Participants in IMFD and Niñas Pro intensive workshop compete in OCI 2023 – Millennium Institute Foundational Research on Data

December 2023. In December, intensive training was held exclusively for girls who wanted to prepare to compete in the Chilean Computer Science Olympiad, the most important competitive programming event in the country.

This intensive training, in which 21 girls enrolled, is part of the activities carried out by the Millennium Institute Foundational Research on Data IMFD) in partnership with the Niñas Pro Foundation to encourage more women to participate in this area of STEM, which has traditionally been led by men.

Of the 21 initial participants, four girls decided to undergo additional training consisting of three sessions held at the IMFD offices. These sessions included a mock Chilean Computer Science Olympiad (OCI) held on December 14, which involved solving problems using programming techniques for four consecutive hours.

The four participants in the IMFD-Niñas Pro Intensive Training Program (three from Santiago and one from Quilpué who trained remotely) not only competed in the OCI, but all of them scored points, meaning they were able to complete at least some of the exercises within the time required by the OCI. Their tutors were Camila Quilapes, Felipe Lizama, and Diego Salas.

Gabriela Relos, the competitor who obtained the highest score (135, ranking 15th out of 32 participants, pictured below), says she became interested in the world of computer science at the age of 10, thanks to her uncle who had studied the subject and began teaching her. In 2023, she joined the Niñas Pro workshops, which boosted her enthusiasm and knowledge.

Gabriela Relos, participant in the IMFD-Niñas Pro Programming Intensive.

Among the elements of being part of the Chilean Computer Science Olympiad, Gabriela highlights that "what I liked the most was the community and how they welcome you. I think the atmosphere is very pleasant, and they always try to support you as much as possible." In addition, meeting People share her interests and knowledge has been very important. That's why she encourages other girls not to be afraid to compete: "The message is to just come, nothing bad will happen, and it doesn't matter if you get zero points, because experience and practice make you better."

For María José Parra Miranda, competing allowed her to meet many People who were People motivated to enter the world of programming and technology. The young student, who will graduate in 2024 from 12th grade, would like to encourage more women to participate in this type of activity: "The percentage of participants is very low, but competing helped me to really learn about and understand programming. That's why I would like to tell them to go for it, because it's true that it's competitive, but you have to prepare yourself, practice with online exercises, and not be ashamed to participate in the OCI. If you don't get in, that's fine, but if you do, give it a try."

Romina Parra had a similar experience. Her first encounter with programming was in the Niñas Pro Computational Thinking Course. "There, they encouraged us to join the OCI. I wasn't very keen to participate because I had doubts and told myself I wouldn't do well. But they convinced me, and in the end, I was able to do it and even scored 100 points. Today, I realize how much progress I've made, and it's been very significant."

The Millennium Institute this and other activities in partnership with Niñas Pro, such as Arduino Quest, which invites participants to enter the world of programming even if they have no prior knowledge, by creating projects with Arduino kits. These partnerships have led to a gradual increase in the percentage of girls participating in competitive programming events.