In March, the local AAUW (American Association of University Women) branch will again sponsor it’s annual math/science conference. The event will take place on Saturday, March 24 at Valencia High School and will enable the first 200 enrollees from the seventh and eighth grades of our junior high schools to attend hands-on workshops presented by women in a broad variety of professions that involve math and science.
In the past seven years it has been wonderful to see the enthusiasm of our local students for this opportunity. Our workshops have covered topics such as earthquakes, budgeting in the film industry, space exploration, the human brain, marine biology and DNA. It is anticipated that twenty workshops will be presented in this year’s conference.
Attention adults: An adult session for parents and educators will be held at the same time, with an emphasis on furthering support in math and science studies for young girls as they begin to plan their future, their educational and career paths. Speakers will address topics such as: requirements for acceptance in schools of higher education, financing education and also continued motivation of girls in the math/science areas.
Brochures for the conference will be available in early February at local junior high schools and at public libraries. A special flyer will also be available in Spanish to aid parents in understanding the opportunity for their daughters. The program description and the workshops at the event will be presented only in English.
AAUW feels that it is very important to encourage girls to have aspirations of a college education. This is especially important if they excel in math and science studies, since they are often discouraged from entering these fields. There are so many opportunities available to today’s high school graduates and the aim of a program, such as this, is to expose students to some of these early enough so they can plan their high school programs to make them eligible for whatever further education is necessary to achieve their goals.
For further information regarding this program or membership in AAUW, please call, Math/Science Conference — Diane Bartley at 661-254-2403 and for membership — Rose Romeka at 661-297-7705.