Printer friendly version

Ivy Romero uses a radiation detection instrument to measure the radioactivity of a radium dial wristwatch as part of the “Radiation and Radioactivity” workshop at Thursday’s Expanding Your Horizons program cosponsored by the Laboratory.

Expanded horizons equals expanded opportunities for young women

The Northern Chapter of the New Mexico Network for Women in Science and Engineering, with co-sponsorship from the Lab, kicked off its annual Expanding Your Horizons (EYH) -- technical career workshops for young women -- Thursday in the Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic Church Parish Hall. The EYH program, which promotes the continuing advancement of science and mathematics education for young women in grades eight through 10, attracted 162 female students this year. The corresponding EYH teachers’ conference, which runs simultaneously with the student workshops, was also in Parish Hall.

EYH volunteers, many of whom are Lab employees, hail from different disciplines of math, science, and engineering including, but not limited to, biology, electrical engineering, chemistry, physics, physical science and computer science. EYH Committee Chair Georgia Pedicini of High Performance Computing (CCN-7) said committee members have been working since October to organize this event.

In terms of the selection process, most of the students were recommended to the program through their teachers while others signed up through different channels. “We recommended students based on their aptitude, interests and ability to pursue science and math in life,” said Diane Medford, a teacher at Los Alamos High School. “We picked those with intrinsic abilities -- not necessarily the top students academically, so everyone had a chance at it. The girls are really excited and honored to be chosen -- each one feels like someone special.”

After the registration and welcome period, the students eagerly dove into their first team activity -- the Column Design Challenge. Sitting on the floor and split into groups scattered throughout the Parish auditorium, the young women were given eight sheets of copy paper, one cardstock top, scissors, pencils, a ruler, and one roll of scotch tape to design a structural support (single or multiple columns) capable of holding up a load of stacked books. They worked diligently. Ideas flowed like the Rio Grande; scraps of papers flew through the air and the distinct sound of scotch tape tearing filled the room. In the end, every team produced impressive designs capable of supporting multiple, thick volumes.

Team member Maria Janke of Los Alamos High School displayed her team’s design, Penta-Comb, which sported the creative advertising slogan of: “So sturdy, it makes us look nerdy.”

After the team activity, students broke into one of the 16 workshops offered by EYH -- some took buses to different locations such as Fuller Lodge, the Wellness Center and other facilities at the Lab while many students attended workshops on-site.

A sampling of available workshops included:

• Secret and Hidden Writing -- Survey and Cryptology and Steganography
• Designing Patterns Using Programming Logic and Mobile Robots
• Radiation and Radioactivity
• Fingerprints
• Adventures in Uncertainty -- Variation and Topics in Probability and Statistics
• Aquifer in a Box
• DNA -- The Miracle that Makes Us Unique
• Lights and Lasers
• Inventing Architecture -- Expressive Building and Design with Nature
• Deformation nation: Geology in America

Lisa Colletti of Actinide Analytical Chemistry (C-AAC) said that students were assigned to specific workshops based on the information and special interests listed on their registration forms.

After gathering in the auditorium for lunch, students split up again for afternoon workshops. At 2:30 p.m., students and teachers assembled to listen to Wilderness Ranger Abigail Sussman, the keynote speaker, who gave a talk entitled: “Adventures of an Unexpected Scientist.”

Sussman explained that as a middle and high school student, “I was pretty sure I wouldn’t be able to be a scientist.” However, as her love for the outdoors grew, Sussman said that she had opportunities that allowed her to see science as a field, which enabled her to be creative and discover the world in her own way. She went on to get a graduate degree in natural resource management.

During the “Stamp of Fingerprints” workshop Stephanie Salazar, left, Alyssa Knobeloch, and Ganelle Roybal dust for prints. Inset: Prints are exposed by ultraviolet light. Photos by LeRoy N. Sanchez, Public Affairs

Her adventures have taken her to Alaska, South Dakota, New York and Washington where she vacillated between being a wildlife biologist, park ranger, environmental educator and natural resource manager. Sussman has spent nine seasons working for the forest service as a wilderness ranger.
She said the two main points that she would like to leave with the young women at the EYH conference are: “Young women can do whatever they want to do -- the whole world is open to each of them, and don’t let anyone discourage you, whatever your path -- be it a straight or winding road -- you can get to the destination.”

--Hildi T. Kelsey

Other Headlines