April 25, 2009 --- Expanding Your Horizon Workshop at Notre Dame --- Jordan Hall of Science

First of all, thank you for being one of our proud presenters! Your contributions to this workshop have made it possible and fun! If you are presenting for the first time, you may be wondering that

- what is EYH,

- what your audiences are like,

- how to create a 55-minute hands-on workshop,

- whether there are some example hands-on workshops,

- what kinds of workshops have been conducted at EYH-ND in the past.

On this page, we hope to provide some useful information to all these questions. You can also download the complete Presenter’s Booklet.

What is Expanding Your Horizon (EYH)?

In 1976, the Math/Science Network created Expanding Your Horizons in Science and Mathematics™ (EYH™) Conferences as an intervention strategy, designed to nurture girls' interest in mathematics and science courses and to encourage them to expand their career visions to include science and mathematics based careers.

Today, the Math/Science Network licenses and coordinates this network of EYH conferences. It initiates local sites and provides them with technical assistance and conference and planning materials. The office also provides support services such as coordinated publicity, public relations posters and buttons. The Math/Science Network also facilitates networking between other conference sites.

EYH conferences are held in over 89 locales. Over 600,000 young women have participated in these conferences so far. Many of these conferences conduct concurrent programs for parents and educators so they may more effectively support young women and their technical aspirations.

A typical conference takes place on a Saturday at a local college or university and is attended by 200-500 young women from nearby middle schools and high schools. The schedule includes a keynote address encouraging girls to persist in mathematics and science courses, and two varieties of workshops.

In most of the workshops, young women participate in hands-on learning experiences led by women scientists, mathematicians, and engineers, in other workshops, role models share career awareness information and discuss job satisfaction, necessary education, and descriptions of a typical day on the job. In 2003, 26,000 6-12^th graders attended EYH conferences.

EYH Conference goals are:

• To provide young women with opportunities to meet and interact with positive women role models who are active in math and science-related careers;

• To involve young women with limited opportunities for success in positive experiences in mathematics and science;

• To increase the interest of young women in math and science by providing exciting and fun hands-on learning experiences;

• To encourage young women to study as much math and science as possible by showing them the benefits of education and its relevance to their lives;

• To foster awareness of career opportunities in science- and math-related careers.

Math/Science Network (EYH) History:

1974, the Math/Science Network started as an informal group of women scientists and educators in the San Francisco Bay Area who were concerned about low female participation in math courses. They began planning coordinated efforts to strengthen their individual programs and establish mutual support on a volunteer basis.

1978, the Carnegie Corporation awarded the Network a two-year grant to establish a formal organization at Mills College for the purpose of coordinating existing activities and resources, consolidating existing materials and information, and providing technical assistance to others wishing to institute Network programs.

1980, the Math/Science Resource Center was founded as part of a renewal grant, and its professional staff have been working with the volunteer members ever since.

1982, the Math/Science Network became an independent, nonprofit educational organization. The members of the Board of Directors of the Network work in education, government, industry, research, and self-employment.

1988, the Network offices were relocated to Berkeley from the Mills College Campus.

1994, the Network returned to Mills at the invitation of the College and occupied offices in Mills Hall, a newly-renovated building designated as a Historic Site.

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What your audiences are like?

They are adolescent girls. How do I work with them?

As role models, presenters serve an important purpose in the lives of many young women who attend their workshops. But many workshop leaders do not interact with young women on a regular basis. To help prepare your presentation, we want to remind you what it was like to be a teen-age girl and to refresh your memory about her world. Your audience primarily will be girls aged 12 to 17. Your Program Committee contact can tell you the age group range in your workshop sessions.

Behavioral and Thinking Patterns of Teens:

• form their own identities

• learn about romantic intimacy

• strive toward self-reliance

• develop a value system

Girls vary a great deal at this stage. Behavioral and thinking patterns, rather than age, indicate the development stage of the girls. Some will demonstrate more cognitive development than others—they will possess more maturity. The attention spans of the girls vary greatly too. Watch for students' minds as they begin to wander, especially when you are talking directly to them. Check in with them often. If you notice wandering eyes, or excessive talking, consider this as a signal to move on.

Girls in early adolescence are very focused on themselves. Early adolescents tend to think that they are special or different—that no one understands how they feel and, at the same time, that nothing bad can happen to them. They believe that everyone else is watching them at all times and passing judgment on their appearance and their behavior. They also are watching everyone else. In early adolescence girls begin to seek the company of adults other than parents who can serve as role models and provide support and guidance.

Girls Are Different Than Boys

Research indicates that adolescent girls experience genuine, substantial drops in self-esteem and self-confidence. Though boys also have a drop in self-esteem at this age it is much greater for girls. Lowered self-esteem for girls is accompanied by a loss of enthusiasm for math and science, a decline in performance on standardized science tests vis a vis boys, less confidence in their academic abilities, and fewer aspirations to professional careers.

Other differences include:

• Girls are more likely than boys to be concerned about their physical appearance.

• Girls are twice as likely as boys to be depressed. Their depression is often linked to negative feelings about their bodies and their appearance.

• Teen girls are often are less assertive and less aggressive than boys, and more dependent on others for approval and support.

• Girls at this age are more sensitive to pressure to conform to sex roles than are younger girls.

• Girls begin to become more accommodating to what they perceive as appropriate feminine behavior.

• Girls are less likely than boys to have access to computers and other forms of advanced technology.

Remember: In your position as a role model, your messages of encouragement can do a great deal to bolster the sagging self-confidence of the young women you meet. You can shape the lessons taught to girls about themselves, their place in school, and their future in society. Be as positive as you can about them and their opportunities. Your message will be heard!

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How to create a 55-minute hands-on workshop?

EYH workshops are the “Bread-and-Butter” of every EYH conference.

Introduce your workshop – introduce yourself – Math/Science and Hands-on activities - Conclusions

It's very important that you spend a little bit of time thinking about how you will introduce your workshop. It is IMPERATIVE that you begin your workshop with an introduction about yourself.

It's VERY important for you to talk a bit about your background and about why you decided to study math before you begin the main workshop activity. The young women want to hear about you! You may want to address the following:

• Where do I work?

• How long have I been at my current job?

• What classes did I take in high school and college to prepare for my job?

• What other types of work did I do before this current job?

• What advice would I give young women who are interested in a similar career?

• How does my family life impact my job?

• What are the best and worst aspects of my job?

Each workshop features a fun-filled hands-on activity that engages the young women for the VAST majority of the time. When planning your workshop, don't forget these important details.

• Plan an activity where the young women will have a POSTIVE experience. Don't make the workshop too long or complicated. We want every participant to feel successful!

• Stress that the young women should take as much math and science as possible in high school and beyond to prepare for a satisfying career.

• Talk about your job likes and dislikes.

• Leave plenty of time for questions and comments.

• Make your wrap-up brief. If you feel comfortable, encourage the young women to contact you if they have additional questions about the workshop activity or about what you do in your job.

Below there are three sample workshops that will help you get started. The workshops listed below display science content ONLY. Don't forget to read the section above describing the importance of providing a good introduction for your workshop.

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Example hands-on workshops

Example #1: Something Fishy Career: Marine Biology

Example #2: Chemixtures and Chemysteries Career: Chemist

Example #3: London Bridge is Falling Down, My Fair Ladies!?! Career: Civil Engineer

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Past hands-on workshops at EYH-ND

Here is a sampling of the variety of workshops that have been part of The following pages contain a sampling of the variety of workshops that have been part of the Notre Dame EYH program for the past few years:

Profession		Title	Description
Accountant		Banking is Fun	Girls learn how to write a check properly and reconcile a month of checkbook transactions with a monthly bank statement.
Business Owner		Mind your Margin & Your Dollars!	Girls learn about pricing, profit margin and other financial considerations when running a business.
Chef		How to Make the Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookie	Girls learn the function of various ingredients in a chocolate chip cookie recipe and the importance of ingredient proportions as well as perform a recipe conversion.
Chemical Engineer		Charged up on Electro-phoresis & What's Brewing in Bioreactors	Girls explore the use of electricity to separate ions in aqueous solutions and learn the relationship to the human genome project. They will also explore the fermentation process of turning sugars into gas and the relationship to converting corn mash into ethanol.
Chemist		From Smells to Crystals	Girls use gumdrops and toothpicks to construct models of crystals and use microscopes to look at crystals. Girls learn about molecular recognition and the relationship to flavor and smell.
Dental Hygienist/ Dental Educator	Advances in Preventive Dentistry		Girls learn about teeth, by viewing x-rays and diagrams. Girls also learn about dental sealants and tooth whitening.
Electrical Engineer	Robo-mania		Girls learn about the design and function of robots and actually build a LEGO robot.
Financial Consultant	Investing Fun		Girls learn about the history of the stock market and how it works.
Microbiologist	Lab Testing for the Flu Virus		Girls learn about the cause, diagnosis and prevention of the flu epidemic. Girls use test kits and nasal swabs to test and then interpret results.
Naturalist	Patterns in Nature		Girls explore the natural patterns of creatures and what makes them unique.
Nurse	Not Just a Nurse		Girls learn about dosage calculations, measure their pulse and track a disease outbreak to its original source.
Occupational Therapist	Creativity at Work		Girls learn about occupational therapy, including the patients served, in areas such as pediatrics, rehab, and hand/upper extremities.
Paramedic/ Fire Fighter	Rescue Woman		Girls learn about EMTs /firefighters and various tools of the trade including first aid, fire hoses and personal protective equipment.
Pharmacist	Pharmacy: More than Just Pills		Girls learn about different opportunities in pharmacy and learning about using a computer to look up drug information online.
Pilot	Aviation— How to Find Your Way in the Sky		Girls learn how to use a compass and how to look at an aeronautical chart and identify navigation aids.
Software Engineer	Chips and Strips		Girls will learn about writing software with some emulation hardware and software, as well as performing glucose testing on simulated blood samples.
Teacher (HS Biology)	I Did What with my lunch?		Girls explore the process of digestion including a "reenactment" of the digestive process.
Technical Writer	The Importance of Writing		Girls learn about how scientists need to be able to communicate by formulating hypotheses and providing proofs.
Vet Tech	Warm, Fuzzy Animals		Girls experience hands-on learning with lab animals using a stethoscope, a microchip scanner and learn about handling and care of common lab animals.

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Designed and Maintained by Grace Xing (Professor in Electrical Engineering @ ND) 03-16-2009