Spark Day at Dunes Learning Center Encourages Girl Scouts in STEM

Chesterton, Ind. – May 31, 2023 – Franklin Pest Solutions, www.franklinpestsolutions.com, is sponsoring Cadette, Senior and Ambassador Girl Scouts in grades 6 - 12 for a free Spark Day event on Saturday, June 10th, at 9:00 a.m. at the Dunes Learning Center to explore STEM career options. Festivities will include a short hike to identify native flora and fauna in the area, including important pollinators that are critical to our ecosystem and food supply. They will also hear from a national park ranger about the responsibility of keeping areas accessible. Meeting and even petting live bugs like giant Madagascar Hissing Roaches is on the agenda too as is a close-up view inside a real wasp nest.

Franklin is committed to helping foster girls interest in STEM careers, noting that the 2021 American Community Survey estimated the total civilian population aged 16+ employed in STEM occupations at 10.8 million. Women are 26.7% and earn 84.1% of what men do, according to the U.S. Census. Franklin wants to change that.

“We champion girls in STEM and are working with Girl Scouts of Greater Chicago and Northwest Indiana to help change those statistics,” said Janelle Iaccino, also known as The Bug Girl with Franklin. “We want to be part of the culture that shows and tells girls that they can and should follow their dreams – no matter what they are.”

Iaccino has followed hers, starting with keeping a pet tarantula named Xanadu in her locker in high school when her parents refused to let her keep it at home.

“Rather than getting a pet tarantula as a start, Girl Scouts can see what opportunities are open to them in nature,” Iaccino said. “At our Dunes Learning Center Spark Day, girls can explore what it would be like to have a career as a conservationist, beekeeper, naturalist, entomologist or public health expert. These are important roles for our world and we want girls to know that leaders with their interests are in high demand to fill these roles.”

“Dunes Learning Center encourages students to get outside and interact directly with nature,” said Heather Hahn Sullivan, executive director with Dunes Learning Center. “It provides unique exposure to a globally significant natural environment and helps students understand how important it is to sustain and integrate our natural environment with urban and industrial life.”

Girl Scouts will earn a custom badge for this Spark Day and the activities will help them work toward their badges in STEM Career Journeys.

Steering girls toward STEM is rooted in decades of often being tracked away from science and math throughout their education which limits their access, preparation and opportunity to go into these fields as adults, according to the American Association of University Women (AAUW).

“We hope programs like Spark Day at Dunes Learning Center can help give girls confidence to go after careers in STEM which are some of the most sought after and highest paying jobs after college,” Iaccino said.

As summer approaches, Franklin’s Bug Squad is also available to be a pollinator resource for classes or community group projects. They have helped to source and install pollinator gardens in schoolyards, children’s museum grounds and even community outdoor spaces. For more information, click HERE.

About Franklin Pest Solutions, LLC

Since 1929, Franklin Pest Solutions and sister company Rose Pest Solutions have been trusted in the Midwest to keep homes and businesses free from insects, rodents, and more. Using cutting-edge technology, environmentally friendly methods, and personalized unique solutions, Franklin and Rose are dedicated to creating and maintaining healthier living environments. Owned by the Dold Family, Franklin Pest Solutions proudly serves communities in Indiana and Kentucky, and Rose Pest Solutions proudly serves all of Chicagoland, the Greater Milwaukee area, and South Central Wisconsin.