Swarthmore Students Encourage Girls to
Explore Math and Sciences in Hands-On Conference

by Alisa Giardinelli
03/06/2008

For the fourth consecutive year, a Swarthmore student-led conference will bring 150 area middle school girls to campus to explore and encourage their interest in math, the sciences, and engineering. The conference, Expanding Your Horizons (EYH) will take place Sat., Mar. 29, from 8 a.m. - 4 p.m., with a registration deadline of Mar. 15.

"This event is a great way to help these girls achieve success in the sciences and lower the attrition rate of women in those fields," says conference coordinator Patricia Kelly '08, a biology major from Atlanta, Ga. "It not only encourages them, but encourages myself, the other women on the committee, the parents of the girls that attend the conference, and the female professors and science professionals that hold the workshops."

Those hands-on workshops cover a variety of subjects, including robotics, neurobiology, astronomy, and chemistry. Girls attend in small groups, as well as participate in discussions about the role of gender in education and daily life.

Patricia accepted the EYH coordinator's role in order to advocate for "women of color to pursue careers within the sciences because of the even higher attrition rates within this group," she says. "I love science and will pursue a career in it myself, and I hope to continually serve as an example of success and encourage others do the same. The EYH conference motivates me to accomplish all of these goals."