Mission

Girls on outdoor Adventure for Leadership and Science (GALS) is a free science program for high school girls in Arizona that integrates outdoor education with place-based science learning. We bring young women into the back country to increase science proficiency by engaging participants as scientists.

The mission of GALS is to address the gender and racial gaps in STEM by empowering girls to identify with science and be comfortable pursuing study in the fields of ecology and natural resources. Specific objectives of GALS include: (1) Host an annual fall camping trip to expose participating girls to local ecology and natural resource issues; (2) Increase science proficiency of participating girls; (3) Develop science identity to support participants’ persistence in STEM education; and (4) Increase participants’ self-awareness,  teamwork, and leadership skills.