High school girls to participate in Women in STEMM Day at UT

May 8, 2015 | Events, Research, UToday, Engineering, Medicine and Life Sciences, Natural Sciences and Mathematics, Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences
By Meghan Cunningham



High school girls will be exposed to careers in the sciences through hands-on activities when they visit The University of Toledo for the fourth annual Women in STEMM Day of Meetings.

The event, which goes by the acronym WISDOM, will take place from 8:30 a.m. to 2:15 p.m. Thursday, May 14, on UT’s Main Campus and Health Science Campus.

More than 150 girls from area high schools attended last year’s Women in STEMM Day of Meetings (WISDOM).

More than 150 girls from area high schools attended last year’s Women in STEMM Day of Meetings (WISDOM).

The 160 girls will explore and perform experiments in physics and astronomy, chemistry, biology, engineering, pharmacy and medicine as they learn about science and technology.

The event is hosted by the Northwest Ohio Chapter of the Association for Women in Science, which organizes the exploration day to encourage young women to consider careers in one of the areas offered at the Women in STEMM Day.

“Girls are increasingly interested in science, but unfortunately few women pursue that interest in college or their careers,” said Dr. Isabel Escobar, professor of chemical and environmental engineering, interim assistant dean for research development and outreach for the College of Engineering, and past-president of the Association for Women in Science. “Events like Women in STEMM Day aim to inspire girls to embrace the fun of scientific discovery and encourage careers in the field.”

Students from Toledo Public, Washington Local and Oregon Schools, as well as from the Toledo Islamic Academy and Wildwood Environmental Academy will participate in WISDOM at the University.

The students will spend the day performing activities developed by faculty members in the UT colleges of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, Engineering, Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Medicine and Life Sciences.

In addition to the Northwest Ohio Chapter of the Association for Women in Science, the event is sponsored by the Catharine S. Eberly Center for Women, Marathon Petroleum Corp., and the UT colleges of Engineering, Medicine and Life Sciences, Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Natural Sciences and Mathematics.