Guest Blogger: Schmahl Science Workshops

Schmahl Science Workshops is based in San Jose, CA and has been a Coalition member since September, 2010.  The organization is a non-profit partnership of students, parents, teachers, scientists and engineers who have come together to foster the innate curiosity and love of science that exists among children.  Mentorship is key and Schmal Science; experienced scientists and engineers develop relationships and deliver programs to children throughout Silicon Valley.  CEO Belinda Lowe-Schmahl is our guest blogger this week and shares some of her personal inspiration for providing science after school.

The Gift of the Mentor

“If a child is to keep alive his inborn sense of wonder….. he needs the companionship of at least one adult who can share it, rediscovering with him the joy, excitement and mystery of the world we live in” - Rachel Carson

I know from personal experience know how much a mentor can influence and redirect lives. 

It is often said that “it takes a village to raise a child.” I would argue that there is an embedded assumption in this proclamation.  We assume the “village” is functional and has the best interests of the child in its heart. But what if the village is dysfunctional?  What if the villagers do not want to be role models?  Who can forget Charles Barclay making just this claim in the 1990s?

As a young child, my family moved frequently. No roots, no extended family to guide my brother and me.  One day when I was walking home from school I stopped to admire a beautiful cactus garden.  Tending the garden was a very old lady (who actually was probably as old as I am now) named Lola.

Noticing my interest, Lola invited me into her “world.”  She said, “Why don’t you pick out one plant each day.  I will teach the mysteries and science of each cactus.”  I was enchanted.  Our friendship grew.  One day she presented to me a pin.  It was her Brownie pin from when she was a little girl.  She talked to me about the Girl Scouts, and said she would be happy to let my mom know about a local troop.  Before I knew it, I was Brownie and for the first time I was in a safe village where I could explore and learn.

When I look back on my life, I can see many mentors who have guided and nourished my life.  But if it hadn’t been for Lola, I don’t know if my interest in science and nature would have taken root as deeply. 

The difference between a child with curiosity and a child lost to drugs, alcohol or gangs can be as simple as meeting a Lola.  Whether it is an afterschool program aid, a science teacher, a scoutmaster or troop leader, someone who takes an interest in a child can make the next scientist, teacher or president.  If we don’t influence that child, he or she might search out that adult role model in a gang.

This is the true purpose of out of school time. It is more than science fairs and science workshops, more than summer camps and afterschool programs.  It is about creating a Village that will mentor its children so that they become citizens of character.  And how will we know when we have created that citizen? In the words of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., “It is when their most persistent and urgent question is, 'What am I doing for others?'"

Closing the STEM Gender Gap through Mentoring Programs

Happy New Year!  As you probably already know, January is National Mentoring Month, which makes now the perfect time to resolve to learn how your organization can impact gender equity in the STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) fields through a mentoring program.   

Why is mentoring so important in establishing equity in the STEM fields?  Isn’t it enough to provide high quality science programs in after school settings, spark boys’ and girls’ interest in science, and offer them support to explore, build, experiment and discover?

According to the Collaborative for Gender Equity in Emerging Technologies, young women don’t consider careers in science because they don’t have female role models in the field or because they feel dissuaded by adults to pursue a career in science.  Furthermore, there are powerful implicit assumptions, held by both men and women, that prevent girls from continuing on in STEM fields.  

One implicit assumption often made is that boys are just ‘naturally’ better at math than girls.  However, in a recent cross-cultural analysis of math abilities across gender by Jonathan Kane and Janet Mertz, no significant difference was found between boys’ and girls’ math abilities.  The report suggests that we need to make social and cultural changes if we want to close the gender gap.  As Mertz explains:

"None of our findings suggest that an innate biological difference between the sexes is the primary reason for a gender gap in math performance at any level. Rather, these major international studies strongly suggest that the math-gender gap, where it occurs, is due to sociocultural factors that differ among countries, and that these factors can be changed."

The partners of the Gender Equity Collaborative, and we at the Coalition for Science After School, believe that mentoring is a critical sociocultural key that can help debunk implicit assumptions about gender and science, and keep us moving towards equity in the STEM fields.   

Mentoring programs can and should look different depending on the needs of the youth in your community, and the strengths of your organization.  

• 4-H’s mentoring program Tech Wizards is designed for all youth, not just girls, who tend to be underrepresented in STEM fields.

• Techbridge highlighted in this article by EdWeek, serves over 600 elementary and secondary girls, most of whom are minorities.  The website has great resources for potential mentors. 

• New Coalition member Chidren First CEO of Kansas recently announced the launch of their mentor program.  They are currently recruiting college women seeking STEM degrees, as well as girls in middle and high school to participate in monthly meetings.

• Girls Inc of the Island City, Girls Inc of Alameda County and the Center for Science Education at the Sciences Laboratory are creating a mentoring program for 5 ‘generations’ of females - elementary, middle, undergraduate, graduate students and scientists - will participate in after school science studies together.

• At the Exploratorium, the Biology Department has created an internship program for one high school student.  This video shows that even the smallest of mentoring programs can have a tremendous impact on how a mentee feels about pursuing a future in STEM. 

If Mentoring Month, the stories listed above, or your reflections on your own career path have motivated you to make a difference in a young person’s life and in the future of the STEM field, visit mentoring.org on information on how to start a mentor program.  And if you’re already involved with a mentoring program, you’re not off the hook!  This is the perfect time time to think about evaluating your program.

How are you and your organization resolving to impact equity in the STEM fields through a mentor program?

Presidential Recognition for STEM Mentoring

Congratulations to CSAS member Project Exploration and all of the other winners of the Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics, and Engineering Mentoring!