Behind the Scenes | Turtle Power!

It’s time to be on the lookout for turtles! In late May and early June, turtles emerge from ponds, lakes and wetlands and often cross roads and land to find the ideal spot to nest and lay their eggs. (Turtles are creatures of habit and know where they’re going, so it’s best to stay out of their way...) Our wild-about-nature SciGirls are soon starting a turtle habitat and population investigation at their local nature center (Dodge Nature Center). Did you know you can tell how old a turtle is by counting the lines on one of its scutes (that’s a scale on its shell)? How cool is that?

SciGirls Extraordinaire | Imagine That! Engineering Innovation Essay Contest

The results are in! The Imagine That! engineering innovation essay contest, sponsored by the National Academy of Engineering's "Engineer Girl" website, asked young people to consider one of three images on their site and discuss its potential purposes and function--using nothing but their imaginations and engineering creativity.

Decreasing the amount of space junk, magnetic levitation transportation, and organic light-emitting diodes, were the winning topics for the grades 3-5, 6-8, and 9-12 categories respectively. Impressed? (We were, too!) So if you're looking for a little STEM inspiration, check out the winning essays.

Behind the Scenes | Horse Sense

So what are these boot-sporting SciGirls up to? Kicking off a scientific horse comparison, of course! The second shoot of our new series is off and running--pardon the pun!

Check out our talented cameraman, Mike Phillips. He's a hold over from our DragonflyTV crew. Mike was just nominated for a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Achievement in Single Camera Editing for his work on the series. Did we mention he won an Emmy in the same category last year? Congratulations, Mike!

Behind the Scenes | It's a Wrap!

Earlier this week, the SciGirls production team finished shooting our very first episode. Hip, hip, hooray! The pig puppet project (try to say that three times quickly...) culminated at Minneapolis' 35th annual May Day Parade, hosted by the creative visionaries from Heart of the Beast Puppet and Mask Theatre. (Visit their site to see more great images from the event.)

Thanks to Anna, Lacie, Clara Sophia, and Norah--our SciGirls stars-- and their supportive families for helping make this project possible. And a special shout out to our SciGirls engineering mentors AnnMarie Thomas and Willis "Bow" Bowman for their guidance in all things puppet! And remember, it's not officially Spring in Minnesota until a big, pink, papier-mâché pig comes rumbling down Bloomington Avenue!