This project spans grades 5-12, and involves collaboration among teachers and administrators of the Columbia Public Schools, University of Missouri faculty, local industries and parents. Curricular, extracurricular and training components are designed to nurture the participation, interest and knowledge of girls in physical sciences.
The project supports extracurricular programs at four levels: Exploring Physics for 5-7 grade girls; Family Evenings with Science and Technology (FEST), a middle school parent / student program; Saturday Scientist, in collaboration with local industries for 8-9 grade students; and the Newton Summer Science Academy for 9-11 grade girls, which integrates Science, engineering and mathematics through a toy factory building project.  Training components include physics summer institutes and a gender equity course for science teachers; curricular components offer support to 9th grade science classes and a female targeted section of physics. We are currently developing a CD of hands-on activities in Electricity and Magnetism, which you may view at our test site, Exploring Physics, the CD. The CD targets teachers and students at the middle level (5-9).

• Prof. Meera Chandrasekhar
  Professor of Physics, Department of Physics and Astronomy
  University of Missouri-Columbia, Columbia, Missouri 65211
  Ph: (573) 882 2619 ; Fax: (573) 882 4195
  Email: meerac@missouri.edu
   
• Dr. Rebecca Q. Litherland
  Email: litherlandr@missouri.edu
   
• Sarah Hill , Lab Coordinator,
  Department of Physics and Astronomy,
  University of Missouri-Columbia,Columbia, Missouri 65211
  Ph: (573) 884 1270; Fax: (573) 882 4195
  Email: hillsar@missouri.edu

Updated November 1, 2005