About WaterGirls
WaterGirls is a field experience for middle school girls (6th, 7th, & 8th grade) and female science mentors from Salt Lake Community College, the University of Utah, and local scientific agencies.
Students will assess the health of streams and watersheds near their homes. This use of place-based learning will assist the students in creating personal connections to the field research they undertake. On each field day students will be tasked with collecting water quality data, including pH, temperature, electrical conductivity, and total dissolved solids. To analyze variations in water quality throughout the watershed, students will visit multiple sites along each stream. In addition, students will take observations of weather, using handheld wind meters, and record temperature, wind, and humidity. Additional observations and discussions of soils, biology, and geology of sites will also be completed at select sites. Finally, students will communicate their result with data analysis, posters, art, and presentations. |
Purpose & Need
Middle school ages have been determined to be a critical time when female students begin to lose interest in a career in STEM fields (Catsambis, 1995). An effective method to retain female students’ interest in science and desire for a career in STEM is laboratory and field experiences (Burkam et al., 1997). Further, by engaging in place-based outdoor education, students create a connection to their community and their environment that engages their emotions and values along with scientific skills and knowledge (Wattchow and Brown, 2011). Field experiences are critical to recruiting and retaining women and girls into STEM fields. Exposure to field research helps students experience the true nature of science and research, while nurturing a sense of curiosity about the world around them.
References Burkam, D.T., Lee, V.E., Smerdon, B.A., 1997. Gender and Science Learning Early in High School: Subject Matter and Laboratory Experiences. American Educational Research Journal, 34, 297-331. http://www.jstor.org/stable/info/1163360 Catsambis, S., 1995. Gender, race, ethnicity, and science education in the middle grades. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 32, 243-257. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/tea.3660320305/abstract Wattchow, B., Brown, M., 2011. A Pedagogy of Place: Outdoor Education for a Changing World. Monash University Publishing, Australia, 68pp. |