GEMS opens eyes of teen girls to careers in science

Science Article
September 19, 2002

Kathleen Shannon-Dorcy explains equipment in an Alliance exam room to Katie Wilson. PHOTO BY CLAY EALS

By BRAD BROBERG

Fred Hutchinson brims with labs, but how many can solve a crime? For one night, all sorts of dirty deeds were probed in a Weintraub Building conference room during a monthly meeting of GEMS.

Girls in Engineering, Math and Science (GEMS) brings together female high school students from Seattle and female professionals from the world of science, including several from the center.

At this particular meeting, GEMS member Joanne Marzowski and three of her colleagues from the Washington State Patrol Crime Lab were leading hands-on demonstrations of how they use DNA profiling and trajectory analysis to bag bad guys.

"I love this!" said Katie Watson, a sophomore at Ballard High School. "It's related to actual life. You can use science to solve crimes."

GEMS is an offshoot of the Seattle chapter of the Association of Women in Science. Dr. Stephanie Namciu, post doc in the Fournier Lab, chairs the AWIS committee responsible for GEMS. Other center participants include Drs. Laura Smith, postdoc in the Roberts Lab; Sue Amundsen, staff scientist in the Smith Lab; and Elizabeth Greene, staff scientist with Biocomputing Shared Resource.

"The goal is to expose high-school girls to science and provide them with female role models," Namciu said.

Compared to previous generations, many women today excel in science. Even so, science - especially math and engineering - frequently is still perceived as a male field, which can steer girls away from science without their even knowing it.

"I don't think they're discouraged consciously," Namciu said. "They just don't think of it as an option."

GEMS opens their eyes. "It's inspiring because, in the past, women haven't been thought to be successful in science," said Caitlin Wilson, a sophomore at Ballard. "It shows us it's possible we can go somewhere."

Every year, GEMS sends applications to the science departments at Seattle's 10 public high schools. After the committee selects about 20 girls to participate, each committee member becomes a mentor to three or four girls.

GEMS doesn't focus on girls with the strongest science backgrounds. And it doesn't accept seniors. Instead, the program seeks underclass girls who want to test the water before diving headfirst into a life of beakers, lab coats and microscopes.

"The labs are my favorite part because there's so much variety," said Jenny Lu, a junior at Ballard. "I like the way we get into different areas of science."

The labs take place during the group's monthly meetings, in which GEMS mentors take turns leading activities and offering information about the career paths available in science. Committee members also arrange for the girls to shadow working professionals at local hospitals, businesses, the University of Washington and the center.

Kathleen Shannon-Dorcy, center research nurse, has been shadowed by GEMS for three years.

"We need to give inspiration to young girls," she said. "Girls haven't had the same examples of how women can be successful in science, not just men."

Shannon-Dorcy recently was shadowed by Wilson, who was delighted to learn more about how research relates to patient care. "I didn't know anything about the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance clinic," Wilson said.

"I didn't know that people come from all over the world to get treated here. I think it's great that people who might not otherwise have a chance can come here."

Wilson sent Shannon-Dorcy a thank-you letter calling her "a great mentor and inspiring scientist." Shannon-Dorcy said the pleasure was all hers.

"It's a wonderful thing to help young people see the potential that they have within themselves," she said. "That's what it's all about."

Amundsen agrees. She says GEMS mentors get almost as much out of their attendance at the monthly meeting as the girls.

"The enthusiasm of this group makes it a fun evening for all of us," Amundsen said. "The only problem is, it gets to be 9 p.m. and we've only completed half the things we want to do."

GEMS welcomes new mentors. For more information, call Stephanie Namciu at 206-667-5218 or e-mail her at snamciu@fhcrc.org.

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