By Mary Durfee

UO SPICE Volunteer Brandy Todd and “Milly” the Science Rat

At the last AAUW Eugene-Lane branch meeting, Brandy Todd and Jorjie Arden gave an update on the SPICE project at the University of Oregon. SPICE organizes summer camps for middle school girls to get, and more importantly, keep them interested in STEM fields (science, technology, engineering & math).

One reason I joined the Eugene-Lane branch was because I read about its support for this work. I was not disappointed. Following are my reflections as a new member attending my first meeting, and learning more about SPICE.

SPICE had to cancel last summer’s effort, but are now working out alternative ways to reach the girls during the summer in case the virus prevents an in-person summer camp again.

As Brandy and Jorgie said, girls ARE interested in science, but society loses too many of them once they hit high school. The time to get them and keep them is in those difficult almost/young teenager years.  Girls/women solve STEM problems every bit as well as men and may sometimes approach questions from interesting- and different-from-men perspectives. Eager young students will soon get bored with worksheets, but boys will tend to get encouraged to try more active things. This sounds like a wonderful program to help girls do the same.

Due to their presentation, I have put Brandy and Jorjie in contact with the woman at the American Association for the Advancement of Science who runs their “IF/THEN” Ambassador’s program, which is aimed at getting and keeping middle school girls interested in science. There was a great show about women who work in STEM based on these Ambassadors on Henry Ford’s Innovation Nation.

Jorjie and Brandy could also use help in reading applications by girls trying to get into programs or colleges. I offered to take on five of them. If any of you would be interested in reading one or more, let me know.

Last, I, for one, want to attend the rat rally Jorjie and Brandy described.  I’m not squeamish about rats driving tiny race cars—as long as they don’t drive into my garage.

[Editor’s note: Branch members also are encouraged to continue contributing to our now-virtual SPICE Scholarship jar by sending a check to Cindy Parker, made out to AAUW Eugene-Lane, with SPICE Scholarship noted in the comment line.]