Bright and early on a recent Saturday morning, science labs and classrooms on The College of Wooster campus were filled to the brim.
But rather than the undergraduates that normally fill the seats, the students in these classes were fifth and sixth-grade female students from throughout Wayne, Holmes and Ashland counties taking part in the Expanding Your Horizons conference.
The daylong conference presented at The College of Wooster April 16 was specially designed to nurture girls interest in science and math courses to encourage them to consider careers in science and math.
Girls participating in the program had the opportunity to participate in three of the 17 different workshops offered during the conference, which allowed the budding scientists to do everything from watching microscopic plants actually move toward or away from light to studying primate learning and social behavior by observing the interaction of a group of capuchin monkeys.
During each hourlong session, the girls took part in hands-on activities specifically designed to spur their interest in a particular career in math or science and interact with some of the top women scientists in their fields.
Each of the sessions were lead by area female science professionals, including a dentist, a veterinarian, a chemist from ABS Materials and professors from The College of Wooster and The Ohio State University who were assisted by College of Wooster students, all of whom volunteered their time to be part of the program.
According to the event organizers, allowing young girls to see that there are women right here in the community that are excelling in science and math-based careers and that science can be interesting, fun and have real world applications are some of the keys to the success of the program.
According to Karen Skubik, who helped organize the event, 2011 marks the 18th year that The College of Wooster has hosted an Expanding Your Horizons conference.
Skubik noted that this year a record 130 young women from throughout the tri-county area participated in the event.
The Expanding Your Horizons conference at The College of Wooster is part of a nationwide organization known as the Expanding Your Horizons Network, which is dedicated to encouraging young women to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
Through the more than 100 conferences held annually in 31 states and Europe and Asia, the organization provides science, math and technology role models and hands-on activities for middle and high school girls with the goal of motivating girls to become innovative and creative thinkers ready to meet 21st century challenges.
The seed for the program was planted in the 1970s when a group of women scientists and educators in San Francisco noticed a lack of female students in math courses.
In an effort to strengthen their individual programs and establish mutual support for one another, in 1974 the group established the Math/Science Network, which later became known as the Expanding Your Horizons Network. The first Expanding Your Horizons conference was held at Mills College in 1976.
The Expanding Your Horizons conference was a collaborative effort amongst The College of Wooster, the American Association of University Women, the Wooster Book Company, the Ohio Geological Society, the Ohio Oil and Gas Energy Education Program and the Math/Science Network.
For more information on the Expanding Your Horizons Network, visit their website at http://www.expandingyourhorizons.org.
