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MILLS COLLEGE TO EXPAND SCIENCE, MATH HORIZONS FOR 300 GIRLS Conference on Saturday, March 17 also Debuts Toyota Experience for Girls Oakland, CA - Mills College will host 300 6th to 8th grade girls from Alameda and Contra Costa County at its Expanding Your Horizons (EYH) conference on Saturday, March 17, 2007, aiming to spark girls’ interests in, and awareness of opportunities in science and mathematics. The daylong event will feature welcome remarks from Mills President Janet L. Holmgren, a presentation on courage by Debra R. Pryor, chief, Berkeley Fire Department, stimulating workshops, and a closing talk by Kathleen O’Hara, associate deputy director, Mathematical Sciences Research Institute. The workshops will enable girls to explore subjects such as how to build a computer, space science, hands-on chemistry projects, daytime astronomy, medical mysteries, and engineering experiments. In addition, sessions will be offered to adults on topics such as gender and confidence, exploring careers for girls in science, technology, and engineering, and preparing for college admission. This year’s EYH conference also marks the beginning of the Toyota Math and Science Experience (TMSE) at Mills to demonstrate an educational model encouraging girls to stay interested in science and mathematics from middle school through high school, with the aspiration to attend college. Thirty girls entering the ninth grade in the coming academic year will be identified from the EYH conference each spring, and selected to attend an intensive two-week residential program in science and mathematics in the summers of 2007-2009. Mills science and mathematics faculty will teach in the summer program. The curriculum will include science classes and/or exercises every morning with opportunities to conduct creative, fun hands-on experiments designed to stimulate the wonder and excitement of scientific discovery. Afternoon mathematics sessions will enhance student’s problem-solving and quantitative reasoning skills. Mills undergraduates will mentor students to help them learn how to study effectively and collaboratively. The first Expanding Your Horizons (EYH) conference was held at Mills in 1976 to spark girls’ career interests in science and technology, engineering, and mathematics. Since then, EYH has exposed more than 675,000 young women in 31 states to the fascinations and challenges for women in science and mathematics. Mills provides the facilities, computer and technical support, as well as a conference host site each year. The EYH Conference is supported by the Toyota USA Foundation as an integral part of its $275,562 three-year grant for the Toyota Math and Science Experience (TMSE) at Mills College. Mills College is a nationally renowned, independent liberal arts college offering innovative degree programs for undergraduate women, and graduate degree and certificate programs for women and men. Consistently recognized as one of the top 100 liberal arts colleges in the nation by U.S. News & World Report, Mills currently ranks among the top 20 most diverse liberal arts colleges. The New York Times recently selected Mills as one of three leading California colleges for students to consider. In 2006, the Washington Monthly College Rankings named Mills a leading liberal arts college based on community service, research spending, quality of preparation for graduate education, and social mobility. In addition, The Princeton Review’s annual guide, the Best 361 Colleges (2007) included Mills for the second year in a row among top U.S. institutions offering students an outstanding undergraduate education. Nestled in the foothills of Oakland, California on 135 lush acres, Mills provides a dynamic liberal arts education fostering women’s leadership, social responsibility, and creativity. PRESS CONTACT: |
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