9619140 Chandrasekhar "Promoting Young Women in the Physical Sciences" is a sequential program spanning grades 5-12 that involves collaborations among teachers and administrators of the Columbia Public Schools, other area schools, University of Missouri faculty, local industries and parents. A combination of curricular, extracurricular and training components is designed to nurture and broaden the participation, interest and knowledge of students, particularly females. Curricular activities in the physical sciences are to be added to grades 5-9. Integrated science courses for grades 9-10 are to be designed and implemented so all students receive additional instruction in the physical sciences. Female-targeted sections of physics and chemistry are to be made available at the high schools. Extracurricular programs are to be implemented at three levels: the Exploring Physics after school program for grades 5-7 girls; Saturday Science Experiences, in collaboration with local industries, for grades 8-9 students; and a Summer Science Academy for grades 9-11 girls. The latter integrates Science, Engineering and Mathematics (SEM) disciplines through a toy factory building project. Training components for parents and school personnel include: physics summer institutes for teachers; a gender equity course followed by a semester of action research for science teachers and administrators; and middle school parent training through Family Evenings with Science and Technology (FEST).
