Approximately 40 female Grades 6-12 Ridgevalley students participated in an afternoon of science during a Cybermentor workshop on Tuesday, November 15.

Cybermentor is an online mentoring program for girls in Grades 6 to 12 across Alberta. Following the school-based workshop, each girl is matched with her own carefully-screened mentor and the two connect online throughout the school year. Girls learn about the wealth of careers and opportunities in science and engineering, discover new interests, and gain confidence. The mentors enjoy the experience of being a role model and motivating the next generation of scientists and engineers.

At the workshop, Ridgevalley students participated in an engineering design competition to create a mechanical ball launcher; discussed the importance of design, creativity, budgeting and teamwork in order to solve a real world problem; learned about prominent women in engineering and computer science history; and learned the basics of coding and computer programming.

Cybermentor operates out of the Schulich School of Engineering at the University of Calgary and in collaboration with the University of Alberta's Faculty of Engineering. Learn more about the program at http://cybermentor.ca.

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