Physics Wonder Girls: Inspiring Passion for Physics through Renewable Energy and "Equity in Energy" Storytelling

Since 2013, the Physics Wonder Girls Summer Program has inspired passion for physics among middle-school aged girls. In 2021, as the world emerged from the pandemic, two 15-student cohorts were selected from a pool of students nominated by science teachers in the Philadelphia-South Jersey area on the basis of aptitude and interest in science to participate in the free week-long physics-intensive summer camp. The campers were led by the PI and a small team of primarily women STEM majors through interactive lessons on renewable energy. Camp activities included lab experiments on circuits that involved solar cells, switches, LEDs, rechargeable batteries, building solar boats, cars and solar cookers, exploring optics experiments, attending talks from physicists and food scientists and touring research labs and an industrial food manufacturing plant to show everyday applications of physics. A key activity is the camp's "Equity in Energy" Session which included individual storytelling about the lives and contributions of women in physics and energy science. Each camper was assigned a woman physicist to research the life and work - focusing on two of the 4 C's of Storytelling: Concept, Context, Conflict and Character, and to present to the crew and other campers in the form of a poster session. The program culminates in a Community Physics Showcase of the camper's projects and capstone presentations to a broad audience. We report on its products and impact on student appreciation of physics as a discipline and possible vocation.