Ambassador STEM Career Exploration Badge Activity for Teens
Explore the Future in STEM.
Find out how to make a difference with a STEM career.
Activity Details
Time needed: 45–60 minutes
Materials needed:
- For the Computer Science Challenge: Computer, smartphone, or tablet with internet
- For the Creative Technology & Design Challenge: Paper and pencil
- For the Engineering Challenge: Paper and pencil
- For the Food & Agriculture Challenge: A variety of food ingredients to make simple food combinations; forks or spoons; eye covering. Note to Volunteers: Ingredients should be gathered with considerations for food allergies such as nuts and gluten.
- For the Health & Wellness Challenge: Paper and pencil
- For the Nature & the Environment Challenge: Varies depending on activity choice
Setup:
When you envision your adult self, what kind of life are you leading? Are you taking on challenges like helping reduce a company’s environmental impact? Are you creating digital plans or 3D-printed prototypes of new products? Will you be collecting data to improve network security and data protection? Maybe you’ll design digital campaigns or apps to spread information and connect people with common interests or goals.
A career is not just a job—it allows you to grow personally and professionally, help others, and make an impact in your field. Ultimately, your career gives you the tools you need to change your world–and those tools are STEM!
Activity:
Explore careers in STEM by learning about six different STEM fields and completing a challenge for each field.
Field 1: Computer Science
The field of computer science focuses on the study of computers, the Internet, and how they’re used. There are programmers, whose job is to write code that can build websites, animate movies, design apps, program video games, and so much more. There are also cybersecurity professionals whose job is to keep computer networks, systems, and information safe.
Here are some ways you can make a difference with a career in computer science:
- Build devices. Computer hardware engineers use the newest technologies to design and test parts like circuit boards, sound cards, and memory chips and make sure devices can run the latest apps and other programs.
- Analyze “big data.” Bioinformatics scientists use computer programs to collect and analyze data, like DNA and proteins, to help humans, animals, and plants.
- Keep data and networks safe. Cybersecurity analysts monitor networks and protect data from hackers.
To explore what it’s like to have a career in computer science, take on the role of a cybersecurity analyst. Imagine you’re at a coffee shop, park, or other public area and check for available Wi-Fi networks on a phone or other device. Which network do you choose? Which is most secure: PublicWiFi, InternetGuest, or Members_SignIn? What types of apps are safe to use on a public network: email, news and events, search engines, GPS maps, social media, video streaming, school accounts? How can you keep online data safe when you’re on the go?
Field 2: Creative Technology & Design
The field of creative technology and design combines art, design, and computer science to create things that are both useful and fun, from apps to sound effects. For example, people working in the field might build clothing that lights up or that responds when the weather is hot or cold. They might design buildings or new products, from sneakers to lighting systems, using computer software. They might even build their ideas with technology like a 3D printer.
Here are some ways you can make a difference with a career in creative technology and design:
- Develop digital designs. Architects digitally design buildings; entertainment engineers create theme parks and museum exhibits. Medical illustrators work with scientists and animators to bring cells and proteins to life.
- Create sound effects. Sound producers use computers and other technology to record, edit, and mix the sounds for movies, TV shows, and video games.
- Design products. Creative designers use paper and pencil as well as design software to create special features for vehicles.
To explore what it’s like to have a career in creative technology and design, imagine you’re a creative designer. What product would you design? For the challenge, design a new or improved feature for a car or truck that makes the vehicle safer. Sketch your idea in an app or on paper and add a description. What technology is involved in building it? What materials is it made of? How is it tested for safety?
Field 3: Engineering
The field of engineering focuses on building things like bridges, cars, and other products. Engineers look for ways to improve and create new products that make life easier and more efficient. Engineers may work in many different areas, with careers designing things like prosthetics for the medical field, agricultural systems to grow more food, or clean energy systems that aren’t harmful to the environment.
Here are some ways you can make a difference with a career in engineering:
- Invent our world. Chemical engineers work in chemistry, physics, and biology to design new foods, medicines, and materials. Electrical engineers design machines that use electricity, like personal electronics, electric motors, surveillance systems, and electrical systems for vehicles and aircraft.
- Build our world. Civil engineers design infrastructure like bridges, water systems, and roads.
- Improve our world. Mechanical engineers solve problems by creating machines like pulleys, batteries, and refrigerators.
To explore what it’s like to have a career in engineering, reinvent a task or find a problem to solve. Choose an activity, like playing a sport or instrument, using technology, or carrying a heavy backpack. Brainstorm a machine to help make the task easier or minimize any negative health impact it may have. Sketch your idea or build a prototype if you have the materials. Share your design with someone else for feedback. How can your model be improved? How can you use it to improve our world?
Field 4: Food & Agriculture
The field of food and agriculture focuses on growing, cooking, and consuming food. While you may think of a chef, baker, or farmer, there are tons of careers that help to feed the world!
Here are some ways you can make a difference with a career in food and agriculture:
- Grow more food. Soil and plant scientists research and test different soils and nutrient combinations to provide plants with the most ideal growing conditions.
- Innovate agriculture. Agricultural engineers develop automated machinery for efficient seeding, irrigation, and harvesting of crops.
- Design new recipes. Research chefs create and test new recipes and menus for places like restaurants and hotels.
To explore what it’s like to have a career in food and agriculture, become a food scientist and experience food in a whole new way! What new flavor combinations would you create? Pair up with a friend who can combine a few ingredients for you to try. Taste a sample blindfolded while also holding your nose. Describe the flavors. Are there hints of sweet, sour, bitter, or savory? Can you figure out what the combination is? Now, try it again, but smell it before tasting. How does the flavor compare? How has the experience changed?
Field 5: Health & Wellness
The field of health and wellness focuses on helping people. Medical professionals specialize in all different things, like treating patients (children, adults, or the elderly); studying a disease, such as cancer or diabetes; or becoming an expert on a part of the body, like the heart (cardiology) or brain (neurology).
Here are some ways you can make a difference with a career in health and wellness:
- Practice a specialty. Medical professionals work in all different fields of medicine. For example, sports conditioning specialists train athletes to be safe on and off the field, radiologists and x-ray technicians are licensed to take x-rays, and oncology professionals provide care for patients with cancer.
- Innovate health care. Medical robot designers build robots for everything from patient care to surgery. Robots can help make a hospital more productive, reduce the cost of health care, and, most importantly, help the patient.
- Become a first responder. Paramedics and emergency medical technicians (EMTs) are trained in CPR, administering medicines, and more.
To explore what it’s like to have a career in health and wellness, put yourself in the mindset of a first responder. How would you prepare for emergencies? Design a first aid/emergency kit for yourself. List all the materials you will need in the event of each emergency:
- Extreme heat and cold
- Fire
- Allergic reactions to plants or insects
- Broken bones or sprains
- Deep cuts or puncture wounds
- Head trauma
Field 6: Nature & the Environment
The field of nature and the environment focuses on science, nature, space, and the outdoors. People in this field might look at rocks and fossils, study plants or animals, go to space, or explore the ocean. There are also people whose job it is to take care of all different types of animals.
Here are some ways you can make a difference with a career in nature and the environment:
- Study Earth. Meteorologists and climatologists use data from satellites, maps, and the atmosphere to predict weather patterns and study climate change.
- Focus on renewable energy. Solar photovoltaic installers assemble and maintain solar panel systems. Wind turbine technicians install and maintain wind turbines.
- Plant, protect, or honor a tree. Population ecologists study organisms and the environment to help keep ecosystems healthy and balanced.
To explore what it’s like to have a career in nature and the environment, take on the role of a population ecologist. Healthy ecosystems can be measured by tree height, and larger trees also remove and store more CO2 from the atmosphere, slowing climate change. For this challenge, participate in the Girl Scout Tree Promise. Plant a tree or become a citizen scientist.
And that’s it! You’ve explored STEM and how it can make a difference. Even more, you learned about different careers and completed challenges related to six different fields of STEM.
If you had fun doing this activity, you might want to continue exploring your interests and how you can make the world a better place with the Ambassador STEM Career Exploration badge.
If you want to continue learning more about STEM, search for STEM Journeys and Badges for Daisies on the Girl Scout Award and Badge Explorer.
