April 24, 2003

Take Our Daughters to Work attracts more than 300 girls

For the ninth consecutive year, Northwestern will observe Take Our Daughters to Work Day Thursday (April 24) on the Evanston and Chicago campuses.

More than 300 girls, aged 9 to 16, are expected to participate in related activities that will emphasize careers in math, science and computer technology. There are nine tour tracks in Chicago and 15 in Evanston from which to choose.

While the Ms. Foundation is launching a new, expanded program this year, Northwestern’s observance will continue to focus on girls.

“The Ms. Foundation, which spearheads the Take Our Daughters To Work Day event, has broadened the event to include boys,” said Renée Redd, director of the Women’s Center.

“The Ms. Foundation is leaving it up to the discretion of each institution whether they will focus on daughters or daughters and sons. Based on feedback from the Chicago and Evanston Take Our Daughters To Work committees, our co-sponsor the Association of Northwestern University Women and a number of individuals, the predominant desire is to have the event remain focused on girls in light of the challenges that girls still face and the continuing need to educate girls about the options available to them.”

This year, there are 13 new sessions being offered on the Evanston campus.

• “A Dip or a Sip: Is your water clean?” This environmental sciences program will demonstrate river flow and the transport of contaminants in rivers, as well as hands-on experience with a model tank reactor similar to those used in water treatment operations.

• “All that jazz: Be part of the troupe!” will focus on professional dance training, academic study and performance opportunities for lifetime involvement in dance within the context of a liberal arts education.

• “Are you star struck? A visit to the Dearborn Observatory” will introduce participants to the observatory with a brief history of the observatory, the possible viewing of sun spots (weather permitting), a session about astronomy, and a demonstration of “The Sky” star software.

• “CEO for a day” will feature Kellogg School of Management women students leading activities focused on the basic business disciplines of marketing, strategy and entrepreneurship.

• “Computer Surgery” involves identifying and examining the major components of personal computers.

• “Designing Women: From the Drafting Table to the Construction Site” will provide an explanation and a tour of the Crowe Hall addition to Kresge Hall.

• In “How does your garden grow? Planting the seeds to be a landscape architect,” girls will tour the south campus gardens and plant flowerpots in the same vicinity.

• “Less Cha-Ching for More Bling-Bling” will provide insight on creating a jewelry business using accounting principles.

• In “Mathematical Challenges: Use creative logic to solve puzzles!” girls will discover how a mathematician thinks by solving difficult puzzles with live mathematicians using logic, guesswork, experimentation and creativity.

• In “News Radio Live: Be Heard over the airwaves of WNUR,” girls see how a radio newscast gets put together and practice selecting stories as if they were doing a broadcast.

• “Science in motion: Let’s move that object,” girls will explore the nature of motion with regard to physical objects.

• Storytelling: “And they don’t just talk…” This introduction to storytelling, an exploration of the concept of daring to dream, was developed from the poem “My Best Friends” and the South African folktale “Ketiwe.”

• “Take the Engineer’s Challenge: Design a Winner” is an exercise led by the Society of Women Engineers that will expose participants to some of the issues and projects engineers deal with in the real world.

There are 11 new sessions on the Chicago campus.

• “Aikido: the Martial Art” is an introduction to Aikido’s history along with a demonstration of throwing techniques. The session also will involve many interactive exercises.

• “A Day in X-Ray” will show copies of X-ray films, display related equipment such as lead aprons and barium, and include a question-and-answer session.

• “Color by Design” will show how color is used in interior design.

• “Do You Feel It?” participants will get hands on experience in the physical examination of “cosmo” –- the patient simulator.

• During “Dribble, Pass Score” girls will learn to play basketball.

• “Helping Hands” features a tour of the emergency unit and a patient room during a mock emergency session.

• “Lady Liberty” is an introduction to the legal profession and how to prepare for law school and a career in law.

• “Put on a Healthy Face” will focus on the benefits of healthy skin, the importance of a skin care regime and basic makeup techniques.

• The “Stories & Art” workshop includes the telling of two stories and a slide presentation of art and technology.

• In “What’s Up Doc?” participants will learn about the skills involved in a basic physical examination. They will walk through a basic check-up and learn how to take blood pressure, use a stethoscope and complete a muscular-skeletal exam.

• “You Can Build It” will explore what it takes to become an architect by working with computer aided design software.

The event is sponsored by the Take Our Daughters to Work Day committees, the Women’s Center and the Association of Northwestern University Women.