Theresa Dardanell
Girls can be anything they want to be…even a rocket scientist. That was the theme of the “Girls Only” STEM Day at the United States Naval Academy on Saturday, October 15, 2016. Four middle school girls from Thurmont Middle School attended the free all-day event, where they attended workshops in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics). They also had the opportunity to work with female midshipmen and faculty who have jobs in fields traditionally held by men. Candace Desonier, Advanced Academic Specialist at Thurmont Middle School, said that this opportunity encourages girls to enter careers in STEM.
On October 17, 2016, I met with students Andrea (Andie) Leach (seventh grade), Ava and Ana Morlier (sixth grade), and Sophia DeGennaro (eighth grade), along with Candace Desonier, at Thurmont Middle School. The students were excited to share their experiences with me. The girls spent the morning of STEM Day rotating through several stations. “What about water” station gave them the opportunity to do some problem-solving involving surface tension. The chemistry station dealt with elements and compounds and how they react to one another. In the mindstorm station, they programmed a “rover” to go through a maze. In the physics lab, they learned more about light waves, using hydrogen lamps and prisms.
They all agreed that the afternoon building challenge was the most fun. The purpose was to create something to replicate the Mars Rover. Without the aid of computer programming, they had to use their ingenuity—along with everyday items—to build a car holding a cup of sand and get it to move twelve inches with only one human action, or to create a contraption that would lift a cup of sand three inches off the table.
The girls have already started to think about their future. Sophia is looking forward to a career as a microbiologist. Andie finds engineering fascinating and wants to learn more. Although Ava and Ana are only in sixth grade, they already have an interest in the STEM fields and plan to learn more about the possibilities.
