Windsor Girl Guides explore science and engineering at UWindsor

Local Girl Guides added three new badges to their collection on March 11 at UWindsor’s engineering and science themed Badge Day.

More than 60 Windsor and Essex County Girl Guides, ranging from Grades 3 to 8, earned recycling, bodyworks and physics badges by completing hands-on activities in the Ed Lumley Centre for Engineering Innovation.

Associate Professor Edwin Tam, the engineering faculty’s Assistant Dean of Student Affairs, said the event encourages girls at an early age to look at the importance of science, engineering and technology in our society.

“It’s so wonderful to get girls involved in STEM,” said Taryn Matis, leader of the 107th Windsor Guides. “When the signup sheet came out for this event, the girls couldn’t wait to sign up because they were so intrigued. A lot of my girls dream of coming to this university because of Badge Day.”

Megan Leckie, 10, said she can see herself working in the fields of engineering or science when she’s older.

“I just like making stuff,” Leckie said. “I like science, too, because you get to do different activities. Today, I learned that skin is the biggest organ in our body and the femur is the longest and strongest bone.”

Leckie especially enjoyed creating a kaleidoscope, replicating the functions of a lung with a water bottle and projecting her group’s paper cut-out cat on the wall using mirrors and a light.

The troops also learned how to properly sort recyclable materials and test heart rates and used hard-boiled eggs to see how different substances can affect the enamel on your teeth.

“Science is important because it allows females to get involved in society and allows us to take roles within society that are important,” said Stefanie Barcic, a fourth-year kinesiology student at UWindsor who helped run the bodyworks badge activities. “Girls often think they can’t get involved in science. It’s something we definitely need to encourage to show that there are different outlets and paths for them to pursue.”

Girl Guide Badge Day is organized by the University of Windsor's Faculty of Engineering and Faculty of Science and sponsored in part by the Ontario Network of Women in Engineering and Let’s Talk Science.

Check out the Windsor Star and CTV Windsor’s coverage of the event and a photo gallery on the UWindsor Engineering Facebook page.