AAUW Strives to Put Girls in Math, Science

Girls in grades six through 12 are invited to multiply their career opportunities by participating in a Math Science Conference sponsored by the Simi Valley and Thousand Oaks chapters of the American Assn. of University Women.

The sixth annual event will offer 21 workshops conducted by professional women working in fields incorporating math and science. Girls can sign up for four of the workshops and learn about engineering, nutrition, aviation, land-use planning, medicine and law enforcement, among other disciplines.

In the “Guess Who Came For Dinner?” session, budding biologists will dissect an owl pellet to explore the food chain in the raptor’s ecosystem.

Event chairwoman Mary Honeyman said AAUW members developed the conference after completing a research project that revealed girls lose interest in math and science in middle and high school. Girls are socialized not to be competitive and won’t raise their hands in class, and sometimes male teachers favor boys, giving them more attention, Honeyman said. Either way, girls don’t get as much out of a course, she said.

“What we’re trying to do is let these young women know they can do it,” she said.

In keeping with the AAUW motto of “Gender Equity,” the event is also open to boys. There are no geographical boundaries either. Honeyman said students from outside Ventura County are welcome.

The conference is scheduled from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Feb. 7 at Westlake High School. The $6 registration fee includes lunch. Part of the proceeds go to a scholarship fund to send a girl to the statewide AAUW Math Science Camp at Stanford University this summer.

Today is the last day to register. Call 497-8179 for information.