GENERAL
- What is Girl Day?
Girl Day at UT Austin, presented by Halliburton, Texas Instruments, BAE Systems, and BASF, is a free event for K-8 students held on the Cockrell School of Engineering and Natural Sciences complexes on The University of Texas at Austin campus February 23rd, 2019 from 11:30 a.m. to 5 pm. Over 8,000 students are expected to participate in over 150 free-flowing hands-on activities and demonstrations hosted by volunteers, student organizations, corporate partners and community organizations. Students get the chance to explore engineering, science, math, and technology at their own pace throughout the event.How much does Girl Day cost?Girl Day is free to participants every year due to the generous donations and support from our corporate sponsors and community. You can make an individual donation or if you would like to become one of our corporate partners, please email Tricia Berry for more information.
- Why is Girl Day in February?
Girl Day is an international annual event held during Engineers Week! Engineers Week is always the week in February that encompasses George Washington's birthday, February 22nd, as he is recognized as the nation's first engineer.
- What should I expect when I come to Girl Day?
Girl Day is a free-flowing event open to the public. You should plan for lots of people and a good amount of walking across the UT campus. Students can choose which activities they'd like to attend and come and go at their leisure. Activities are ongoing throughout the event with the exception of a few great science shows like our Fun With Chemistry show (show times are listed in the program). Come prepared and check out the program ahead of time to plan the activities you'd like to visit. Also, plan to wear comfortable shoes and clothes. We also recommend bringing a bag to take home all of the fun things you create during the day! You should expect lots of noise and people around you having fun. If an activity is crowded, we recommend returning to it later. Discuss with your participants what to do if they get separated from you - they should immediately find a Girl Day volunteer wearing one of our shirts and they will take them to an info tent. While we have lots of volunteers to help lead activities, we encourage you to help your participants make the connection to engineering, to help them question their activity designs (without leading them or doing it for them), and being a positive force encouraging them to see what they can do with math and science!
REGISTRATION
- Who can attend Girl Day?
Any student in Kindergarten – 8th grade. Boys are welcome too!
- How do I register?
Registration for Girl Day opens each year in December.
- Can I register another student?
Yes! Registration will be available online through the day of the event.
- One of my students cancelled, how do I swap/change/add another student?
No need! If you want to add another student you can register them. Swaps and cancellations don't need to be recorded.
- My child is in Pre-K, can she attend?
Activities are not designed for younger students and we don't want to frustrate them about STEM with activities that are not at their age level. We offer Girl Day every year so wait a year or two and come when they are in Kindergarten through 8th grade!
- Can my high schooler attend/volunteer for Girl Day?
Because the events at Girl Day are geared towards elementary and middle school students, we do not allow high school students to attend Girl Day as a participant. There are several ways high school students can get involved to learn more about engineering in age-appropriate events including our CREATEatUT and WEatUT programs. High school students also cannot volunteer due to minors on campus policies of the university unless they are volunteering with their school or another organization where parents, guardians or other responsible parties will be facilitating.
- How many adults do I need? Can I register another adult?
There is no specified adult to child ratio required. You will need an adult with the students at all time during the event. You do not need to register additional adults who will be in attendance with a group of participants. We use the adult contact information to send information and details about the event via email.
PARKING
- Where do I park?
Parking for Girl Day 2019 is free for participants in our 3 garages starting at 10:00 AM: 27th Street Garage (109 W. 27th Street), Speedway Garage (105 E. 27th Street), and San Antonio Garage (2420 San Antonio St). Paid parking is available in other nearby garages if these garages back up or get filled up. Consider taking a Capital Metro bus for free from one of 4 Austin Public Libraries. See more parking information here.
- Where is bus parking?
Email Andrea about bus questions.
T-SHIRTS
- How do I purchase a Girl Day T-shirt?
In 2019, Girl Day t-shirts will only be available for purchase at the event in youth and adult size. We will only accept cash purchases. All proceeds from the t-shirts allow us to continue to offer Girl Day every year free to the community!
DAY OF
- Where is check-in?
There is no check-in for Girl Day. We encourage everyone to attend our welcome session at the beginning and then the closing shows at the end of the day. Visit an info tent for a program or download the Girl Day at UT Austin app.
- How much are the Girl Day Girl Scout patches? Where do I get mine?
Patches will be at the Girl Scouts booth – look for them in your program on the day of.
- Will food be provided?
There will be food trucks and our student organizations will be selling snacks and water bottles throughout the day. There are also vending machines and water fountains throughout campus. We will share more details about food options closer to the event.
- I'm bringing a large group, what should I know?
We have many large groups of students at Girl Day and have some suggestions to make your experience even better! We recommend having the students wear the same t-shirts, have a designated meeting place if your group gets split up, and to have enough adults to separate the students by age group to attend the different activities. Many of our activities span across many grades, but some are better for specific groups. We also recommend that you give the students (or print on a nametag) their emergency contact information in case you get separated.
VOLUNTEERING
- How do I volunteer for Girl Day?
We appreciate the support of our community to put on Girl Day! If you are a UT student or a community member over age 18, you can visit our Girl Day Volunteer website. Due to minors on campus policies, we cannot allow anyone high school age or under the age of 18 to volunteer for Girl Day unless volunteering with a parent or other individual serving as a chaperone.
SUPPORT
- How can I support Girl Day?
Girl Day is free to participants every year due to the generous donations and support from our corporate sponsors and community. We are incredibly grateful for this support so we can continue to show girls everywhere how great Engineering and STEM are! You can make an individual donation or if you would like to become one of our corporate partners, please email Tricia Berry for more information.