Sally Ride Science Camp returns to Stanford
BY GEOFF KOCH
A science camp for girls developed by Sally Ride, America's first woman in space, returns to Stanford this month. The second annual Sally Ride Science Camp will offer sixth through ninth grade girls the chance to deepen their interest in science, meet other girls with similar interests and be introduced to female role models pursuing science and engineering careers. Three consecutive one-week programs are scheduled beginning June 20.
"According to the latest statistics, eight of the 10 fastest growing occupations are science or technology related, yet women make up only 19 percent of the technical workforce," said Ride, who attended Stanford and earned bachelor's degrees in physics and English in 1973 and master's and doctoral degrees in physics in 1975 and 1978, respectively. "We developed this camp specifically for middle school girls because that is the age when many girls begin to drift from their natural interests in science. Our mission is to keep them in the technical pipeline."
Jim Plummer, dean of the School of Engineering, serves as the program's faculty sponsor. "Stanford University is committed to encouraging more young women to pursue careers in science and engineering," Plummer said.
The camp will serve nearly 400 girls with a ratio of one staffer for every six students. For half of their day, campers will focus on one of three fields - astronomy, mechanical engineering or oceanography. The other half of the day's activities will include sports, field trips and team building. Campers will stay on campus and eat their meals in Stanford's dining halls.
As part of the speaker series, Sally Ride will talk with the girls through a conference call or videoconference. In addition, special guests will visit the camp each week to lead discussions and join in on meals.
This year's guests include Karen Drexler, co-founder and CEO of Amira Medical until its acquisition by Roche in 2001; Beth Martinson, a veterinarian; Sue McConnell, a Stanford biology professor whose research focuses on neural development; Polly Moore, a former Genentech vice president of information resources; Kim Polese, co-founder and former president and CEO of Marimba, an information technology company; Ari Rapkin, a computer graphics software engineer for Industrial Light and Magic; Patricia Rogers, an obstetrician; June Smith, a plant propagator at the San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge Native Plant Nursery; and Hannah Valantine-von Kaeppler, a heart transplant surgeon.
More information about Sally Ride Science Camp is available at www.SallyRideCamps.com/stanford.
Geoff Koch is a science writing intern at the News Service.
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