Ladies in STEM Scholarship

I am pursuing a mechanical engineering degree with a concentration, minor, or double major in sustainability. I want to work in the development of green technology. Our world is facing a crisis and I'm going to use what I'm good at to help. I know a STEM degree is right for me. I like to ask a lot of questions, mostly beginning with "how," "why," and "what if." I want to know how things work and why they work (that's why I love physics class so much). The most important question is "what if." What if electric cars are more affordable? What if nuclear fusion can replace our nonrenewable energy sources? What if M&Ms can come out of a dispenser? Engineering builds a bridge from "what if" to "I will make." I will make electric cars more affordable. I will make nuclear fusion replace our nonrenewable energy sources. I will make an M&M dispenser. I know those are some ambitious goals, but that's what's so exciting about STEM! Ambitious goals are being achieved! I'm seeing more charging stations for electric cars. There was a breakthrough in nuclear fusion energy. I now have an M&M dispenser made from LEGOs! I want to use engineering to better our world. I’m undecided about which college I want to go to, but it needs to have a good research department so I can research, explore, and develop sustainable technologies. In addition to working in green technology, I want to encourage STEM in young girls. I work at Camp Natarswi, a Girl Scout camp up North in Baxter State Park. I've been going there for many years as a camper and last summer I worked there as a counselor. Camp Natarswi offers many different programs but it's lacking a STEM program. I am going to change that. The idea first came to me in Physics class. It was a thermodynamics unit and we experimented with metal and plastic to see which material, both at room temperature, would cause ice to melt faster. I noticed how simple the experiment was and thought it would be a fun activity for camp. With the idea in the back of my mind, I started to think of other simple experiments we could do. The list became longer and now includes other STEM activities like building a tower out of marshmallows and toothpicks. We could have an astronomy lesson under the stars because the camp is isolated enough to have barely any light pollution. If I could get the materials, I’d love to build circuits with them and teach them what a diode and capacitor are. I'm so excited to present this idea to the camp director. I don't think the program will be ready in time for this summer and that's okay. It would be great to trial run some of the activities. Especially math activities. Math gets a bad reputation for being too hard and stressful. I want to show the young girls who come to Camp Natarswi that math is nothing to be afraid of. The challenging part is because of its reputation, math can suck the excitement out of whatever we're doing. I'll need to find a way to incorporate math into activities while avoiding those feelings of stress and anxiety associated with it. In conclusion, I am going to make a positive impact on the world by using my STEM program to research sustainable technology in college, get a career in green technology, and design my own program for Camp Natarswi to bring my excitement for STEM to young women and girls.