SciGirls" Dolphin Dive

A child participates in "SciGirls," a weekly series on PBS stations that seeks to change girl's outlooks toward science, technology, engineering and math, and possibly spark their interest in careers in these fields. For this particular project, participants designed their own experiment to see whether dolphins can recognize themselves in a mirror. [Picture taken from episode 103, "Dolphin Dive."]

Each half-hour episode of "SciGirls"--which targets girls ages 8 to 12--follows a different group of real middle-school girls as they collaborate, communicate, engineer and discover. Filmed in a reality-style, the girls, with the help of scientist mentors, design their own inquiry-based investigations on a wide variety of topics that can range from the environment to technology to engineering or nutrition. The series includes two animated characters--Izzie, a plucky "SciGirl," and her best friend Jake--who embark on their own adventures and call on the "SciGirls" for help.

"SciGirls," which is funded by the National Science Foundation (grant DRL 08-13519) with additional support from ExxonMobil, integrates the Web into the TV series. Each episode begins on the show's home page, where Izzie goes when she finds herself in jams that only science can fix. She surfs to the site, jumps into a video of real-life "SciGirls," and follows their story, learning and exploring every step of the way. In addition, viewers are invited to create their own profile pages and upload their own science projects on the "SciGirls" website.

For more information, visit the "SciGirls" website. (Date of Image: 2009)

Credit: Twin Cities Public Television, Inc.

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