Girls 4 Science is excited to announce the Saturday STEM Academy will offer separate classes for high school (grades 9-12) and elementary school (grades 4-8) students. Going forward, curriculum development will be more rigorous and evaluations more informed. Both programs will have enhanced, age-appropriate curriculum, evaluation and hands-on, experiential learning activities.
Beginning with the Winter 2021 program on Microbiology – which will be offered online – the students in grades 4 through 8 will meet from 10:00 am to 12:00 pm and the high school students (grades 9-12) will meet from 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm.
Also new in 2021, students who attend every class in a session and complete the evaluations will receive a Certificate of Completion specific to the subject of the session.
As soon as it is safe to do so, we will resume in-person programming at Malcom X and Olive Harvey Colleges, and the University of St. Francis.
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Fall 2020 Saturday STEM Academy: |
The Girls 4 Science Fall Saturday STEM Academy focused on Anthropology, the study of human societies and their development. Students learned about the four main subfields of anthropology: cultural, language (linguistics), archaeology and biological/physical.
The Fall session, which was conducted online due to the COVID-19 pandemic, included a virtual field trip to the Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site, Museum and Interpretive Center in Collinsville, Illinois. The remains of the largest and most sophisticated prehistoric native civilization north of Mexico are preserved at Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site, which is the pre-eminent example of a cultural, religious and economic center of the Mississippian culture (800–1350), which extended throughout the Mississippi Valley and the south-eastern United States. Cahokia was larger than London was in AD 1250. The Mississippians who lived here were accomplished builders who erected a wide variety of structures from practical homes for everyday living to monumental public works that have maintained their grandeur for centuries. After the field trip, the students created their own fossils using clay, learned how forensic anthropologists determine the ancestry of a skeleton by examining the shape of the skull.
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Presleigh Hilson is making a fossil |
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Noa Levi, fossil making lab activity |
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In the class on linguistic anthropology -- which studies the role of language in the social lives of individuals and communities and explores how language shapes communication -- students discussed how language is used in different social settings and in social media, why people from different regions in the US speak so differently and how the language we use differs by race and age.
Dr. Allison Mickel, Assistant Professor of Anthropology at Lehigh University, was a featured speaker who talked about her career as an archaeologist. Students learned about how artifacts are researched and recorded and participated in an activity where they had to organize artifacts in sequence of time. Dr. Mickel has done research in the Middle East and shared her insights as a woman in archeology and the need for more girls to explore the field.
Tour guide, historian and activist, Beatrice Hardy, presented the Anthropology of Race. Students attended a virtual tour of Chicago to learn about the “great migration” of African-Americans to the city. Ms. Hardy also shared her experiences in tourism and as a veteran of the United States Army. The final class looked at the difference between beliefs and knowledge and how beliefs are shaped by opinion.
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G4S was featured on the Fox32 Good Day Chicago morning show during National Chemistry Week. Jackie Lomax, G4S Executive Director and her daughter Logan talked about what Girls 4 Science is doing to get young girls engaged and active in the fields of STEM. Logan conducted an on-air science demonstration of how to make Elephants Toothpaste.
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Winter 2021 Saturday STEM Academy:
Microbiology
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Registration for the Winter 2021 Saturday STEM Academy on Microbiology is now open. In a new format that will allow for more age-appropriate curriculum, high school students (grades 9-12) will meet from 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm; girls in grades 4-8 will meet from 10:00 am to 12:00 pm. The session will be conducted online; a computer and internet access are required to attend class. |
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Girls 4 Science is pleased to recognize Camelot Illinois for its support of the Saturday STEM Academy in 2021. “We thank Camelot Illinois for its financial contribution and we are excited to partner with them in our endeavor to create sustainable pipelines for women of color in STEM careers.”
-- Anthony Williams, PhD, member of the G4S Board of Directors.
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The G4S Alumni Association page provides professional development resources -- including video tutorials on interview help, professional networking, resume writing and self-assessment tools -- and volunteer opportunities with Girls 4 Science. G4S Alumni are encouraged to stay connected by joining the Girls 4 Science Alumni Group on Facebook and Instagram, and subscribing to the G4S Alumni Newsletter, which will feature alumni spotlights, news and achievements related to women in STEM, and updates from current Girls 4 Science programs. The newsletter will also include information about local networking opportunities and provide tips to help G4S alum succeed in college, careers, and beyond.
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**Girls 4 Science is seeking G4S alumni to help with the web page and newsletter. If you are interested contact Jackie Lomax at jlomax@girls4science.org.
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The G4S Advisory Board Double Good Popcorn fundraiser August 13-17 was a smashing success, raising nearly $10,000 to keep the Saturday STEM Academy free for all girls who want to attend. Many thanks to Advisory Board members – Yaqui Benson, Donna Jones, Mary Love, Dawn Milhouse, Joy Nunn, Riva Trivedi, Shervon Vaulx and Chistin Zollicoffer – for their active participation in the event. G4S students, alumni, parents, volunteers, Program Coordinators and Board members also contributed to the success of the fundraiser. Prizes based on dollar value of sales were awarded to students and alumni at Summer Recognition Ceremony.
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The Summer Recognition Ceremony was held via Zoom on August 29. The keynote speaker was Dr. Inger Burnett-Zeigler, a licensed clinical psychologist and Associate Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University. The Linda McGill-Boasmond Scholarships ($1,000 each) were awarded to Ramaya Johnson (Augustana College, Major Pre-Medicine), Summer Smith (New York University, Major Biochemistry) and Becky Harris (Joliet Junior College, Major Biology).
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Your generous donations
help us expand our programs and expose more girls to STEM and the career opportunities available.
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Other Ways to Support G4S
- Sponsor a Saturday STEM Academy session
- Host a Field Trip
- Donate lab supplies
- Provide refreshments for a Saturday STEM Academy
- Sponsor G4S T-shirts with your company logo
- Become a volunteer
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