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Rural Girls in Science
Program
The Northwest Center for Research on Women, University of
Washington
Program-Experimental Projects for Women and Girls,
NSF Grant
#HRD-9450053
PI-Angela Ginorio, Ph.D.
Project Directors--Jane Bierman and Katie Frevert
The Northwest Center for Research on Women's comprehensive program for rural girls in science developed a partnership with students, teachers, counselors, parents and community members to create an environment that was conducive to rural girls' science and math achievement. The summer part of the program included:
Seventy-three young women from 16 rural high schools and 35 high school math and science teachers along with 19 high school counselors and/or principals are participating in the program.
During the summer camp, students conducted experiments in hands-on science laboratories taught by female scientists and researchers. Camp curriculum focused on aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems and had classroom, lab and field components, as well as Internet training.
During the summer camp, students learned the principles necessary to carry out their LTRP during the school year with advice from consulting graduate scientists from the UW. As part of the summer camp, a mentor program paired each student with a woman scientist in a field of the student's choosing. Each girl met with her mentor to observe and discuss science-related work in a research setting (field sites or laboratories).
The teachers participated in a week-long Institute taught by university faculty in biology, chemistry and physics. They learned about integrated curriculum and opportunities to augment their own curriculum. They also participated in Internet training sessions. The counselors participated in a Counselor Workshop addressing career development theories and academic counseling skills pertinent to girls interested in science, engineering and math fields.
Two curricula from the program are available. One is the inquiry-based curriculum in aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems from the girls camp. The other is a curriculum created by the faculty for the teachers, integrating chemistry, biology and physics. These curricula address the new learning objectives and assessment standards of the State of Washington. To view the curricula available for online perusal, visit the Resources section of this site. To contact us, send email to: rural@u.washington.edu
