More than 100 girls will visit The University of Toledo this week to participate in two events to encourage their interests in science.

The fourth annual Women in STEMM Day of Meetings, WISDOM, will take place Thursday, May 9 and Girls in Science 2013 will be Saturday, May 11.

On Thursday, girls will explore and perform experiments in a number of areas: physics and astronomy, chemistry, biology, engineering, pharmacy and medicine.

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The girls will extract DNA and burn bubbles during rotations with the College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics 9:30-10:40 a.m. in Student Union rooms 2582 and 2584.

Thursday’s event is hosted by the Northwest Ohio Chapter of the Association for Women In Science, which organizes the exploration day to encourage young women to consider careers in one of the areas offered at the Women in STEMM Day.

Students from all Toledo Public Schools and Washington Local Schools, as well as Toledo Islamic Academy, will participate. They will spend the morning at the College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, from 9:30 to 10:40 a.m., and then from 11 to 11:45 a.m. visit the College of Engineering, where they will have lunch. Following lunch, they will visit the UT Health Science Campus from 1 to 2:15 p.m.

“Girls are increasingly interested in science, but there continues to be a lower number of girls pursing that interest in college and subsequently their careers,” said Dr. Isabel Escobar, UT professor of chemical and environmental engineering and past president of the Association for Women in Science. “It is our goal that events like Women in STEMM Day will inspire girls to embrace science and technology.”

The Saturday event will be a hands-on workshop on global climate change from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. when students in fifth through 12th grade will have the chance to learn about the sun and its impact on Earth and nearby planets in the Ritter Planetarium and the basics of alternative energy research going on at the University by touring one of the photovoltaic labs.

There will be several faculty, staff and students speaking with the girls and helping them with various activities, including viewing the sun through solar telescopes.

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The girls will put together handmade solar cells 2-2:30 p.m. in McMaster Hall room 2011.

All materials and lunch are included with registration. Funding for this event is provided by the National Science Foundation.

For more information about the events, contact Meghan Cunningham at 419.530.2410 or meghan.cunningham@utoledo.edu.

Media Coverage
13 ABC (May 13, 2013)