Each spring the Texas Wesleyan University’s Expanding Your Horizons in Math and Science conference hosts several hundred seventh- and eighth-grade girls for an all-day program of engaging workshops in the fields of math and science. {{more: READ MORE …}}
About 300 young women attend and seventy professional women from the metroplex present STEM-related workshops. (STEM – Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics)
The conference is held on a Saturday on the campus of TWU in Fort Worth. Nearly two dozen middle schools participate from Fort Worth and other regional districts and private schools.38 KJHS students attended …
This year the conference was held on April 1 with 38 students attending from Kennedale Junior High School making the KJHS the second largest group attending.
?I find a lot of joy in helping young girls understand and gain confidence in math,? Jane Moore, professor of mathematics at TWU said. ?STEM fields have been historically predominated by men. Expanding Your Horizons helps us show young women that they can excel in these fields, too.?
This year the day started with a Chemistry Magic Show. Later, participants attended four interactive workshops. Some of the KJHS students made DNA models, lip gloss, and even used liquid nitrogen to make ice cream. Others were able to go inside an inflatable planetarium, program robots, and make paper airplanes.
All the students were given information about career opportunities for women in STEM careers as well as information about the importance of taking these classes in middle and high school.Goals of the program …
- Spread the word
about girls? and women?s achievements in math and science.
- Teach girls that
intellectual skills, including spatial skills, are acquired and that
intelligence can be developed.
- Encourage children
to develop their spatial skills.
- Help girls
recognize their career-relevant skills.
- Encourage high
school girls to take calculus, physics, chemistry, computer science, and
engineering classes when available.
