Expanding Your Horizons conference empowers young women

Middle- and high-school girls meet role models, learn about STEM-related careers

As part of the "Life, the Universe, and Everything" workshop, participants and volunteer Karen Young of the Lab's RF Engineering (right) look through a Celestron telescope designed for viewing the sun and the daytime sky. The activity was led by Aimee Hungerford of Thermonuclear Applications Physics.

Apr. 12, 2010—Drawing young women from schools as far away as Gallup, this year's Expanding Your Horizons in Math and Science™ Conference was a resounding success. The April 6 event gave middle- and high-school girls from Northern New Mexico an opportunity to learn more about careers in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). The 65 participants also got a chance to meet female Lab scientists and other women who have successful careers in STEM-related fields.

Making science fun

This year's activities, held at Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic Church, included workshops on how airplanes fly, how to program mobile robots, and how to extract DNA from cheek cells. The girls also took a tour of the universe using sky image software, worked in a "crime lab," and learned about water quality.

Participants got to know one another over lunch and in two team activities. In a program highlight, the girls joined in singing "Science, engineering/math and technology/ girls are going to change the world/just you wait and see," a round that volunteer Aviva Sussman of Geophysics wrote to the tune of "Row Row Row Your Boat."

"Every year, we try different things," said 2010 EYH Co-Chair Georgia Pedicini of High Performance Computer Systems, who led the singing. "That keeps it fun for everyone."

Why EYH is important

Volunteers gladly donated their time, expertise, and creativity to make the event unforgettable. Asked why she's been involved in EYH for the past five years, Sussman cuddled Elie, her two-year-old daughter, and said: "I did this before she was born, but I'm even more involved now. I want Elie to know how great a career in science can be, and how important science is to making this country and the world a better place."

"I still see too few women when I walk into a meeting," said volunteer Wendee Brunish of Geophysics. "Events like these, which get girls excited about choosing careers in STEM-related fields, will hopefully help close the gender gap in those fields."

A teacher conference ran simultaneously with Expanding Your Horizons, where speakers gave instructors ideas for including more math and science in school curricula and lesson plans, and for exciting ways to teach science. In addition, teachers experimented with wind turbine kits funded by the Department of Energy.

Photos by Richard Robinson.

Click to enlarge

Participants sing songs over lunch. In the foreground are "earthquake-proof" buildings the girls built that will be shaken to test their stability.

Click to enlarge

Jan Frigo, an engineer in the International Space and Response Division, helps girls write a computer program and upload it to a robot, causing the robot draw a pattern.

Click to enlarge

In the "Let's Work In A Crime Lab" workshop led by Julie Bremser of Nuclear Counterterrorism, participants examine a $5 bill looking for features that help reduce the likelihood of counterfeiting.