Media Contact:

Dr. Sarah Berenson, 919/515-6919 or berenson@unity.ncsu.edu
Mick Kulikowski, News Services, 919/515-8387 or mick_kulikowski@ncsu.edu

July 3, 2001

Middle-School Girls Use Campus Program to Stay on Track in Math

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Traditionally, women are underrepresented in engineering, as well as in mathematics- and computer science-related careers. But the gap is closing as more women are exposed to advanced mathematics, thanks to programs like Girls on Track.

The program, a cooperative effort between North Carolina State University, Meredith College, Wake County Public Schools and the N.C. Department of Public Instruction, encourages middle-school girls to discover the relevance of math in daily life and boosts their self-esteem. Girls use information technology tools to analyze data and present their findings to large audiences.

The goal of the program is to encourage girls to take advanced math classes in high school and college. Current research asserts that women who complete advanced math classes obtain higher-paying jobs.

The 2001 Girls on Track math camp is being held at Meredith College through July 6 for 85 Wake County middle-school girls.

A daily Sports Algebra event, where girls "actively" learn math concepts while playing water balloon volleyball or running a "sponge relay," will be held from 8:15 to 9:45 a.m. on Thursday, July 5, and 8:15 to 8:45 a.m. and 10 to 10:45 a.m. on Friday, July 6, on the playing field in front of Ledford Hall on the Meredith College campus. Media coverage is welcomed.

Media also are invited to view student presentations that answer specific community problems, such as how to reduce traffic on I-40 or whether Wake County’s burgeoning population should necessitate more landfill space for trash. Girls will present their findings on Friday, July 6, from 10:45 a.m. to noon in Meredith College’s Cates Auditorium.

Girls on Track is funded through a grant from the National Science Foundation. More than 200 girls have participated in the program in its three-year history.

- kulikowski -

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