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Highlights from Girlstart’s Boys and Girls Club of Greater Lowell Summer Program

Take it to the Streets! Thank you to Boys and Girls Club of Greater Lowell for hosting our Girlstart Summer Program July 15-19. It was an experience they will never forget!

This past week, the girls became city planners and learned all about the ins and outs of what goes into a city – from engineering roads to designing greenspaces to learning about different energy solutions.

Starting with a small city, the girls first learned about the components of a city and what to consider when deciding where those go. Then, they expanded their cities with roadways and skyscrapers, exploring the engineering side of city planning.

The girls also explored how nature interacts with big cities. Making their own compost, building filtration systems, and designing greenspaces showed the girls how important it is to remember the environment!

Cities are always using new technology! The girls used their coding skills to program their own autonomous cars. Each girl personalized their own vehicle and then programmed it to navigate the city and even parallel park!

On Friday, the girls presented all of their hard work to friends and families at the Showcase. We are so thankful for everyone who visited for supporting girls in STEM!

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Highlights from Girlstart’s Ready, Set, Rescue Summer Camp

Girlstart to the rescue! During our Ready, Set, Rescue camp, campers learned how to safely engineer buildings and designed new products for rescuing people out of dangerous situations.

First, the girls learned about natural disasters like earthquakes, hurricanes, and wildfires. With that knowledge, they were able to engineer buildings able to withstand strong winds, rain, and shaking, as well as create their own fire-resistant soil blend.

Rescuers need special equipment to keep both themselves and the people they are saving safe. The girls tested various materials and then used those to build insulated gloves for people that work in ice and snow and durable shoes for rescue dogs. They tested the buoyancy of various materials and built rescue boats for flood victims out of those materials.

Campers also explored ways technology can be used to keep people safe. Using green screen technology, the girls filmed their own weather forecast segments to warn people about how to prepare for their day. They also programmed rescue robots and drones for saving people out of places too dangerous for human rescuers to go.

On Friday, the campers displayed all of their hard work and projects for friends and family to see. Thank you to everyone that visited to support girls in STEM!

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Highlights from Girlstart’s Get a Clue Summer Camp

Someone has stolen the popsicles from Girlstart! Campers spent their week learning about how to analyze clues from the crime scene to eliminate suspects and reveal the identity of the Popsicle Thief.

Campers took a  very close look at fingerprints, hair, and blood under microscopes. By examining each piece of evidence, the campers were able to eliminate some of their suspects. They narrowed down their suspects even further by analyzing footprints, DNA left behind at the crime scene, and used other clues to solve the case!

The Popsicle Thief also left behind a coded note at the crime scene that helped guide the campers to the thief! Using their cryptography skills, the girls were able to decode the message. They also used chemistry to analyze the ink used to write the note, getting them closer to solving this mystery.

Having identified the Popsicle Thief, all that was left was to find the stolen popsicles! The girls used all of the skills they had learned during the week to follow a series of clues that led them straight to the hidden popsicles. The next day, all the campers celebrated their hard work with a popsicle party!

On Friday, the girls showcased all of the projects they had made during the week to their friends and family. Thank you to everyone who visited to support girls in STEM!

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Highlights from Girlstart’s Oakland Unity Middle School Summer Camp

Girlstart on Deck! Thank you to Oakland Unity Middle School for hosting Girlstart Summer Camp July 8-12! It was such a great opportunity to empower girls in STEM.

This week at camp, the campers explored the ocean from its surface to its sandy floor. They learned all about how to engineer equipment for the water while also taking care of the ocean and the creatures in it.

Campers engineered their own pulley systems for hoisting and lowering lifeboats off a ship, making sure that they would be completely safe in case of an emergency. The girls also learned about different kinds of propulsion and looked at how propellers can be used to push boats through the water. They also became aeronautical engineers to design model hang gliders!

While building things to go in the water is fun, we have to be careful to not damage the ocean environment and the creatures that live in it. The girls learned about ocean pollution and the danger it poses to organisms that live there. They then designed their own water filters to make water cleaner. Campers learned about plastic pollution and how to reduce their use by reusing materials. They made their own tote bags out of old Girlstart shirts!

Using virtual reality, the girls were able to explore coral reefs up close. Not only did they learn about the reefs, but virtual reality itself and what that technology can be used for. Finally, girls got to model and then 3D print their own cruise ships!

On Friday, the girls displayed all of their projects for family and friends to see. Thank you to everyone who visited to celebrate the girls’ hard work and empower them in pursuing STEM!

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