One our longest standing programs in collaboration with Girls Inc. of Northern Alberta had a bit of a change this year as we switched to virtual and hybrid programming. We also incorporated a new addition called Reaching SMART, specifically targeting girls in rural areas.

The Reaching SMART programming ran through the summer and had two different age cohorts; ages 6-9 and ages 10-12. Operation SMART 2020 was a continuation of the Virtual SMART program that ran from May to August. Operation SMART introduced girls ages 6 to 12 to different disciplines of engineering though hands on activities during Zoom workshops. Girls Inc. also had a team member join the sessions to share Indigenous history and stories to help illustrate how everyone uses science and engineering in their daily lives.

Girls in the age 6 to 9 group enjoyed the STEM activities and asking questions about how things work. Girls in the age 10 to 12 group enjoyed learning about different careers in engineering though hands on activities.