HERoines

Inspiration: Our app, HERoines, was inspired by the lack of female representation in the computer science field. We wanted to find a way in which female students who are about to go into studying computer science or are currently studying it, could find a role model who they identify with and would feel encouraged to pursue this path. Hopefully, our app would help reduce the gender gap in the computer science field.

What it does: Our app does a personality test app that matches users with notable female figures in computer science based on their responses to a series of True or False questions. Then, it provides users with insights into the lives and achievements of these remarkable women, offering biographies, fun facts, and inspirational stories.

How we built it: CS Matchmaker was built using the Flask framework for the backend, HTML/CSS for the frontend, and NumPy for calculating cosine similarity between user responses and predefined vectors (by us) for each female character. The app is hosted on a local server for easy access and testing.

Challenges we ran into: One of the main challenges we faced was designing the algorithm to match user responses with the most relevant female character. We also had to ensure that the app is user-friendly and provides an engaging experience for users.

Accomplishments that we're proud of: We are proud of creating a platform that not only educates users about the achievements of women in computer science but also inspires them to pursue their own passions in the field. We are also proud of the seamless integration of the personality test and matching algorithm, providing users with a personalized and meaningful experience.

What we learned: Through building HERoines, we learned about the incredible contributions of women in computer science and the importance of representation in the tech industry. We also learned about the technical aspects of building a web application, including frontend and backend development, as well as the use of data structures and algorithms for matching user responses.

What's next for HERoines: In the future, we plan to expand HERoines to include more female figures in computer science and other fields. We also aim to enhance the user experience by adding more interactive features and educational content. Additionally, we hope to collaborate with schools and organizations to promote diversity and inclusion in STEM fields.