9553486 Perham The Ball State University project for high school girls in grades eleven and twelve has a dual focus of career awareness and skill development in the areas of science, engineering, and mathematics (SEM). Its major goals are: to increase the awareness of high school girls about careers in SEM, to introduce them to SEM role models on the job, to have them collaborate on a research problem with a SEM mentor, and to positively impact their choice of a career. Through seminars, industrial site visits, and panel discussions, the girls are to learn about SEM careers and job opportunities--what they require and how they are achieved. This project provides opportunities for all the girls to acquire skill in using statistics and technology to support their future research efforts. In collaboration with a SEM mentor at the University, each girls will gain hands-on research experience in a university laboratory setting. Afterward, each girl will independently solve a related research problem at her home school with the support of an on-site resource teacher and the University mentor, via Internet. In addition, the girls will disseminate SEM career information to their peers. Participants should leave the residential program prepared with a knowledge of SEM careers, technological skills that will support problem solving, and experience in using the scientific method of discovery. They will have explored SEM careers and interacted with professionals in these fields. They should have acquired skill in using spreadsheets, software packages, graphing calculators, word-processing, and Internet communications. They also will have engaged in group and independent research projects supported by SEM mentors and high school resource teachers. In addition, they should have developed the confidence and self-esteem to choose an appropriate career--and successfully embark upon it. ***
