Jennifer Steinkamp's "Hurdy Gurdy Man," a digital projection of chrysanthemums.

Twenty-two girls from Twin Cities-area high schools are collaborating with counterparts in Nairobi, Kenya in an environmental and educational project co-sponsored by the Minneapolis Institute of Art (MIA) and the National Museums of Kenya in Nairobi.

Called "Girls Design the World: Supporting Green Communities with STEAM," the program is part of Museums Connect, an ambitious effort to help teens in different parts of the world come up with creative solutions to environmental problems. STEAM is an acronym for science, technology, engineering, art and math. Museums Connect is a joint initiative of the U.S.State Department's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and the American Alliance of Museums which administers the program for the government and gave grants to participating museum-partners.

Participating Twin Cities girls recently camped overnight at the Minneapolis museum and they did a web-conference with their partners in Nairobi where time is 8 hours ahead of Minnesota. The girls slept in the atrium of the museum under 6EQUJ5, a digital projection on the ceiling of asteroids moving through space. The asteroid projection is an art project by California-based Jennifer Steinkamp who discussed her art and her interest in science with the girls.

In future events, the girls will meet with representatives from local conservation groups, identify environmental issues, conduct interviews, and then develop design-based strategies for addressing the problems. Female scientists, artists or designers in each city will work with the girls to produce prototypes, maps, models and other solutions. The students' work will be shown at the museum in February 2016.

Five girls will later exchange visits to meet their counterparts, tour cultural and environmental organizations, and discuss their endeavors.

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Minnesota participants include 22 girls from Washburn High School, South High School, FAIR Downtown, Patrick Henry, Twin Cities Academy, St. Paul Central High School, Park Center Senior High, Mounds Park Academy, Great River School, the School of Environmental Studies, Robbinsdale Armstrong High School, Mound Westonka High School, and Minnetonka High School.