Eleventh Annual Samsung STEM Challenges Invites Girl Scouts to Practice Engineering Design
October 09, 2024
2024’s galaxy-themed challenge encourages exploration at the intersection of science and engineering.
On October 11 – 13, 125 local Girl Scouts in grades 4-8 will be challenged to become engineers as they participate in the 11th annual Samsung STEM Challenge. Participants will engage in a series of Mars landing-related problem-solving scenarios, encouraging Girl Scouts to work as teams using scientific methods and engineering approaches to address the challenge scenarios. One of the most popular recurring programs on the Girl Scouts of Central Texas (GSCTX) calendar, the Samsung STEM Challenge has served over 1700 girls over 11 years, driving STEM exploration and building STEM confidence among participants.
Today, women represent 47 percent of the U.S. workforce but only 34 percent of workers in STEM fields. Recognizing the need to increase diversity in STEM and bring more individuals into STEM careers to meet the needs of our thriving community, Samsung Austin Semiconductor and Girl Scouts of Central Texas joined forces eleven years ago to create an in-depth, hands-on program helping girls build their skills and confidence in science and engineering. Over the 11-year lifespan of this program, women’s representation in STEM fields has increased by 10 percent, demonstrating the positive impact of such specialized programming.
During this year's event, Girl Scouts will work in teams to complete a space-themed mission to build a solar-powered rover, prototype a robotic arm capable of collecting specimens, simulate a Mars space landing, and complete an astronaut obstacle course. Within each challenge, Girl Scouts will hypothesize, build, test, and optimize their solution designs.
Samsung STEM Challenge is just one of the many youth-centered, in-depth STEM experiences funded by Samsung Austin Semiconductor in the Austin community. Samsung Austin Semiconductor’s long-standing collaboration with GSCTX and the University of Texas at Austin Women in STEM (WiSTEM) focuses on bridging the STEM gap for girls by providing early and sustained out-of-school time programs and experiences designed to spark girls' curiosity in STEM. Together, Girl Scouts and WiSTEM keep that flame ignited through continuous support for girls' exploration of STEM career pathways to encourage higher education in a STEM field. By providing STEM experiences to introduce girls to a range of STEM disciplines and careers and creating pathways to immersive experiences, including STEM camps, STEM challenges, and Girl Scout robotics teams, GSCTX and WiSTEM provide girls with opportunities to build STEM competencies and help place them on a trajectory to a career in STEM.
“Samsung Austin Semiconductor is proud to advance the problem-solving, creativity and critical thinking of girls to increase their interest and awareness of STEM through our partnership with the Girl Scouts of Central Texas," said Michele Glaze, director of community affairs at Samsung Austin Semiconductor. "We believe this investment in our community will provide girls with more opportunities to see themselves in STEM fields, which ultimately gives them an opportunity to have an impact on the world."
If you would like more information about the Samsung STEM Challenge or would like to attend the event to witness girls practicing hands-on problem-solving in real time, contact Kursten Mitchell at kurstenm@gsctx.org or at 512-417-5311.
