IBB Girls STEM Initiative participants compete in cardboard canoe regatta

Twelve teams of girls competed June 25 in a cardboard canoe regatta at the Chávez High School natatorium as part of a multiyear STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) engagement initiative sponsored by Rice’s Institute of Biosciences and Bioengineering (IBB). Photos by Jeff Fitlow.

The races featured cardboard, two-person boats that 50 IBB Girls STEM Initiative participants spent the week designing, building and testing. Each boat was covered in colorful duct tape, and a pair of girls paddled each boat in qualifying heats and finals as the girls’ families and mentors cheered from the stands.

The regatta was the signature event of this year’s IBB Girls STEM Initiative, an intensive three-year preparatory program designed to immerse high-school girls in cutting-edge biomedical research, address areas in their educational background that need strengthening and foster long-reaching mentoring relationships. The participants stay on campus one week each summer and attend classes and participate in activities, including many that are made possible by corporate sponsors and volunteers.