The Mechanical Mermaids
Final Grant Report for
Fiscal agent if applicant is not tax exempt:
.
Tax ID Number:
38-6001179
Contact First Name:
Contact Last Name:
Karen
Drake
1515 Howard Street Petoskey MI 49770
Address:
Email:
231-348-6665
Phone Number:
Website:
Project Name:
The Mechanical Mermaids Robotics Competition
Project start and end dates:
Tuesday, April 8, 2025
Sunday, August 3, 2025
Amount Granted From Hestia:
$
2000
Project results and Impact
How many girls/women have been served by the project during this project year?
This project impacted 17 women and girls this year, as both mentors and team members.
Goal of the Project
Did you meet your program goals for the grant period?
If yes, how do you know? Please describe any program evaluation you use:
If no, please describe current barriers and how you are working to overcome them:
Our goals were to participate in an offseason competition, giving the girls of the Northern Michigan robotics teams additional opportunities to serve on the drive team, and to have hands-on experience working on our robot. We also aimed to introduce high school girls with an interest in STEAM to higher education opportunities by touring the University of Michigan Stamps School of Art and Design, as well as the Ford Motor Robotics building. We evaluated the completion of our goals by surveying students (on Google Forms) about their likelihood to pursue STEM.
Do you have a story of how your program positively changed participant's situation, behavior, or knowledge?
If so, please share it:
After middle school robotics, one of our team members was unsure if she wanted to continue in high school. Over the summer before her freshman year, she participated in the Mechanical Mermaids, which introduced her to her peers as well as allowed her the chance to drive the robot. This team member is now a part of our drive team for the Petoskey Paladins.
Sustainability
Will this project continue?
If so, how will it be funded?
If not, why not?
We will continue to fund this program by fundraising, including a dunk tank, face painting, and a bake sale. We will also be applying for future grants to fund our trip. At competitions, we have already recruited two new Northern Michigan teams to join this initiative in the coming years.
Public Relations
How did you publicize this grant?
Please list any examples.
We publicized this grant through articles in the Petoskey News Review about the competition. Both our Paladins and Mermaids team shirts feature the Hesia Women's Giving Circle logo. The logo is also displayed on our robot. The Petoskey Paladins have thanked the Giving Circle on our social media accounts. At competitions in Traverse City and Ferris State University, the grant and grant reception event are explained in depth in our judged materials.
Summary Comments
After attending the Hestia grant reception, we were contacted by a local Girl Scout troop that learned about our program at the event. The afternoon was spent having a dance party, getting to know the girls, and encouraging them to explore STEAM. We taught them to build and program Lego Spike robots, and they earned three badges for their work.
Thank you for this opportunity to empower girls in STEAM.
Grant Final Budget Form
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