A 24-hour human-powered vehicle race has taken centre stage at an annual Technology Challenge in Queensland in a bid to encourage young girls to take up disciplines typically dominated by men.
And they're off! The 24-hour HPV race begins at the #Maryborough Technology ChallengeEvery year the Challenge, held in Maryborough, sees thousands of students test their skills in five events which focus on science, technology, engineering and maths.
They include the 24-hour race, a carbon dioxide dragster competition, primary school pushcart races, robotics challenges, and solar model car and boat building.
Earlier this year, a report from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development [OECD] found girls lacked self-confidence in science and maths and less than one in 20 girls from OECD countries considered careers in science, technology and maths.
Student built robots at the #Maryborough Technology Challenge competing in the Rescue Competition.Robotics challenge director and Gympie State High School teacher, Tony Grudzinski, said hands-on technology events gave primary school girls the ability to explore these disciplines.
"If you can get the girls sparked up in these challenges, like independently creating and programing a robot, they get a self-confidence and aptitude for it," he said.
"It's extremely important to engage girls from about Grade Four onwards because then they start to get a trajectory in their heads and make career choices based on what they think they can't do."
The Robotic Challenge saw students from about 20 different Queensland schools compete in three different events with a robot they built, designed and programed.
Charli Beazley, a Year Four student at Tinana State High School, entered the competition for the first time with her robot Bonsai.
"I get really interested in Lego and programing, so my teacher suggested I enter," she said.
"I really, really liked it this year and I would like to do it next year as well."
This year, 22 all-girl teams entered the Human Powered Vehicle Championship where 123 school-teams race on a circuit for 24-hours to rack up the most number of laps.
Maryborough State High School teacher and manager of the all-girl team Touch N Go, Carrie Taylor, said she had trained the same group of seniors since they were in Year Nine.
"Every year we start training in February about once a week, then about nine weeks out from the event we train twice a week in the vehicles and in fitness, strength and two sessions on the bike," she said.
"They always say 'girl-power' and 'girls can do anything' so they do their best and go out there to achieve the goal of finishing the weekend with a vehicle on the road."