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Press Releases
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 20, 2006
MEDIA CONTACT:
Jennifer Hill Robenalt, Hoopla Media & Communications
512.653.9656 or 512.382.0303
jennifer@hooplamedia.com
Girlstart Expanding Horizons for 300 Area Girls
Event Allows Girls to Glimpse their Futures With One Part Magic;
Equal Parts, Math, Science, Engineering and Technology
(AUSTIN) - Who needs to watch Saturday morning cartoons when you can catch a glimpse of the future? Girlstart is pleased to announce that on Saturday, March 25th, an army of bright young girls, 300 strong, will have the life-altering opportunity to get a taste of what their life could be like as a pilot, a veterinarian, a rocket scientist and more at Girlstart’s inaugural Expanding Your Horizons Conference.
This one-day, action-packed adventure is designed to leave girls eager to take on the world, after spending an empowering day discovering the potential of careers in math, science, engineering and technology. Expanding Your Horizons is a national event that has been offered in Austin for 11 years. 2006 marks the first year that Girlstart is hosting the event, taking the fun to a whole new level! Together with a host of accomplished scientists, mathematicians, doctors and other professionals, Girlstart will give Austin girls a day like no other. Expanding Your Horizons will be a high-energy, hands-on introduction to robotics, tsunami simulation, filmmaking, website production, geology, bones and brains, creating slime and more!
Girls choose their own adventures as the first step to an unforgettable day on the University of Texas campus. Participants pick from the following tracks:
Girl, MD: MEDICINE
Girls explore what it takes to be a doctor for people and animals! Workshops may include conducting a practice surgery, discovering how the human body works, and veterinary medicine.
Tech Me Out: TECHNOLOGY
Girls in this track dive into the latest technology! Workshops may include how a computer works, artificial intelligence, web design, and making a film.
Designer Girl: ENGINEERING
Girls discover how engineers design the world around us! Workshops may include tsunami simulations, programming robots, building bridges and rocket science.
Fear Factor: MATH AND SCIENCE
Girls discover that fear is not a factor when facing math and science! Workshops may include piloting a plane, concocting slime, and making space ice cream.
School of Rock: EARTH SCIENCE
Girls unearth what makes our planet rock! Workshops may include exploring bug life in streams, studying the layers of the Earth, and building a microscope.
Every step of the way, girls will be encouraged and inspired by real women in really fascinating careers!
“March 25th is a great day not just for Girlstart but for girls from all over Central Texas,” says Girlstart’s Milissa Tivnan. “For many of these young women, it will be the day that sparked their passion for a future career they never imagined! Girlstart and our tireless volunteers have worked hard to make this even a mind blowing, life-changing experience.”
So what kind of magic does it take to make a girl want to spend her day doing math and science? It takes the collaborative effort of a group of accomplished and committed women who want to pass on the torch to the next generation of big thinkers.
“The magic is simply revealing to girls what’s been there all along,” say Tivnan. “More than 70 local women will spend the day at Expanding Your Horizons sharing their passion for their professions with girls. They will demonstrate that math and science are already a big part of the things that interest girls like design, music, or caring for animals and people. These professional women work a kind of everyday magic unmasking the adventure that is found in careers based in math, science and technology.”
Visit www.eyhaustin.org to find out more about Expanding Your Horizons, and www.girlstart.org to explore the many other inspiring and fun adventures that Girlstart has planned for Austin’s girls.
ABOUT GIRLSTART
Girlstart is a non-profit organization created to educate and empower girls in math, science and technology. Founded in 1997 in Austin, Texas, Girlstart has an enviable record of engaging, educating, and motivating girls to enjoy and become more proficient in mathematics and science in elementary school, middle school, and beyond. Child Magazine named the organization one of the top five programs for girls across the country. Girlstart offers a variety of educational formats designed for girls ages 9-15 through after-school programs, Saturday camps, and summer day camps. Girlstart serves a population that includes at-risk and minority girls.
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