The Wichita Section has partnered with the Girl Scouts of the Kansas Heartland this year in several ways. Some of the members, like Allison Wright, have worked as troop leaders. We have also been involved with two middle school Engineering in Action programs. The first program, at Horace Mann Language Magnet in Wichita, involves 24 girls. The girls meet after school every 4-6 weeks to investigate the chemical properties of slime, silver polish, and a variety of disposable diapers. A trip to Sedgwick County Park’s Boundless Playground gave them an opportunity to think about how to design an accessible 
facility. Later they had the chance to put their designs to the test with play dough models. Several of our members have facilitated with these meetings. The girls also assisted SWE at the Engineering Expo in February and attended the WSU College of Engineering Open House on April 30.
The second program is held at the Derby Sixth Grade Center. The girls met every other week for four meetings. At each meeting they learned about a different type of engineering. Angela Schroeder attended the meeting about structural engineering. The girls had to build a tower out of spaghetti and marshmallows that would support a given weight. They also had a budget for materials. They planned out their designs first and then bought their materials.
Tags: community events, expo, girl scouts, kid stuff, outreach, volunteer