Fly! Code! Map! Go!

STEM training is vital to the economic growth of our country. Now more than ever, we need a diverse and innovative workforce. This will only happen if women are empowered to contribute their full potential. Currently, women make up 49% of the workforce, but only represent 29% of STEM career fields. 

Even though girls continue to excel in both math and science, these increases are not matched with increased representation in women choosing these careers. Despite all of these advances, girls still struggle to see themselves using technology as scientists, engineers and mathematicians. 

In recent years, STEM has undergone a radical upgrade. STEM 2.0 now includes not only science, technology, engineering and mathematics but also workforce development skills such as creativity, critical thinking, collaboration and communication skills. 

STEM training in the US is a 1.4 billion dollar industry and is crucial to the country’s economy. . Though it has proven to be successful in both middle and high school programs, research shows that career pathways begin to take shape in students as early as third grade. This leaves a gap in the K-12 educational pathway where opportunities are lost to enable our youngest girls to picture themselves in STEM careers and set them on a lifelong career development path.

There are several factors contributing to this gap including:

• Lack of standardization in curriculum for elementary schools.

• Lack of funding and stakeholder support

• Tendency to overwhelm young minds if not done correctly

• Teachers feel unqualified to integrate STEM subjects

In order to fill this gap, teacher support stands as the number one priority.

Locally, two factors exacerbate the problem. First, only one in three fifth graders enroll in another technology class in middle school due to it being offered as an elective which competes with other electives. This means girls must be well entrenched in STEM before reaching middle school in order to choose to continue on a technology pathway.

The second is that our local area (Rochester, Dover and Somersworth NH) has a large population of transient students, with families moving from one school district to another causing redundancy in some subjects and gaps in others. 

Three basic obstacles that need to be addressed in order to support STEM integration in elementary schools include: :

• Teachers need high quality teacher training

• Teachers need access to quality elementary school teaching resources

• Elementary school key stakeholders need to support a “STEM Culture”.

Providing teachers with the resources they need to integrate STEM into their elementary school classroom allows girls to ask questions, form an answer, test assumptions and see if it works, all while  advancing their creativity and critical thinking skills as well as working in groups to increase their communication and collaboration skills. It exposes them to the basics of the scientific method, as well as engineering design concepts. Both of these increase their math and literacy skills at the same time.

Fly! Code! Map! Go! Focuses on a multi-pronged approach to solving these issues which includes: 

• Developing a technology based integrated approach for creating STEM curricula for third through fifth grades by utilizing drone, coding and mapping technologies into the curriculum. In doing so, these factors will be considered:

• Developing a low-cost approach while ensuring age/grade appropriate integration. Involve aviation and geospatial industry in defining key skills (there are existing documents with the framework of skills for each industry). Ensure Literacy and Math skills are incorporated into the approach. Emphasize Digital and Science Literacy skills

• Teaching an integrated approach to pre-service and in-service elementary school teachers and school counselors through quality STEM  professional development.

Through this approach, girls will be exposed to teachers and counselors who will serve as role models for STEM careers. Pre-service teachers will enter their classroom with the needed skills to integrate STEM activities into their curriculum. In-service teachers will increase their skills and comfort level in teaching STEM curriculum. . Elementary, Middle and High School Guidance Counselors will be better able to support girls and young women in choosing STEM careers

Key elements in integrating STEM into Grades 3-5 are the use of drones, coding and mapping technologies. This provides hands-on experiences for girls to use these tools to perform investigations on real world case studies about the environment, while developing resilient workforce skills in critical thinking, communication, collaboration and creativity. 

Integrating STEM into classroom time when segregation by gender is not allowed, gives teachers the opportunity to group students into teams that promote diversity and inclusion. Girls have the opportunity to learn coping and efficacy skills early on and boys experience seeing girls succeeding in STEM activities. Both female and male teachers contribute to being role models for all students. 

The idea for 1000 Drones for 1000 Girls was conceived during the initial pandemic lockdown in 2020. That summer, four elementary school girls and two educators formed the 1000 Girls Drone Club and learned about  drone safety, basic flight skills, basic physics and automated flight coding. These girls have since gone on to participate in the world of drone racing.

This project specifically targets elementary school teachers. These are the first contact girls have in the educational system. Their strengths as well as their biases affect girls throughout their educational careers. If teachers feel unqualified to teach STEM subjects, that sets the stage for girls to feel unqualified as well. 1000 Drones for 1000 Girls aims to support teachers in gaining the skills and confidence to deliver these same skills and confidence to girls in a very early stage of their development. Boys experience working with confident girls and women and take these diverse and inclusive experiences through their educational pathways as well. 

1000 Drones for 1000 Girls is diverse in the skills our board and volunteers bring to the organization, as well as being geographically diverse. Our members are leaders in communities around the country. This brings complimentary experiences of a broad range of communities to influence our own communities. 

Our organization is based out of Rochester, NH. The school district currently has five elementary schools that employ 68 teachers to educate over 1700 students (including 800 girls). Rochester has three elementary technology teachers that have contact with the students for one hour a week. 

The Rochester School District has a cooperative agreement with two adjacent towns, Dover (about the same size) and Somersworth (two-thirds as large). In these three cities, an average of 55% of all students are eligible for Title I services, including free and reduced breakfast and lunch. Family transitioning between these three cities is common due to social services benefits as well as job availability. This leaves girls of all grades with unstable school experiences. 

Teacher professional development will be made available to all three school districts and be incorporated into teacher training days as well as offering in-person training opportunities during the summer break. Integrating this program in the Tri-City area helps close the gap experienced by transient girls within the area. 

We are a young grassroots nonprofit with deep ties to our communities. We are based out of Rochester NH. Over the past year, our involvement with the local school districts and community organizations has blossomed. 

Our president, Susan Bickford, was born and raised in Rochester NH. Susan is Co-Founder of 1000 Drones for 1000 Girls. She has an MS in Environmental Science and a background in geospatial and drone technology as well as military aviation. She has worked for gender equality in these male dominated fields for her entire career by educating female troops about sexual assault, giving seminars and workshops on the value of women in technological fields, and training girls to be future drone pilots. Susan continues to work with local school districts, home school communities and community based organizations to put technology into girls hands and confidence in their hearts. 

Brenda Wilson, Co-founder and owner of DieHard RC, has created a large community focused on remote control sports and STEM education. DieHard RC is a 50-acre Family Remote Control Park in Snohomish WA. Here they host technology sports programs, summer camps and educational as well as training programs focused on drone technology. Her vibrant community is large and far reaching in the industry and on social media with over 3,000 followers as well as over 10,000 attendees at DieHard Family RC Park year after year.

Alan Lukas graduated from MIT in 1973 with a BS and MS in Electrical Engineering. Alan founded and ran an engineering business for over 20 years.  Currently, he teaches Electronics, Engineering and Advanced Math at Baxter Academy for Science and Technology.  Fly Summer Camp is a joint project between Baxter Academy and 1000 Drones for 1000 Girls that will be held at Baxter this June. It is focusing on middle school aged campers. 1000 Drones for 1000 Girls is sponsoring two scholarships for girls. 

Billye Auclair, Ph.D., has spent the last 30+ years supporting girls and women in the STEM fields. She taught biology at a women’s college for over 20 years, and has served on the Board of Girls Inc. in Worcester, MA where she was involved in their EUREKA Program. She has provided science workshops for middle-school girls and has mentored numerous young women as they pursue science-related fields.  She believes that girls need to be exposed to science in the early grades to spark their interest and build confidence.

Kim Martens, has spent the last 35+ years as an IT leader and working alongside her husband has led many youth programs (AWANA, Destination Imagination, Sports, etc) in the Southern Maine area. She has built a strong network of families through leading these programs and stays connected with youth, teachers, and parents as her husband works as an Ed Tech in the Biddeford School systems.  She believes providing access to programs at an early age gets children interested and is the stepping stone to a lifetime of engagement.

1000 Drones for 1000 Girls has been working with the  Rochester six elementary schools to integrate STEM into these schools. One of the principals and  technology teachers contacted 1000 Drones for 1000 Girls  to develop a pilot program for introducing a STEM-based curriculum using drone, coding and mapping technology for Fall 2024.  The pilot has been approved by the school board and is being mapped to ensure it meets their core requirements for digital literacy.

This pilot will be the proof of concept program before rolling out the program to the other five elementary schools. Feedback from all stakeholders will be crucial to the project moving forward. Stakeholders will include students, parents, teachers, administration and school board. 

We firmly believe we can affect change in both elementary school teachers and elementary school aged girls that will have lasting effects in women entering STEM careers. 

From this challenge, 1000 Drones for 1000 Girls seeks initial investment funding and partnerships for a two-year regional development project to create a technology based integrated approach for increasing elementary school girls' interest in STEM in grades 3-5. 

As a burgeoning nonprofit, our organizational skills are still being developed. In order for us to scale, we need access to resource partners.  While it would be extremely beneficial to win a share of the prize money to meet our immediate needs, the true prize for 1000 Drones for 1000 Girls is the six months of organizational support. This will enable us to grow our organization effectively and aid in accomplishing our goals. 

 If accepted, our first task would be to accomplish a regional elementary school and STEM needs assessment to seek input from major stakeholders. This will produce access to their knowledge, skills, ideas and solutions as well as engage them in the project. That information will allow us to adjust our goals input, output and outcomes as needed to increase our efficacy. 

Generally, we need skills in growing and managing a board as well as a volunteer base, accounting advice on sustainable and resilient resource management, help developing a robust yet attainable fundraising plan and legal guidance on best management practices for nonprofits, especially  DEI best management practices, risk management, online solicitation and state registrations, as well as employment practices.

Specifically we need professional support in producing an elementary school STEM needs assessment, access to financial resource partners to create and produce our first teacher professional training for Summer 2024, a secure, age and ability appropriate content management system to provide online support to home school families and other educational organizations, access to women role models from MIT and other partners in STEM fields. 

Susan Bickford was born and raised in Rochester NH. Her family, rich in girls and young women, has used all forms of local educational opportunities (public school, home school, Kai Pod micro-schools, special education…). With an MS in Environmental Science (ES), she is keen to integrate ES into the local curricula.  Susan returned to the community after retiring from a military career as well as a career in geospatial and drone technology education. She brings 20 years of technical knowledge and teaching experience back to her local community. 

Susan was an early adopter of drone and mapping technology and started New England UAV, a woman-owned, veteran-owned company in 2012. She offered drone flight services (including pro bono flights for MIT researchers) as well as offering training on drone safety and mapping support and federal remote pilot certification for teens and adults. But her highest calling was showing the way for girls in STEM by teaching them drone flight safety, coding drones to do automated missions and creating maps with the drone imagery. 

Focusing on integrating STEM into elementary schools is a relatively new priority in STEM education. Working with both pre-service and in-service elementary teachers sets the stage for STEM integration becoming mainstream in the future. 

Using drones, coding and mapping technology together develops complementary skills in girls to visualize, collaborate and solve real world problems. Individually, each of these tools not only support STEM career development but also develop leadership and emotional intelligence skills, valuable in any industry. Teaching these technologies together creates a force multiplier! One curriculum, multiple 21st century skill sets! 

Using environmental science concepts makes real world problems relevant to students. Studies show that among women currently in STEM careers, women make up a higher percentage of biological and life sciences as well as computer and information sciences. 

Standardizing STEM in elementary schools at a regional level helps girls with transient family situations maintain their interest in STEM careers while changing schools. Building a bridge program for 5th and 6th grade girls helps maintain their interest when changing between levels of education (elementary and middle school) and provides common skills and interests between the two levels. 

From an industry perspective, both the drone and geospatial industries have produced  a DACUM Research Chart and Competency Model respectively for their industries These two documents would be included in the needs assessment for developing the integrated STEM curriculum. For instance, in the geospatial competency model the first three levels of the model include Personal Effectiveness, Academic and Workplace Competencies. These skills would be a major advantage for girls entering the youth employment job market. 

Finally, starting in elementary school creates a cohort with basic skills that feeds into existing middle school and then high school STEM programs. This also applies to other organizations' public outreach and DEI programs for girls. 1000 Drones for 1000 Girls has already started conversations with MIT Lincoln Lab and MIT Center for Transportation and Logistics educational outreach managers as well as FAA, Massachusetts Maritime Academy and the Massachusetts Port Authority  (MassPort DEI) program managers.

1000 Drones for 1000 Girls plans to expand the integrated approach of teaching STEM in schools using drones, coding and geospatial technology both horizontally and vertically. 

Expanding horizontally will involve entering regional and national markets. 

Regionally, trained teachers will become champions of STEM in the elementary educational community, girls in transient situations will have less learning gaps when moving within a region, stakeholder and decision maker support for teaching STEM in elementary school will increase and provide additional funding.

We are pre-positioned to expand nationally with a geographically diverse board located in the North East, South, and Pacific Northwest with partner organizations in the Midwest and California. 

Expanding vertically will involve developing a K-12 pipeline approach that continues the training across all grade levels with increased levels of difficulty and proficiency. This would include:

• Expand the training to include home school care givers, and online or hybrid students

• Create funding to sponsor high school girls training and taking  their FAA Remote Pilot Certification upon reaching 16 years of age. 

• Partner with Higher Education organizations to develop stacking certificate programs in geospatial and drone technology and allowing high school seniors to earn credits.

• Developing internship opportunities with both drone and geospatial industry partners. 

Here are indicators relevant to grades 3-5 modified from our 1000 Drones for 1000 Girls Strategic Plan document Fly! Code! Map! Go! Strategies and Approaches for Increasing STEM Education Using Drone, Coding and Mapping Technology in the Measures of Success section (please do not distribute publicly)

Increase Students exposure to STEM in Grades 3-5

• Number of curricula integrated into educational programs

          Number of schools

 % into existing classes

            % into stand-alone classes

           # of after school programs

           # of alternative school programs

###p#< girls in all programs

• Number of teacher professional development program

% pre-service elementary school teachers

% in service elementary school teachers

% guidance counselors

• Number of educational conference attended 

            Number of presentations given

Number of workshops given

  % pre-service elementary school teachers

  % in service elementary school teachers

  % guidance counselors

Pertaining to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, our measures of success support the following Goals, Targets and Indicators:

Goal 4 Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all, 

Target 4.1 By 2030, ensure that all girls and boys complete free, equitable and quality primary and secondary education leading to relevant and effective learning outcomes

Indicator 4.1.1 Proportion of children and young people (a) in grades 2/3; (b) at the end of primary; and (c) at the end of lower secondary achieving at least a minimum proficiency level in (i) reading and (ii) mathematics, by sex

Our proposal supports educational opportunities in children in grades 3-5 as well as building a bridge program into grade 6.

Target 4.6 By 2030, ensure that all youth and a substantial proportion of adults, both men and women, achieve literacy and numeracy.

Indicator 4.6.1 Proportion of population in a given age group achieving at least a fixed level of proficiency in functional (a) literacy and (b) numeracy skills, by sex

Our program strives to improve literacy and math as an outcome of the curriculum.

Target 4.7 By 2030, ensure that all learners acquire the knowledge and skills needed to promote sustainable development, including, among others, through education for sustainable development and sustainable lifestyles, human rights, gender equality, promotion of a culture of peace and non-violence, global citizenship and appreciation of cultural diversity and of culture’s contribution to sustainable development

Indicator 4.7.1 Extent to which (i) global citizenship education and (ii) education for sustainable development are mainstreamed in (a) national education policies; (b) curricula; (c) teacher education and (d) student assessment

Our program used global environmental case studies to indoctrinate students in grades 3-5 into the concepts of global citizenship and includes the cornerstone of teacher education and student assessment.

Goal 5 Achieve Gender Equality and empower all women and girls. 

Target 5.1 End all forms of discrimination against all women and girls everywhere

Target 5.5 Ensure women’s full and effective participation and equal opportunities for leadership at all levels of decision-making in political, economic and public life

These two targets represent the full purpose of our organization.   

Our Theory of Change includes the following:

Inputs: We have gathered global resources and integrated them into a technology and science based learning platform that focuses on supporting elementary school teachers in developing and delivering  quality STEM educational experiences supporting girls' initial and continued interest in STEM careers. 

Outputs: Our programs will produce a learning community of confident, qualified elementary education teachers capable of integrating engaging STEM curriculum for the students in their classrooms, incorporating diversity, equity and inclusion into student experiences.

Outcomes:  From a young age, girls are empowered to choose their own career interests having gained the confidence, skills and knowledge to demand equity and build inclusion and act as role models for current and future generations in career fields of their choice.  This will create a new generation of youth innovators, entrepreneurs, and decision makers that will steer the human path to a new sustainable future.  

Our solution integrates drones, coding and mapping technology with environmental science case studies to engage girls in solving real world problems. This approach creates a generation of women innovators that can contribute to developing solutions for any of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. 

These complementary skill sets help girls visualize, communicate and solve real world problems. These technologies not only support girls investing in STEM careers but also develop foundational workforce skills in creativity, critical thinking, communication and collaboration that will serve these young women in any career path they choose.

Teaching these technologies individually sets girls on a path to enter the youth workforce with marketable skills. Teaching these technologies together acts as a force multiplier! One curriculum, multiple 21st century skill sets! 

Understanding and using drone technology teaches the concept of systems and the importance of humans as being an integral part of the system. Piloting drones requires entering a culture where safety is paramount and developing skills in resolving technical issues, mitigating risks, leadership in crew management, situational awareness and coding automated flights.

Becoming proficient in coding builds sequential and computational skills, using clear and deliberate communication to build efficient and effective directions, and resolving technical issues through teamwork.

Geospatial mapping enhances student understanding of spatial relationships of objects and their locations such as the relationship between people and their effect on global environments.  Mapping also develops creativity, analytical and communication skills by using geographical and attribute data to draw conclusions and represent them graphically.

Incorporating these tools into activities that investigate environmental science creates an interest in the natural world and our stewardship responsibilities around it. By providing opportunities for students to work in groups and develop ideas to test, they take ownership of their learning and become invested in the outcomes. 

All of these activities seem daunting for elementary school girls to undertake, but they are the natives born into our new technology saturated world.

Full-time staff: 1 (unpaid)

Part-time staff: 6 (unpaid)

Contractors: 3

Other Workers: 8 volunteers

As an organization, we have been working on this solution for 15 months, but as individuals, we have been working towards gender equity in education for decades. 

Susan Bickford ran New England UAV 13 years, developed curriculum in both drones and geospatial technology for the past 5 years for Unity College.

Brenda Wilson started her journey with DieHard RC 7 years ago.

Alan Lukas spent the majority of his career in engineering, only to retire and take up teaching 10 years ago.

Billye Auclair has had the longest impact supporting educators and young women for the past 30+ years. 

1000 Drones for 1000 Girls is committed to promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in our organization and in all of our educational curricula and outreach programs by leading by example. Even though our mission has a focus on promoting girls and young women in STEM careers, we support and provide educational opportunities for all students regardless of their age, ability, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, socio-economic level. Our organizational policies to ensure we have a diverse and inclusive board, based on their unique ability only. 

Elementary school teacher professional training will include educator-based DEI training to reduce unintended gender bias and tracking of girls in these grades. 

1000 Drones for 1000 Girls is a nonprofit organization based out of New Hampshire whose purpose is to support girls in attaining profitable and worthwhile careers in high paying technical industries and scientific fields. This is accomplished by partnering with educational institutions to ensure teachers have the resources necessary to integrate Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) into their classrooms. 

Our organization is currently in a development phase and is being supported by Service Corps of Retired Executive (SCORE) mentors. Our men and women board members represent a cross-section of STEM and business acumen, and are geographically dispersed around the country bringing different views of their locations into our purpose and planning.To date, we are a board run organization which plans to have paid staff within the next three years. The executive board fulfills the C-suite roles of the company. 

Our short term objective is to raise capital and funding to offer curriculum development and support and teacher professional development for three school districts surrounding Rochester NH with a focus on the elementary school level which is underrepresented in STEM education. 

We plan to scale horizontally by establishing our programs to support girls and young women gaining and sustaining interest in STEM careers regionally within the next two years and nationally within five years. We also plan to scale vertically by developing a curriculum pipeline for K-12 grades and partnering with community college partners to offer certificate programs in drone and geospatial technology.

Over the last two decades STEM education has been successful in preparing students for careers in technology-based and scientific careers. The focus of educational training has been on middle and high school grades. Despite these successes, women continue to be underrepresented in STEM careers. 

Studies show that career interests start as young as third grade and that elementary school students have the capabilities to grasp basic concepts of engineering design and scientific models if integrated into their standard curriculum with care. Elementary school teachers feel overwhelmed at the prospect of introducing these subjects due to lack of training, administrative support and time pressures for meeting standardized testing objectives in literacy and math. 

1000 Drones for 1000 Girls has developed a program to support elementary school teachers with developing STEM integration into their classrooms by offering teacher professional training in STEM curriculum development, conference workshops and classroom implementation support. (390)

Market competition research shows the majority of STEM educational companies focusing on stand-alone robotics and engineering programs for middle and high school students. 1000 Drones for 1000 Girls brings in unique value, focusing on integrating drone, coding and geospatial learning within the existing underrepresented elementary school curriculum. 

Our strength is our proximate relationships with our individual local communities. Our challenges are that we are a startup program in a time when funding opportunities are more competitive and dominated by funding for well established organizations. This leads to opportunities for investors and partner organizations to help create foundation experiences for girls to envision themselves in diverse and inclusive STEM careers.

By School Year 2023-2024

• Implement our peer to peer and friends and family fundraising plan to cover our current organizational costs.

• Apply for project development funding from grants and foundations to develop needs assessment and fund elementary school proof of concept with McClelland Elementary School for the 2023-2024.

• Approach industry partners for input and financial support 

• Creating after school and community programs. 

• Increase revenue by providing fee for service drone flights using the trainers for research and educational organizations while incorporating their project into case studies for the STEM program.

By School Year 2024-25

• Create revenues from teacher professional development trainings

• Partner with industry organizations as well as  women in STEM and national education organizations to share project costs of teacher professional development

  • Include take home technology for teachers

  • Provide either onsite or online follow-on support to teachers during implementation

• Develop a cost share or subsidized plan to help schools pay for their program.

1000 Drones for 1000 Girls was incorporated in February 2022. Our first year we bootstrapped the funding needed to build our basic infrastructure (Articles of Incorporation, protocols, 501c3 status, webpage...)

This is our first full year and we have developed a basic funding strategy with quarterly goals for peer to peer fundraising, grants, corporate sponsorships and friends and family campaigns.

To date we have raised $9,850 including one corporate sponsorship ($100), (Chase Bank corporate sponsorship $1500 pending) two Donor Advised Fund grants (Anonymous $5500), and personal donations $4,250.