Workshop shows elementary students careers in math, science
By The Emporia Gazette (Contact)
Thursday, December 6, 2007
Sí se puede — Yes, you can — is a phrase that inspires creativity and no-limits thinking.
It’s also the name of a program that Emporia State University and Emporia public schools have developed to show fifth- and sixth-grade students the kinds of careers they can look forward to in the mathematics and science-related fields.
“We want to increase the level of interest that Hispanic students have in science and mathematics, and make them aware of the career opportunities they’ll have in those fields,” said Elizabeth Yanik, ESU professor of mathematics, and one of the organizers of the three-session seminar, Yes You Can Do Science and Math (Sí Se Puede Hacer Ciencias y Matemáticas), that begins Saturday.
A series of career discussions and workshops will take place during each morning-long session. The first class will feature Martin Alvarado, Orio Rodriguez, Chuck Torres, Richard Mendoza and Jorge Ballester talking about their work in the fields of dental hygiene, radiology, nursing and veterinary medicine. The morning session concludes with a couple of hands-on workshops enabling the students to explore the career possibilities that an education in math and science can help achieve.
The workshop begins at 8:30 a.m. Saturday in ESU’s Science Hall, room 142. Additional Saturday sessions will be conducted Feb. 23 and April 26. The April session will include a banquet for participants and their parents.