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Sonoma County Conference   April 12, 2008

In 1976, the Math/Science Network (now called the Expanding Your Horizons Network) created Expanding Your Horizons in Science and Mathematics (EYH) Conferences as an intervention strategy, designed to nurture girls' interest in mathematics and science courses and to encourage them to expand their career visions to include science and mathematics based-careers.

EYH Conferences Have Four Goals

  1. To increase the interest of young women in math and science through positive, hands-on experiences
     
  2. To foster awareness of career opportunities in math and science related careers
     
  3. To provide young women with opportunities to meet and interact with positive role models who are active in math and science related careers
      
  4. To involve young women in positive experiences in math and science

Since the first Expanding Your Horizons Conference was held at Mills College in Oakland, California in 1976, more than 430,000 sixth through twelfth-grade young women and approximately 47,000 parents and educators have attended EYH Conferences in 32 states. Each EYH conference is organized by local volunteers, who find an appropriate site, recruit local women as presenters, raise funds from local organizations, and generate publicity within the community. The Expanding Your Horizons Network provides materials that local groups can use to help in all of these tasks.

Expanding your Horizons (EYH) in Math and Science is an all-day Saturday conference for girls in 7th and 8th grades. Boys are welcome to attend.

The conference consists of hands-on workshops in a variety of subjects led by women working in the sciences.

Concurrent workshops are offered for parents, teachers, and counselors to assist them in guiding girls in career choices.

Previous EYH Conference Workshop Topics:

  • Tooth analysis
  • Mathematical games
  • Chemistry
  • Nutrition
  • Computers and the Internet
  • Mortuary science
  • Constructing science center exhibits
  • Veterinary medicine
  • Engineering
  • Backyard ecology
  • Lasers
  • Cellular biology
  • Environmental archaeology
  • Bioelectrical impedance analysis
  • DNA analysis
  • Forensic science
  • Forestry/conservation
  • Histotechnology
  • Physical therapy practice

Workshops and panels are led by volunteer female college faculty and science professionals from the community.

EYH also offer parents, teachers, and counselors a series of workshops to help them assist girls with decisions about education and careers in science and mathematics in our increasingly technological society.

We ask that each girl, parent, teacher, and counselor submit a registration form and a small registration fee to cover the cost of their luncheon.

 Please Join Us

When is the next EYH conference?

The next EYH conference will take place on April 12, 2008
at the Santa Rosa Junior College. 

Would you like to contact us?

We would be happy to hear your questions, comments, recommendations, or interest in participating in the Sonoma County EYH Conference.

If you have any questions or comments, please send e-mail to Julie Silk, jsilk@eyh-soco.org, or call her at 707.577-4296.

Other EYH Conferences

To find out about EYH conferences across the country or about what you can do to start a new EYH conference in your area, contact the Expanding Your Horizons Network.

Expanding Your Horizons Network
Mills College
5000 MacArthur Blvd.
Oakland, CA 94613
510.430.2222

Statistics

In 1998, the percentage of women earning Ph.D.'s in mathematics fell from 31.7% to 24.4%. Of the 1,216 doctorates awarded, US citizens earned 48%. Amongst US citizens awarded doctorates, women represented 27.8%. Four of the doctorates were awarded to Native Americans. The 1998 Annual Survey of the Mathematical Sciences conducted by the American Mathematical Society. Notices, February 1999.

A January 1999 Salary Survey of new college graduates identified a 7% increase, to $44,878, in the average salary of computer science graduates. About 10% of the offers to CS graduates met or fell short of $36,000. The January 1999 Salary Survey, National Association of Colleges and Employers.

A 1997 NSF survey found that women comprise 26.2% of all science Ph.Ds, but only 6% of the engineering Ph.Ds, 6.5% of physicists and astronomers, and 1.4% of the aerospace engineering Ph.Ds. Women hold 13.3% of Ph.Ds in mathematical sciences, 17.1% of those in computer and information sciences, 12.5% of the doctorates in earth sciences, and 15.1% of Ph.Ds in chemistry. National Science Foundation, SRS, 1997 Survey of Doctorate Recipients.

The number of degrees awarded in engineering dropped at all three levels in 1998. Bachelor's degrees awarded dropped 2.8% from 1997. With the exception of degrees earned by Native Americans, the growth in BA degrees earned by women and minority groups ceased, with all showing a drop. At the graduate level, master's degrees dropped 1.2% and doctorates slid 6%. After years of increases, the proportion of women earning undergraduate engineering degrees declined to 18.6%. Doctorates remained static at 12.3%, a total of 810 out of 5,757 degrees. Native American women received 3 of the doctorate degrees. Hispanic American women received 15. Engineering and Technology Degrees1998, Engineering Workforce Commission.

A Fall 1998 national survey found that only 1.6% of incoming college freshwomen planned to major in computer science. The interest in engineering of both incoming men and women has declined to 8.2% from a high of 12.6% in 1982; only 2.2% of incoming women expressed an interest in majoring in engineering. Physical sciences faired equally poorly with only 1.6% of women interested in such a major. However, 20.5% of incoming women expected to major in a professional field, a declaration that left some hope for growth in those other percentages. The American Freshman National Norms for Fall 1998, Higher Education Research Institute, University of California, Los Angeles.

Women were more likely than men to choose a particular college because its tuition was low (32% v. 25%), or it offered them financial assistance (36% v. 28%), or it was close to home (25% v. 17%). The gender gap in responses to these questions has widened considerably since the late 1960's when men and women felt similarly about their ability to pay for college. The American Freshman National Norms for Fall 1998, Higher Education Research Institute, University of California,  Los Angeles.

[Information obtained primarily from the March 1999 CPST Comments]