GREAT LAKES SCIENCE CENTER INSPIRING GIRLS TO EXPLORE SCIENCE CAREERS
New Workshop Pairs Female Students with College Students and STEM Professionals

October 26th, 2011

CLEVELAND (October 26, 2011) – According to recent research, students who pursue advanced degrees in the sciences make key choices about mathematics and science during the middle school years.* It is also in middle school that young girls begin to lose interest in science-related subjects because of the lack of role models.**

To help challenge this reality, Great Lakes Science Center is debuting a brand new program this month, Girls Go! Science. This program will bring together women who are on the cutting edge of science – ranging from college students to seasoned professionals – to work directly with girls in hands-on workshops that will be full of real experimentation and fun activities. Girls Go! Science is the first informal science workshop offered in Northeast Ohio that is targeted specifically for girls in grades 6 – 12.

“For a number of years, Great Lakes Science Center has been working closely with Girl Scouts and designing girls-only summer camp programs to stimulate interest in science at a young age,” said Dr. Linda Abraham-Silver, president and CEO of Great Lakes Science Center. “Girls Go! Science is a brand new effort designed for girls in grades 6 – 12 who are starting to seriously think about their career path. We’re fortunate to be collaborating with a number of impressive women to lead sessions and serve as positive role models for these young women.”

Girls Go! Science will take place Saturday, October 29, from 9 am to 3 pm and is just for girls in grades 6 – 12. Girls can investigate the chemistry of color with researchers from Sherwin-Williams, dive deep into the story of Ohio’s salt mines with Cargill engineers, learn about aerospace from NASA scientists, discover the variety of careers in engineering with professionals at Keithley Instruments and explore metallurgy with Timken scientists who will conduct a fun soldering activity that combines engineering and art.

In addition, female student-scientists from local universities will mentor girls throughout the day, speaking informally and candidly about why they are pursuing STEM-related majors and careers. Girls Go! Science will be an opportunity for young women to explore careers in a risk-free environment, try out different branches of science and make new friends.

Dr. Abraham-Silver will deliver the day’s opening remarks and share her personal story of selecting a science-based career path. Members of the news media are invited to attend and Dr. Abraham-Silver will be available for interviews.

Tickets are $35 ($27 members) and include a t-shirt and lunch. To register, call 216-621-2400 (Monday – Friday, 9 am – 5:30 pm).

This workshop, like many events at Great Lakes Science Center, will include students who are able to participate through the generous donation of scholarships. Program support is provided by Olympic Steel, Sherwin-Williams, Keithley Instruments, Cargill, Timken and many other individual donors. For more information, visit http://www.greatscience.com/girlsgo.php.

About the Great Lakes Science Center
Great Lakes Science Center is one of the nation’s leading science and technology centers and home to Northeast Ohio’s NASA Glenn Visitor Center. Its mission is to stimulate interest in and increase understanding of the sciences, with a particular emphasis on the interdependence of
scientific, environmental and technological activities in the Great Lakes region. It features hundreds of hands-on exhibits, themed traveling exhibits, daily demonstrations, the awe-inspiring OMNIMAX® Theater and the Steamship William G. Mather. The Science Center is open daily 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Discounted parking is available for guests in the attached 500-car
garage. Great Lakes Science Center is generously funded by the citizens of Cuyahoga County through Cuyahoga Arts and Culture. For more information, contact the Science Center at (216) 694-2000 or visit www.GreatScience.com.

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*Afterschool: Middle School and Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM). (2010, September). Retrieved from http://www.afterschoolalliance.org/issue_44_stem.cfm

**McCrea, B. (2010, September 8). Engaging Girls in STEM [Feature article]. Retrieved from http://thejournal.com/articles/2010/09/08/engaging-girls-in-stem.aspx

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