Science, Technology, Engineering and Math: Oh My! Booz Allen and Girl Scouts Inspire Girls to Stay Involved in STEM
Madison Merritt’s laughter was infectious as she flung around a stick covered with extracted strawberry DNA. “I want to continue doing science experiments because you never know what the answer is going to be,” said the fifth grader who recently attended Booz Allen Hamilton’s Make the Connection (MTC) mentor program in partnership with Girl Scouts Nation’s Capital (GSNC). The third event of a four-part platform designed to develop smart and capable young women, Make the Connection encourages girls to stay involved in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM).
At MTC’s most recent STEM-focused event, 65 fourth and fifth-grade Girl Scouts had the chance to participate in four hands-on activities to pique their STEM interest as well as mingle with 20 of Booz Allen’s best and brightest STEM leaders.
“If you don’t have a parent in this field, you get less exposure to STEM. So this event lets them get exposed in a cool, no-parents way and just have fun,” said Michelle Czirjak, a Systems Engineer for Booz Allen.
Throughout the day girls took part in a variety of activities that made use of STEM principles in fun, interesting ways. The Girl Scouts ran from station to station extracting strawberry DNA, designing heat and waterproof S’mores packaging within a budget, communicating detailed computing-style instructions, and building viable load-bearing structures out of dry spaghetti and marshmallows. With each activity focusing on a different STEM element, they were exposed to potential careers including aerospace engineering, microbiology, architecture and civil engineering, industrial design and packaging, and computer programming and logic analysis.
Studies show that girls’ confidence and interest in STEM begins to decline between 4th and 6th grade. Make the Connection is designed to keep girls interested in STEM during those critical years, while encouraging them to explore their own skills, aptitudes and interests.
“Over 2,000 Girl Scouts have been served by this program in its 11-year history. It started as a twinkle in someone’s eye and through constant innovation and teamwork among our volunteers and the Girl Scouts, is now a well-oiled machine. It’s been a pleasure to be affiliated with this program and to be part of such a great organization. I’m so proud of our Booz Allen women and men who volunteer to serve as mentors for this program,” said Booz Allen senior vice president and Girl Scout Gold Award alumna Natalie Givans.
So, let’s hear it for the girls! Check out the Make the Connection Program in action by visiting our album on Flickr.
