C.O. Girl Scouts fair promotes science, engineering

Getting girls interested in science, technology, engineering and math was the goal at a fair for Girl Scouts held Saturday in Bend.

The Bend branch of the American Association of University Women put together the science and engineering fair at the Elks Lodge.

About 30 fourth- and fifth-grade Girl Scouts from around Central Oregon learned about the different fields and great job opportunities that await them later in life in what’s called STEM — Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics.

“We hope they think science is cool, engineering is cool,” said Wendy Colby, fair coordinator. “With the support of the community, parents and Scout leaders, we hope that they will stick with it and take math classes and science classes in high school and end up in STEM careers that pay very well.”

Colby said by the time the girls graduate from college, there is expected to be 8 million new jobs in the STEM fields.

Statistics show a lot of ninth-graders are interested in those subjects, but by the time they graduate, nearly three-quarters lost interest.

To learn more about the Girl Scouts of Oregon and SW Washington, visit here: http://www.girlscoutsosw.org/