An AI-powered chatbot, a beach cat videogame, and a stress management website were among the projects presented at the 2023 UArizona Girls Who Code Project Showcase. The club aims to close the gender gap in technology by offering free coding classes to 6–12 graders. It’s taught by UArizona graduate and undergraduate students.

“Girls Who Code is totally worth it,” says Alysia Seery, a sixth grader at Alice Vail Middle School. “It is really fun, and the facilitators are nice.” At the Project Showcase, students were stationed at laptops and demonstrated their projects to spectators.

SARSEF is a science and engineering fair for grades Pre-K and up. My project this year was the Travel-Sized Sink. I made it because whenever my family goes to the bathrooms at the park they are dirty and never have soap.

 Do you know what an Eagle Scout is? Well, the Young Reporters were able to interview Esai Aviles recently, and he told us all about Eagle Scouts.

A couple of facts about Scouts most people may not know is that there is a lot of charity involved and helping the community. Less than 10% of Boy Scouts achieve the highest rank of an Eagle Scout.

Esai was a Young Reporter for six or seven years and he’s been an Scout for about eight years. He first started as a Cub Scout when he was in first grade because his mom signed him up and he wanted to have fun with friends.

Most people typically think of cars when they hear that Barrett-Jackson is coming into town. However, amidst all of those cars, there’s a place that younger people might also like. It is called STEM Fest. From geodes to virtual reality to offers for sailing classes, and everything in between, it truly is a festival to celebrate stem! If you can name it, they have it. But you may be asking “What is STEM Fest?”

If you live in Scottsdale and have been wondering why the traffic has been increasing, it is because of an annual event called Barrett-Jackson. Barrett-Jackson was once run by Tom Barrett and Russ Jackson starting in 1967. This amazing event has a lot of aspects. When you walk In, you can see many of the new and futuristic cars that well-developed companies are working to create. As you walk deeper into the building, there are many displays of older cars and, of course, the auction stand. You can also experience some free thrill rides and incredible food.

Have you ever wondered what a math club does? Immaculate Heart School, home of the Knights on the Northwest side of Tucson, started a Math Club. The club is led by Math Kangaroo facilitator, Dr. Katrina Henry, Assistant Professor of Practice in Environmental Science at the University of Arizona. Meetings are held twice a week for 30 minutes and students will be participating in and hosting the Math Kangaroo Competition on March 16.

A new educational movie just came out! It is called “Good Night Oppy.” I had the privilege to watch this movie before it came out on Nov. 4 in theaters and Amazon Prime! “Good Night Oppy” is one of the most exciting educational films I have ever seen. The documentary does a great job of explaining and showing the process of building, launching, and controlling the rovers, as well as showing us the whole journey of Oppy.

At one of our Bear Essential News Young Reporter Meetings, Mikyla Mace Kelley spoke with us. Kelley works with scientists from the University of Arizona and shares their fascinating research with the public and the media.

My name is Sofia Wolf and I am a Chief Science Officer. Being a Chief Science Officer is an amazing experience! I started off in seventh grade knowing two things: I LOVE Science and I want to share my love of science and education with the world.

 On July 21, the Arizona Chief Science Officer program began its summer Leadership Training Institute (LTI) at the University of Advancing Technology. CSOs are 6th–12th grade student ambassadors for STEM who focus on raising awareness for STEM in their community and school. It was started in Arizona eight years ago as an idea to get kids at the table with adults who were having conversations about STEM. The program has grown to multiple states across the nation and even to other countries including Mexico, Kenya and Kuwait.