Last Saturday, 7,000 girls and volunteers walked across the iconic Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco as they bridged from being Juniors to Cadettes. The walk was followed by a festival on Crissy Field with music, snacks, and fun activity booths. Girl Scouts of Northern California organized this large annual event. 2019 marked the 38th anniversary of the Golden Gate Bridging.

The SETI Institute, along with other Girl Scouts Reaching for the Stars: NASA Science for Girl Scouts (Girl Scout Stars) partners the Astronomical Society of the Pacific, Girl Scouts of Northern California (GS NorCal), and Rockman et al, offered interactive astronomy activities for Girl Scouts at the 2019 celebration. Girl Scouts of Northern California’s Astronomy Club, supported by Girl Scout Stars, recruited new club members as they shared their own astronomy expertise.  

Through the Girl Scout Stars program, the SETI Institute and its partners are developing space science badges for girls at every Girl Scout program level as a pathway for girls to develop a lifetime love of the cosmos and foster their enthusiasm for STEM. This summer, the three badges will be introduced: Space Science Researcher for Cadettes, Space Science Expert for Seniors, and Space Science Master for Ambassadors.  Girl Scout Volunteer Astronomy Training will be held in May, Girl Scout Astronomy Club training will be held in June, and the Astronomy Adventure Destination camp will be held in July. For details, visit seti.org/GirlScoutStars.

The cool and cloudy weather did not dampen the spirits of the Girl Scouts as they enthusiastically participated in the partner activities as well as kite flying, sing-a-longs, and other STEM displays.  The partners featured multiwavelength astronomy images, invisible light detection, spectra, and a telescope at the ‘astronomy row.’   They were supported by Girl Scout and amateur astronomer volunteers.  Lots of ‘aha’ moments occurred over the course of the day. Girls were able to make their own "swap" (Special Whatchamacallit Affectionately Pinned Somewhere), with UV detection beads with Space Science Badge sticker, a reminder of the upcoming badge release date.