The Lunar and Planetary Institute to host 3D Printing Workshop for Girls

The Lunar and Planetary Institute (LPI), managed and operated by the Universities Space Research Association, will be hosting 3D Planets, a workshop for middle school girls, on February 13–15, 2017.  The workshop is being conducted by Pisgah Astronomical Research Institute (PARI), sponsored by the Burroughs Wellcome Fund, Oceanside Photo & Telescope, and Red Hat.  PARI is conducting this 3D printing program across the United States to improve girls’ spatial visual skills and attitudes towards STEM. 

Fourteen girls from Yellowstone Academy will participate in this educational endeavor. Yellowstone Academy is a private non-profit faith-based school that offers challenging and relevant instruction and caters to children from the lower socio-economic standing. The students will use 3D printing to create tactile maps of planetary surfaces, and collaborate with each other to solve complex problems.  Several young female planetary scientists with the LPI will share their personal stories and career paths with the students to engage and encourage further interest in STEM.

Devalyn Rogers is the Lead Science Instructor with Yellowstone Academy and works as a science affiliate withCarrie Stokes at ScaleUp Partners. ScaleUp Partners worked to bring the PARI program to LPI in Houston. Stokes said, “This collaboration provided the perfect empowering opportunity for girls’ exposure to non-traditional space and planetary scientists’ careers.  Sparking interest in STEM fields through hands-on experiences will enhance their learning and ignite innovation for future ideas.” Rogers added, “This unique collaborative experience amongst PARI, LPI, and ScaleUp Partners is vital at this stage, (middle school), it appeals to girls at an age when many young women lose interest in science.”

For more information, visit:
LPI Education and Public Engagement
PARI
ScaleUp Partners
Yellowstone Academy