Materials List: Earth Day Extravaganza

We are so excited for you to participate in Girlstart’s Earth Day Extravaganza! Gather your materials and join us on Earth Day, April 22, for hands-on STEM fun.

DIY Plant Press – Dallas Arboretum

Absorbent paper
Cardboard
Leaf and flower cuttings
2 pieces of wood
2 utility straps, webbing belts, or large zip ties

Oil Spill Clean-Up

Cocoa powder (approximately 1 tablespoon)
Cotton ball
Dishwashing detergent (“grease-fighting” detergent works best)
Paper towels
Plastic bin or container
2 small bowls
Spoon
Tablespoon measure
Vegetable oil (approximately 4 tablespoons)
Water

Pinwheels and Wind Energy

Paper
Pencil with eraser
Scissors
Tape
Thumbtack or T-pin

T-Shirt Upcycling

Old t-shirt (size adult medium or larger shirts work best)
Permanent or fabric maker
Ruler
Scissors

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April 15, 2021April 20, 2021

Virtual Guest Speakers

This semester, Girlstart continued offering our After School at Home program. After School at Home was created for girls to be brave, creative, and curious as they engage in fun, hands-on STEM activities, explore different careers, and get inspired by women in STEM from wherever they are this semester.

Throughout the months of March and April, guest speakers joined us via Zoom to share their STEM stories, experiences, and challenges, and have inspired countless girls to pursue their dreams. These meetings have fostered a community of young girls across the country who have witnessed the hard work, passion, and resilience of some of the most compelling female leaders in the STEM workforce.

A big thank you to the 44 guest speakers who joined these calls from companies such as DPR Construction, NASA, Lung Therapeutics, Applied Materials, Chevron, Hanger, Silicon Valley Bank, Golder, 3M, Dell, AstraFemina, and more.

We are so thankful for the overflow of generosity from our volunteers in helping grow the love of STEM among young girls!

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April 14, 2021April 13, 2021

Kirby Tyndall

Girlstart’s Women in STEM weekly series highlights various women who are making a difference in STEM. Be inspired as these incredible women describe how they became interested in their field, provide insight into a day in the life, and share learnings from their experiences.

Kirby Tyndall

Senior Consulting Toxicologist @ Golder

Kirby volunteered during the summer of 2020 by helping hand out camp kits and we are so thankful that she has decided to volunteer with Girlstart again. She likes solving problems with science and is excited about helping girls see how interesting STEM can be!

What kind of work does your job entail?
I have worked as an environmental consultant for 30 years, helping clients clean up contamination and determining if air, soil, sediment, fish, food, and other items are “safe” for people to breathe, eat, touch, etc.

Do you have a specific person, program, or event in your life that led you to become an environmental consultant?
My 5th grade science teacher let me and a couple other kids conduct a several month long project with rats where we varied their diets with healthy food and unhealthy food (white bread and soda). That project really inspired my inquisitive side and helped me understand how the scientific method could be used to figure out so many things.

Why do you think confidence in STEM is important for girls?
Children and young adults are more likely to choose subjects and careers in subjects they feel confident in and having more girls in STEM fields is good for the girls and really the world.

What would you like to tell girls who are interested in pursuing a STEM career?
Never give up on your pursuit of knowledge! STEM courses can be really challenging but they are also really interesting and, through science, many problems can be solved.