Tec and MIT strive to bring more girls into the world of engineering

A future with more women in science and technology is the vision of ‘Patrones Hermosos’, a program aimed at girls from 13 to 17 developed by MIT and Tec de Monterrey.

By Martha Mariano | Monterrey Campus - 03/15/2019

More than 2,000 Mexican teenage girls will be able to take part in the new generation of Patrones Hermosos (Beautiful Patterns), a program run by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Tecnológico de Monterrey to close the gender gap in Mexico.

All girls between the ages of 13 and 17 who are interested in the course, which will take place from May 27 to 31, can apply from March 15 to April 30, announced Juan Nolazco, Dean for the Southern Region of the Tec’s School of Engineering and Sciences.

“Patrones Hermosos is a program that was held for the first time in the summer of 2017 at the Monterrey campus of Tec de Monterrey. It aims to develop skills in technology and algorithmic thinking,” said Nolazco.

He added that the 2,000 participants will be able to develop high-level skills over a summer course taught in different parts of Mexico. They will do so under the guidance of 60 female students from MIT, chosen from among 200 candidates for ‘mentoring’ the group.

This initiative was developed by MIT in collaboration with Tecnológico de Monterrey. Also participating will be the Nuevo León Institute of Innovation and Technology Transfer with the support of other organizations.

Julio Noriega, Director of the School of Engineering and Sciences Division at Monterrey campus, emphasized that the course encourages the active participation of girls and women in the area of science to close the gender gap within the industry.

“Patrones Hermosos is an important program, as it aims for women to play more of a leading role in the world of science and technology,” he said.

In 2018, more than 60 girls embarked on a voyage of discovery with the Patrones Hermosos course.

Abel Sánchez, MIT Geospatial Laboratory Director and founder of the project, shared the challenges that participants will encounter:

Exercises focused on developing algorithms
Reflections on everyday tasks that will allow them to develop structured and organized thinking

“In general, our course activities attempt to motivate with pretty entertaining algorithms. We’re always thinking about the optimization each group needs and we use algorithms that are common in industry,” he said.

Candidates must register on the program’s official website to take part in this course. The only requirement is that they have authorization from their parents or guardians.