?Spooky Science? and ?Girls and Gadgets?

The Sanford Underground Research Facility (Sanford Lab) has begun a partnership with Girl Scouts Dakota Horizons (GSDH), which serves 15,000 girls in North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota and Iowa. The Girl Scouts are committed to introducing girls of all ages to fields of study that are included under the umbrella term STEM, which stands for science, technology, engineering and mathematics. 

This fall, the Sanford Lab Education Department aided regional coordinators of GSDH in planning two STEM events. In Rapid City, S.D., a Spooky Science event on Oct. 26 drew 150 girls of all ages. Another 140 girls in grades K-8 participated in a ?Girls and Gadgets? STEM event in Bismarck, N.D. on November 17. Deputy Education and Outreach Director Peggy Norris and Science Education Specialist Julie Dahl ran activities on Rutherford Scattering/Indirect Evidence and Nanotechnology.

The Southwest Region of GSDH and the Sanford Lab Education Department also are working together to provide training for scout leaders, educators and volunteers in the use of SciGirls? material. The Sanford Lab Education Department is now running at five SciGirls? after-school sites in Rapid City, Spearfish and Belle Fourche. Education staff also are planning a family day at Sanford Lab for girl scouts and their families later this spring.