Girl Scouts Visit Center for Innovation for Orion Launch

On Thursday, December 4, a group of Girl Scouts from Suffolk were invited to the Lockheed Martin Center for Innovation to watch a broadcast of the Orion launch and learn about the world of aerospace engineering. Although the launch ended up being delayed until the following day, the girls enjoyed learning about the Orion flight test being a big step in sending humans farther into space.

At the Center for Innovation, the Girl Scouts were guests of the National Institute of Science, thanks to Becky Jaramillo, a Girl Scout alumna and a key educator with NIS. In her current role, Jaramillo has developed STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) curriculum, including award-winning video segments for NASA, and given her time to help Girl Scouts deepen their understanding of STEM subjects. While visiting the Center for Innovation, Jaramillo talked to the girls about aerospace technology and led them in a variety of fun and engaging science experiments.

Girl Scouts at the Lockheed Martin Center for Innovation with NIS Educator Becky Jaramillo

“This was an amazing opportunity,” Cheryl Watters, the leader of Girl Scout Troop 5450 that attended the event, said. “I was so impressed with the high school students who won the design challenge from the Governor’s School. I know the girls in my troop were in awe of their accomplishment. Being among the engineers and all the professionals from the National Institute of Science and Lockheed made me feel like I was at Mission Control! The visit to the Center for Innovation extraordinary and so were the opportunities the girls had while there. Both of my daughters who are in Girl Scouts have been at other STEM events, most recently the Girl Scout event hosted by the Society of Women Engineers at ODU. My youngest daughter is now determined to become an engineer. This special opportunity just made her more determined to reach her dream. ”

Women role models, such as Jaramillo, and community partners, such as the Center for Innovation, make it possible for girls to explore their interests in STEM and see that girls can do anything they put their minds to. In today’s world, where women hold only about 25 percent of the STEM careers, Girl Scouts is committed to giving girls opportunities to interact with women in STEM so that they can picture themselves in similar careers in the future. Inspiring success in girls and encouraging them to aim for excellence is a key component of the Girl Scout Leadership Experience, which helps each girl develop her full potential and become a competent, resourceful woman.