about young women in science

young women in science

YOUNG WOMEN IN SCIENCE (YWIS) started in 2000 as a summer enrichment program for middle school girls to encourage them to pursue their talents in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) by providing them with laboratory experiences led by professional women from these fields. To better meet the needs of local girls, it has grown into a series of age appropriate summer and in-school programs where girls can begin at age nine and finish at age eighteen. In every program girls are given challenges that go beyond what is offered in school in a setting that fully supports them. Through participation in Young Women in Science, girls broaden their knowledge of STEM fields and build confidence in their abilities with hands-on collaborative laboratory experiences led by women experts. We are grateful to these women who generously donate their time to travel to the Berkshires from their research laboratories at leading colleges, universities, and corporations around the northeast. They are the key to the success of the program. Girls who graduate from Young Women in Science have met and done experiments with over thirty of these women, representing fields from engineering to anthropology. These girls have gone on with confidence to receive degrees in engineering, math, and neuro-biology.

The Young Women in Science 2011 Summer Programs include:

Summer GIRLS!: Animal Behavior for girls finishing 4th and 5th grades
Summer GIRLS!: Engineering at Mt. Everett for girls finishing 4th and 5th grades
Summer GIRLS!: Engineering at Lee for girls finishing 4th and 5th grades
STEM Explorers for girls finishing 6th, 7th, and 8th grades
Emily's Project for young women finishing 9th, 10th and 11th grades

Click on the links below or sidebar for more information on these specific programs