The MassRobotics Jumpstart Fellowship Program was created in 2021 to provide diverse Massachusetts high school girls with opportunities to learn technical skills building a foundation for a future STEM career in robotics. Students also develop their professional networks through direct engagement with industry professionals. The program consists of three equally important components: Technical Skills, Mentorship & Networking, and Internships.
The five-month program provides curriculum to learn technical skills including design, programming, fabrication, and electronics. The students are exposed weekly to mentors and professional networking workshops and offered summer internships in local robotics and technology companies to gain real-world experience.
Now in it’s fifth year and being hosted in both Boston and Lowell for the 2nd time, we have served nearly 100 high school girls!
The public school vacation week (Feb 17-2) focused on robotics, manufacturing, and tech company visits. We were fortunate to have so many amazing companies offer to host and speak with our students. The girls learned firsthand about what it was like to work at these companies and about their multiple career paths.
Each unique visit in and around the Greater Boston area showcased women in technical careers, from leaders in Academia to leaders in industry implementing global change.
Boston visit recap:
The Boston cohort began with a visit to WSP’s Boston office where students learned about structural engineering in everything from bridges and subways, to buildings and wind energy. They were able to take a walk thru a school project using a VR headset. Thanks to WSP for hiring 2 Jumpstart interns a year for the past couple of years!
At the Analog Garage students saw where pioneer breakthrough technologies are researched and built. This is where engineers, data scientists, hardware and software professionals create new technologies and solutions in a fast-moving, idea-driven startup atmosphere. Students also learned about career paths from a panel of diverse employees.
Ava Robotics opened their doors to share the inner workings of their telepresence robots. The Fellows were able to get an understanding of limitations and tradeoffs of hardware decisions, while being true to their purpose. Ava provided a great way to kick off our week full of new experiences. They have also participated in the Jumpstart intern program.
GreenSight has been an integral partner for Jumpstart and has continued to play a significant role in initiating the program as well as hiring 3-4 Jumpstart interns per year. Fellows were excited to have the chance to experience drones that are big and small, flying solo or with a swarm.
The students enjoyed a visit to Locus Robotics, a modern warehouse automation company, using fulfillment robots to increase productivity, order accuracy and warehouse safety. Students observed the robots being built and tested.
Harmonic Drive, a founding sponsor of MassRobotics, has been manufacturing high-precision gears and actuators for over 50 years. Their US headquarters in Beverly hosted the Jumpstart Boston cohort for a walk thru their manufacturing facility and students learned about all the products that Harmonic Drive supports, including robots, satellites and even the space rovers.
During a visit to AccuRounds, students saw a contract manufacturer that machines and assembles precision turned components. It was impactful for students to see the CNCs in use since they are also learning how to build a product at MassRobotics using the CNC!
Lowell visit recap:
Each impressionable visit in and around the Lowell area showcased interesting technology and offered a view of various career opportunities.
At New Balance, the manufacturing facility tour was eye-opening and students saw the introduction of robotics and automation into the historically manual process.
Students visited ASMPT for lunch and discussion about careers at this leading global supplier of hardware and software solutions for the manufacture of semiconductors and electronics. Two Jumpstart students will have the opportunity to intern at ASMPT this summer!
At Desktop Metal, the fellows learned about technology around several types of additive manufacturing, from medals to plastics to enamel teeth!! The students saw several prints at various stages. Each fellow was treated to a 3D printed ring!
The MITRE Corporation hosted the fellows for lunch and afternoon tours, including their underwater test tank! They learned about various projects and programs tested in the tank. They also saw several prototype labs, fabrication facility, and AR aircraft simulation.
During a visit to Teledyne/FLIR, the fellows learned about the progression of several ground mobile robots for defense and public safety applications. After discussions with several other female engineers, the students had fun driving robots.
The Lowell cohort’s last visit for the week was at the Analog Devices headquarters in Wilmington. They received a tour of the facility and as well as mentoring and advice from several women at various stages of their career. ADI will be hiring 3 jumpstart fellows this summer.
Boston and Lowell cohorts come together
Both Boston and Lowell cohorts merged for a session at Shell TechWorks, where a panel of professional women from Shell shared their thoughts around what inspired them to work in sustainability, what a working day at Shell was like, their career highs and lows, and advice and skills needed for success, The girls then divided into smaller groups for a workshop celebrating International Women’s Day – Discussion was focused on commitment for inclusion. The girls were then treated to professional headshots.
The day ended with a discussion around the pros and cons of using AI and ChatGPT with a workshop testing inputs and validating outputs of the open AI software.
Throughout the visits, the students asked thoughtful questions and gained great insight into future career paths!! Thank you to our amazing ecosystem for opening your doors and sharing your technologies and operations with our Jumpstart Fellows.
If you are interested in hosting Jumpstart students as interns, please fill out this form