Girl Scout STEM van coming to Havre

Staff and wire report

Girls in this area have a chance to learn a bit more about science, technology, engineering and math this week with a special unit coming to Havre Friday.

Girl Scouts of Montana and Wyoming announced it will be bringing its Mobile STEM Learning Center to Havre to be at the Havre Girl Scout House at 420 Fifth Ave. Friday from 9 - 10:30 a.m.

All programming is free and open to girls in grades K-12, a release from Girl Scouts of Montana and Wyoming said.

The release said the Mobile STEM Learning Center is a new resource to Girl Scouts of Montana and Wyoming the organization will use to provide educational programming to girls across 78 communities in Montana and Wyoming.

The cargo-style van is equipped with solar to power the myriad of technology available to youth, including 3D printers, microscopes, virtual reality headsets and drones, the release said.

“The Mobile STEM Learning Center will show possibilities, provide knowledge, and give hands-on STEM experience to girls at an early age,” the release said. “While more than half of the U.S. workforce is female, less than one quarter of STEM careers are held by women. From their initial interest in STEM as a child to majoring in a STEM subject in college to pursuing a STEM career as an adult, the gender disparity needs to change at every stage of girls’ and women’s STEM engagement.”

The release adds that because about 67% of the population in Montana and Wyoming live in rural areas, that translates to hurdles that can include a lack of access to honors courses, high-level technology business exposure and creates limited access to quality curriculum and vigorous and engaging math and science courses.

“The Mobile STEM Learning Center will allow (Girl Scouts of Montana and Wyoming) to create and optimize an environment where girls explore freely, expand their perspectives, and hopefully pique their interest and confidence to explore STEM even more,” the release said.

To find other additional tour dates or to learn more about this project, people can visit https://www.gsmw.org or contact Briana Rickman at [email protected] or at 406-252-0488.