I would like to introduce you to Troop Athena an all-girl team from Victoria taking part in the worldwide F1 in Schools program this year who are proudly flying the flag for girls in the Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) fields.
Their team name, Troop Athena, comes from the Greek Goddess Athena. Athena was the Goddess of Wisdom, Courage, Inspiration, Mathematics and Strategy. Their logo is the owl and this was Athena’s sacred animal and the colours of their logo, grey and blue, represent stability and integrity respectively.
Troop Athena is made up of five girls all with a specific role in the Team. Ella Tobin is Team Manager, Arabelle Edwards is Resource Manager, Johanna Tam is the Design Engineer, Kitty Wilson is the Manufacturing Engineer, and Wynter Dallas will look after Graphic Design.
Team Manager Ella Tobin with CAMS President Andrew Papadopoulos and Chase Carey CEO of Liberty Media the owner’s of F1.
“Our goal for the competition is to inspire other young girls to reach their full potential in STEM fields. We will also use this competition to develop new skills and gain new experiences. This is a unique opportunity that Troop Athena is thrilled to be participating in,” said Ella Tobin, Team Manager.
The F1 in Schools STEM Challenge was established in 2003 and is much more than cars. Although the idea of being involved in car design has proved to be a powerful means of attracting even the most uninitiated students to discovering more about STEM. The Re-Engineering Australia Foundation (REA) manages the project in Australia and is it funded under the Department of Defence’s Schools Pathways Programme.
Each year more than 17,000 schools in 44 nations take on the challenge of developing the world’s fastest miniature F1 car. Here in Australia approximately 22,000 students are involved each year with over ten times that being exposed to the program and having access to the same classroom technology used by the students to design and build their cars.
“We will be designing our F1 car on Auto Desk, it will CNC machined and then we will compete at the Victorian State Final being held at Bosch Australia, in Clayton, Melbourne in November this year,” said Ella.
Troop Athena at the 2018 Australian GP.
The F1 in Schools program also aims to develop skills in problem solving, project management, communication, presentation, teamwork, innovation, self-promotion, collaboration, marketing and entrepreneurialism – which are clearly identified as aiding in the transition through high school.
For more information about Troop Athena or to find out how you can assist them visit their website or follow them on Instagram @troopathena and for information about F1 in Schools visit the REA Foundation website.
Photo credits: Troop Athena.