A total of 24 middle- and high-school girls from Oregon and Washington gathered at the United States Geological Survey's Cascades Volcano Observatory to meet scientists, teachers, staff, and volunteers, and traveled to Mount St. Helens for science-focused exploration from Aug. 4-8.
Over the next five days, they hiked to field sites, identified landslides, measured erosion, witnessed how life returned to hummocky ponds, deployed seismometers, set up campaign GNSS instruments, and tracked landscape changes using photogrammetry, a press release from the Mount St. Helens Institute (MSHI) stated.
The Mount St. Helens Institute and U.S. Geological Survey Cascades Volcano Observatory jointly organize the GeoGirls volcano science field program. The five-day overnight camp at Mount St. Helens, connects middle and high school girls with women scientists from the USGS, MSHI, US Forest Service, Washington State Department of Natural Resources, Washington State Parks, Central Washington University, Dartmouth, University of California Davis, University of Oregon, University of Washington, Western Washington University, and Yakima Community College. The scientists conduct hands-on research projects and talk about their education and careers, serving as role models in science.
"It's very important to teach people about STEM and give those opportunities to people who might not be looking for them," said Rian Newby, GeoGirls Alum, in the release. "I certainly wasn't looking for the opportunities that were handed to me because of this camp, but I am more than grateful for them and want other people to experience them too."
This year, the program included two artists-in-residence at Mount St. Helens to guide field sketching and documentation activities, the release stated.
They learned not only about Mount St. Helens, but also about challenges and how difficult scientific problems can be resolved. They asked questions, defined problems, carried out investigations, and interpreted data. On the last day, they participated in a "hazard crisis mission," applying what they learned to a scenario of increasing volcanic unrest.
One of the session topics girls could choose to attend was about science communication. The result of that session was a four-minute video, What you need to know about Mount St. Helens. Watch it to learn more about Mount St. Helens through their eyes.
Each year, participants apply to MSHI and are selected based on interest, diversity, opportunity need, financial need, and science potential. The 2025 program included:
