Imagine Astronomy Family Night
May 30, 2012
6pm-9pm
Double R Arena
320 Stable Lane
Rio Rico, AZ 85648
$5.00 per girl, female family members FREE
Get ready for a starry night! The Girl Scouts of Southern Arizona are unleashing the wonders of the universe at the 1st annual Imagine Astronomy Family Night on May 30th from 6 to 9 pm at Double R Arena. Imagine Astronomy Night will feature telescopic viewing, hands-on activities, and will celebrate the female pioneers in Astronomy. The event is $5.00 per girl and female family members are free so girls bring your mom, aunts, and grandmas too!
Imagine Astronomy Family Night seeks to expand girls’ universe in a whole new way. Led by Girl Scout STEM Director, Michelle Higgins, and Planetary Science Institute’s Senior Education Specialist Larry Lebofsky, the program will present experiments and demonstrations to supplement formal science curriculum and provide activities that can be easily repeated at home. Higgins can’t wait to kick off the event. “Astronomy Night really allows girls and families to see that everyone can be a scientist and that science is truly all around us! Another unique aspect of our program is its emphasis on family centered learning. We encourage the whole family to take part and create their own science experience, integrating both personal and cultural notions to help make science more relevant to their everyday life.”
Girl Scouts has a long history of engaging girls in STEM activities and encouraging girls to pursue STEM interests both in and outside of the classroom. Despite recent gains gender barriers persist. According to Girl Scout Research Institute’s Generation STEM Report about half of all girls feel that STEM isn’t a typical career path for girls. Moreover, 57% of girls say that if they went into a STEM career, they’d have to work harder than a man just to be taken seriously. Imagine Astronomy is one of many Girl Scout offerings that look to debunk this myth by introducing girls those working in the field and showing that science is truly for girls just as much as boys.
Parents, other family members, teachers, mentors, and advocates for girls can help with STEM education and exposure, as well as encouragement, so that girls develop the assets they need to take on and excel in these world-changing careers now and in the future. If you have an explorer, budding scientist in your family or are simply looking to try new things, come to Imagine Astronomy Family Night and see for yourself how much fun astronomy can be!
For more information on Imagine Astronomy contact Michelle Higgins, STEM Director at mhiggins@girlscoutssoaz.org.
About Girl Scouts
Girl Scouts is the world’s preeminent leadership development organization dedicated to helping build girls of courage, confidence, and character who make the world a better place. GSSoAz serves over 14,000 girls in Southern Arizona and includes over 3,000 adult volunteers. Our goals are to provide a wide range of contemporary programs that reflect the unique needs and interests of all girls living in Southern Arizona, to empower girls to reach their full potential, and to give girls a voice in their community and in their own lives. For more information on Girl Scouting in Southern Arizona, please contact Maria DeCabooter at (520) 319-3175.
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