Informal Science Programs Can Benefit Girls
Posted on February 13th, 2011 by Mary Lord
Informal, out-of-school science and math programs offer great ways to engage girls in the subjects, but they need to be carefully planned and executed to make sure reluctant students want to sign up for and stick with them, Education Week’s Beyond School blog reports on findings from a new Harvard Family Research Project report.
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Tags: Girl Scouts, Girls Education, Programs for Girls, Research, Research on Learning
This live-in week long camp at Missouri University of Science and Technology, Rolla, MO., July 17-22, 2011, gives girls in grades 11 and 12 the opportunity to explore career options that help society while protecting the environment. Attendees live together in a residential hall, meet current female student leaders and professors, participate in team projects and field trips, and explore the science and engineering behind a green environment. Cost: $350. Application Deadline: July 10, 2011.
This six-day residential program at University of Dayton, July 10-15, introduces high school women, grades 10-12 to career opportunities in engineering. Participants experience a total immersion into the world of engineering through classroom activities and participatory experiments. The young women enjoy an evening of Dinner with an Engineer and hear from professional women engineers ready to share and willing to encourage. One day of camp is spent at a sponsoring industry observing engineers. Rising sophomores through seniors. Cost:$475. Application Deadline: June 1, 2011. 
This week-long residential program, June 6-10, 2010, is designed to provide a fun and introductory engineering, science, and technology experience for girls entering 7th and 8th grades. Attendees will be exposed to the various science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) careers and encouraged to explore their personal interests through group projects and design competitions. Cost: $350. Application Deadline: May 30, 2011
Vi Hart has an audacious career ambition: she wants to make math cool. In November, she posted a video about doodling in math class. More videos followed, including one about drawing stars and another about prime numbers. By now, they’ve gone viral, viewed more than a million times.
Expanding Your Horizons (EYH) is a one-day conference at Cornell University, April 16, 2011, to encourage middle school girls to pursue careers in science and math. Girls participate in workshops organized by Cornell students and faculty with hands-on activities, meeting female scientist role models and gaining awareness of opportunities in math and science-related careers.
The Women in Engineering Program at the University of Maryland will hold the 2011 DREAM Conference for girls in grades 11 and 12 on February 26, 2011, welcoming over 300 participants to the University of Maryland campus for a series of workshops, forums, demonstrations and discussions to ignite interest in engineering.
The Camp-In programs at COSI Columbus described as the “ultimate indoor camping experience for girls and boys,” has taken environmental “Green” as its 2011 theme. Participants spend 19 hours immersed in all that COSI has to offer enhanced by themed workshops, an Extreme Screen film, and more. 2011 Dates: Various, Jan. – May.
