With ticket sales topping 2,500 and more than 40 vendors on hand, this expo ranks as the largest girl-serving STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) event in the area. Girls learned about physics, velocity and kinetic energy by powering a human-sized hamster wheel and riding a custom-styled hoverboard. Others practiced forensic science by using blood typing, hair analysis and fingerprinting skills to solve the mystery of the stolen Girl Scout cookies.
Advancing STEM activities with girls is a mission of Girl Scouts. “As the largest youth-serving nonprofit in Georgia, we are committed to exciting girls about the sciences. STEM-related jobs in Georgia are expected to increase almost 20 percent in the next three years and we want to prepare girls for careers in these fields,” said Amy Dosik, Chief Executive Officer of the Girl Scouts of Greater Atlanta.
But even parents of girls who are years away from looking for their first job see the value of exposing their daughters to STEM. “Too many girls do not see a future in STEM career paths and as parents we need to actively encourage them from a young age to stay engaged. This event was a great way to do that in a fun and captivating environment,” said Tania Gourley, the mother of a Girl Scout Brownie.
Also on-hand at STEM Expo was the Girl Scout robotics team, The RoboChicks. They led a hands-on demonstration with the underwater robot that helped them earn both state and national awards for overall, presentation and performance. Seven year old Kaitlyn was impressed with what she saw. “Wow, girls can build robots? I need to learn how to do that.”
Girl Scout troops for the 2015-16 school year are still being formed. Sign up at Join.GirlScoutsATL.org.
