Graduate Students Show Local Girl Scouts the True Meaning of "Girl Power"
February 9, 2008 - KLANG!! A sledgehammer wielded by Meredith Faber hits a metal strike pad on the front lawn of Fondren Science Center. The reverberations send noise signals, represented by black and white wiggles, across the computer screen of Aileen Fisher who, along with Lauren Michel, explains how the wiggles were generated to an eager group of local girl scouts. The demonstration is the culmination of a presentation given by graduate students Fisher and Michel on careers and research opportunities in the field of Geology as part of Girl Scout Career Day at SMU. A group of around 80 girl scouts from several local high schools participated in the event, which also included programs given by the Department of Chemistry and the Meadows School of the Arts. Fisher and Michel, with the help of fellow student Faber, employed a ‘hands-on’ approach in showing how seismology helps scientists study the Earth, turning two groups of 40 girl scouts into impromptu seismic survey teams charged with running cable and setting up geophones in preparation for a sledgehammer-induced seismic test. With Geology being a historically male-dominated profession, Michel notes, “It’s important for young girls to see that their career choices are only restricted by their interests, not their gender.”
 |
 |
 |
 |