February 15, 2001

Contact: Bruce Palmquist (509-963-3142, fax 509-963-1050, email: palmquis@cwu.edu)

Have you wondered how a bicycle balances or what monkeys think about? Those will be among the questions answered Saturday, March 3, at Central Washington University during the ninth annual "Expanding Your Horizons" (EYH) conference.

It's designed to help students, particularly girls, in the fifth through ninth grades, explore math, science and technology related careers. A variety of hands-on workshops will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on the Ellensburg campus.

"Many girls don't even think about working in scientific fields because they have not seen any women science role models," Dr. Martha Kurtz, CWU chemistry and science education professor and event organizer, says. "The most important thing about Expanding Your Horizons is that it introduces girls to effective role models at a time when they are starting to think about careers."

Local women leading this year's workshops include scientists, nurses, doctors, an architect and a mathematician. A student participant last year said, "I never thought that it would be so much fun." Another added, "I really liked all the workshop leaders."

Students may register for three of the workshops, which are limited to 15 participants each. Space is assigned on a first-come, first-served basis.

EYH registration is $5, which covers all conference materials and lunch. A limited number of scholarships are available. Since a maximum of 150 students can attend, early registration is encouraged.

To register, or for more information, call (509) 509-963-2929, or (for the hearing impaired) TDD (509) 963-3323.