Girls and Science event inspires young minds at CSU Spur in Denver
The month of March means a month of Girls and Science -- a chance for girls and their families to explore STEM careers.
One place offering plenty of pathways is Colorado State University's CSU Spur, located in the heart of Denver at the National Western Complex.
It's where a rural farm girl found herself after moving to Colorado. Jennifer Bousselot, assistant professor of horticulture and landscape architecture at CSU, tells CBS News Colorado Meteorologist Alex Lehnert that it led to a fascination with rooftop gardens.
"How miraculous it is that plants feed us, they help us breathe, they clean our environment," she said.
Bousselot has a real passion for plants -- whether it's houseplants on a wall or crops growing on roofs. She sees her work at CSU Spur as key to the future, growing everything from apple trees to garlic.
"We use green roofs to help mitigate a lot of the effects that urban areas have. For example, it's a lot hotter in the city. Rain runs off a little more quickly off cityscapes, and so being able to absorb that rain and cool that city is ideal for green roofs," she said.
Bousselot had three of her students -- women she mentors -- join CBS Colorado on a very windy day to learn about the rooftop gardens at CSU Spur. That wind also provided a lesson in some of the challenges of using solar panels on rooftop gardens, including orientation, weight, and wind resistance. Despite those limitations, Bousselot says using the panels has led to exciting discoveries.
"There's synergy between solar panels and growing food," she said. "We sort of accidentally found out that plants will cool the environment for the solar panels, which operate more efficiently when they're cool. And then the solar panels provide some protection from things like hail and high winds."
Underneath those solar panels, Elisa Gross experimented with growing chili peppers.
"I got to see how the impact of both a green roof and different levels of shading impacted fruit production, plant growth, and plant size," she said.
Maria Schonewise will be working with Colorado native flowers and grasses.
"I'll be analyzing how they support pollinator populations in urban areas and what kind of resources they provide," she said.
Elsewhere at CSU Spur, Amanda Salerno is focused on using nature to clean water.
"Stormwater will come from the tank," she explained. "The water comes very dark with a lot of particles. It will pass through these pipes, which direct the water to this agri-drain system, and come out much more clean."
Now, Bousselot is sharing her inspiration with even younger girls through Girls and Science.
"Girls, go out and find your area of science, your area of engineering, and follow it. Follow your interests and learn as much as you possibly can about that topic," she urged.
She knows just how important it is for young girls to have role models.
"As a woman in agriculture and in science in general, there just weren't a lot of mentors available to me that were women as role models," she said. "So to be able to do that for the next generation is just remarkable."
We'll kick off Girls and Science at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science on Friday from 4 to 8 p.m. Then, join us for the Girls and Science takeover of Second Saturday at CSU Spur from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Both events are free and great for families. To find out more, click here.
