Lab volunteers, funding make first-ever Santa Fe EYH conference a reality

Wednesday's event nurtures girls' interest in STEM-related fields

Participants look through a Celestron telescope at Los Alamos' 2010 EYH conference. The activity was led by Aimee Hungerford of Thermonuclear Applications Physics.

For many years now, female Lab scientists have participated in Los Alamos' Expanding Your Horizons in Science and Mathematics™ conferences, designed to nurture middle- and high-school girls' interest in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). Now, the Lab is supporting the first-ever EYH conference in Santa Fe. The event is from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesday, May 26, at the Santa Fe Community College.

"Reaching as many girls as possible and getting them interested in STEM-related fields is what we're about,” said Aviva Sussman of Geophysics, who's been involved in EYH for the past five years. In fact, Sussman participated in Los Alamos' 2010 EYH conference, held April 12.

"It's important to reach girls in Santa Fe,” noted Sussman, who will be talking about her technical work related to the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty. "Unlike communities with national laboratories, such as Los Alamos and Albuquerque, where many people are related to or know a scientist, Santa Fe lacks that immediate scientific connection. Programs like EYH help the girls connect.”

Funding from LANS, LLC parent manager URS

The conference, for which 165 girls have registered, was made possible through a grant from URS, one of Los Alamos National Security, LLC's parent managers, said Santa Fe EYH co-chair Caroline Dennis.

"The EYH Los Alamos and the EYH Central have all been incredibly helpful sharing information and materials with us,” Dennis added.

Lab volunteers

In addition to Sussman, volunteers from the Laboratory include:

· Tinka Gammel of Physics and Chemistry of Materials;

· Susan Coulter, Georgia Pedicini, and David Kratzer of High Performance Computer Systems;

· Liz MacDonald of Space Science and Applications;

· Bradbury Science Museum science educators Liz Martineau and Gordon McDonough;

· and Carole Rutten of the Community Programs Office.

Girls will get a chance to learn about STEM-related fields in hands-on workshops and by meeting successful women working in these disciplines. The conference also offers credit-bearing workshops for educators and counselors on engaging students to pursue careers in STEM. Another workshop for parents and caregivers offers tips on college preparation and paying for college.

For more information, visit the conference Web siteor contact event co-chairs Irene Lee at (505) 946-2742 or Dennis at (505) 310-3459.