interested girls can participate in FIRST. We inspire future leaders through a strong support network. Our team welcomes any girl to apply, regardless of previous knowledge and experience. We teach all the required skills and offer numerous leadership opportunities. Since we are not affiliated with a school, we need a solid foundation to ensure continuity from year to year. We have developed comprehensive business and team sustainability plans to frame our future. Our plans outline our goals in four critical areas: Membership, Mentorship, Marketing, and Money. We conduct a yearly self-assessment to evaluate our performance, using the results to revisit long term goals and set short term objectives, enabling continuous improvement, while keeping us mission-focused, and successful.
TEAM HISTORY AND GROWTH
8 Regional Chairman's Awards 6 Regional Finalists, 2 Regional Winners 1 Championship Division Winner 6 Dean's List Finalists, 2 Dean's List Winners 2 Entrepreneurship, 2 Engineering Inspiration 2 Industrial Safety, 1 Woodie Flowers 3 Team Spirit, 7 Other Awards
MISSION STATEMENT
WE ARE THE FIRST ALL-GIRLS TEAM TO ADVANCE TO EINSTEIN.
Our mission is to inspire and prepare the next generation of technology leaders. As a Girl Scout troop and FIRST team, our combination of technical expertise and community service allows us to change people, create possibilities, challenge perceptions, and construct STEM programs both locally and internationally.
RISK MANAGEMENT
Opportunities
Membership Risk: This year, we noticed that a record number of juniors and seniors would be graduating. To address the apporaching turnover, we decided to limit rookie members to freshman and sophomores only. This allows our seniors to pass on their expertise, and each girl can have a full Space Cookie experience by spending at least three years on the team.
Risks
Our team’s revenues of $109,300 ensure stability and covers the costs of robot build, competition fees, travel, and community engagement. Our primary sources of revenues are corporate donations, membership dues, and money-earning events such as annual Girl Scout product sales. Sponsors also provide in-kind donations covering robot resources and services including workstations, laptops, test equipment, software licenses, fabrication services, welding, and metal finishing, as well as subsidized competition fees. While our major expenses are robot builds and competition fees, we also allocate significant funds to community outreach like our FLL tournaments and Girl Scout badge workshops. Details of our financials are included in Appendix C. Sponsor relationships are nurtured through regular communication; and our annual thank you gifts and sponsor book, which we deliver in person whenever possible. We also attend sponsor events such as open houses, parties, and corporate events as representatives of their STEM education programs and provide recognition on our social media platforms.
Strengths
Operational Risk: The production of our robot entails working with dangerous machinery such as band saws, drill presses, and sanders, all of which pose safety risks to our members. Therefore, we have developed a code of conduct and comprehensive safety procedures required for handling, storing, lifting, and transportation of lab equipment to ensure work space safety.
As a Girl Scout troop and FRC team, we have a broad platform to spread FIRST’s philosophy of STEM inclusiveness. We built on the success of our first five STEM badges by formalizing STEM pathways and enriching Girl Scout programming through introducing girls to FIRST and STEM. Our financial position also gives us the opportunity to recruit and fund girls in need of scholarships.
Our greatest strengths are our member diversity and long record of success both on and off the playing field. Our mentors bring a variety of expertise and experience to the organization. Girls’ skills, perspectives, and passions inspire collaboration and leadership. We engage in broad community outreach while impacting numerous FIRST teams and promoting STEM to thousands of people.
Financial Risk: We face financial risk due to annual fluctuations in grant awards, donations, and team revenue as a result of our capped team size. To reduce the downside risks, we seek out new sponsors and money earning events every year, such as implementing parent matching volunteer programs, hosting restaurant fundraisers, and launching an online merchandise store. We also budget our finances to include a carry over for financial emergencies. By diversifying our funding sources, we guarantee our sustainability for future years.
FINANCIALS
External Risk: During the recent government shutdown, we transitioned into a temporary lab space at Google. Our close relationship with NASA and Google enabled us to successfully transition to a space suitable for build season. In less than a day, we moved everything, from raw materials to machinery, just before kickoff.
Our marketing plan ensures that the public is aware of our team and our relationship to FIRST Robotics and the Girl Scouts. We use marketing to bring new girls to the team, to assist other FIRST teams, and to spread the FIRST philosophy of STEM inclusiveness at the local, national, and international level. We do this through multiple creative methods for sharing our message. See Appendix B for examples. Outreach: One of our team’s main goals is to promote FIRST and awareness of STEM careers. To do this, we host and participate in over 30 community, school, and corporate sponsor events, and dedicate over 2,000 hours to outreach every year. We participate in many programs chosen to maximize exposure to FIRST and STEM, especially for underserved youth. Over $8,000 of our annual non-competition budget is devoted to outreach events and covers the cost of materials and supplies that allow attendees to engage in hands-on STEM activities. Sponsor Relationships: We maintain strong relationships with sponsors and publish a comprehensive annual team/season summary (see Appendix D) to update them on our outreach, competitions, and achievements. We deliver the Sponsor Book along with Girl Scout cookies and a photo signed by the entire team. Whenever possible, we deliver our sponsor thank you gifts in person. We often represent our sponsors' STEM education programs at corporate events and appear in their FIRST promotion materials. Our strong sponsor relationships are proven by our multi-year support from organizations including Abbott, Apple, the Brin Wojcicki Foundation, Girl Scouts, Google, Intuitive Surgical, NASA, NVIDIA, and Qualcomm. Social Media: In the last three years, we have upgraded and extended our online presence significantly. We launched a fully redesigned website and have a comprehensive social media plan that allows us to reach thousands of followers through frequent updates about our team, robots, our community appearances, and availability to assist other teams. We launched our Instagram account two years ago, quickly gaining more than 1,600 followers. We reached more than 150,000 people through Facebook in just the last year and had almost 8,000 unique visitors to our website. Girl Scout STEM Programs: Our rare position of being both a Girl Scout troop and FRC team allows us to extend FIRST’s philosophy of STEM inclusiveness beyond our community. We developed 5 STEM badges, allowing us to reach 2 million+ girls. We are now a key resource for Girl Scouts working on requirements for the new series of STEM badges. Girl Scout Gold Awards: Many Space Cookies earn the Gold Award—the most prestigious award in Girl Scouts—demonstrating extraordinary leadership. Gold Awards are recognized by local media outlets, government officials, and colleges. Children's Books: Since 2016, we have published three children's books; each focuses on the message that anyone can change the world through science and engineering. Space Cookies Store: Widespread interest in our team apparel led us to open an online store early this year, with all proceeds used to fund outreach. TV Appearance: While this is not an ongoing part of our marketing, this year we had the opportunity to teach robotics and represent Girl Scout STEM programs on The Daily Show with Trevor Noah. Over a million people watched our episode, "Undercover Girl Scout".
MARKETING
APPENDIX B: MARKETING
Our TV appearance on The Daily Show with Trevor Noah
Space Cookies Facebook Page
APPENDIX A: ORGANIZATION STRUCTURE
Girl Scout Golden Gate Bridging
2018-19 Space Cookies Leadership Team
MECHANICAL CAPTAIN 4 Mechanical Directors 2 Scouting & Strategy PROGRAMMING CAPTAIN Autonomous Superstructure Drivetrain and Framework BUSINESS OPERATIONS CAPTAIN Business Operations & Finance Awards Cookie Connections OUTREACH CAPTAIN Outreach Director FIRST Connections External Communications & Branding
Get Set Demo
Our expenses go towards FRC competition fees, robot and lab costs, marketing and business, travel and food, and STEM-based projects. We subsidize travel costs and provide scholarships to girls who need assistance to participate in team activities. We always reserve money from the current year to bring to the next year to ensure team sustainability.
EXPENSES
Notes: *Due to an accounting change in 2018-2019, we no longer account for Team Travel Expenses paid by the team as a part of our annual revenues. The addition of the dark blue column accounts for this change and shows that we maintain the upward trend in revenues. Our revenues and expenses vary widely due to travel costs. This year's budget does not reflect possible travel to Regionals and Houston Championships; our policy is to add associated income and expenses upon qualification. As part of Girl Scouts of Northern California, a registered 501(c)(3) non profit, we follow all legal requirements for supplemental fundraising. Girl Scouts also assists us with cultivating sponsor relationships.
REVENUES
Our revenues are $109,300. 60% is from donations and dues. We have a variety of creative approaches to fundraising like selling Girl Scout cookies and our three children’s books available on Amazon. See Appendix E.
$169,300
APPENDIX C: INCOME STATEMENT
BOOK SALES
SPACE COOKIES STORE
Space Cookies Sponsor Book
NVIDIA Sponsor Gift Delivery 2018
Intuitive Surgical Sponsor Gift Delivery 2017
APPENDIX E: UNIQUE MONEY EARNING ACTIVITIES
APPENDIX D: SPONSOR RELATIONSHIPS
GIRL SCOUT COOKIES
Digital Media
France Germany Greece Hong Kong India Indonesia Ireland Israel Italy Japan Kazakhstan Kenya Lebanon Mexico Nepal
Australia Bangladesh Belgium Brazil Bulgaria Cambodia Canada China Colombia Costa Rica Croatia Czechia Denmark Dominican Republic Egypt Faroe Islands
Netherlands Panama Philippines Poland Portugal Puerto Rico Republic of Korea Republic of Lithuania Russia Saudi Arabia Singapore
Thailand Turkey Ukraine United Arab Emirates United Kingdom United States Uzbekistan Vietnam Zambia
Slovak Republic South Africa Spain Switzerland Taiwan
COUNTRIES OUR WEBSITE HAS REACHED
WEBSITE
CONTACT US
CONNECTIONS
COOKIE HELPLINE / CONTACT US
BADGE INQUIRES
2019 INSTAGRAM STORIES
INSTAGRAM
YOUTUBE
FACEBOOK
TWITTER
