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Program introduces young women to science and technology
Jo Ann Stephens (left), associate professor of civil engineering technology at Pennsylvania College of Technology, shows a participant in the Science, Math Applications in Real-world Technologies for Girls program how to test the strength of a concrete cylinder.	Women comprise 46 percent of the nation’s workforce, but hold just 18 percent of science and technology jobs, according to the National Science and Technology Council.   To counter this disparity, faculty members and administrators at Pennsylvania College of Technology developed a new program, Science, Math Applications in Real-world Technologies for Girls (SMART Girls). The program exposes young women in middle school and high school to career options in emerging technologies, while strengthening their foundation in math and science.   Participants in the first SMART Girls program got involved in a variety of hands-on activities. They explored the inside of a computer, created Web pages, built a simple DC motor, conducted chemical analyses of spinach, learned how to make graphs with a graphing calculator, tested the strength of concrete cylinders, studied the properties of plastics and learned how to assess environmental risks.   Many Penn College faculty members served as instructors for the workshops. In addition, student members of the Women in Technology campus organization assisted faculty members.   Penn College held a second SMART Girls program for young women in grades nine and 10 during the summer. An outreach program of Pennsylvania College of Technology In these two photos, seventh- and eighth-grade girls take apart computers to learn how they work (left) and learn how to separate components of a mixture of plant pigments in spinach, as part of the SMART Girls program hosted by Pennsylvania College of Technology. photos by Cindy Meixel—Pennsylvania College of Technology