Girl Scout STEM van visits Arlee and Polson

The Girl Scouts of Montana and Wyoming will bring their mobile STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) van to the Arlee Community Development Corporation on Friday, June 23, from 10-11:30 a.m. and to the North Lake County Library in Polson from 3-4:30 p.m. that afternoon. The cargo-style van is equipped with solar to power the myriad technologies available to students, including 3D printers, microscopes, drones, and more.

“Our van is a great way to get girls excited about subjects related to STEM,” said Rachael Bahre, grants and marketing manager for the Girl Scouts of Montana and Wyoming. “Women and girls are underrepresented across all levels of STEM, and we aim to bridge the gap with this project.

“These activities expose girls to a lot of new ideas and new possibilities,” she added. “We hope to encourage their interest in studying STEM subjects that may possibly lead to careers in these fields.”

All programming is free and open to girls in grades K-12, whether they’re girl scouts or non-scout members.

“We’re pleased to host this resource for kids in the Arlee area,” said Marie Hirsch, executive director of the Arlee CDC. “It’s a good complement to our summer youth art program. We love giving them this unique opportunity to learn about STEM through a hands-on environment.”

The van will be traveling throughout Montana and Wyoming all summer. A schedule of the locations of its stops is available on the Girl Scouts of Montana and Wyoming website at gsmw.org.