Expanding Girls' Horizons

By Sherry Seethaler I April 11, 2005

Analyzing the chemistry of ink to identify the author of a hand-written ransom note. Piloting a remote-controlled one-quarter scale Mars Exploration Rover. Extracting DNA from vegetables. Performing mock surgery on a simulated large animal.

Meteorite workshop. An activity involving M&Ms to demonstrate the principles of the half-life of a radioactive element. Credit: Cheryl Brown, ArtsBusXpress

These are just a few of the workshops that engaged 600 sixth- to tenth-grade girls from all over San Diego County at the Expanding Your Horizons conference held at UCSD on Saturday. While the girls were exploring hands-on science activities, 200 parents attended parallel sessions designed to help them better support their daughters academically, including a Q-and-A luncheon with Joseph Watson, UCSD's vice chancellor of student affairs.

More than half a million girls have attended Expanding Your Horizons (EYH) conferences nationally since the program's inception in 1976, at Mills College in Oakland. Saturday's event was the third annual EYH conference to be held in San Diego. UCSD started EYH San Diego in partnership with the San Diego Science Alliance and groups across the region that share the goal of encouraging young women to pursue careers in science, mathematics and technology.

The day began with inspirational stories from keynote panelists: Dr. Shirley Johnston, dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine, Western University of Health Sciences; Isabel Perlinski, CEO and founder of Perlinski and Company; and Janet White, senior director of development business operations for Pfizer.

The panelists highlighted the centrality of science in their own lives. White traced the beginning of her chemistry career to one of her favorite games as a child-raiding the kitchen spice cupboard to make "potions."

"Science taught me to think in patterns, and I contribute my success to my early training in math and science," said Perlinski.

Large animal veterinary workshop. Learning the steps involved in preparing for an equine surgery case. Credit: Cheryl Brown, ArtsBusXpress

Panelists also spoke eloquently about how they overcame personal struggles. Perlinksi, who emigrated from Cuba to the U.S., talked about her frustrations with learning a new language at the same time as she pursued her bachelor's degree in computer science.

Johnston, who was discouraged from a career in medicine because she was female, advised the girls, "Decide what you're excited about, and don't let the world discourage you."

Throughout the day, mentors chaperoned groups of 10-15 girls to workshops, and guided them in reflection activities. The majority of the mentors were UCSD undergraduates recruited by the staff of the Office of Academic Support and Instructional Services (OASIS), who also played a significant role in organizing the conference. In all, hundreds of volunteers donated their time to make EYH possible, including the EYH steering committee members, consisting of local professional women. More than a dozen local businesses and non-profit organizations generously sponsored the event. Local scientists designed the more than 40 workshops that the girls attended.

"Scientists don't get the word out about the excitement of science often enough," said Candace Kohl, a chemist at UCSD, who presented a workshop on meteorites. "But making science accessible and relating it to people's lives is part of our job."

Although the girls selected an area of interest from archeology to zoology, they were also exposed to areas of science they might not have considered. Marlene, a student who said she wanted to be a crime scene investigator or a lawyer, showed off a card of fingerprints from a crime scene investigations workshop. However, she was also clearly intrigued by a model airplane she was taking home from a workshop on aerodynamics, explaining how moving the flaps could turn the airplane.

"I thought that workshop was going to be boring," she said, "but it was cool."

In the closing session, Cristina Deis, subject coordinator for the math and science tutorial program at OASIS, mentioned the comments of Harvard University President Lawrence Summers, who speculated that innate limitations might be an explanation for the lack of top level female professionals in science and engineering.

"Even in 2005, there might be people who say you can't do something because you're female," said Deis.

Then she asked the girls to look around the room at all the female undergraduate mentors, and consider that the mentors, presenters and other volunteers were there because they believed in the girls.

"Just remember," she said, "for every person who might discourage you, there are a hundred people who are on your side and support you."

For more information on Expanding Your Horizons, San Diego, please visit http://www.sdsa.org/eyh/