Here are some of the Frequently Asked Questions about being a member of the Girls of Steel. If you don’t find what you need, please contact us.
General
What do the acronyms FLL, FTC, and FRC stand for?
They stand for FIRST LEGO League (our 1st-6th grade programs), FIRST Tech Challenge (our 7th-12th grade program), and FIRST Robotics Competition (our advanced 7th-12th grade program).
What does GoS or GoSR stand for?
Girls of Steel or Girls of Steel Robotics
What are some of the local programs offered by Girls of Steel?
- FTC/FRC Program: girls 7th-12th grade. Girls participate in FTC in the fall and may move to FRC in the spring by meeting certain criteria. FRC is an extra cost.
- FLL Challenge teams: boys & girls in grades 4 to 8.
- FLL Explore teams: boys and girls in grades 1-3.
- Summer camps: FLL Skills camps for boys and girls in grades 4 to 8.
- Chassis Building Workshops: offered at various times during the year.
Do the older girls mentor the younger or newer GoS girls?
Yes. The experienced girls often mentor the newer, more junior members. Experienced girls also mentor our FLL teams.
How are the girls chosen to be a part of GoS?
Girls apply to join the team by completing an application during the summer. Girls are accepted according to the number of positions open. Sign up here to join any of our mailing lists to receive an application for any of our opportunities.
What other opportunities will students be exposed to from being involved with GoS?
Girls will receive opportunities to travel to conferences and outreach events to make presentations and/or do robot demos locally and regionally. They will also have opportunities to mentor younger children on the FLL Challenge and FLL Explore teams or at our summer camps.
What is your limit on the amount of girls accepted into the organization each year?
In general, we have about 50-60 girls for our 7th-12th grade program.
Do the GoS girls form bonds that thrive after graduation from high school?
Yes! You can ask the alums who come back to meetings, the holiday party, or the annual Gala picnic.
If younger girls decided to attend alma maters of the older girls is there a network in place?
We have contact information for the alums so the younger girls can make connections during a college visit.
Will my daughter be equipped with the information and knowledge to build a robot on her own after she leaves the GoS team?
Your daughter will be equipped with information, knowledge, skills, and experiences that will allow her to form friendships and work on teams in many STEM and business fields, including robotics.
Are there any summer opportunities available for building robots and coding?
Yes. When we hear of opportunities they are announced to the team via email, team meetings, or in the Girls of Steel newsletter, or other media channel.
Where do I find the calendar or events and meetings?
The calendar is available here.
Whom do I contact with questions or concerns about my daughter’s experience on the team?
Please direct your question or concern to info@girlsofsteelrobotics.org .
Where can I purchase a Girls of Steel t-shirt or bandana?
You can request to purchase a GoS t-shirt or bandana by writing to us at info@girlsofsteelrobotics.org.
Do girls get asked to leave the team if they cannot attend the away competitions due to financial/school work concerns?
No.
7th-12 grade programs
Is financial assistance offered to girls who cannot pay the full amount?
Yes, fee waivers and reductions are available the fee for girls who qualify. Submitting a prior year tax form is required. Please contact Liz at kysele@andrew.cmu.edu if you have any questions.
Is attendance taken for each meeting?
Yes. We take attendance at each meeting because there is an attendance requirement for our 7th-12th grade members.
How many times a week must the girls meet?
- During the fall (late September through December) the girls are expected to attend meetings for an average of 6 hours per week.
- During the winter season (~6 weeks in January and February) the FRC students are expected to attend meetings for an average of 10 hours per week.
- During the competition season (February through April) members are expected to attend the all hands meetings (Tuesdays and/or Thursdays, may vary from time to time) and are encouraged to attend the additional meetings throughout the week.
- Outreach events occur throughout the year and all over the city. Students will be invited to sign up to participate.
FRC Competitions involve a Thursday and Friday (school days/work days). Are all the girls expected to miss school on those days?
Yes, but we understand there may be circumstances that would prevent a girl from attending the competition(s).
Where do I learn more about how the students do outreach?
Most questions can be answered in our Outreach 101 document. Students should contact the outreach lead on Discord if you still have questions or concerns about outreach. Also, please remember to complete the outreach response form within 48 hours of attending an event.
1st-6th grade programs
What’s the difference between FLL Challenge and FLL Explore?
In the past few years, the FIRST organization split apart one FIRST LEGO League program into several. FLL Challenge is the oldest program and focused on building LEGO bots for competition. FLL Explore, the middle program, is focused on building LEGO sets to learn about STEM and try out science principles. FLL Discover is the youngest program that uses LEGO Duplo blocks to try to encourage curiosity in science. Girls of Steel only runs FLL Challenge and FLL Explore programs.
My child is interested in FIRST LEGO League. How do I sign up to receive information about joining the team?
You can join our mailing lists at on our Newsletter Signup page. You can choose which program you’re interested in. We post information and applications there.
Financial questions
Is financial assistance offered to girls who cannot pay the full amount? Yes, fee waivers are available the fee for girls who qualify. Submitting a prior year tax form is required. Please contact Liz at kysele@andrew.cmu.edu if you have any questions.
How can I make a tax-deductible donation to the organization? Go to this link, or reach out to us and we can connect you with the best way to do it.
Do the girls absolutely have to participate in selling items for the fundraisers? No.
What are the girls selling in the fundraisers? Usually we run the Sarris Candies Holiday Fundraiser in the fall. If we decide to do the holiday fundraiser, information will be found on the website here.
Parents and Mentors
I am a parent who wants to get involved. How can I do that?
- Contact us at info@girlsofsteelrobotics.org to request information about the mandatory PA child abuse and FBI clearances. We will send information to you.
- If you already have clearances, contact us at info@girlsofsteelrobotics.org for next steps.
- Finally, join us at a meeting to see what it’s like. The meeting schedule is available on the calendar here.
- We always need help making buttons and bandanas for the team, too. No experience is needed.
- You don’t have to be an electrical or mechanical engineer or a programmer to help the team.
- We always need help with some larger workshop organization and construction tasks, especially in January and February. So if you like organizing or building things you can join us then.
I’m interested in becoming a mentor. How do I do that?
We outline the steps on our Mentor Clearances page.