STEM Conference for Middle School Girls Welcomes Participants and UK Volunteers

By Connie Sapienza
 
Later this month, the University of Kentucky will host "Expanding Your Horizons (EYH)," a conference that encourages middle school girls to consider studies in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math). Registration for the conference is currently open, and UK is also seeking student and postdoctoral volunteers to assist.
 
EYH, which will be held Saturday, April 29, in the Jacobs Science Building, seeks to provide middle school girls and their parents an inspiring environment in order to help both groups recognize and pursue opportunities in STEM. This will include memorable interactive workshop experiences, visible female role models in STEM fields and exposure to different career paths in STEM.
 
Course credit is available for UK undergraduate and graduate students interested in designing and leading workshops for the middle schoolers. These students will act as role models for the students while developing their own outreach skills and leadership abilities. Interested students or postdoctoral volunteers should contact Ellen Crocker at e.crocker@uky.edu or Susan Odom at susan.odom@uky.edu.
 
Registration for the conference is also open for $20 per child, and free for their parents/guardians. Because space is limited, parents should register their child in advance for a guaranteed spot.
 
Ellen Crocker and Bradford Condon, postdoctoral scholars in the UK College of Agriculture, Food and Environment, and Susan Odom, an assistant professor in the UK College of Arts and Sciences' Department of Chemistry, are the organizers of the vent. The conference was made possible after the group received a grant last fall from the Kentucky NSF EPSCoR (National Science Foundation Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research) for Education and Outreach Activities.
 
 
UK is the University for Kentucky. At UK, we are educating more students, treating more patients with complex illnesses and conducting more research and service than at any time in our 150-year history. To read more about the UK story and how you can support continued investment in your university and the Commonwealth, go to: uky.edu/uk4ky. #uk4ky #seeblue