Final Report
Expanding Your Horizons Conference 2003
(Return to EYH Final Reports)The 11th annual Expanding Your Horizons was held at NC State University on Tuesday, March 11, 2003. The objective of the conference is to inspire 7th grade girls to pursue careers in science, engineering, and mathematics. Approximately 350 girls and ninety teachers, representing fifty schools and fifteen North Carolina counties attended the conference. Over fifty professional women from NC State University, businesses, government agencies, and other universities in a three-state area shared their enthusiasm for science, engineering, and mathematics as conference speakers and hands-on workshop presenters. In addition to the speakers, twenty-six women scientists volunteered as guides. Nineteen members of the steering committee and most of the Science House staff volunteered in various capacities on the day of the conference.
The opening session keynote speaker was Dr. Lundie Spence, formerly of North Carolina Sea Grant and recently appointed director of the Southeast Center for Ocean Science Education Excellence program in Charleston, SC. Dr. Spence has a long history in marine science education at NC State University, and served as the keynote speaker for the first Expanding Your Horizons Conference held in the Triangle area in 1993. She engaged the seventh graders in exploring careers involving mathematics and science in an interactive format.
The students participated in many hands-on and interactive activities. The most popular of these included extracting DNA, applying stitches to animal skin samples, and holding a mock public meeting following a chemical spill. As documented by their comments, students emerged from sessions thinking about new careers and the educational requirements needed to pursue them. On the feedback forms, the girls were asked to comment on ways to improve the future conferences. The most common response was to have more workshops. The responses were very positive, as one student said, "This was awesome, and I'm so glad I had the opportunity [to attend]."
The afternoon session concluded with the young ladies receiving empowering strategies from the Enloe High School Drama troupe, who demonstrated how to deal with the teasing and harassment girls often experience when attempting to master science and mathematics. This was followed by an interactive game show in which students guessed the professions of a panel of female scientists including a physicist, pharmacist, wildlife biologist, and engineer.
Teachers and volunteer guides were asked to evaluate the two workshops they attended with students. 97% replied the sessions were presented at an appropriate level for 7th grade students, and 98% indicated the students were successfully exposed to career options in science, math, or engineering. All of the teachers who responded stated that the conference succeeded in encouraging girls to continue science and mathematics studies.
The Expanding Your Horizons Conference is an important vehicle for NC State in working to increase women's participation in science, engineering and mathematics. Annually, a majority of the Colleges at NC State are represented at EYH by Senior level administrators, professional staff, and graduate and undergraduate students who invest their time in the conference. One of the most impressive examples of the impact of EYH is a workshop presenter, Dr. Julie Raye, who is now on the faculty at Virginia Commonwealth University. She participated in EYH while she was a graduate student at NCSU, saw the benefits of the program, and was willing to travel over 3 hours to bring her current graduate students.
The NCSU News Service prepared and distributed press releases for the event, bringing coverage by local television stations. The College of Agriculture and Life Sciences provided photographers and videographers who prepared a segment scheduled to be aired on UNC Television.
The Opening and Closing sessions were held in the Witherspoon Student Center this year. Although this smaller auditorium forced us to limit the number of participants many favorable comments were made because of the more intimate atmosphere that was created in the Witherspoon Cinema.
EYH was made possible by efforts and contributions from The Science House, Provost Office, PAMS, The Howard Hughes Medical Institute, NSF Science and Technology Center for Environmentally Responsible Solvents and Processes and the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences. Brueggers Bagels contributed breakfast for workshop presenters as well as coupons for free bagels. The Carolina Courage women's soccer team contributed water bottles and cups and several colleges contributed give-away items for workshop participants.
2003 Steering Committee
Joyce Hilliard-Clark, Chair, The Science House, NC State
Mary Louise Bellamy, The Science House, NC State
Emily Bloom, College of Pharmacy, Campbell University
Laura Bottomley, College of Engineering, NC State
Terry Brasier, College of Textiles, NC State
Trisha Buddin, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, NC State
Jo-Ann Cohen, Assoc. Dean, College of Physical and Mathematical Sciences, NC State
Judy Day, The Science House, NC State
Kris Fowler, College of Natural Resources, NC State
Rita Fuller, Assistant Director, Math and Science Education Network, UNC-Chapel Hill
Frances Graham, Women's Center and Gender Affairs, NC State
David Haase, The Science House, NC State
Marian Johnson-Thompson, Director, Educ. & Biomedical Research, NIEHS
Barbara Kirby, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, NC State
Kim Outing, First Year College, NC State
Walda Powell, Dept. Chemistry and Physical Sciences, Meredith College
Sarah Rajala, Assoc. Dean, College of Engineering, NC State
Barbara Risman, College of Humanities and Social Sciences, NC State
Barbara Sherry, College of Veterinary Medicine, NC State
Anona Smith, Assistant Dean, College of Education, NC State
Dan Solomon, Dean, College of Physical & Mathematical, NC State
Rhonda Sutton, Office of Equal Opportunity, NC State
Meta Uzzle, Women's Center and Gender Affairs, NC State
Renee Wooten, Senior Employment Specialist, SAS InstituteParticipating Schools by County
Wake
Apex Middle School
Carnage Middle School
Daniels Middle School
Davis Drive Middle School
Durant Road Middle School
East Cary Middle School
East Wake Academy
Leesville Rd. Middle School
Ligon Middle School
Martin Middle School
Moore Square Museums Magnet
Wake Forest-Rolesville Middle
West Cary Middle School
West Millbrook Middle School
Zebulon GT Magnet Middle School
Centennial Campus Middle SchoolJohnston
Cleveland Middle School
Riverwood Middle SchoolWayne
Dillard Middle School
Eastern Wayne Middle SchoolPitt
CM Eppes Middle SchoolVance
Eaton Johnson Middle SchoolFranklin
Bunn Middle School
Cedar Creek Middle School
Franklin AcademyChatham
Bonlee Elementary
North Chatham Middle School
Perry Harrison Middle School
Smith Middle SchoolOrange
Culbreth Middle School
Guy Phillips Middle School
McDougle Middle SchoolHarnett
Dunn Middle SchoolAlamance
Graham Middle School
Greensboro Academy
Southern Middle School
Western Middle SchoolBrunswick
Lakeview AcademyCumberland
Fayetteville State University MSENDurham
Brogden Middle School
CIS Academy
Githens Middle School
Lowes Grove Middle School
Neal Middle School
Rogers Herr Middle School
Shepard Magnet Middle SchoolWilson
Springfield Middle SchoolLee
West Lee Middle SchoolMecklenburg
MSEN Pre-College
Workshop Presenters Bethany Hudnutt Shodor Education Foundation Using computers to study math and science Luanne Williams NC DEHNR Mercury spill/public meeting Christina Mendat IBM human factors in engineering Carole Saravitz NCSU Phytotron Phytotron: A Place for all Seasons Janet Shurteff NCSU Phytotron " Gretchen Thornsberry NCSU Genetics Kitchen Chemistry: Extracting Onion DNA Rhonda Wilson NCSU Genetics " Katie Jordan NCSU Genetics " Rhonda Sherman NCSU BAE Garbage into Gold Fonda Martin NCSU College of Vet. Med. Sewing, Surgeon's Style Melanie Rembert NCSU College of Vet. Med. Lab. Animal Science: Something for Everyb Maria Correa NCSU College of Vet. Med. Doc, Can I get Sick from my Pet? Sarah Fry NCSU College of Vet. Med. A LOOK at Genomes Tori Freitas NCSU College of Vet. Med. " Kyleigh Geissler NCSU College of Vet. Med. Measuring out the Medicine: veterinary dru Betty McQuaid USDA NRCS Exploring Soil Liz Parry USDA NRCS Illuminating Engineering Heike Sederoff NCSU NSCORT/ Kenan Institute Plants in Space: A Matter of some Gravity Courtney Thornton NCSU NSCORT/ Kenan Institute Becky Blair Science Safari Herpitology Lisa Bullard NCSU Chemical Engineering Diaper Demo Jessica Ball NC Wildlife Commission Population Ecology Eva Johannes NCSU Botany Cellular and Molecular Imaging Shannon Jackson NCSU Materials Science Materials in a Material World Candice Burrill NCSU Materials Science Ailette Tobien Glaxo Smith Kline Problem Solving Through Analytical Chemis Joanne Anderson Glaxo Smith Kline " Dawn Briggs Glaxo Smith Kline Hazardous Waste and You Brian Polk Glaxo Smith Kline " Donna Rogers US EPA It's Going to be a Code Red Day for Ozone! Carrie Wafer NCSU Soil Science Hands on Soil Nan Fulcher Univ. of N.C.; Micro. & Immun. Yeast: Mibrobes in Our Everyday World Sharon Taft-Benz UNC Micro. & Immun. " Sherry Kurtz UNC Micro. & Immun. " Leah Cole UNC Micro. & Immun. Yeast: Mibrobes in Our Everyday World Marcia Hobbs UNC Micro. & Immun. " Miriam Braunstein UNC Micro. & Immun. " Susan Moore NCSU Forestry Managing our Environment Jennifer Grantham NCSU Forestry Becky Bowers NCSU Forestry Julie Raye VMI Leaps and Bounds in Math & Science Angela Weingarten VMI " Sarah Rigsbee VMI " Lori Hazlegrove VMI " Sue Carson NCSU Biotechnology Banana DNA Melissa Hastings NCSU Biotechnology " Elvessa Aragon Research Triangle Institute Odds, Probabilities and Chances Kristen Rosenfeld NCSU Botany Jurrasic Bark: Plants, Archaeology & the Lisa Marshall NCSU NE Totally Rad - the Life of a Nuclear Engineer Audrey Taro NCSU Plant Pathology Playing with DNA
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