By Kathryn Millhorn
“Too many kids feel shame because they don’t measure up to some standard. Every student needs to feel prized and cared for and to have [their] interests allowed to flower” says educator Wayne B. Jennings. This is often true regarding education in science, math, and technology classes.
The journal Education Week recently reported that STEM education is lacking in many rural areas. “The authors of the report say that the workforce shortage may be due to several factors, including a shortage of students who are prepared for high-level STEM course work, teachers who are inexperienced with teaching STEM, and shrinking education budgets that have made STEM a lower priority. Some rural districts said they lack access to extracurricular activities, like after-school programs and summer programs, which support STEM and can build interest and skills in students.”
To counteract dismissive mindsets, the first ‘Expanding Your Horizons in Science and Mathematics’ conference was held in 1976. Since then, more than 600,000 girls have attended events across the country. Locally the Thurston County Expanding Your Horizons foundation is one of ten locations across the state which hosts a conference each year.
This year’s showcase will be held at South Puget Sound Community College on Saturday, March 7. The event will provide girls in grades 6-8 the opportunity to experience hands-on workshops with a focus on science, technology, engineering, math, and all they can encompass.
Girls will have the opportunity to choose three workshops from an array of more than 25 offerings and the event is open to students from around the region. These workshops are taught by some of the community’s leading women business leaders, scientists, authors, tradeswomen, and educators.
One such workshop will be presented by Joy Ramstack Hobbs, a scientist from the Science Museum of Minnesota. Her ‘Microscopic Clues About the Past’ seminar will be a hands-on look at sediment cores from local lakes, studying changes, environmental impacts, and history of a lake from the diatoms preserved in its sediment. Hobbs is also on the Thurston County EYH board this year and loves that each workshop is limited in size so she and the other teachers “can get a chance to do something hands on and talk to each of the girls.”
Another of this year’s offerings is ‘Welding is Hot!’ offered by SPSCC welding instructor Sarah Patterson and some of her students. Patterson has been a certified welder for 15 years and a certified welding instructor for ten. She was approached by EYH three years ago both to present a workshop and be their keynote speaker. This year she will present at two different EYH conferences.
Patterson is a firm believer in early STEM education. “I think that ALL students need to be exposed to STEM as early as possible. We should tap in to young children’s natural curiosity in these areas and then help foster greater understanding in these areas as the child matures in their education,” notes Patterson.
“Kids don’t care that STEM fields are the areas with greatest job growth; they just know that science is amazing, technology is fun, and math is awesome,” Patterson continues. “If we can expand upon their natural inclination towards these areas and then help them to realize the endless possibilities that pursuing education in these areas will be present to them, it’s a win/win.”
Middle school girls are welcome to register now for the March 7 conference. It is a very simple process and at $15 is a low cost option for a day of education and activity.
Families are encouraged to visit the online sign-up portal and choose their workshops from the many exciting choices. Printed forms have been shared with schools around the region but are also available to download and mail in. The conference has a $15 registration fee that covers the workshops, materials, snacks, and a t-shirt. Girls also receive a free copy of the book ‘Something Stinks!’ by Gail Hedrick. The author is the keynote speaker and one of the workshop leaders. Attendees should bring a sack lunch from home. Scholarships are available and early sign-up is encouraged. Classes are assigned on a first-come/first-served basis and there will be no on-site registration.
To encourage the involvement of students from around our region, this year the EYH conference was granted money for advertising to outlying school districts, printing flyers in Spanish as well as English, and providing grants for transportation to/from the conference. Two new supporters who helped make these changes happen are the Verizon Foundation and the United Way Women’s Leadership Council.
A recent article in The Atlantic echoes the overall goals of the EYH conferences. “No matter if students stay close to home or pursue careers farther afield, educators in rural districts agree that education should expose students to the career possibilities that may not be immediately in front of them.”
Hands-on learning at an early age is one proven way to showcase the expanding world of science and technology.
To sign-up or apply for a scholarship, click here.
Contact the Thurston County EYH with questions, additional information, or to volunteer at this or future events.
