Kangaroo Goes Science (KGS) is an event that has been taking place since 2018 when Meike Akveld, professor of Mathematics at ETH Zurich and president of Kangaroo sans Frontières, and Darcy Molnar, founder of the 500 Women Scientists Zurich chapter, decided to join forces to encourage teenage girls to take an interest in  STEM topics. Kangaroo sans Frontières is an international competition that “underlines the joy of mathematics and encourages mathematical problem-solving.”[1] In Switzerland, at age 13 or 14, children select an academic profile to follow for the last 4 years of high school. Although in primary school girls do just as well as boys in the Kangaroo competition, the majority of girls in Swiss high schools do not select science or math profiles. Meike and Darcy decided that they would like to change girls’ perceptions of math and science before they select their profiles, and KGS was born.

Each year the 100 top scoring teenage girls from the 7th class Kangaroo competition in Switzerland are invited to spend a day at ETH. The event celebrates the girls’ success in the competition, exposes them to various STEM topics, and puts them in contact with female mathematicians, scientists, and engineers. The day’s program includes math and science inputs, testimonies by female STEM students, as well as hands-on activities at math, science, and engineering labs. Female STEM students serve as guides and role models for the teenage girls during the afternoon lab visits. While the girls visit labs, a special program is organized for the girls' parents, who are also invited to ETH for the day.

The KGS event is an opportunity to inspire teenage girls on STEM topics, show them that math is fun, and celebrate the teenagers’ accomplishments in the International Kangaroo competition. It that brings together ETH students and staff in a collective effort to showcase women in science and encourage young girls to consider a future in STEM.  

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mathematical_Kangaroo