Resource Learning Activities (and role models)

Helping students and their teachers, parents, and advisors learn about careers and role models in physics and other science careers can be fun and informative.  The following are just a small sampling of  what teachers, parents, advisors can use or develop themselves:

1)  Diversity Bingo Game--this is an interactive multicultural history exercise that will also test your knowledge about some famous women physicists

2)  Women in Science and Math HERstory Quiz Game--this is an interactive multicultural game I developed for ISU's Expanding Your Horizons Conference and also present to school groups about the the contributions of women to scientific discovery.

3) ISU Physics Major Rebecca D. Yapp (pictured at right) researched the contributions of two women scientists--Prof. Lise Meitner and Dr. Shirley Ann Jackson--for an independent student project on diversity and equity.  Rebecca wrote a research paper on the women scientists then converted the information to a Contributions of Women and Minority Physicist's Power point presentation that she presented at the 2002 Argonne Undergraduate Research Symposium, 2002 ISU's Undergraduate Research Symposium, and ISU's Expanding Your Horizons Conference over several years.

4)  One of several organizations that brings women professionals as role models together with young students considering careers in math and science is ISU's Annual Expanding Your

Horizons (EYH) Through Math, Science,  and Technology Conference.  This is a fun all day eventwhere students in 5th - 10th grade participate in three hands-on career workshops with women professionals. There are also corresponding workshopsfor their parents and educators to help them enhance their support and mentoring of these students. 

• Download a pdf of the ISU Physics Department's EYH and other career outreach activities.  In addition to the workshops, there are also interesting displays from academic departments and businesses who employ professionals in math, science, or technology. 
• For EYH 2003, I also developed a Normal Public Library exhibit for Women's History Month featuring ISU Women Scientists (download pdf). 
• Actually, 2004 was the tenth year that I designed and installed a Women's History Month exhibit at the Normal Public Library (NPL) in conjunction with the EYH Conference.  Mari McKeeth has been our NPL contact person for that.  Mari has also developed displays and handouts for EYH conferences about NPL's resources.  For more information about NPL resources on diversity, equity, employment, etc., visit the Normal Public Library's "information links" page.

5)  In 2004, I developed the Women in Science and Math Professionals Career Pen Pals Project as part of my work with the EYH Conference and the ISU Department of Physics. Five women professionals were posed career questions by five high school students to which the women professionals responded.  I created a display about this project that included profiles of seven women professionals and the students for the Normal Public Library for Women's History Month as well as for the EYH Conference.  The local newspaper, The Pantagraph wrote a feature article about this project titled "Math and Science Not for Girls?  Nonsense!" that appeared March 12, 2004.  

6)  Other helpful equity and diversity based organizations with resource publications and resource materials to share are:

• The American Association of University Women (AAUW);and,
• The National Women's History Project (NWHP)--from which many of the ISU Physics Department's Diversity and Equity Resource collection has been purchased.

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