Expanding Horizons
By Jacqueline Persandi
motivating young women in science and mathematics, understands how important these four letters are to the future of women in the work field.
S When Vrushali Korde, Ph.D. and staff
optical engineer at Vistakon, moved from Tucson, Ariz. to the First Coast several years ago, she didn’t initially intend on starting the North Florida chapter of Expanding Your Horizons (EYH). “In Tucson I volunteered with the Expanding Your Horizons chapter and I was looking for a similar volunteering opportunity here,” she says. “I was surprised to learn that the closest EYH chapter was in Orlando, affiliated with UCF [University of Central Florida].” In 2010 a 10-person committee was formed and started planning the first EYH North Florida event.
On Saturday Feb. 23, Expanding Your
Horizons North Florida held their third annual conference at the University of North Florida. With the help of more than 100 volunteers, the day was centered on exploration, learning and fun. More than 120 middle school girls, grades 6 through 8, gathered to discover what STEM careers are all about. Twins Lydia and Sarah, 12, attended the event for the first time. Lydia, whose favorite subject is math, said she’s most excited about “learning new stuff about science and math that you don’t learn in school.”
Te young women started their Saturday
with a presentation by Nicole Dawkins, Jacksonville native and assistant chief engineer at Kennedy Space Center. Te middle school girls learned about a variety of career paths available at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, or NASA, including unexpected avenues like artist and lawyer.
From there, groups learned the science
behind slime while making their own gooey concoction, experimented with engineering using an egg drop, and discovered that chemistry can create lip gloss. Group leader and second year volunteer Lisa Jo Anderson told us a little about her experience. “I get a group of girls and take them from room to
TEM is a four letter acronym for science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Expanding Your Horizons, an organization devoted to
room. Tey get to do really cool things like the egg drop and the slime-making and they have no idea that there’s science behind that. It’s really cool to watch their ah-ha! moment when they realize, I can make a living at doing this. Tat’s what’s really cool about the program.”
Not only did the young women learn from
workshops, but they interacted with role models currently in STEM careers. Engineer Gina Shepler was excited to be a part of the day. “Today is about science and getting girls interested. Hopefully it will inspire them to work in the science and engineering fields.”
Although the day was jam-packed with
fun and excitement, the main focus was to open the middle school students’ eyes and minds to the opportunities around them. Volunteer Lindalee Berk says, “It’s a big focus on junior high girls working with math and science. A lot of times girls fall behind in math and science in school. Tere’s a focus of really making it fun—something that they want to be doing—and go down a career path later on.” Te fundamentals taught at Expanding Your Horizons North Florida’s event can make a difference in the future of women on the First Coast.
For more information about Expanding
Your Horizons North Florida, visit
eyhnorthflorida.org.
Nicole Dawkins, assistant chief engineer at Kennedy Space Center. Photos courtesy of Expanding Your Horizons North Florida.
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