A Duke outreach program, Females Excelling More in Math, Engineering and Science, received a $10,000 national grant to motivate teenage girls to pursue areas of study in which females are widely underrepresented.
Granted by DoSomething.org-an online organization that connects teenagers with volunteer opportunities-and Mountain Dew Voltage, the Do Something: Power in Numbers grant recognizes projects led by young people that incorporate community focus, long-term problem solving action, creativity and diversity. Ten grants, a total of $100,000, will be awarded, according to the organization's Web site.
Founded in 2006, FEMMES hosts educational outreach programs related to math, science and engineering for females in the fourth to sixth grades in Durham Public Schools. The organization hosts an annual, free one-day event, which provides hands-on experience to encourage young females to explore their interests in math, engineering and science. In addition, FEMMES offers after-school programs to three schools in Durham.
Junior Jessica Shuen, one of the FEMMES directors, said the organization hopes to use the grant money to add a five-day summer camp for 50 girls to its program offerings. The funding will allow the organization to reach more young females in the community, she said.
"We're trying to increase the number of girls that we can reach, but doing so requires more funding," she said.
Currently, 250 girls are involved in the program, she added. After analyzing pre-surveys and post-surveys from the program's participants, FEMMES members published and presented a study on the organization's work at the Frontiers in Education conference in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., last October.
Titled "Work in Progress: A STEM Educational Outreach Day for Young Females" and authored by five FEMMES members, the study reported that only 23 of 46 public schools in Durham met expected academic growth standards in the 2006-2007 school year. Only five met high growth standards.
Shuen said exposure to math, engineering and science through hands-on experiences and role models can lead to increased self-confidence in scientific ability and increased interest in these subjects.
"Many programs exist for high school students, but girls may be turned away from engineering at an earlier age. Consequently, students who have the potential to succeed in these fields may be wholly unaware of it," the report reads.
FEMMES is actively seeking more female undergraduate, graduate and faculty member volunteers to participate in the program, Shuen said.
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