Girl Scouts to Become Engineers-For-A-Day

What: The Society of Women Engineers will conduct a Science in Action Badge Workshop for over 100 local Girl Scouts at the University of Rochester.

When: Saturday, January 26, 2002, 9:00 am - 3:30 pm.

Where: University of Rochester, Douglass Dining Center and Wilson Commons. Parking in Library Lot.

Who: The University of Rochester Society of Women Engineers presents this workshop for the Girl Scouts of Genesee Valley.

Why: To make girls ages 9-12 aware of the many career opportunities in mathematics, science, engineering and technology. This workshop provides access to female role models who are successful in these fields, as well as emphasizing the importance of pursuing math and science courses in junior high and high school as a way to pursue these careers. Junior Girl Scouts completing this workshop will earn a Science in Action badge.

Details: 9:15 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.:

Bridge Building Design Competition Girl Scouts will work together as teams of engineers to build bridges using a variety of materials including gum drops and chocolate. Each girl in the team is given a specific job with specific information, such as the maximum weight of the bridge, how much material to use, or how long it should be. The girls must them simulate real-world engineers as they learn about teamwork and engineering.

Tool Clues Professional women will bring in objects or "tools" from their jobs that give "clues" as to what they do for a living. Teams of Girl Scouts will guess their professions based on these clues. The clues range from hard hats to fuel cells.

World Wide Web Scavenger Hunt Through this hands-on session, Girl Scouts will be exposed to the basics of conducting Internet searches for such things as their addresses or the ratings for the favorite TV shows.

1:10-2:55 p.m.

Science and Technology Hunt, Wilson Commons Girl Scouts will perform several hands-on activities including writing a program to control a "robot." The robot will actually be a girl who will follow instructions to the letter to test whether the scouts' programming instructions are good enough to perform simple tasks like making a sandwich. The girls will also make silly putty and dissect several household appliances.

Girl Scouts of the USA is the world's pre-eminent organization for girls, with a membership of more than 3.6 million girls and adults. Today, as when founded in 1912, Girl Scouting helps cultivate values, social conscience and self-esteem in young girls, while also teaching them critical life skills that will enable them to succeed as adults. The Girl Scouts of Genesee Valley serves more than 13,000 girls, ages 5-17, and more than 4,600 adults in Genesee, Livingston, Monroe, Orleans, and Wyoming counties. Girls and adult volunteers wishing to join Girl Scouts may call 292-5160.