MARSHALL TWP, Allegheny County — A typical junior high science lesson doesn’t involve launching marshmallows and building roller coasters for marbles.

But this past week about 40 girls from Butler Junior High School did just that while applying their knowledge outside the classroom.

XTO Energy on Wednesday hosted the seventh- and eighth-graders at its regional headquarters in the Thorn Hill Industrial park in support of Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day.

This was the second year the Texas-based oil and gas producer partnered with the school for the event, which coincided with National Engineers Week. The celebration is presented annually by the National Society of Professional Engineers.

After getting settled into groups of six or seven, the students set out to tackle two experiments.

The first involved building a structure — a “roller coaster” — that could keep a marble rolling for as long as possible without stopping or falling while guiding it to the floor.

However, the only supplies the girls had at their disposal were file folders, paper, tape and scissors — and they were limited to about a 3-square-foot space on the floor next to a wall.

Many groups started by sketching designs, and soon, all were figuring out ways to delay the inevitable effect gravity would have on the marble once they set it in motion.

Whether they realized it or not, they were calculating force, acceleration, momentum, friction, distance and more, said David Andrews, who teaches science at the junior high and helped organize the event.

“In the classroom right now, we’re talking about work and power and simple machines,” he said.

Juli Albright, a young chemical and petroleum engineer for XTO, was another one of the adults standing by to provide guidance.

However, she also was there to provide inspiration.

“I want them to know they can do it,” she said. “I want to encourage them the way I was encouraged.”

The Texas native said she was about the same age when her family and school staff helped her decide to pursue her interests in math and science.

The result has been a challenging and rewarding, career that has enabled her do interesting work and travel the world.

“I want them to know engineering isn’t some boring job. A lot of times it involves a lot of creativity to approach and solve problems,” she said.

That creativity was evident in the way each group met the challenges the experiment created.

Because horizontal space was limited, each group decided to start the marble’s descent from as high a point as possible. However, they then had to figure out different ways to turn and redirect the marble as it rolled downward.

Because they were allowed to use the wall, most groups settled on a design that involved taping folded file folders to the wall to create multiple levels of trays enabling the marble to cascade down the wall.

Despite limited time and supplies, the winning team, comprised of eighth graders, produced a design that kept the marble rolling for 33 seconds.

“It helped me understand my science lessons more because I could actually get hands on,” Anna Kaufman said afterward.

Faith Hansotte added, “I didn’t realize how to actually use science in the real world. I was like, ‘When do I need to know work and distance?’ But then whenever you’re doing the experiment, and you do the math, you realize how to decrease the force and add distance.”

The experience also had an effect on their teammates.

Caroline Sims said she wants to be a medical research scientist.

“It’s just the fact that there’s so many things that can be discovered,” she said.

Mackenzi Popovich said, “I was on and off about being an engineer, but then after today ... I realized how much fun it is, so I think I’m going to be an engineer.”

Emma Kappler added, “I always thought that when you would do something with science, it would always be something boring, to be honest. But now after doing stuff like today, I realize it’s not all that bad. It’s actually quite fun.”

The second experiment involved building a device that could launch marshmallows onto a mat laid across a table. The groups were judged on accuracy and consistency.

“They were so happy there wasn’t a snow day today,” said Amy Dobkin, an XTO spokesman who helped organize the event.

“Our whole goal with this program is to inspire them,” she said.

“Education is critical. It’s the basis for us to have an educated work force here and all around the country.”