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Photo by John Wagner

Photo by John Wagner

From virtual reality to physical therapy, the local Girl Scouts introduced over 100 local junior scouts to careers in science at the Unversity of Alaska Fairbanks.

The girls descended on the Reichardt Building, Arctic Region Supercomputing Center, UA Museum of the North and Institute of Arctic Biology Greenhouse for the 2008 Junior Day, an event that happens once every three years. Led through various stations by local women in science-related careers, the girls got hands-on experience in a diverse array of scientific fields.

The stations ranged from the organic sciences to cutting edge electronics. Girls explored over 10 stations including physics, neuroscience, endangered species and insects.

Geologists Becky Morgan and Stephanie Mrozek from Fairbanks Gold Mining Inc., taught the girls how to pan for gold. While learning gold-panning technique, they also got a history lesson about gold in Alaska.

“People only think gold is for jewelry, but it has a lot of other purposes,” Morgan said as she swirled her pan separating the dirt and rocks from gold.

After trying to spot the gold in Morgan’s pan, it was the girls’ turn to find their own, although not everyone was keeping their eyes on the prize. One of the scouts asked Morgan if she could take home a rock she found in her pan.

“We’re looking for gold, lady!” Cara Hurd, the group’s chaperone and leader of Troop 104, said.

Across the building, another group of girls learned about the small world of microchips and other electronic elements with Nilima Hullavarad, a researcher at the UAF Office of Electronic Miniaturization.

Hullavarad unlocked the secret of how cell phones, laptops, projects and calculators worked. She also showed the girls advancements such as bendable electronic components.

One of the group’s chaperone and Troop 39 leader, Nancy Dreydoppel, was participating in her third Junior Day and said she has seen the lasting effect of the event. Some of her troop members have gone on to do science fair projects based on presentations at Junior Day.

“It’s always interesting, because it’s more science than what they read in the books at school,” Dreydoppel said.

During the second station, Dreydoppel’s group learned about insects with Laura Carstens Conner, the education outreach director at the museum. When it was time to start interacting with live crickets and butterflies, Dreydoppel’s girls had mixed reactions. Some couldn’t wait to have a butterfly rest on them, while others were horrified at the idea of touching the insects.

But even if bugs aren’t the specific career path for the girls, Dreydoppel said she noticed her troop leave Junior Day asking more questions about science in general.

Unlike Dreydoppel, this is Morgan’s first time at Junior Day. She said the event was important for the girls because it taught them women can succeed in science.

“They should be well aware they can do anything,” Morgan said.