Document text
Girls learn that science can be fun photo by Jim Craven Laura Hummel, of South Middle School in Grants Pass, examines a Polymer she created in a chemistry workshop as part of the Advocates for Women in Science, Engineering and Mathematics seminar Saturday at Southern Oregon University. The goal of the annual event is to get middle school girls interested in school, and the sciences in particular. Professionals in technical fields share enthusiasm at SOU event By Vicki Guarino of the Mail Tribune From stitching up a pig's foot to learning the secrets of microprocessors and super-absorbent diapers, more than 100 girls sampled science in a workshop hosted by women specialists. Advocates for Women in Science, Engineering and Mathematics and Southern Oregon University's youth programs gave girls a peek Saturday into the work of science and technology professionals who just happen to be women. Doctors, medical assistants, chemists, biologists from SOU and across Southern Oregon demonstrated, taught and encouraged. "You want to do that?" engineer Paula Brown, Ashland's public works director, asked a girl who expressed an interest in water quality field work. "Well, you can come with me when I go out. You give me a call." By their very presence, the volunteer faculty showed girls that gender is no bar to scientific pursuits. The goal of the AWSEM presentation was to get middle school-age girls interested in school, and the sciences in particular. The seminar is like many hosted by AWSEM members and universities around the country. The Southern Oregon session, now in its fourth year, has grown to a point where every girl who expressed an interest in attending could be accommodated, said coordinator Linda Hilligoss, from SOU's youth programs office. About 120 students in grades six through eight attended. They came from 11 schools, plus home school. The day began with some thoughtful advice from hydrologist and Rogue River National Forest supervisor Debra Whitall. "Job titles and places of employment may change," Whitall told the crowd gathered in a lecture hall, "but holding true to your dreams, finding your passion and pursuing it to the best of your ability is truly the key to success." The specialists spread out through SOU's science building, where lab equipment lent an appropriate atmosphere to the workshops. In several instances, SOU faculty simply returned to their own classrooms for the day. Girls like Talent Middle School sixth-grader Marci Klimek were happy to spend the day in school. She said she was giving up a basketball tournament to attend. "This is more fun," she said as she and three classmates built model microprocessors from play clay. "Science is fun for me. You learn stuff you didn't know before." "And you never know if you might use it when you grow up," added classmate Vanessa Jimenez. Besides that, Vanessa said, the seminar was a great way to spend the day with friends. Teachers at middle schools had talked up the event, and several tagged along for the day, which included a formal banquet at noon. Medford veterinarian Danna Catt took students on a visual tour of her work day, complete with X-rays of house pets with hazardous appetites. "This a dog's stomach _ a really big dog," Catt said. She reminded students of what shows up brightest on the film, and then continued, "You can see, this is a staple. And this is a plastic bag of something. "He ate a lot of whatever he ate." And happily, it all passed without a hitch. In a cat, a needle stood out with alarming clarity. Catt's appearance was a triumph for Hilligoss. Every year, when girls filed their recommendations for improving the event, the most requested specialty was veterinary medicine. Not every student could attend every event, however, so Victoria Morefield, a Talent seventh-grader, was disappointed to see Catt's schedule already full by the time she arrived. Back for her second year, Victoria said she wants to be a vet. She said she returned to the seminar this year because she likes the instructors. Her veteran status showed in the way she deftly sutured a small incision in the preserved foot of a pig, pulling precise knots with tweezers and a clamp. "It's only tedious getting it through the skin," she said. Today's Edition : News | Sports | Business | Weather | Tempo | Classifieds Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 2000, Medford, Oregon USA