Event Urges Girls to Study Math, Science

Jane Kim wants to become an athletic trainer.

The 12-year-old made her career choice Thursday at a conference held at Cal State Fullerton to introduce teen-agers to math- and science-related professions.

“I always see guys in the physical education training field, but now I see we’re equal and I can do it too,” said Jane, a student at D. Russell Parks Junior High School in Fullerton.

She was among 905 junior high and high school students--more than 95% girls--from throughout North County at the 10th annual Math-Science Conference, sponsored by the American Assn. of University Women.

Organizers said it was geared toward encouraging girls to study math and science so they can pursue careers in such professions as medicine, seismology and space shuttle engineering.

“There are occupations that these students, girls particularly, don’t know about, and we want them to realize that they are there and (the students) can get into them,” said Wilma Sauer, president of the Brea/La Habra branch of the organization.

Fifty-nine women specialists in aeronautics, petroleum engineering, pharmacology, transportation, zoology, chemistry, occupational therapy, forensic science, marine biology and dozens of other scientific, high-tech and mathematics-related fields presented workshops at the conference.

“Nobody did it for me when I was a teen-ager,” said Diane Clemens-Knott, an assistant geology professor at Cal State Fullerton who specializes in isotope geochemistry. “It’s important to give these students role models to encourage them to take courses in math because there are so many careers that depend upon math for training.”

Dr. Sharon K. Kawai, director of medical rehabilitation administration at St. Jude Medical Center in Fullerton, delivered the keynote speech, which inspired Jeanne Miserendino, 12.

The seventh-grader at St. Juliana Falconieri School in Fullerton said she dreams of becoming a marine biologist and knows now that her dream can be made a reality.

Kawai “let me know that nothing’s impossible,” Jeanne said.