| Home | | | Past Issues | |
 |
|
|
|
 |
July 22, 2004
• The scientific method The scientific method An innovative new program is introducing girls to engineering and physics How do you teach girls engineering and science in an innovative, exciting way? You encourage them to enroll in the STOMP program. Sounding like a noisy dance step, STOMP is actually a new collaborative engineering education program in the Berkshires. STOMP (Student-Teacher-Outreach-Mentoring-Program), pioneered by Tufts University, is now being offered here by the Flying Cloud Institute in New Marlboro. The STOMP program is for high school girls, many of whom will have participated in Flying Cloud's other programs, like Young Women In Science (YWIS). This program began four years ago and is for middle school girls. Girls can apply to become a student mentor for the STOMP program and participate in the two weeks of classes starting Aug. 2. During this first week students and elementary teachers will learn engineering subjects including: programming, building techniques, engineering design and incorporating Massachusetts Engineering Frameworks in the classroom. During the following week of Aug. 9, students will work with Tufts University engineering graduate students on challenging robotics projects to further prepare them for their roles as student mentors. There will also be presentations by visiting women engineers from a variety of fields. Even girls who do not want to be part of the STOMP program can join this robotics group. "I have been active in Young Women In Science since its creation four years ago. Most girls start with the introductory week, which is more of a general approach that covers a wide range of topics. The week is for middle school students and demonstrates more practical and fun applications of science," explained Lindy Marcel, a 17-year-old student from New Marlboro who will be a senior at Mount Everett High School this fall. Lindy was one of the first girls to take part in "The Young Women in Science" program which began in 2000 with a grant from the Women's Fund of Western Massachusetts. Flying Cloud chose to hold this unique program at Simon’s Rock College in Great Barrington so that classes could take place in the labs in the college’s Fisher Science Center. Flying Cloud staff develops programs that bring professional women research scientists from around the northeast to work with the girls. These effective role models present science as an interesting and viable career for middle and high school girls in Southern Berkshire County. "I have to give the Flying Cloud Institute's science program credit (along with the wonderful, supportive staff) for encouraging my interests. Right now, I am interested in engineering, physics, and aviation and hope to go further in those areas." said Lindy, "This summer, I can’t wait to work with the Young Women In Science and Tufts University graduate students for the first two weeks in August. We will be developing an engineering curriculum for primary school.” Referring to her experience doing an experiment during the 1998 Flying Cloud summer program Lindy said, "This is the way science should be at school -- doing hands-on experiments and learning the fun and practical aspects of science!" "Lindy did not know that she was the catalyst for the Young Women in Science program and that she would still be working with me in 2004 in the new STOMP program," recalls Jane Burke, executive director and founder of Flying Cloud Institute. "I thank her for reminding me of the mission I had set for myself back in 1968 at graduate school: to change science education. With the encouragement and support from the Women's Fund of Western Massachusetts and the enthusiasm of the young women we serve, our program director, Susan Cooper and I, have been able to build towards this exciting collaboration with Tufts Engineering School. "STOMP is so exciting because it integrates engineering with other disciplines. Tufts University is sending science experts to the Flying Cloud Institute this summer to train teachers and student mentors and will continue advising them during the academic year. Teachers are given guidance on how to design activity-based interdisciplinary lessons that incorporate Massachusetts learning standards in math, science, technology, engineering and language arts," said Burke. "We are using the Tufts University concept to offer teachers the support of mentors to assist in teaching and we are delighted to give our advanced Young Women in Science students the opportunity take on this challenging role.” The program pairs interested teachers with juniors and seniors from the Flying Cloud's advanced Young Women in Science Engineering Program. During the next academic year, Southern Berkshire students will assist teachers in their classrooms during the implementation process. Students will receive academic credit for this work.
"Our interest is in helping girls learn about the different career paths in science and to provide better educational opportunities that will keep them interested as well as trained. While many women and girls are now involved in the biological sciences, physics and engineering are still hostile territory with only 15 percent of the jobs in those areas occupied by women," noted Burke. "We have taken on the challenge to show girls the rewards of these fields with our STOMP program. The program combines engineering skills with the creativity and interpersonal relationships that are attractive to females. This is a unique opportunity for girls who want to pursue engineering, math, science and technology. They gain much from being in this program with professional women engineers and scientists. "The mentoring process is amazing. Girls just need that extra encouragement and reinforcement to open their world to physics, engineering and other disciplines in the science and math world," exclaimed Burke. "The enthusiasm and motivation comes through when our women scientists work with our students," acknowledged Cooper. "The girls benefit so much from being in a classroom of 14 girls and taught by a woman scientist who loves working in her field.” Women scientists are eager to participate as visiting lecturers. As for the girls, they enjoy hearing the enthusiasm these women have for their work. Careers are as varied as aerospace, underwater archeology, and the design of gadgets for other scientists to use. Some of the scientists working with the students this summer are Sarjit Kaur, Ph.D., who teaches polymer chemistry at Vassar College; Sarah Webster from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute, who works on the design and building of robot equipment for underwater archaeology; Dr. Allison Eastman of the New York State Police, who is an expert in forensic biology; Joy Lapseritis, also from Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute, who studies the effect of PCBs on a variety of marine and aquatic animals including whales; Ruth Charney, Ph.D., mathematics professor at Brandeis University; Nancy Burnham, Ph.D., Worcester Polytechnic Institute, physics; Anne Skinner, Ph.D., Williams College, art and archaeological chemistry; Ruth Blake, Ph.D., Yale University, professor geomicrobiology; and Dr. Lilan Hauser, a veterinarian who works with both domestic and wild animals and has done research on primates in Africa. "Our list of visiting scientists shows the diversity of the women we try to bring in for the program," observed Cooper, "We hope that each presenter can capture the interest of at least one girl in an area of study she may never even have heard of.” Another goal of the STOMP program is to develop relationships between teachers and practicing scientists. Flying Cloud Institute can act as a conduit for improving the lab curriculum that ought to be central to science teaching. In addition, this year there will be field trips to visit working labs at a variety of colleges and universities. These trips will encourage girls to begin the process of planning for college and introduce the idea of summer internships in labs. Universities are finding that getting girls involved in lab internships as freshmen increases the likelihood that they will continue on as science majors. Field trips this year include Smith College, University of Massachusetts at Amherst, Yale University and Tufts University. "We have recruited girls by visiting public middle schools in South County and we know that we have missed many girls over the years. It's not too late for high school girls who have just found out about us to be part of this summer’s robotics program," said Burke. To participate in this summer's STOMP program or other Flying Cloud programs, call 229-3321 or e-mail flycloud@earthlink.net. |
 |
  |
|
© 2010 New England Newspapers, Inc.
|
)
)
)
)
)
