Girl Scouts from all over Hampton Roads are learning that science can be fun during the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) programs offered at Norfolk State University with the Girl Scout Council of Colonial Coast. 

NSU has already held two sessions and plan to hold another one in June. At the previous sessions, NSU graduate students guided the girls through hands-on activities which included learning about the color spectrum, cells and genes, Web site development, and how to create their own slime.  Sandra DeLoatch, dean of NSU’s College of Science, Engineering and Technology, serves as chair of the Girl Scout Council of Colonial Coast’s Board of Directors.        She has attended the sessions and encouraged each girl to continue exploring her abilities in these fields.

“It’s very important to have these programs for girls,” said DeLoatch.  “They grow up hearing ‘Girls don’t do engineering’ or ‘Girls don’t do science.’  Our goal is to get them involved to see that they can and that it’s fun.”

In Girl Scouting, fun and learning go hand-in-hand.  Through experiential hands-on learning and close interactions with positive adult role models, Girl Scouts are exposed to topics and events that go beyond what they learn in the classroom.  Even more, Girl Scouting provides the safe, all-girl environment that studies show make girls less likely to worry how others perceive them, and more likely to take chances to explore their talents and interests.

“The all-girl environment is important,” DeLoatch agrees, “because where girls might be overpowered or intimidated by boys in the co-ed environment, Girl Scout activities help them build the confidence they need to stand out and achieve more when they are then mixed with the boys.”

The Girl Scout Council of Colonial Coast is always looking for adult volunteers to share their talents and expertise with young girls.  Girl Scouting welcomes both men and women, young and old, and people from all backgrounds to volunteer to change the life of a girl.  For more information on the many volunteer opportunities that can fit into any schedule, contact Dale McClure at    (757) 547-4405, ext 239 or www.gsccc.org.

 

NSU Students Excel at Computer Science Olympiad On March 19-22, 2009, 14 NSU students attended the First Annual ARTSI Student Research Conference and the Spelman College Computer Science Olympiad, which were held at Spelman College in Atlanta, GA. The CS Olympiad is a competition where teams of undergraduate students participate in five different contests: robotics, hardware design, Google Gadget development, cryptography, and general computer science knowledge.  This year, 20 teams from 12 different universities and colleges competed: Florida A&M University, Hampton University, Howard University, Jackson State University, Morehouse College, North Carolina A&T State University, Norfolk State University, Spelman College, University of Arkansas Pine Bluff, University of D.C., Voorhees College, and Winston-Salem State University.  The NSU teams were: Team Sparta - Benjamin Bond, David Oluwatimi, Amanda Webb, Kwame Martin Team NSU - William Shellington, Michael Chase, Jasmine Berry, Tremaine Rawls With a 1st place win in Robotics, a 2nd place win in Hardware Design, a 3rd place win in Google Gadgets, and a higher overall score than any other team, Team NSU became the Grand Champions!  The team received a Kodak 7MP digital camera, five games of their choice for each team member, a Microsoft wireless keyboard & mouse, a Logitech webcam, an 8GB USB drive, an all-in-one card reader, an EA T-shirt, a Google blanket, 3 medals and a Grand Championship trophy. At the ARTSI Conference, four students presented their research: Oral Presentations: Glenn Nickens - High-Level Manipulation Primitives for a Robot Arm Benjamin Bond - Medication Assistant Robotic Apparatus (MARA) Poster Competition: Stacey Downing - Medication Dispenser Robot - Honorable Mention Curtis Price  - Canary Robot: Our Community Helper Four students, a combination of graduate and undergraduates, participated in the ARTSI Robotics Competition:  William Shellington, Duane Wilder, Krystal Belfield, Jeffie Powell. With a robot that had been slightly damaged in transit, the NSU team did not place at ARTSI. However, team members received notification that they had already won scholarships to attend the 2009 Tapia Conference Robotics Competition in Portland, OR, on April 2-3, 2009, as a result of the prequalification materials that they submitted to the Robotics Competition Committee in Fall 2008. The ARTSI Movie Festival and Competition was also held in conjunction with the ARTSI Conference.  NSU teams created 2 entries: Team 1: featuring Stacey Downing Team 2: David Oluwatimi, Amanda Webb, Benjamin Bond, and Kwame Martin There were 20 movies entered in the competition and NSU Team 2, led by David Oluwatimi, created an amazing film, starring David, which won 2nd place and an IPOD TOUCH for each team member. NSU’s winning film may be viewed on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rg980hU2_Kc.