The United States STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) gap is widening each year. In an article published by U.S. News and World Report in August 2018, statistics were cited that projected the STEM gap in manufacturing alone would lead to 2 million unfilled jobs by 2025.

The Girl Scouts of the Southern Appalachians (GSCSA) wants to change these statistics by getting girls involved in STEM and showing them what amazing futures they can have in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and math. One way of introducing girls to the world of STEM is through STEM Badge Days, such as the one recently hosted by King University.

This was the first time King University has hosted a Girl Scout STEM Badge Day. This event was open to Juniors and Cadettes who were interested in learning more about cybersecurity and coding. The day started off with a welcome from Becky Lunsford, GSCSA’s Community Relations Manager, and Assistant Professor of Mathematics Wendy Traynor. Wendy is also the Director of the Math Center at King and is the Faculty Advisor for King’s Women in STEM Club. Members of this club led the workshops for the girls, so this was an all-female event!  

Wendy Traynor (front) along with some of the Women in STEM who helped at this event.

The cybersecurity portion of the workshop taught girls about various types of cryptography (some dating back to ancient Greece) and the tools used to create such coded messages. The girls practiced decoding messages using cipher wheels, Jefferson wheels, pigpens, scytales (pronounced skit-a-lee-s), and Polybius squares. You may be wondering what creating and decoding messages with pencil and paper has to do with modern cybersecurity. Today, cryptography is used on the web and in databases to disguise data so only certain users can view and obtain it. Algorithms scrabble the information, and then unscramble it when the right person requests it.

Another faucet of cybersecurity is knowing how to stay safe online. The girls watched videos that discussed topics such as how to recognize a spam email, who you shouldn’t talk to online, and how to create strong passwords. 

Deciphering messages using a cipher wheel, Polybius square, and a Jefferson wheel. 

The coding-focused portion of the workshop let girls practice their coding skills using an online programming language called Scratch to create animations. Users could choose a background image, pick an avatar (character), and then drag-and-drop bits of code to make the character dance. 

After they had played around with Scratch, the girls got the chance to see a more tangible expression of controlling something through code. They used a phone app to control robots Dash and Dot.

They could program Dash to move, spin in a circle, change the color of his lights, make animal sounds, and repeat a recorded message. Dash could even be programmed to interact with Dot. There were three different Dashes on hand, so girls worked in groups lead by a member of Women in STEM. 

Creating and coding with Scratch

Dash was a big hit with the girls.

The Girl Scouts who participated enjoyed themselves. “I like everything about STEM,” said Junior Winteress. Juniors Scarlett and Elaina said they like learning about coding and computer science. Cadette Jocie said that she likes engineering. Some attendees already have a STEM career in mind; like Junior Averie, who wants to be a robotics engineer when she grows up. “It [the event] was fun,” Cadette Zoe put simply.

Juniors who participated earned their Cybersecurity Investigator badge and Coding Basics badge. Cadettes earned their Cybersecurity Basics badge and Coding Basics badge. Both groups also earned a special King University “Future Women in STEM” patch. Girls were also given a t-shirt so that they can show-off their love of all things STEM! 

To find more STEM-related activities that Girl Scouts of all ages can participate in, please visit our Activities Calendar. We are constantly adding new events!