News Story Archive

Corps Booth Helps Girl Scouts Learn About STEM

Public Affairs Specialist
Published Oct. 10, 2014
BERNALILLO, N.M., -- Amanda Tapia-Pittman watches as Girl Scouts design and build dams with gravel and playdough.

BERNALILLO, N.M., -- Amanda Tapia-Pittman watches as Girl Scouts design and build dams with gravel and playdough.

BERNALILLO, N.M., -- Carol Wies-Brewer assists some Scouts as they design and build a structure with spaghetti and marshmallows.

BERNALILLO, N.M., -- Carol Wies-Brewer assists some Scouts as they design and build a structure with spaghetti and marshmallows.

BERNALILLO, N.M., -- District Deputy Commander Maj. Jason Melchior works with two Girl Scouts as they build a dam at the District’s Camporee booth.

BERNALILLO, N.M., -- District Deputy Commander Maj. Jason Melchior works with two Girl Scouts as they build a dam at the District’s Camporee booth.

BERNALILLO, N.M., -- Jeannette Alderete assists a Girl Scout at the Corps’ STEM Camporee booth, Sept. 13, 2014.

BERNALILLO, N.M., -- Jeannette Alderete assists a Girl Scout at the Corps’ STEM Camporee booth, Sept. 13, 2014.

BERNALILLO, N.M., -- A Girl Scout Camporee isn’t just an overnight camp with sing-a-longs and badge work anymore. This year it included endangered species origami; dam building, tower design, and a UXO (Unexploded Ordnance) coloring station, all courtesy of the District’s STEM agreement with the Girl Scouts.

Girl Scouts from all over northern New Mexico participated in the 2014 STEM Camporee Sept. 13, at Rotary Park, sponsored by the Girl Scouts of New Mexico Trails. The Camporee’s purpose is for the Scouts, in grades K-12, to explore Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) through fun and educational activities. It also introduces them to STEM fields and future career opportunities.

This year, Project Managers Amanda Tapia-Pittman and Carol Wies-Brewer, Workforce Management Specialist Jeannette Alderete, and Department of the Army intern Michelle Mann volunteered at the district’s booth helping more than 700 Scouts learn more about endangered species, how and why dams are built, and Unexploded Ordnance (UXO) safety.

“The event was highly successful and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' booth received raving reviews and was packed with interested Girl Scouts. Someone even told one of our volunteers that our booth was the best there,” said Mann.