A-MAZE-ing Teamwork. Robot Brains. Crack the Code.
Those are a few of the exciting workshops coming soon at Girl Scouts Heart of Central California’s STEM Center + MakerSpace, which opened this month in Sacramento.
The region’s first all-girl STEM Center was designed to help inspire innovation among local girls, and help bridge the gender gap in STEM careers.
In addition to learning about robot brains, girls who visit the center (register online at girlscoutshcc.org) have the opportunity to learn about engineering, robotics, biology and environmental science. They will also have the chance to learn how to use state-of-the-art tech tools such as laser cutters and 3D printers. Through a variety of structured and open-format activities girls will be encouraged to embrace the spirit of scientific discovery in their lives.
Intel Corporation, a key partner in the development of the new STEM Center + MakerSpace, shares Girl Scouts’ focus on the development of a new generation of STEM professionals. “At Intel, we are committed to opening doors to opportunity for girls here in Northern and Central California, and we believe this STEM Center + Makerspace will inspire these girls and give them the skills they’ll need to become future innovators,” says Courtney Martin, Intel Public Affairs Director.
The STEM Center + MakerSpace focuses on three key aspects of STEM: Engineering, Programming, and Biology & Environmental Science. The center also includes a MakerSpace that encourages the use of design thinking and collaborative problem solving.
In keeping with the Girl Scouts’ tradition of encouraging girls to take the lead, this unique space has been developed in concert with a task force of local girl innovators. “We are all innovators in our own way,” observes Teevyah Yuva Raju, a senior at Mira Loma High School in Sacramento and co-chair of the STEM Center task force. She also serves as one of Girl Scouts of the USA’s National Girl Innovators, where she works to develop programming to serve girls nationwide.
GSHCC’s new STEM Center + MakerSpace is consistent with a national emphasis on helping girls connect with their inner innovators.
Research shows that America’s status as the world’s leader in innovation may be at risk as our country’s development in STEM-focused industries continues to decline. In a 2015 Pew Research Center report, only 29% of Americans rated their country’s K-12 education in STEM subjects as “above average” or “the best in the world.” A companion survey of members of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) found that just 16% called U.S. K-12 STEM education the best or above average. A whopping 46% called K-12 STEM education “below average.”
The STEM Center + MakerSpace is located at GSHCC’s regional program center at 6601 Elvas Avenue in Sacramento. To learn more about Girl Scouts and the STEM Center + MakerSpace, visit girlscoutadvantage.org
