Recruiting Girls Interested in Science

Photo of 2004 mentor and two students creating art.
A 2004 mentor and two students create art and build relationships.

All expenses will be paid. Each participant will be given a $100 stipend upon completion of each summer session and a $1,000 stipend upon completion of the three-year program to be used for the college of her choice.

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Jan. 12, 2005) -- The University of Kentucky is recruiting teachers and students in southeastern Kentucky for an innovative education program, Girls in Research.

Several years ago, UK was awarded a grant from the National Institutes of Health to study ways young women can be supported and encouraged to pursue careers in research, specifically drug and alcohol research. The Young Women in Science program, designed for girls in high school, enjoyed great success.

Experience with the Young Women in Science program convinced UK leaders to create a similar program last year for girls in middle school. Also funded by the NIH, the new program, called Girls in Research, is designed for girls entering sixth grade.

“In the fourth grade, the number of girls and boys who like math and science is about the same,” said Caroline Reid, project director for Girls in Research at UK. “But by eighth grade, twice as many boys as girls show an interest in these subjects.” Reid added that the programs want to reach girls early, before their self-confidence and interest in math and science begins to decline.

The Girls in Research program includes a week-long summer camp at UK for three consecutive years. The program requires five Saturday academies throughout the school year at participants’ local community colleges. The girls will also receive mentoring from UK and community leaders.

Girls from the following counties are being recruited for the program: Bell, Breathitt, Clay, Floyd, Harlan, Jackson, Johnson, Knott, Knox, Laurel, Lee, Leslie, Letcher, Magoffin, Martin, Owsley, Perry, Pike, Rockcastle, Whitley and Wolfe.

“We are excited to be able to offer this exceptional program to young girls to encourage them to be anything they want to be,” said Reid.

Teachers are also asked to join in this effort. Participating teachers will attend two-day summer workshops at UK to help create Girls in Research clubs in their local schools. Again, all expenses will be paid. Teachers will be given a $300 stipend for their summer involvement and $500 to assist in creating the clubs.

The Girls in Research program seeks girls entering the sixth grade in fall 2005. Teachers for this program should be sixth- or seventh-grade health, math or science teachers and have previous instruction in science, math or health sciences. Those interested in the Girls in Research program are encouraged to visit the “What’s New” box at http://cdar.uky.edu for more program information and an application or call the office at (859) 257-4401 or email sondrafloyd@uky.edu.