Responding to local girls’ interests in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math), Girl Scouts Heart of Central California (GSHCC) will open a girl-led, girl-built STEM Center + MakerSpace in Modesto on Saturday, Aug. 4. The center’s opening follows just nine months after its sister location opened in GSHCC’s Sacramento Regional Program Center. The center in Modesto is only the third of its kind in California and one of just a handful developed by Girl Scouts nationwide.

This unique facility will host a variety of structured and open-format maker and design-thinking activities that encourage girls to embrace the spirit of scientific discovery in their lives. From robotics to circuitry, virtual reality to computer programming, and even environmental science, girls will be invited to explore and innovate together in the new space. The center in Modesto features a “Local Legend” wall, with Erica Kenney, Sensory Analyst at E. & J. Gallo Winery.

“Girl Scouts is uniquely qualified to offer support for girls to work creatively in a single-gender environment, where they can explore new interests and collaborate with other girls,” said Dr. Linda E. Farley, CEO of Girl Scouts Heart of Central California. “The STEM Center + MakerSpace in Modesto is an investment for generations of Girl Scouts, and will serve as a hub for girl innovation, exploration and discovery for Girl Scouts in this region.”

GSHCC provides leadership development, entrepreneurial, outdoor, life skills and STEM programming to girls in 18 counties in the heart of central California. The Modesto STEM Center + MakerSpace is expected to draw Girl Scouts from Manteca, south to Merced, and from Tracy, east to Sonora.

The STEM Center + MakerSpace in Modesto focuses on key aspects of STEM: Engineering, Programming, and Biology and Environmental Science. In keeping with Girl Scouts’ tradition of encouraging girls to take the lead, this unique space has been developed in concert with a task force of local girl innovators.