The first grant award of the Fund for Women & Girls was awarded to Port Townsend Marine Science Center GIRLS Project (Girls in Real Life Science) at a reception held March 23, 2011. The emphasis for the grant was narrowed to a project that will assist young women in Jefferson County to achieve their greatest potential in math and science. We understand that comprehensive solutions are hard to develop, implement and sustain, yet they may also create the best chance for making a profound change. A strong emphasis in math and science can open the doors to technology related jobs where there is demand and higher salary. It is a challenge, but we want to raise the bar for the young women in our community.
The purpose of this winning proposal addressed three factors that researchers say contribute to girls losing interest in science: 1) lack of role models, 2) failure to connect science with real world problems, and 3) too few authentic hands-on learning experiences.
The GIRLS Project engaged 6 Jefferson County middle and high school girls in a research project involving micro- plastics in sea gull boluses (regurgitated items eaten but not digested). In meetings after school or on weekends the girls did original research (collecting, dissecting and analyzing seagull boluses), learned about the larger Plastics Project of which the bolus study is a part, shadowed women "Citizen Scientist" volunteers, and help prepare results for publication. The project will ran from February through April, with participating girls documenting their experiences through writing, video, and/or visual presentation. The girls shared their results at the May 4, 2011, Fund for Women & Girls' annual soiree.
Since it has been proven that barriers for girls pursuing science have more to do with belief than abilities, the GIRLS Project offered activities that focus on informal fun, interactive time, with the intent of offering role models, real-world applications of science, and authentic opportunities for discovery. In Teaching With the Brain in Mind, Eric Jenson writes that "we remember that which is most emotionally laden," and relationship driven learning (like peer collaboration and apprentice relationships) purposely engage emotions." This approach is designed to encourage girls to take positive risks, ask questions, find their voices, and expand their sense of what is possible, all in the context of doing real and relevant scientific research.
Many thanks to Jan Whyte, Anne Burns, Kris Mayer, Jean Baldwin, Quen Zorah, and Jenny Manza for their work on the grant committee! It is exciting to see our vision for improving the lives of women and girls in Jefferson County begin to take shape.
