MPWG: An Intervention Model Program for Girls Using Laboratory Activities in Science, Math and Engineering

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9353746 Holland The purpose of this project is to develop an Intervention Model Program that will enhance the probability that girls will eventually choose careers in science, engineering, and math (SEM). The program is to be developed jointly between Texas A&M University (TAMU) and the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA). UTSA is a subcontractor to TAMU. The developed program will be replicated at junior colleges across the state. This project is designed to place 120 girls entering the seventh grade in a university residence setting (TAMU) and allow them the opportunity to have a successful "hands-on" laboratory experience with complex (to them) scientific equipment. The program is designed to enhance their self confidence at a crucial transition period between elementary and middle school. The laboratory activities include introductions to microscopy, electronics, strain, material testing, computer-aided design, chromatography, and chemical reactions. A field trip to the TAMU School of Veterinary Medicine is planned since many of the girls at this age express a desire to be a veterinarian. This experience has proven to be a motivator in the past. The participants will be selected from the Expanding Your Horizons (EYH) Conferences held at TAMU and UTSA. Participation in the EYH Conference demonstrates an initial interest in SEM. The UTSA participants are for the most part Hispanic with several physically disabled. The TAMU participants are well distributed. The participants will be evaluated before and after the summer session to determine if their interests and perceptions of themselves having careers in SEM have changed or increased. The girls will be followed through high school by the TAMU Center for Academic Enhancement to evaluate the long term effectiveness of the program. In addition to publications and presentations, a workshop will be held for primary and secondary teachers and junior college professors to introduce the model and enc ourage them to spread the program across the state using the materials provided at the workshop.