Girls and Science - What We Can Do!
A guest editorial by Beth Schwarzman
AWSS Newsletter, January 1994

Act locally. As women working in science we all have recollections of the stumbling blocks, even obstacles, we surmounted to get where we are. Those recollections can help us to help today's young women succeed at science, and we don't have to change national policies or state priorities to have real impact. Our mere existence is changing those policies and priorities. By helping others to join us we will insure that the changes we have made will continue.

So what can we do locally? I have three suggestions:
1. Get involved in science fairs.
2. Create a role model program.
3. Be a mentor.

These activities vary as to how much time and commitment they take, but each can be important to young women who may already be feeling that they are not good at science.

Science Fairs

Find out if there is a science fair in your area and offer to be a judge. Most science fairs are in need of more judges and are delighted to include you.

As a judge, make sure that you act to encourage students in science, not to discourage them. You can evaluate the quality of their work without being judgmental or negative. Try to show students how to evaluate their own work and how to find help and ideas.

Consider presenting a special award. I don't encourage special awards for women, but by presenting a special award in your field you show that women can succeed. The Geological Society of America produces a special certificate for members to use in honoring science fair projects for distinction in the earth sciences. If you are not a GSA member perhaps you could present an award in the name of your soil science organization.

If there aren't many earth science projects, offer to work with the relevant teachers to develop a list of projects that students could effectively investigate. The earth science project lists are pitiful and pitifully short compared to biology and chemistry .

If there isn't a science fair and you want a big project, see if you can generate interest at your local schools in creating one.

Role Model Project

At the invitation of the local junior high school science department chair I developed a Women in Science program that brings 3 women at a time into the school to meet for one hour with a group of about 20 girls. The way the hour works is for each woman to give a 5 minute talk about what we do, how we got there, what our life and work is like. We then let the girls circulate among us to talk in an informal way. This program has been wildly successful; parents ask, "When does my daughter get to attend?"

I try to include, at each program, a variety of fields, ages, and types of work. It is important to include someone who is young enough that the girls can see themselves becoming her. I am older than the girls mothers and the girls are busy distinguishing themselves from their mothers at this age, so I have to be especially careful to include someone to bridge the age gap.

Be sure to include hands-on materials at each presentation. Girls tend to be shy about approaching adults and 'stuff' can help to break the ice. Also, the girls are still in a stage of intellectual development that works best if learning moves from the concrete to the abstract, so bring lab equipment, field equipment, samples, maps, photos, or even field clothes. When it comes to field clothes there is a fine line to be walked - at this age the girls are very sensitive to how they look and we can't ignore that.

Mentoring Programs

Mentoring is free-form and there are programs out there that need mentors. For example:

Many college have internship programs for their students with alumni and there is always a need for more opportunities, especially with women in science and technology.

Many professional societies, GSA for example, have programs that pair teachers with people in science or technology. Working with a teacher can be an extraordinarily effective way for you to leverage your time and have an impact on many students.

You can offer to help students with a science fair project in your field. Many teachers are very aware of the need for role models and might be able to match you up.

You can invite a student or group of students to visit your lab or office.

The programs mentioned above are just a few examples. The possibilities are endless.

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Notes from Editor-in-Chief, Kathy Newkirk:
I first met Beth Schwarzman in her role as a consultant for The Ecosystems Center of the Marine Biological Laboratory where she is involved in funding activities for education policy and research programs. Beth received her M.S. degree in geology from Stanford in 1970 and has a B.A. in Spanish from Carleton College. Beth currently holds 3 part-time jobs. The first is mentioned above, the second is with the USGS in Woods Hole as geologist and Coordinator of Minority Participation in Earth Science Education, and the third is as consultant to SEA Education Association in Woods Hole. Beth serves as chair and trustee for numerous local and national educational groups and also reviews science books for children and serves as a member of the NSF proposal review panel for elementary science education. Beth has two children, lives in Falmouth, Massachusetts, and enjoys hiking, weaving, and blue water sailing.

Let's not forget our own AWSS Mentoring Program. Contact our mentoring committee chair.

As a follow-up to Beth's article, Laura Merkel, AWSS Co-Editor, who works with the Girls Count program in Deer Trail, Colorado, submitted the following article, Girls and Science - What is Being Done. Each AWSS member is encouraged to investigate what is being done in their area to encourage women to get into the sciences.