About

Inspiring Girls Expeditions is a free, 12-day wilderness science program that places small teams of high school youth alongside professional women scientists, artists, and wilderness guides in remote field environments. Founded in 1999 by glaciologist Erin Pettit while a graduate student at the University of Washington, the program has grown from a single glacier expedition in the North Cascades into an international network of branches operating across the United States, Canada, Switzerland, Austria, New Zealand, and Central Asia. Each expedition team of nine students designs and conducts original field science experiments, engages in artistic documentation of the natural environment, and develops backcountry travel skills — culminating in a public presentation of scientific findings on the final day.

U.S. expeditions for 2026 include Girls on Ice Cascades (North Cascades, Washington — returning after a postponement), Girls in Icy Fjords (sea kayaking, Seward Alaska), Girls in the Forest (packrafting and boreal ecology, Fairbanks Alaska), and Girls on Rock (rock climbing, Colorado Rockies). Each branch is led by an all-female instructor team of professional scientists, artists, and wilderness guides with direct expertise in the expedition's field environment. Applications open in early December and close in late January, with decisions released in April. The program explicitly prioritizes diversity of backgrounds, geographic settings, and economic circumstances — no prior wilderness or scientific experience is required, and all specialized skills are taught on expedition.

The program occupies an unusual niche in the pre-college landscape: it is one of the only opportunities for high school students to conduct genuine field science in remote wilderness environments alongside active researchers, at no cost. The scientific work is real — past participants have studied glacier dynamics, boreal fire ecology, marine environments, and rock formation — and the program's founding in academic glaciology gives it a research lineage that most outdoor education programs cannot claim. For students drawn to field science, environmental research, or wilderness exploration who have had limited access to these environments, Inspiring Girls Expeditions offers an experience with few meaningful peers.