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Seminar aids girls interests in math, science

January 17, 2001

Julie Galambos has come a long way since middle school.

And nearly nine years later, Galambos, an MSU junior pursuing a career in civil engineering, plans to share her skills at the same conference she attended in sixth grade.

Galambos is just one of several volunteers from the MSU and Lansing communities who will serve as role models at An Invitation to Sample Success: A Math/Science Conference for Sixth-grade Girls.

The 12th annual conference, which will be held Feb. 24 at East Lansing High School, is designed to inspire sixth-grade girls to take higher levels of math and science.

Jenny McCampbell, director of the Office of Gifted and Talented Programs at MSU, said the program encourages students with math and science interest or achievement to pursue their talents.

“Society is such that many times girls are persuaded one way or the other that math or science are more boy kind of things,” said McCampbell, who has planned the conference for more than 10 years.

“So, we are trying to overcome that, and trying to make sure that girls will continue at the high school and university level.”

Event coordinators say there’s reason to reach students at such a young age.

Research suggests young girls who show good math and science achievement in prior grades have deterioration as they approach middle school, MSU Provost Lou Anna Simon said. Simon is a long-time supporter of the conference.

“Some of this is attributed to socialization, it’s usually not a matter of their ability,” Simon said. “This is an important time for interjection, for students to be encouraged to continue to use their talents.”

Rose Arbanas said she recognized these trends when she developed the first program model more than 15 years ago.

Arbanas, former coordinator for talent development at Calhoun Intermediate School District in Greater Battle Creek, produced three handbooks to assist conference planners.

Much of her model was based on a similar model used in California, which also emphasized reaching sixth-graders, but her model included another dimension.

“I designed it to include parents also,” she said. “It’s very important for them to hear the message and really get some tips on how they can be encouraging.”

More than 20 conferences have started in Michigan and nearby states since she coordinated the first conference in her school district. Arbanas said all of them have stressed parents’ attendance.

Julie Fick, outreach coordinator at the Capital Area Science and Math Center, 212 Museum Drive in Lansing, said the event’s chief purpose is just encouragement.

“We’re not trying to push anyone into math or science. We just want them to know their options and to feel that it’s totally theirs to choose from,” she said. “Women who have or are pursuing careers in math or science can give back to the same movement or program that helped to inspire them.”

After remembering her own experience, Galambos decided to participate in the conference because she recognizes the need for math and science education early on.

“When you are a middle school student you don’t really understand what engineering is,” she said. “I think if you give kids a chance to explore these things in a way that’s fun, it could encourage them to pursue the possible career options.”

Galambos, a member of the MSU Steel Bridge Design Team, plans to show participants some basic bridge designs and have them construct their own.

A number of other speakers and hands-on sessions are planned for the conference’s 350 participants, which come from Ingham, Eaton, Clinton and Ionia counties.

Arbanas, who is now retired, said it’s rewarding to see how the conference has benefited students since she developed the original conference model.

“Any time you can expose kids to an experience where they are recognized as being a talented person and they have an opportunity to see successful women, there’s going to be an impact that’s immeasurable,” she said.

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