The Adolescence of Time

Transcription

♫MUSIC♫ GIRLS TALKING: OK, so the chrysalis is like, splitting open! Look at how tiny its wings are! MILES O'BRIEN: The magic of life unfolds. But for these girls, watching the Monarch butterfly emerge and spread its wings is more than a fascinating moment – cameras are rolling. SINGING: S-c-i-G-i-r-l-s! RICHARD HUDSON: "SciGirls" is a distinctive way of letting girls see themselves succeeding at science and engineering. MILES O'BRIEN: With support from the National Science Foundation, Richard Hudson and his team at Twin Cities Public Television are putting middle school girls like Mimi, Izzie and Quinn in front of a national audience on the TV series "SciGirls." The goal is to inspire millions of girls at home to think about careers in "STEM" - science, technology, engineering and math. RICHARD HUDSON: Izzie and Jake start out with some problem. Over the course of the show they learn how to solve their problem, and they learn some science or engineering along the way. KELLY NAIL: How many legs do insects have? GIRLS: Six. KELLY NAIL: It actually has two legs that are folded up there. GIRLS: Oh! KELLY NAIL: Cool, huh? MILES O'BRIEN: Mentors like Kelly give the girls the support they need to make their own discoveries. KELLY NAIL: I know how that felt the first time I found an egg or a caterpillar, but to get to see that reaction in these girls has been really fun! IZZIE: This is how I clean their homes usually. MILES O'BRIEN: The girls each cared for two caterpillars as part of the "Monarch Larva Monitoring Project." Meet "Mac" and "Cheese." IZZIE: I usually try not to touch them because the oils from our fingers can like clog up the holes that they breathe on. CREW PERSON: The girls are all mic-ed, wardrobe is good now… MILES O'BRIEN: They also found out something I've known for years - making television sometimes means a lot of standing around waiting. IZZIE: So, then I put their names down… MILES O'BRIEN: The Sci-Girls are working together as citizen scientists, gathering data for the pros, and learning what research is like. MIMI: In my "SciGirls" experience, I really like actually doing it. I feel that when you read about it, it's just not the same, and you won't learn as much! QUINN: It's more fun to be out here because it's like tangible things that you're working with. You can like, touch what you're doing, like we're working with the butterflies. RICHARD HUDSON: We let the girls go in their own direction, and they surprise us with their creative solutions! IZZIE: Come on Cheese, don't make this difficult for both of us. MILES O'BRIEN: After weeks of nurturing the butterflies, the moment finally arrives. GIRLS: Ready to go little P? Ready to go Mustard? Ready to go Cheese? Three, two, one! MILES O'BRIEN: And the butterflies flew free. MIMI: Bye. MILES O'BRIEN: "Sci-Girls" is looking to work another kind of transformation - turning curious young girls into a new generation of scientists. For Science Nation I'm Miles O'Brien.