LANL women expand career horizons for NM students

Contact: Kay Roybal, (505) 665-0582 (00-024)

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LOS ALAMOS, N.M., March 1, 2000 -- Sethanne Howard, a research astronomer formerly with Los Alamos National Laboratory and currently with the National Science Foundation, is the featured speaker for the 22nd annual Expanding Your Horizons conference on Monday, March 6 at the Department of Energy's Los Alamos National Laboratory.

Howard's talk, "4000 Years of Women in Science, Technology and Other Altogether Creative Stuff," is part of a daylong conference is sponsored by the Laboratory and the New Mexico Network for Women in Science and Engineering. It is also supported by numerous area businesses and professional organizations.

At the conference, students in grades 8 through 10 from schools throughout Northern New Mexico will attend hands-on workshops that will encourage their interest in mathematics, science and engineering. Women who have successfully pursued technical careers are the workshop leaders. Each participant will attend two workshops, one from the student's declared interest area and the other chosen to introduce a new area. No more than 10 participants are assigned to a workshop, so that each can participate actively. The students also will participate in a team activity.

Howard, whose avocation is the history of women in science, is the executive assistant for two international projects at the National Science Foundation -- the Gemini Telescopes Project and ALMA, the Atacama Large Millimeter Array. She has worked at Lick Observatory, the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, Kitt Peak National Observatory, Marshall Space Flight Center and NASA.

She was the first woman to receive a degree in physics from the University of California, Davis, and studies galaxies that interact with each other.

"Science is a traditional role for women," Howard said. "For over 4,000 years of written history, woman have participated in this great human adventure. Female creativity and genius fill out technical past. The stories of these women not only provide role models for future scientists, they also strengthen and broaden our ability to deal with the present."

In addition to her address to conference participants, Howard will speak to the general public on Monday, March 6 from 6:30 to 8:30 pm at the Bradbury Science Museum.

Since Expanding Your Hoizons began nationally 22 years ago, thousands of high school and middle school students have been introduced to career possibilities in mathematics, science and engineering. Last year, 121 students from 23 schools in northern New Mexico attended, including a number from the New Mexico School for the Deaf. Fifty-eight percent of the students were Hispanic, and 11 percent were Native American. The students are targeted at the time in their lives when they begin to plan for college and careers and are encouraged to keep their options open by taking math and science classes during high school.

For the second time in its history, EYH will offer a special workshop for teachers who accompany students to the conference. Becky Parker of the Education Program Office, who is coordinating the teacher conference, has received funding to cover the cost of providing substitute teachers, freeing the math and science teachers to bring students to EYH and attend the teacher conference. Speakers for the teacher conference include new Laboratory Diversity Office Director Lisa Gutierrez, Jonathan Dowell of ReefNews and Pat Sandoval of the Lab's X Project.

Information and registration materials for EYH are available from Janie Enter at 665-0756, volcano@lanl.gov or through the conference Web site at http://t12www.lanl.gov/home/lawis/EYH/ Information also is available through Carol Ladelfe (cladelfe@lanl.gov, 665-3285) and Alexine Salazar (alexine@lanl.gov, 665-5283.)

More news releases from the Science and Technology Base Program (STB) Office