Solving crimes as crime scene investigators. These girls make it look like so much fun!

“These girls are amazing!” “We had such a blast!” These were the comments I heard from Penn State’s Association of Women Geoscientists (AWG) who attended the Mount Nittany Middle School Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) after-school program for girls. This series of events is coordinated by the American Association of University Women (AAUW) and Discovery Space of Central Pennsylvania. Each week, nearly 50 sixth through eighth-grade girls get together to build roller coasters, solve crimes, and design high mountain rescues in their spare time. It’s all about putting STEM to work to solve real-world problems. I had to join the fun and see the action.

Gabby Ramirez helps students at the blood type matching crime lab.

Gabrielle Ramirez, Penn State AWG’s outreach coordinator, organizes groups of graduate and undergraduate student volunteers to assist with a number of local science outreach events such as this one. I joined this week’s group of volunteers including Judi Sclafani, Hailey Ramirez, and Elizabeth Andrews. We helped with a crime scene investigation to solve the mystery of the missing Little Nittany Lion. Each team of girls investigated blood samples (synthetic of course), fingerprints, powdered residues, and pen ink left behind at the crime scene to determine the most likely suspect. It was both serious work and great fun. I hope to join these ladies again in a couple of weeks!

It takes some work to match fingerprints.

Then there’s that AHA! moment.

Teamwork at the blood matching crime scene lab.

Just a few more tests and they’ll have their evidence from the powdered residue crime lab, ready for trial.