Girls for Science Texas
@gfs.texas
Hi! My name is Nalini Agnihotri. I am a student at Cornell University but reside in the DFW area. I started the Texas chapter about 4 years ago to provide an engaging and enriching STEM experience to younger students in my area. Some of my hobbies are competitive swimming, reading, biking, and crocheting/knitting. I have always been passionate about science and math in my school courses and when I have tutored younger kids. I love that Girls For Science believes in the ideals of empowering women and helping others because those are two principles that I strongly believe in and a main reason for why I started a local chapter in Texas. Aside from my fascination for STEM, my favorite part about tutoring students is seeing a concept click for them and sharing my enthusiasm with them once they gain a better understanding. Because STEM has such a broad field in the workforce, I believe that there is an opportunity for everyone to find a related career that they can connect to and enjoy if they receive more directed exposure through teaching and tutoring!
Spring 2024
For our 2024 Spring Break Camp with GFS Texas, we explored similar experiments from the past trials and worked to improve them. We started with the classic ice cream in a bag and applied concepts of converting between Celsius and Fahrenheit. Another day we spent making an encryption wheel to decode and encode cryptic messages. In the theme of encoding we learned to make invisible ink. The properties behind using lemon juice for invisible ink is the breaking down of carbon compounds which naturally led to a lesson on biomolecules. One of our last sessions created a lava lamp at home by mixing oil and water with aspirin. We had another amazing experience exploring science hands-on!
Summer 2023
During the Summer 2023 STEAM camp, it was just a week long of learning while having fun! We started with making a cloud in a jar using hair spray. Another day we learned about the properties of water by playing a hydrophilic vs hydrophobic game. One of my favorites was using the acidic and basic properties of vinegar and baking soda to inflate a balloon. The camp’s interactivity is what makes it memorable for kids and really reaches out to students who may want to apply science to their own life. We hope to continue making an impact with our annual STEAM camps!
Spring 2022
The Spring Break 2022 Workshop included experiments and crafts that were wide-ranging: from making a rubber-band car or lava lamp to making ice cream in a bag. Each activity included a mini-lesson at the end covering a science concept encompassing the craft and the reasoning behind why it worked. For example, while making ice cream was a fun and tasty activity, students also took a look at the reason why a salt and ice mixture caused the freezing temperature of the combination to decrease and learned how to convert between degrees Celsius and Fahrenheit.
Summer 2022
Over the Summer 2022 GFS Texas worked with Vibha Dallas (a local chapter of an international non-profit organization) to host another set of STEAM Camp sessions. Students learned in-depth fundamental science concepts by conducting interactive experiments. All proceeds from the camp were donated to help fund the education of underprivileged children through Vibha. Overall, it was such a pleasure to be able to explore and investigate through the activities with the kids!
Summer 2022
The STEAM Corp Camp 2022 was another amazing camp that GFS Texas was able to teach. The Corp Kids are a group of mainly teenage girls and some boys that are part of a shelter in Thane, Maharashtra (a city in India). They learned about the Summer Camps organized through Vibha Dallas and were very excited to sign up. The students learned how to design a homemade catapult, explode a lemon volcano, and make a stethoscope all the while learning about chemical compounds, data and statistics, and blood pressure (and pulse). This camp showed that there really is no limit to education, and it is possible to make an impact anywhere around the world with the advancements of technology at our fingertips. What brought about the most joy for the kids was the discovery of a homemade project that could be applied to the real world, and it shows that the knowledge that science made it possible to make a difference for so many people.
Additional Resources from GFS Texas
Here are some more resources GFS Texas has created throughout the years that relate to sustainability and learning to control the available human and animal population. The science concepts explored include environmental impact, disease control, invasive species, and uncertainty relating to chemistry.
