Minor Challenges Overview
For each STEM discipline, we will introduce you to some of the disciplines of engineering and areas of science. To do this we will set new challenges every four weeks relating to various fields of science and engineering. For each of these disciplines we will release challenges at three levels of difficulty. Though these levels are designed to match your age groups, they are not limited to any set age and are open for anyone to try.
- Choose an area of science or engineering which interests you from the list
- Choose a challenge from your age category or higher
- Complete the experiment and explain your findings using multimedia i.e. with photos, drawings, images etc.
You must complete a minimum of TWO Minor Challenge projects from your age category or higher in total to be eligible to participate in the Major Challenge. Attempt as many of them as possible, including trying different levels as well as disciplines. This will help you to develop skills for the final Major Challenge, and it may even give you an idea to develop on for the Major Challenge.
For questions and/or feedback, please don’t hesitate to email us at scichal@robogals.org !
Suggested Ages for Difficulty Categories
| Junior | Intermediate | Senior |
| 5-8 years old | 9-12 years old | 13-15 years old |
Junior Minor Challenge Set
| Mechanical Engineering | Baking Soda and Vinegar Powered Car | |
| Mathematics | Sort Your Christmas Presents | |
| Food Science | Science of Apple Browning | |
| Environmental Science | The Power of the Wind | Make A Tornado |
| Electrical Engineering | Blinking an LED with Arduino | |
| Civil Engineering | Build Your Own Geodesic Dome | |
| Chemical Engineering | Will This Fruit Float or Sink | Casein Plastic from Milk |
| Biomedical Engineering | Construct Your Robotic Hand | Build Your Own Lung Model |
| Biology | Give Your DNA A Twist | |
| Astronomy | Make Your Own Telescope | |
| Software Engineering (Programming) | Build Your Own Website Using HTML | Beaver Achiever |
| Software Engineering (Non-Programming) | Be Safe Online with Band Runner | |
| Physics | Flying Rockets | Does It Float |
Intermediate Challenge Set
| Mechanical Engineering | Build a Mousetrap Car | Build a 3D Model of a Button |
| Mathematics | Got It! | Fun with Fractals |
| Food Science | A Food Preservation Challenge | |
| Environmental Science | Whatever the Weather | My Sustainable Home |
| Electrical Engineering | Communications with Spacecraft | Blinking Multiple LEDs with Arduino and Breadboard |
| Civil Engineering | The Science of Trusses | |
| Chemical Engineering | Fire Tower | Cabbage Chemistry |
| Biomedical Engineering | Make An Ear Trumpet | Build a Prosthetic Leg |
| Biology | Extracting DNA | |
| Astronomy | Launch Your Own Rocket | |
| Software Engineering (Programming) | Learn Python with Compute It | An Introduction to Python Programming |
| Software Engineering (Non-Programming) | Be Digitally Safe and Internet Awesome | |
| Physics | Pinwheel Rocket | Falling with Style |
Senior Challenge Set
| Mechanical Engineering | Build a Mousetrap Car | Build a 3D Model of a Button |
| Design Your Car Suspension | ||
| Mathematics | A Travelling Problem.pdf | A Mondrians Art Puzzle |
| Food Science | Candy Making Science | |
| Environmental Science | Weathering With Walter | |
| Electrical Engineering | Create Your LED Message with TinkerCAD | Build an RGB LED Circuit |
| Civil Engineering | Build The Tallest Tower | |
| Chemical Engineering | Exploring Ceres Bright Spots | Copper Plating |
| Biomedical Engineering | Making a Unique DNA Fingerprint | Tricky Eyes |
| Astronomy | Measure the Size of the Sun with a Pinhole Camera | |
| Software Engineering (Programming) | Coding Games with Python | Build a Stopwatch with JavaScript |
| Software Engineering (Non-Programming) | Be Smart Secure and Safe Online | |
| Physics | Projectile Motion | Explore Exoplanets |
Submission Guideline
Please use the form below to make a Minor Challenge submission. If there are any issues send us an email at scichal@robogals.org.
Notes on completing your Minor Challenges
In line with Robogals Mission and Vision, the Science Challenge wants to encourage the participation of as many girls and gender diverse students as possible. We highly encourage you to read through available projects before choosing ones you are more interested in. For each project, we have specified the STEM discipline, materials required, time commitment and project cost.
Materials Required: We understand it may be difficult to obtain equipment for some of our challenges, therefore we will indicate the Minor Challenges which do not require any equipment other than a laptop and internet connection with an asterisk (*) next to the name. Those not marked with an asterisk may or may not need a few or many supplies.
Time Commitment: Our Minor Challenge projects should take approximately 1-3 hours to finish, however, some projects/experiments may include observation and data collection over a longer period of time.
Cost: For each Minor Challenge project, we have described the approximate cost of ranges: 0-20 USD; 20-50 USD; and >50 USD.
We hope you enjoy completing our Science Challenge Minor Challenges!