Computer engineering is a highly creative discipline, based on the skills of problem solving, planning and design and cannot be reduced to the image of the “nerd” stereotype. This path is aimed at secondary school female students (3rd and 4th year), with the aim of promoting computer engineering without the gender stereotypes with which it is associated in the collective imagination. Antonio Vetrò, as a member of the Departmental Commission on Diversity and Inclusion chaired by Prof. Tania Cerquitelli, participated to the development of this course, which is offered in the context of the Pathways for Transversal Skills and Orientation (PCTO) of Politecnico di Torino. The course took place from May to June 2022.
The course aims to stimulate and strengthen the problem-solving skills that are the basis of all engineering disciplines. Specifically, computer engineering is presented as a synthesis of analytical and creative thinking and creative thinking (problem solving), which dialogues with the possibilities offered by computer technologies. The program (2o hours) foresees a general introduction to problem solving and three training modules (data science, design, and gaming) in which a brief theoretical introduction is accompanied by exercises and laboratory activities carried out using simplified development tools. The course is open to all students (max 60 participants) and specific experience in the field of programming / coding is not required. The course includes a competition of ideas, in which students will be encouraged to propose an innovative idea in an application context of their choice, among several initial proposals. Finally, during the course the important historical role of women in the IT field is illustrated to stimulate a greater awareness of the historical context and its limitations, and the potential reversibility of current gender imbalance.