Tara Chklovski Of Technovation On How We Can Increase Girls’ Participation in Engineering and Robotics

An Interview With Vanessa Ogle

Building and providing access to research-based curriculums.

Despite the growing importance of engineering and robotics in shaping our future, women remain significantly underrepresented in these fields. This series aims to explore and address the barriers that discourage girls from pursuing careers in engineering and robotics. We are talking to educators, industry leaders, pioneering women engineers, and robotics experts who have made significant contributions to their fields, to discuss the strategies they believe can inspire and increase the participation of young girls in engineering and robotics. As part of this series, we had the pleasure of interviewing Tara Chklovski.

Tara Chklovski is CEO and founder of global tech education nonprofit Technovation (formerly Iridescent). Prominently featured in the award-winning documentary Codegirl, Forbes named Chklovski “the pioneer empowering the incredible tech girls of the future” and Discovery Science Channel named her its first “CEO Science Super Star Hero” for her work encouraging the next generation of innovators, problem solvers, and game changers. A frequent advocate for STEM education, she’s presented at the White House STEM Inclusion Summit, SXSW EDU, UNESCO’s Mobile Learning Week, and led the 2019 education track at the UN AI for Good Global Summit. Since founding the organization in 2006, Technovation has welcomed more than 130,000 children and parents, and 14,000 mentors, to participate in its programs in 100+ countries.

Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dig in, our readers would like to get to know you a bit more. Can you tell us a bit about your “backstory”? What led you to this particular career path?

I earned my bachelor’s degree in physics in India and then came to the US to pursue my master’s and PhD. I first founded Technovation in 2006, then named Iridescent after seeing the alarming lack of diversity first-hand in internships in both India and the US (for one, I was the only woman on the engineering team) as well as at the PhD program I was in at USC. I just felt like I had to do something to address the gender and racial gap in STEM. I decided to stop pursuing my PhD and put my lifelong dreams of building planes on hold to focus on this mission.

Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your career?

When I started this journey, the program model was to support university engineering students to go through a 16-week credit-bearing course on technical communication. As part of this course, they had to develop engaging hands-on design challenges and teach those challenges to local families in community schools. There was one student, Matt, who struggled with the course. He was shy and soft-spoken. Watching him prepare and practice the sessions made me want to set some prerequisites for the class. But when he was leading the families through the sessions, it was interesting to see how encouraging the families were as he battled his nervousness. The vulnerability drew the group together. At the end of the course, each student had to give a presentation about their experience. Matt said that this was the most influential class he had taken as he had never thought he could get up and speak in public, let alone in front of hundreds of children and their parents who didn’t speak English. He also shared his struggles with mental health and how this experience had not only helped him overcome his fears but also be fueled and inspired by new human connections — connecting with different groups of people whom he would never cross paths with and sharing his interests with him. It made him realize that he wanted to become a counselor and help people overcome their fears and limitations.

What inspired you to pursue a career in engineering or robotics, and how can we replicate that inspiration for young girls?

• I actually first dreamt of becoming a pilot, like my father. I was inspired by an old Popular Mechanics magazine featuring Paul MacCready Jr, the inventor of the first human-powered aircraft. As a kid, I even spent hours hanging upside down attempting to increase my leg length, but ultimately, I was too short to pursue a pilot’s license. I then decided that if I couldn’t fly planes, I could build them. Aerospace engineering was certainly not a traditional career path for women where I grew up — which was a conservative town in India — where girls going for runs and women biking to work in jeans was considered taboo.
• We can replicate the kind of inspiration I found by empowering girls by showcasing just how many ways engineering and robotics can impact their lives and communities while also promoting gender equality in these fields and adequately displaying how women are making a difference in STEM.

None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?

My parents. My mother for being such an incredible role model and giving me a real-life story to lean on for what it takes to be a professional, an entrepreneur, a mother, and how you are never too old to switch careers and break all the cultural stereotypes society sets out for you. My father for giving me a love of engineering and machines and helping center my character around determination and resilience. That has helped me be unafraid of both hard technical concepts and hard challenging problems the world throws at you.

Can you share a story of a challenge you faced as a woman in engineering or robotics and how you overcame it?

I was interning at Hindustan Aeronautics Limited in Bangalore, India, and I had to bike to work as there was no public transportation available. Naturally, I wore jeans so I could bike. But I was stopped at the gate by the guard who told me that the dress code for women was to wear the traditional Indian dress — salwar kameez — and I couldn’t wear jeans. I was stunned as this was my first brush with unreasonable gender-based norms. I fought and complained to the managers and their managers and was given permission to wear jeans. This is a minor challenge. I am lucky that I haven’t had to face much discrimination in my career, as I have built an organization that combats these inequalities daily.

Is there a particular book that made a significant impact on you? Can you share a story or explain why it resonated with you so much?

I have learned everything from books. Different books have helped me at different points in life, depending on my struggles. The one that helped me the most was Viktor Frankl’s Man’s Search for Meaning. It helped me come out of a deep, burnt-out state after COVID. What resonated with me was the idea that it is not helpful to look back at your past struggles and think, “How will I get through more of that in the future?” That question and perspective will only burn you out more. The alternative is to look ahead and imagine a different future, have a different vision for what you want your life or your organization to achieve, and that will give you new energy. Hope is what drives life.

Do you have a favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Do you have a story about how that was relevant in your life or your work?

Quotes from painting, writing, and running fuel me at different points in life. Powerful quotes are those that are a window into the struggles of different people who are trying to create and build something meaningful. One phrase that I come back to often, especially with my kids, is “It doesn’t have to feel fun to be fun.” It draws attention to the fact that happiness and fun are not always the most important things in life — purpose is.

How have you used your success to make the world a better place?

Technovation is now the world’s largest technology entrepreneurship program for girls and has reached more than 400,000 participants, families, educators, and professionals in over 120 countries. Its commitment to empowering 25 million young women over the next 15 years has led to its latest venture, The AI Forward Alliance (TAIFA). The majority of Technovation alumnae (76%) pursue STEM degrees, while 60% work in STEM careers, many at global companies like Shopify, Google, Apple, Intel, Oracle, Microsoft, LinkedIn, Amazon, and Meta.

According to this report, only about 16% of engineering positions in the US are held by women. This reflects great historical progress, but it also shows that more work still has to be done to empower women. In your opinion and experience what is currently holding back women from Engineering and Robotics?

The underrepresentation of women in engineering and robotics is influenced by a number of factors, which, of course, are also influenced by culture and other variables. At large, these industries are seen as stereotypically male and, in number, remain male-dominated, dissuading girls from considering careers in them. Educational biases and systemic barriers in schools and universities can discourage girls from pursuing STEM subjects or receiving adequate support in these fields. Limited opportunities for career advancement, mentorship, and networking also contribute to the disparity between men and women in these fields. To address these barriers, there needs to be a solid effort from educators, industry leaders, policymakers, and society as a whole to promote inclusivity, dismantle stereotypes, create supportive environments, and offer equal opportunities for women in engineering and robotics.

This might be intuitive to you but I think it will be helpful to spell this out. Can you share a few reasons why more women should enter the Engineering and Robotics fields?

It is important for women to be represented in the engineering and robotics field, such as through building and training AI models and data sets, as it represents their special reality. This is critically important as it addresses the issues of bias and the lack of adequate representation in many of the existing AI models. So many of the models in use now are built by a certain demographic of people, which means they are not always suitable to solve problems in global communities. By increasing the diversity of those in STEM beyond just gender, we are better equipped to provide meaningful solutions to the world’s most pressing challenges.

Can you please share “5 Things We Need To Increase Girls’ Participation in Engineering and Robotics?”

1. We need to see and encourage responsible AI in action.
2. Focus on gender and equity in engineering and robotics.
3. Empower young women and provide opportunities at a global scale.
4. Building and providing access to research-based curriculums.
5. Highlighting program models with proven impact.

In your opinion, what are the most effective ways to introduce girls to engineering and robotics at an early age?

• We need to focus on how our culture lends itself to young women’s interest in engineering and robotics. Encouraging this interest really requires an environment that empowers young women to be problem solvers and allows for exploration.
• I think early exposure is another key method in introducing girls to STEM concepts. Whether through educational programs, workshops, or classes, getting girls not only acquainted but comfortable with these ideas, tools, and technologies, we can set the ball in motion for continued learning and growth.

How do you think the portrayal of women in STEM fields by media and educational materials impacts girls’ interest in engineering and robotics?

It is daunting to try and enter a space where you don’t see yourself represented or where you may not even feel welcome. The lack of visible female role models in leadership positions within engineering and robotics can make it difficult for young girls to envision themselves in these roles and is something the industry is and should continue to actively combat.

What advice would you give to girls who are interested in engineering and robotics but are hesitant to take the first step?

I advise believing in your abilities and seeking supportive communities for guidance and encouragement. Begin by exploring introductory resources and embracing failure as part of learning. Pursue your passions within these fields and stay persistent, advocating for opportunities along the way. Remember, your journey is unique, so stay curious, determined, and confident in your potential to make meaningful contributions to the future of technology.

You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good for the greatest number of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger

That’s Technovation. Supporting girls to become technology leaders and entrepreneurs is the most powerful effort we can support because it is the single most effective strategy to drive progress and well-being for all.

How can our readers further follow your work online?

Tara on LI: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tarachk/ and on X: @TaraChk

Technovation.com and on Technovation’s social media channels.

Thank you for these fantastic insights. We greatly appreciate the time you spent on this.

About The Interviewer: Vanessa Ogle is a mom, entrepreneur, inventor, writer, and singer/songwriter. Vanessa’s talent in building world-class leadership teams focused on diversity, a culture of service, and innovation through inclusion allowed her to be one of the most acclaimed Latina CEO’s in the last 30 years. She collaborated with the world’s leading technology and content companies such as Netflix, Amazon, HBO, and Broadcom to bring innovative solutions to travelers and hotels around the world. Vanessa is the lead inventor on 120+ U.S. Patents. Accolades include: FAST 100, Entrepreneur 360 Best Companies, Inc. 500 and then another six times on the Inc. 5000. Vanessa was personally honored with Inc. 100 Female Founder’s Award, Ernst and Young’s Entrepreneur of the Year Award, and Enterprising Women of the Year among others. Vanessa now spends her time sharing stories to inspire and give hope through articles, speaking engagements and music. In her spare time she writes and plays music in the Amazon best selling new band HigherHill, teaches surfing clinics, trains dogs, and cheers on her children.

Please connect with Vanessa here on linkedin and subscribe to her newsletter Unplugged as well as follow her on Substack, Instagram, Facebook, and X and of course on her website VanessaOgle.