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Feb. 24, 2005
CONTACT: Wendy Stevenson, Co-Chair, 712-274-5254.
The 14th annual Sioux City Young Women Investigating Science and Mathematics (WINGS) Conference will take place Thursday, March 3, from 9:15 a.m. to 2:15 p.m. on the campus of Morningside College. The 2005 conference is sponsored by Briar Cliff University, Morningside College, and Western Iowa Tech Community College (WITCC).
The conference will begin with a keynote address by Dr. Julia C. Goodin, Chief Medical Examiner for the state of Iowa. She serves on the faculty at the University of Iowa Medical School and is a certified expert in the field of forensic medicine in courtrooms in several states.
A native of Columbia, Ky., Goodin graduated summa cum laude from Western Kentucky University in Bowling Green in 1979 and earned her doctorate of medicine from the University of Kentucky in 1983. She received her training in anatomic and clinical pathology at Vanderbilt University and was a fellow in forensic pathology at the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Baltimore, Md. She has also served in the medical examiner’s offices of Nashville, Tenn., and Albuquerque, N.M., as well as for the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences in Mobile, Ala.
She is licensed to practice medicine in several states and is certified by the American Board of Pathology in anatomic pathology, clinical pathology, and forensic pathology. She has authored several papers and made numerous presentations on such topics as “Cause and Manner of Death,” “Cardiac Pathology,” and “Sports-Related Sudden Death.”
WINGS is an annual one-day career conference to motivate young women in the eighth grade to continue their study of mathematics and science throughout high school so that they are prepared to enter a broader range of careers, including the traditionally male-dominated mathematics, sciences, and technology fields.
This year’s conference is dedicated to Sr. Michelle Nemmers, the founder of WINGS. Formerly an associate professor of mathematics at Briar Cliff College from 1966 to 1996, she is being recognized for her efforts to enlighten and encourage young women to seek careers in the mathematics and science fields, which have been traditionally male-dominated. The first WINGS conference was held at Briar Cliff University in 1990.
Following Goodin’s keynote address, each participant will have the opportunity to attend three sessions of their choice, including two sessions with professional women who have backgrounds in mathematics and/or science and are employed in traditionally male-dominated fields.
These sessions focus on the presenters’ careers, including job responsibilities, salary range, and job outlook, the education required to enter the field, and the importance of high school mathematics and science courses in preparation for the occupations.
The students will also participate in one of six interactive exercises, which include:
Webstars of Tomorrow. Students will design a Web page using HTML.
Party Hair. Students will use math to design hair clips and beads.
The Solar System to Scale. Students will construct an accurate scale model of the solar system.
Living Smart. Students will envision their lives in the year 2012.
The Thief Who Wore Lipstick. Students will compare lipstick prints to determine who committed the crime.
Alka Rockets. Students will design a paper rocket propelled by Alka Seltzer and water.
Kristie VerMulm, news anchor with KTIV-TV Channel 4, will serve as emcee for the conference.
Dr. Delna Erani-Thomas, physician with Family Health Care of Siouxland, will give the closing keynote. Erani-Thomas was born in Bombay, India, and immigrated to the United States in 1980.
The adult exercises for educators and parents will be led by Jim Christensen, director of the NASA Educator Resource Center in Sioux City.
Wendy Stevenson, of Morningside College, Cheryl Connot Perez, of Briar Cliff University, and Belia Padilla, of WITCC, are co-chairs for this year’s conference.
Participating schools include: Blessed Sacrament, Dakota Valley High School, East Middle School, Elk Point-Jefferson Middle School, Gehlen Catholic School, Hinton High School, Home School-Longfellow School, Homer Community School, Lawton-Bronson Community Schools, Le Mars Middle School, Mater Dei-Nativity Center, Morningside Christian, North Middle School, Ponca Public School, Sacred Heart, Sgt. Bluff-Luton Middle School, South Sioux City Junior High School, St. Michael’s School, West Middle School, Westwood Middle School, and Woodbury Central Middle School.
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