Through the Wellesley chapter of the national Science Club for Girls, students share their love of “STEM”—science, technology, engineering, and math—with young girls from all over Boston. And talk about hands-on: Wellesley students develop curriculum and devote hours to teaching science activities to girls in kindergarten through eighth grade. The year culminates in a science fair held at the College. Co-presidents Priya Patel ’16 and Lizette Mendez ’16, both pre-med biology majors, say the time commitment is well worth it.
Science From a Kid’s Eye View
Patel: I was looking for opportunities for science outreach. I heard “science, volunteering, teaching,” and I thought, that all sounds great—especially because there is such a large gender gap in the sciences and STEM in general. It’s a great way to get involved with young girls and encourage them to pursue STEM. The kindergartners and first-graders are very adorable and very enthusiastic. They ask great questions. You might have thought you knew something about science, but they make you rethink everything you know. You get a new appreciation of science.
Mendez: The group is usually from 6 to 12 students. We’re with them for an hour and 15 minutes with the activities and everything. You learn about the girls’ personalities and how they interact with each other, and you see their progress throughout the semester. Just from week to week, we notice them becoming more open and more vocal with their questions.
Patel: For plant bio, we recently taught them about soil and to put it into context in a fun, friendly, kindergarten/first-grade way, we had them make edible soil. The bottom layer is rocks, so we had M&Ms as our rocks. Then there was subsoil—that was chocolate pudding. Then there was topsoil—that was Oreos. We had gummy worms and marshmallows as other bugs and cornflakes as leaves. They loved it!
Mendez: I am pre-med, and I am still on that track, but [this] has made me realize that I really like service. I’m now thinking about doing the Peace Corps.
Patel: No matter what I do in terms of medicine, I want to incorporate community outreach into it. I like the teaching aspect [of SCFG] but what I connect with more is the female empowerment part of it.
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