With the semester quickly coming to an end, Girlstart wanted to remind our After School
participants of all the interesting activities and STEM-related careers they learned about
this semester. They split into teams and put their knowledge to the test playing a review
game over the last nine weeks. Questions covered all of the careers from the semester,
different types of energy, renewable vs. nonrenewable resources, and challenged girls to
give examples of what they had learned.

After the game, Girlstart’s STEM Crew leaders talked to the girls about making goals
for their lives. They talked about what types of classes they would need to take in high
school and how much schooling was required for different degrees. The girls also
discussed the importance of making goals in their personal lives with family and friends
so they have the support necessary to reach their educational and career goals. Each girl
made their own star, decorating it with their goals and dreams.

We recently caught up with Kimberly Chapman, one of Girlstart's biggest fans and advocates. Kimberly tells us about getting involved with Girlstart and helping us raise scholarship funds for summer camp.

Girlstart: How did you hear about Girlstart and how long have you been involved?

Kimberly: I think it was at some public event or other early on when we'd moved to Austin. I can't remember what or where.  Possibly the Wildflower Center.  I know that I took a flyer for a Spooktacular and brought Peo to it.  She got to play with cool science stuff and won the award for "Cutest" costume.  From that point on, I realized that GirlStart was a really cool organization that I wanted in our lives.

Girlstart: Tell us why you support Girlstart.

Space Day Texas 2013 is just around the corner! NASA will take over the Texas Capitol on March 19, 2013, for Space Day at the Capitol, a space exploration celebration. This year’s theme is “Human Exploration: the Journey Continues.” The day will include space exhibits, demonstrations and hands-on activities for students, legislative proclamations and an astronaut appearance. Visitors also have the chance to experience NASA’s mobile space exhibit, “Driven to Explore,” which includes a chance to touch an almost 4-billion-year-old moon rock.

Visitors can view exhibits in the Capitol rotunda and along Colorado Street from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. An astronaut autograph session at the Capitol is scheduled for 1:15 - 2:15 p.m.

Come by Girlstart's booth to design your very own asteriod lander!

For more information on Space Week Texas 2013, visit http://www.nasa.gov/centers/johnson/events/sed.html.

In our fifth week of Girlstart's After School programs, Girlstart's participants first created a polluted water sample representing the effects that human activity can have on the environment. Then, acting as environmental engineers, the girls created filters out of various materials to clean the polluted water. They used coffee filters combined with layers of rocks, sand, or cotton to catch the pollutants in the water as it traveled through the filter. Based on how clean their water was, they revised their filters to make it more effective.