Female role models in math and science sought for educational conference

Encouraging middle school girls to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) is the name of the game for the Expanding Your Horizons Network.

EYHN is an organization designed to encourage young women to pursue careers in these field.

The Expanding Your Horizons annual conference, hosted by local Soroptimists clubs, will take place on May 22 at Flathead Valley Community College. At the conference, 300 seventh and eighth grade girls will experience hands-on workshops designed to highlight STEM career opportunities.

Research shows that young women who experience this type of event are more likely to take advanced science and math courses in high school and pursue higher education in those areas of study.

The EYH Steering Committee is seeking local women who work or have worked in STEM careers to teach workshops at this year’s event. Each year they aim to have over 20 different workshops led by professional women who are successful in STEM careers.

These workshops are the heart and soul of the program and highlight careers in medicine, finance, engineering and computer science, just to name a few.

Presenters volunteer their time and skills, by preparing a hands-on activity that the young women attending the workshop can have fun with while making the connection of how math and science can apply to real life career opportunities.

Young women will attend four workshops at the conference such as learning how to cast a broken bone or an engineering workshop on how to build a solar oven.

Presenter registration deadline is March 29. Registration can be done by emailing presentereyh@hotmail.com or calling 270-0296.

The cost for each girl to attend is $15. Scholarships are available, so no one need be excluded. Local middle schools will also have information on the conference.

To register your child, learn more about the conference, or volunteer for the day of the event, visit www.flatheadeyh.org.

To donate to the event or sponsor a young woman to attend, mail checks to Flathead EYH, PO Box 1604, Kalispell, MT 59903. For questions, contact Diane Yarus at 751-2175.