Girls in STEM Club Wraps Up Term with Creative AI Adventure

The final session of this term’s Girls in STEM Club at the Discovery Science and Technology Centre wrapped up with an engaging and imaginative exploration of Artificial Intelligence (AI), building on what the students had already learned and sparking plenty of excitement along the way.  Led by facilitator Alissa, the session sparked curiosity, creativity, and plenty of laughter as students explored how AI works, and how we can make it work for us.

The workshop kicked off with an interactive revision of AI fundamentals: what it is, how it functions, where its data comes from, and how we encounter it in our daily lives.  The girls were eager to share their ideas, naming everything from voice assistants to robots delivering medication or helping in aged care and manufacturing.

Things quickly became hands-on as the girls explored an online database of over 50 million user-generated drawings.  Armed with 20-second timers, they attempted to replicate items like parachutes and pianos, gaining insight into how AI systems learn from massive image libraries.

A clear highlight was experimenting with AutoDraw, an AI-powered sketch tool that tries to guess what one is drawing.  Whether the guesses were spot-on or hilariously wrong, the girls loved seeing how AI interprets human input.  Small group activities followed, with one student drawing while others guessed, sparking both competition and creativity.

To wrap up, the group tackled a fun challenge: figuring out the original prompts behind wild AI-generated images.  Prompts like “a buff chihuahua holding a cup of tea” and “a golden retriever with a tiny sombrero balancing on a unicycle holding a taco” showcased just how imaginative, and specific, AI prompts need to be.

This lively, creative session beautifully blended STEM with imagination, closing the term with

Just a quick reminder, registrations for Term 3 are now open!  Year 5 and 6 girls are invited to join this fun, free, and empowering STEM program that celebrates curiosity, creativity, and confidence.  Proudly supported by the Rotary Club of Bendigo and McClure Civil Management, this is an opportunity not to be missed!  Use the QR code on the flyer to register and secure your place.