STC Faculty Introduces STEM Activities to Girl Scouts

Edible Slime demonstration — Julie Olson, a general education instructor at Southeast Technical College, shows Girl Scouts how to make edible slime at the BIG Event in Sioux Falls.

3D printing demonstration — Mark Schmidt, a Mechanical Engineering Technology instructor at Southeast Technical College, shows Girl Scouts 3D printing at the BIG Event in Sioux Falls.

Three members of the Southeast Technical College faculty attended the Girl Scout Dakota Horizons BIG Event at the Ramkota Hotel and Conference Center. Greg Schwebach, Architectural Engineering Technology; Mark Schmidt, Mechanical Engineering Technology; and Julie Olson, General Education; introduced more than 500 Girl Scouts to STEM careers.

Olson provided a demonstration on edible slime, where scouts made edible slime using alginate and Gatorade mixture added to a calcium solution. Alginate is used in the cooking industry to solidify liquids and make fake caviar. It is also used in the medical field to make bandages to stop bleeding.

Schmidt and Schwebach demonstrated 3D printing, where scouts used miniature 3D printed catapults to shoot cotton balls with to discuss the concepts of potential and kinetic energy.

Published

October 16, 2023