A college in New Jersey hosted 300-plus girls this week for an inaugural coding challenge. The New Jersey Institute of Technology invited in middle and high schoolers from 25 schools to participate in a first-ever coding-based competition. All are part of after-school “Girls Who Code” clubs.
During the event, students presented their “impact projects,” projects undertaken by individual clubs to come up with new product designs, including phone apps, websites and robotics.
Girls Who Code, whose mission statement is, “building the largest pipeline of future female engineers in the United States,” bring members together to develop their coding skills. The organization provides free curriculum and support, including meeting guides and self-guided tutorials. Girls Who Code estimates that it has reached almost 185,000 girls nationally through its programs since its founding in 2012. According to the nonprofit, girls who participate in the clubs declare majors in STEM fields at 15 times the national average.