Grooming female scientists and engineers of the future

Parktown Girls

Stories about inspiring women and girls are always great to share! We got an email about Parktown Girls who are grooming female scientists and engineers. We have a Miss that only has a few years (3 years eeek!) before she also has to decide what direction she is going to go with regards her career and her subjects. How do we prepare girls like her to choose a career in STEM?

South Africa is in desperate need of qualified scientists and engineers. Compounding this, only 11% of engineers globally are female according to an article published by UNESCO in October 2017.  This is a worldwide phenomenon, despite a rising global demand for qualified science, technology, engineering and, maths (STEM) professionals.
Tracey Megom, Principal at Parktown High School for Girls, says the idea for a Science Centre was born 15 years ago, but the school initially struggled to come up with the money to build it, so parents started fundraising and looking for partners. Anglo American helped them with their dream by a multi-million Rand investment that is already impacting this skills gap.

Following Anglo American’s contribution, the construction of two conjoined laboratory and classroom facilities for life sciences, physics and chemistry began in 2015 and the science centre was opened in late 2016 to the school’s 1 100 pupils. Its effect was almost immediate: 30% more Grade 9 girls chose the sciences as matric subjects.

Parktown High School for Girls is a government high school in Johannesburg that serves a diverse grouping of girls across class, race, and culture, and happens to be one of Gauteng’s province top-performing schools. It boasts a consistent 100% matric pass rate and achieved a 97% Bachelor Degree entrance rate in the 2017 matric results.  The school has been acknowledged by the University of the Witwatersrand as its top feeder school.

Tracy Megom answers a few questions, about herself and how to inspire young girls.

Wordless Wednesday #312 - Murray & Roberts construction, Sci Bono

Experiments are the volcano! #science

Little Missy loves doing experiments. The Doen dit self Wetenskap (Do-it-yourself Science , Priddy Books) experiment book is used on a daily basis. We bought it for cheap at Reader's Warehouse.

The only way we can get away with not doing an experiment is by explaining that we do not have all the "ingredients".

I had to go and buy food colours for another experiment, so Dad did not have an excuse any more for this experiment. She has been eyeing the volcano for a long time.

Baking soda and vinegar...

The volcano!

Happy Scientist! It worked!

If you are ever stuck with nothing to do for bored children. There are hundreds of Pinterest pins for Science experiments. You don't even need to buy a book.


Related post:

- How to blow up a balloon without blowing into it #science

How to blow up a balloon without blowing into it #science

Hubby bought a science book for Little Missy, and she has been enthralled by all the easy experiments! We are constantly bugged to do another one!

This is great for the winter holidays when you want to do something of value with your little ones.

The recipe is easy:

Ingredients:

Balloon

Plastic bottle

Vinegar

Sodium bicarbonate / baking-soda

1. Pour vinegar into eighth of bottle.

2. Pull balloon over a funnel, and drop one and half teaspoon of sodium bicarbonate into it.

3. Pull balloon over opening of bottle, preventing the bicarbonate from spilling into bottle before it is secured onto the bottle.

4. Hold the bottle securely when pulling up the balloon to dump the sodium bicarbonate into the bottle.

5. Carbonic acid gas is released which makes the balloon blows up.

It really works!

From the book: Doen dit self Wetenskap (Do it yourself Sience)
www.priddybooks.com