This November 5^th, over 200 Girl Scouts gathered at NC State’s Centennial Campus for our annual TechnoQuest event. This day of STEM skill-building and exploration has become a much-anticipated tradition for Girl Scouts – North Carolina Coastal Pines. From the STEM career panel to hands-on sessions on alternative energy, mechanical engineering, thinking like a citizen science, and more, the Girl Scouts in attendance were truly inspired and invigorated to learn more about STEM subjects and fields. The attendees also participated in networking activities, and could engage in workshops on natural habitat construction, robotics, rocketry, cybersecurity, and forensics, to name a few. This year, we added a Minute to Win It style career skill building activity for our youngest Girl Scouts, and let’s just say they were very committed to their teams’ success! Over 40 adults also had the opportunity to attend workshops or First Aid/CPR/AED training.

We were so grateful to have the dedication and support from around 75 volunteer facilitators and mentors, along with 12 Engineering Ambassadors from NC State. These volunteers brought their expertise, passion, and desire to support the next generation of female STEM leaders, and they are the heart and backbone of this event. A huge thank you to all of our volunteers for being a part of this day!

Finally, TechnoQuest and all of Girl Scouts- North Carolina Coastal Pines’ progressive STEM activities throughout the year would not be possible without the generosity of our incredible circle of STEM donors. We truly appreciate the Duke Energy Foundation’s investment in TechnoQuest as our leading sponsor of this event, and we are grateful to all of our STEM donors for your life-changing gifts. Thank you, Duke Energy Foundation, ABB, Bayer Fund, Citrix, Google Fiber, and SAS Institute for championing Girl Scouts to explore and discover STEM fields. Girl Scout STEM programs like TechnoQuest can be the spark that inspires a girl’s future career, and we are so grateful to all of our donors, volunteers, families, and Girl Scouts who came together for one of our favorite days of the year. Hope to see you again next year!