By: Hannah Bruno
The Samsung STEM Challenge is always a highlight for Girl Scouts across Central Texas, and with a winning combination of friends, innovative, brain-teasing tasks, and a weekend at beautiful Camp Texlake, it’s not difficult to see why the event is always such a hit. This year, over 150 Junior and Cadette Girl Scouts geared up for a mission to Mars, using their creativity and teamwork to complete challenges based on various aspects of space exploration. From building a launch pad to constructing a landing pod to engineering an extraterrestrial habitat, the galactic explorers spent three days among the stars. While the whole weekend was basically the best weekend ever, there are a few fantastic happenings that made it an event to remember. In no particular order, here are eight (inter)stellar moments from the 2019 Samsung STEM Galaxy Challenge.
Going to Girl Scout Camp: The Samsung STEM Challenge blends the traditions of Girl Scouting with cutting-edge STEM programming. What could be better than getting into the great outdoors and discovering the great unknowns?
Working with Mentors: What sets Girl Scout events apart from the STEM education a girl gets in a standard classroom? Access to real-world professionals working in fields the girls are exploring. Over the weekend, girls worked directly with engineers from Samsung to solve their challenges in ways that can one day be applied to a STEM career. How awesome is that?!
Dance Party: After a long weekend of using straight brainpower, the girls traded in their thinking caps for their dancing shoes.
Samsung Panel: If she can see it, she can be it – that’s the unofficial motto of Girl Scouts of Central Texas. Seven women engineers from Samsung Austin Semiconductor spoke to the girls about their roles at Samsung and their paths to STEM careers, and shared advice they would have given to themselves at a younger age. One recommendation shared here: “You don’t have to be the best, but you should always do your best.”
Building Teams: A little friendly competition never hurt anyone, but this year’s challenge was more about learning. Though girls created team names and banners, the groups were not competing against each other. Why, you may ask? Simple- because STEM exploration is all about trying and failing, and we wanted the challenges to reflect that spirit!
Making New Friends- The best part of being a Girl Scout is being surrounded by people who are very different from you, learning about them, and then building long-lasting friendships. You know how it goes – make new friends, but keep the old, one is silver, and the other’s gold.
Chat with Astronaut: Attendees at the STEM challenge had the chance to learn from Dr. Peggy Whitson, an astronaut who has spent more logged hours in outer space than any other American. Dr. Whitson discussed the paths in her life that lead her to where she is today and inspired the girls to blaze their own trail of exploration. Also, she let everyone know that she does, in fact, believe there is life on other planets!
Trying, Failing, Trying Again, and Conquering the Samsung STEM Challenges: The name of the STEM game is trial and error! As they built structures like robotic arms and landing pods, the space explorers learned that resiliency is key in any STEM profession.
Girl Scouts of Central Texas hosts STEM programs all year long. If you missed out on the Samsung STEM Challenge this year, you can still find plenty of other opportunities to explore the world of science, technology, engineering, and math on our event calendar.
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