Laboratories collaborate to help Girls Inc. in Santa Fe

Los Alamos and Sandia volunteers bring STEM activities to summer camp

October 19, 2022

Girls Inc1 Opt
Campers at Girls Inc. created their own rubber band cars during their STEM Day with LANL and Sandia.

What’s better than volunteers from one national laboratory helping with science activities at a summer camp for girls? Volunteers from two national laboratories, of course!

Women in STEM groups from Los Alamos and Sandia National Laboratories teamed up this summer to inspire summer campers at nonprofit Girls Inc. in Santa Fe. 

“I’ve been working with Sandia on brainstorming events and initiatives we can partner on, and Sandia invited us to join them this year for their participation in the Girls Inc. Summer Camp,” says Kayla Norris, community outreach specialist with LANL’s Community Partnerships Office. 

Five volunteers from each Laboratory helped around 70 girls ranging from age 5-14 with a range of hands-on activities including making rubber band cars, learning about geology and experimenting with coding.

Girls Inc2
Valerie Steinhaus, a solutions architect at LANL worked with Dana Turon, a Sandia mechanical engineer, to make binary-encoded solar bead bracelets with the campers.

 

“It was great to bring a fun and educational experience to the girls, and was the first of hopefully many other opportunities to bring LANL and Sandia STEM professionals together on education and community programs,” says Norris.