Season 3: Episode Descriptions
Explore and enjoy these six STEM-tastic SciGirls episodes!
Episode 301: Frog Whisperers
Amanda, Alanna, Clara and Madison feel for frogs. In particular, these four animal-loving friends are concerned
about St. Louis’ declining amphibian population. So they volunteer for FrogWatch USA, a citizen science project
that invites nature lovers to report frog and toad calls within a specific area. With the guidance of their mentor,
Laura Seger, the girls learn to recognize the sounds of six local frog species. Then they pull on their boots and
head out to the wetlands, ready to listen to frogs in their natural environment. They also hit the city streets to
listen to frogs in an urban habitat, and compare the two sites. Finally, the girls enter their data into the
FrogWatch USA website, proud to submit their discoveries to researchers. And since they want to share their
froggy findings with an even bigger audience, they present at the St. Louis Zoo, showing off a poster, a puppet
show and even a rap. Ribbit!
Episode 302: Flower Power
Claire, Elle and Jordan are over the long, cold winter. So they head to the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum,
where naturalist Lauren Borer shares some signs of spring! The girls learn they can help scientists better
understand the seasonal changes by participating in Nature’s Notebook, a national citizen science project that
tracks the natural life cycle of plants and animals. They each pick a plant species to monitor, and record their
findings every few days. They also snap photos, sketch pictures and compose poems, all inspired by flower
power! The girls, growing ever more curious, wonder if the annual time frame for sugar maple trees to bud has
changed significantly in recent years. They ultimately share their discoveries with Arboretum visitors, presenting
a work of art that incorporates their data, photos and sketches, and conveys the importance of keeping nature
records over time.
Episode 303: SkyGirls
Want an accurate weather forecast? You need accurate satellites! Virginia Beach buddies Emma, Lauren and
Madison know this, so they get ready for S’COOL. S’COOL, a NASA project, relies on citizen scientists to provide
cloud observations from the ground at the same time a CERES satellite passes overhead. Mentor Dr. Yolanda
Roberts teaches the girls the twelve types of clouds and their location in the atmosphere. The trio then spends
two days scanning the sky and submitting their data to S’COOL’s website, and they meet NASA scientist Dr. Lin
Chambers. In a week, the girls receive data the satellite collected and compare it to their observations. And
later, this cloud crew creates a display for the Virginia Air and Space Museum, including a 12 foot-banner
depicting the Earth’s atmosphere in scale!
Episode 304: Butterfly Diaries
To study the spectacular journey of monarch butterflies, you need to know how they grow from caterpillars to
adulthood. Minneapolis girls Izzie, Mimi and Quinn gather data for the Monarch Larva Monitoring Project, an
initiative where citizen scientists track the monarch population by observing local caterpillars in milkweed
habitats. Mentor Kelly Nail teaches the girls to identify the stages of the monarch life cycle. They spend time in a
local milkweed patch, hunting for larvae and recording their data on the MLMP’s website. Kelly also invites the
butterfly buddies to her monarch lab, where she raises larvae as they grow into butterflies. Inspired by holding a
butterfly, the girls raise their own caterpillars, all with the intention of eventually releasing them into the wild as
butterflies. Science soars!
Episode 305: Feathered Friends
Living in the city doesn’t stop Anayia, Regina and Schuyler from getting into nature. And a hands-on opportunity
to help ornithologist Dr. Viviana Ruiz-Gutierrez band birds takes their interest to new heights! Viviana tells them
that everyone can take part in Celebrate Urban Birds by tracking 16 bird species in cities. The girls discover that
bird observation is awesome! They record their findings, proud that their data will be used by scientists like
Viviana to understand how birds adapt to urban environments. The team then investigates what makes a good
bird habitat, and use this knowledge to create a storybook for local elementary school students. They also bring
some bird-friendly plants for the school garden, and encourage the kids to pledge to help make healthy green
spaces for birds and people.
Episode 306: Terrific Pacific
Chloe, Ellah and Taylor love to hit the beach and explore the ocean near their homes. So when they hear about
Seafloor Explorer, they dive right in! This online citizen science project invites the public to help identify the
marine life and ground cover in photos of the Atlantic Ocean floor. Curious about using underwater cameras for
marine exploration, they embark on the Crystal Cove Alliance Citizen Science Cruise. Marine educator Holly
Fletcher shows them how to reel in images of the kelp forest and test the water quality. Along the way, they
encounter a huge pod of playful dolphins. Ultimately, they share their data with marine biologist Samantha
Wright, who is studying the health of a protected marine. Inspired by how citizen scientists help build larger data
sets, the girls make a PSA video to help raise awareness of ocean conservation in their community.