16 BFHS teens attend Women in Science

 Sixteen Bonners Ferry High School students are among 200 North Idaho girls who attended the Women Science Program at North Idaho College on Monday and Tuesday.

About 200 sophomore girls from the nine North Idaho school districts have been selected to participate in the Women in Science Program. They were chosen by their teachers for science and math aptitude.

BFHS science teacher Judy Wages said she chose from a wide spectrum of girls.  She chose girls who show interest in science and who show aptitude in science and math.

“Conrad Garner and I are very excited to encourage young women to enter the various fields of math and science,” said Wages.  “This is a terrific opportunity to get them thinking about their futures and expose them to a collegiate experience.”

The program emphasizes that it is okay to be a so called “nerd,” a four-letter word with a six figure income.

While six figures might seem like an incentive for students considering a career in the sciences, young women are looking for more said Anne Kern, a curriculum and instruction faculty member at University of Idaho, Coeur d’Alene.

“In a word, young women want meaning,” Kern said. “They want their scientific work to have meaning. They want the science they do to have applications that solve real-world problems.”

Kern researched and co-authored “Attracting High School Females to the College of Science,” a study published in the journal, The Montana Mathematics Enthusiast, earlier this year.

“Research shows that young women pursue careers in science for more altruistic reasons than young men,” said Kern.

The program provided  hands on laboratory research and the opportunity to work with seasoned women scientists.

Students took part in scientific experiments and data analysis, and toured science laboratories at North Idaho College and the University of Idaho Coeur d’Alene.

Women in Science is sponsored by the University of Idaho College of Science, University of Idaho Coeur d'Alene, North Idaho College, the Idaho IDeA Network of Biomedical Research Excellence and the Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research.

For more information visit www.uidaho.edu/cda/womeninscience or call the University of Idaho Coeur d'Alene at (208) 667-2588.