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Girls get hands-on lessons in science and engineering

Local Girl Guides participating in National Engineering Month will earn engineering badges and a new perspective on the sciences.

THUNDER BAY - Girl Guides in Thunder Bay were working hard at earning their next badge, but leaders hope the most recent hands-on activity will provide a stepping stone into sciences, technology, and engineering.

On Saturday, the Thunder Bay Chapter of the Ontario Association of Certified Engineering Technicians and Technologist hosted 50 Girl Guides at Nordmin Engineering. The daylong event, celebrating National Engineering Month, included activities like bridge building, math, a 3D modeling.

“The girls were over the moon excited,” said Therese Pettigrew, an administrative community leader with the Thunder Bay Girl Guides. “We have a capacity for 50 today and we had 75 people express interest in participating.”

The girl guides will earn their engineering badge by participating in the event, while the pathfinders received a science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) badge.

And while earning an additional badge is always rewarding for the girls, Pettigrew hopes exposure to sciences and technology may encourage girls to enter the field.

“We always hope the girls will have a better appreciation for STEM and consider going into STEM in the future, even in courses in school, but maybe even as a career,” she said.

For Pettigrew, who discovered her interest in geology at a young age, exposure for young girls is important it generating interest in fields that are generally dominated by men.

“When you look at science and technology, those disciplines, there is far less than 50 per cent participation of women in those careers,” she said. “We always hope to get to girls before or at the junior high school level to encourage them and help them realize that science is fun. It doesn’t have to be frightening, math isn’t scary and they can go into it.”

One of the most exciting events was building a 14-inch long bridge using only 200 popsicle sticks. The design of the bridges were completely up to the girls and they were tested for durability and weight.

The girls also had an opportunity to design their ideal campsite using Nordmin’s 3D modelling software.

“They were choosing fun activities for the girls to do,” Pettigrew said. “And when you realize that math isn’t scary, that it isn’t all memorization, that there are fun applications for it, it doesn’t have to be this frightening thing you do at school. It can be something that is useful for everyday life.”

For 14-year-old, Emma Haliuk, science and technology is already an interest for her and being able to try out these skills with hands-on activities with engineers provides her with lessons she wouldn’t receive otherwise.

“It’s something I can bring back into the classroom and use in school,” she said. “I found out I do have a skill within them. Having that has broadened my horizons and given me a greater interest.”

This is the second time 15-year-old, Grace Dawson, has participated in National Engineering Month with the Girl Guides. She said the first time she did it she learned a lot about sciences and engineering.

And while Dawson said she may not be considering a career in sciences and technologies, she knows how valuable exposure to these skills are for her fellow Girl Guides, especially the younger ones.

“I think they need to know what they want to do when they are older, so if they open their eyes to something when they are younger they can have more time to think about it,” she said.  

 



Doug Diaczuk

About the Author: Doug Diaczuk

Doug Diaczuk is a reporter and award-winning author from Thunder Bay. He has a master’s degree in English from Lakehead University
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