Girls Scouts of Connecticut Rocketry Workshop

NASA CT Space Grant hosted Girls Scouts from around Connecticut as they convened on the University of Hartford campus September 9th and 10th to learn about rockets. In this program, put on by Girl Scouts of Connecticut, middle and high school girls worked with David Mestre, Connecticut astrophysicist and community-based STEM educator, to learn about how rockets work – including payload, propulsion, and aerodynamics. They then embarked on building their own rockets of varying styles, including film canister rockets, soda bottle rockets using recycled materials, and model rockets. Each launch was full of excitement and learning – including exploration of how chemistry helped launch the film canisters, or how water and air pressure launched their soda bottle rockets. The real fun came when the model rockets were dry and ready to launch from the GSU lawn early Sunday morning – the excitement of putting a rocket on the launch pad and waiting for the whoosh before seeing the trail of smoke as these rockets launched high in the morning sky was clearly present.

Representatives from UHart were on-hand to share with attendees their own experiences as current Biology, Chemistry, Health Science, and Engineering students and to explain the exciting education and career opportunities in these fields.