Women in Science Day at Washburn University Inspires Young Girls
For 18 years, Washburn University’s Women in Science Day has provided an opportunity for young girls to explore potential futures in science. This year, over 300 seventh-grade girls engaged in hands-on activities such as creating plastic from milk and isolating strawberry DNA.
Susan Bjerke, an Associate Professor of Biology at Washburn, highlighted the impact of hands-on learning: “When they get to do it hands-on and actually see the results, you can kind of see this spark.” Participants like Aliyah Franklin from French Middle School recognized the importance of such experiences, stating, “It can make girls who thought they wanted to do something else get more into science.”
Students emphasized how these hands-on activities shed light on the relevance of science in the world. As Lilly Ahumaga from Washburn Rural Middle School noted, it reveals that “science can really help people and help just the world in general.”
The event also showcases female scientists leading the labs, allowing participants to envision a future in science. Bjerke shared that many attendees return as students years later, recalling their experience, which demonstrates the lasting impact of such initiatives.
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