The collaboration between the Girl Scouts of America and CARMMHA created an unparalleled opportunity for kids to experience marine mammal science careers.
Kids in several coastal communities across the nation, including San Diego, New Orleans, and Chicago, learned about the detrimental consequences pollution can have on the environment and why it is important to maintain a healthy ecosystem for all living creatures. Unique hands-on activities were created which were presented by marine mammal veterinarians and other STEM professionals.
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The CARMMHA Consortium includes many women leaders in the fields of environmental health, conservation science, and marine mammal medicine. We approached this as a unique opportunity to inspire young girls across the country to pursue similar paths, particularly those living in impacted Gulf communities. Girls are increasingly losing interest in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) careers by the 8th grade.
The specific goals of this effort included:
(1) Celebrating our youth’s STEM potential, especially in the context
of being good stewards of the environment; (2) Bringing awareness to the scientific process and practices of a GoMRI-supported collaborative consortium; (3) Creating opportunities that build girl’s confidence in their STEM capabilities through pursuing STEM projects, with a goal of earning a GoMRI-inspired patch; and (4) Nurturing a community that supports girls’ aspirations to pursue STEM careers, particularly those that would conserve Gulf community resources.
We have reached over 1,100 Girl Scouts and students so far and we’re not done yet!
