Page 41 - Kaleidoscope Academic Conference Proceedings 2024

Figure 4 – Time plan for Lamarr Chair Challenge and Hilda
Ericsson Competition in 2024

show a higher willingness to engage in tech activities, their
presence can encourage greater participation from girls.
Additionally, this mixed-gender arrangement provides boys
with the opportunity to experience being in the minority,
fostering empathy and a deeper understanding of diverse
perspectives within the tech field. Figure 5 – A picture taken during the phase 2 of the Hedy
Lamarr Challenge
4.3 Development phases
training.
As previously introduced, the Lamarr Chair Challenge is Phase 3 - Hilda Ericsson Competition
developed in three phases, extending in total more than six During phase 3, the students, organized into teams, prepare
months (see Fig. 4 for the time plan in 2024). projects for the Hilda Ericsson Competition. The training
Phase 1 - Ideas competition received in phase 2 enables them to refine their initial ideas,
In a first phase, the exercise proposed by the Hedy Lamarr ensuring they are well-developed and technically feasible. In
Chair Challenge to secondary school students is a competition this phase, each team benefits from the guidance of a mentor,
of ideas that allows progress in the achievement of one of the who is a professional or researcher in the field. Participants
objectives of sustainable development. The students prepare, have access to the facilities and equipment at the University
individually or in groups of up to five people, a video of a of Málaga to support the development of their ideas.
maximum of three minutes in which they describe the idea. At the end of phase 3, students prepare a submission that
Although some girls participate on their own, commonly includes all relevant information about their project. They
with their parent support, most proposals are encouraged and present their idea along with a prototype as proof of concept.
organized by teachers. Their work is then reviewed by a jury (3 engineers from
Ericsson Spain and 2 from UMA) who evaluate the projects.
A limited number of participants in phase 1 is awarded
The jury assesses, among others, the technical quality of
a high-value technological initiation course in phase two.
the prototype (25%), the relevance of the prototype to the
The award criteria are based on the relevance of the idea
proposed idea (15%), and the effectiveness of the teamwork
in addressing a real need (25%), its originality, innovation,
(5%).
and interdisciplinary approach (20%), and the clarity and
The results are truly impressive, showcasing the boundless
precision of the proposed objectives (20%). Additional
creativity of teenagers. With their dedication and the support
factors include the technical feasibility of the idea (15%),
of their mentors, they are able to tackle complex technical
the quality of the presentation narrative and language (10%),
projects with remarkable skill and ingenuity. Here are a few
and the visual appeal and dynamism of the video (10%).
examples from 2024: One project features an app that scans
Phase 2 - High-value technological initiation course
clothing labels and analyzes the materials to determine their
Each session in this phase, conducted over six Friday
environmental impact; another app translates the amount of
afternoons at labs at the Telecommunications Engineeering
water used into the number of steps a user would need to take
School of the Universidad de Malaga (see a picture in Fig. 5), as compensation; an AI-driven application tailors homework
consists of an initial talk followed by two hours of hands-on recommendations to individual students, adjusting the level
work. The talks can be either introductory or complementary based on relevant factors such as age and academic level.
to the formation, providing essential knowledge and context.
The hands-on work sessions are designed to equip the girls
4.4 Feedback from participants
with the necessary tools and skills to develop their projects
in the third phase. During the three editions of the challenge, it has been
Both the talks and hands-on work sessions are tailored to observed an increased interest among students to participate,
specific topics. In 2024, the talks addressed subjects such getting almost double requests to join the challenge during
as the applications of AI in the agriculture sector, the energy the third year compared to the first one.
requirements for AI, and concluded with a session on how to During the distinct phases of the challenge, feedback from
create a successful project. The hands-on sessions introduced participants is gathered through a survey so that actions can
AI concepts, provided statistical analysis and data treatment be taken to enhance the future editions. A summary of the
techniques, and offered tools for AI model generation and results can be found in Fig. 6 and Fig. 7. At the end of
app implementation. All selected tools were free, visual, the process, girls are also asked about the significance of the
and user-friendly to accommodate participants with no prior prize, a 5G smartphone. While the prize initially served as a

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