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This content was published: March 23, 2005. Phone numbers, email addresses, and other information may have changed.

PCC-Rock Creek hosts Middle School Girls Conference

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ROCK CREEK CAMPUS – Hundreds of middle-school aged girls will get an opportunity to peer into the world of science and technology at the 10th Annual Math, Science and Technology Conference for Middle School Girls. The PAVTEC Gender Equity Team at Portland Community College is hosting the conference from 9:15 to 1:30 p.m. on Thursday, April 14 in the Building 5 gym at the Rock Creek Campus, 17705 N.W. Springville Road. The event will attract more than 600 students from 29 area middle schools. Coordinated by the PAVTEC Gender Equity Team, the mission of the event is to introduce the girls to female role models in math and the sciences, and expose them to a stimulating, exciting, math and science related experience for the day. There will be 33 presentations, including "Aerodynamics and Paper Airplanes" by Hillsboro Aviation flight instructor Katie Leonard; "CSI for the Real World" by Darcie VandenHoek, evidence technician with the Hillsboro Police Department; "Ladies of the Arc," welding demonstration by PCC instructor Connie Christopher; "Dancing and Musical Robots" by Mary Vander Yacht and Terri Urquhart of Intel; "Architecture Science" by architects from Zimmer Gunsul Frasca Partnership; and "Anatomy of Cats and Dogs" by Dolores Galindo, PCC Veterinary Technology technician. Students from 21 middle schools from Washington and Columbia counties, including Banks, Brown, Cedar Park, Sherwood, Poynter and St. Helens, will attend. Also, eight schools from Portland Public Schools, including Portsmouth, Robert Gray, Sellwood and Tubman, will be on hand. This event is co-sponsored by Intel, Oregon Department of Education and the PAVTEC Education Consortium. The PAVTEC Gender Equity Team is composed of volunteers, including active educators, retired educators and other lay people who have a passion to promote the opportunities for women in nontraditional careers.

About James Hill

James G. Hill, an award-winning journalist and public relations writer, is the Director of Public Relations at Portland Community College. A graduate of Portland State University, James has worked as a section editor for the Newberg Graphic... more »