Bridgewater Weekly, May 16, 1996
Female students from Bridgewater-Raynham explore
career options in sciences at Boston University
BRIDGEWATER - More than 400 students and teachers
from over 40 high schools across Massachusetts, including
students from Bridgewater-Raynham High School recently
participated in the third annual Pathways conference at
Boston University. The event is designed to inform young
women of the opportunities available to them in a variety of
high-tech, traditionally male-dominated fields.
Some 80 women scientists, including Boston University
faculty, graduate students and undergraduates, as well as
colleagues from Harvard Medical School, participated in the
event on a variety of levels. They delivered research
presentations, led students on tours of campus laboratories
and conducted poster sessions to introduce participants to
current areas of investigation in the sciences, math and
engineering. A panel that included women working in both
academe and industry discussed the practical issues faced by
women working in the sciences. The day concluded with a "hot
topics" presentation about controlling access to information
on the Internet.
Elizabeth Simmons, founder of Pathways and assistant
professor of physics at Boston University College of Arts
and Sciences, says that the number of students attending the
conference has increased dramatically each year. "I am
delighted that so many girls are interested in sciences,
math and engineering. It's vital that we are here to provide
support, offer them advise and inform them of the different
career paths that are available to them," Simmons said.
"I had no idea that women were so involved in the
sciences," said Aimee Lima, a sophomore at Boston Latin
School. "It's wonderful to see all of these women and what
they've accomplished.
Ruth Whitner, a coordinator for gifted and talented
students at Whitman-Hanson Regional High School said, "This
program is important because it helps the students see what
science really looks like and what jobs are out there."
Rama Bansil, associate professor of physics at Boston
University, added, "It is important for these young women to
see the variety of opportunities in the sciences, but it is
very important that they see people having fun doing
science."
Pathways is sponsored by Boston University's College of
Arts and Sciences, College of Engineering and the Center for
Science and Mathematics Education. Additional support comes
from Teradyne, Inc., EMC Corporation and Hewlett-Packard's
Medical Products Division. With partial funding for two
future Pathways conferences guaranteed by the National
Science Foundation, the program is expected to continue to
grow.
