'Expanding Your Horizons' Encourages Girls to Pursue Interest in Science and Math

Close to 90 sixth-grade girls from Wayne, Holmes, and Ashland Counties participate in workshop

Sharon Lynn (center) led a session titled "This One's for the Birds" at the 18th annual Expanding Your Horizons Workshop Saturday at The College of Wooster.

WOOSTER, Ohio - Who says women shouldn't be scientists, and who says scientists shouldn't have fun? Certainly not the nearly 90 sixth-grade girls from Wayne, Holmes, and Ashland Counties, who turned out for the 18th annual "Expanding Your Horizons" workshop on Saturday at The College of Wooster.

Sponsored by the local chapter of the American Association of University Women, the Wooster Book Company, Seaman Corporation, and The College of Wooster, the workshop is designed to give girls a chance to explore a wide range of topics and to meet women who have chosen these fields for their careers, according to Mary Wicks, a research technician at the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center (OARDC) and co-chair of the annual event. "Young women still face a variety of social barriers in pursuing their interests in science and math," said Wicks. "Our goal is to help the girls explore their options and to work with women who can serve as role models."

Among the role models in attendance on Saturday was Sarah Schmidtke, assistant professor of chemistry at Wooster. She led a session on chemistry principles that occur in everyday items, including food and drugs. "I believe it is very important to get youth, particularly females, excited about science and mathematics at an early age," she said. "During my grade school years, I had the opportunity to participate in similar experiences and was strongly encouraged to pursue my interests in those two fields. The support and encouragement I received helped to influence my choices to pursue my present career. I hope to be able to provide similar encouragement to girls and also raise the awareness of the many opportunities that they have, particularly in the sciences."

Likewise, Melissa Schultz, also an assistant professor of chemistry at Wooster, participated because she wanted to honor those who had nurtured her interest in science. "When I was growing up, I always had positive female role models in the field of science," said Schultz, who along with Hannah Tims, visiting instructor in chemistry, taught a session on polymers by having the participants make flubber. "I wanted to return the favor and pass on my enthusiasm with science to the next generation of women scientists."

A total of 17 sessions were offered at the workshop, and each was hands-on, including "The Myth of the Caveman," in which Pam Frese, professor of anthropology, dispelled the myth of the caveman by inviting participants to feel the differences between facial features and cranial capacity of Neanderthal and Homo sapiens skulls. Other popular sessions were "This One's for the Birds," which was led by Sharon Lynn, assistant professor of biology, and featured the construction of birdhouses made from recycled juice cartons; "Zany Brainy," where Cate Fenster, also an assistant professor of biology, showed the girls live neurons inside a sheep's brain; and "Primate Learning and Social Behavior - Studies with Capuchin Monkeys," a guided tour of Wooster's animal behavior laboratory led by Leah Michelson, a senior psychology major.

"Our presenters know, from their own experiences, how tough it can be for young women to stick with science through high school," said Lyn Loveless, professor of biology at Wooster and one of the coordinators of the workshop. "All too often, girls are discouraged from even considering science careers. That is such a shame. It's a tremendous loss of brain power.

"Programs like the 'Expanding Your Horizons' workshop are so important, I think, in giving young women concrete role models in math and the natural sciences," added Loveless. "The girls have the chance to meet and work with women who are doctors, and chemists, and molecular biologists, and physicists. We think our workshops also help debunk the idea that science is just geeky. Science is fun. We get to ask cool questions, and play around with finding out the answers. Our goal, in doing this workshop every spring, is to give girls a fun, positive experience that plants the seed in their minds and shows them that they can follow one of these careers, too."

Ashley Ferguson, a sixth grader at Taft Elementary School in Ashland, said the workshop was "well organized, very interesting, and a lot of fun." Her mother, Donna, was especially pleased. "I could tell by the look on Ashley's face when I came to pick her up that she had a great day," said Mrs. Ferguson. "She was very excited to tell us about each of the sessions she participated in. This may have been the start for a future scientist."