2007-08 Annual Report

Science Literacy * Sisterhood* Self-confidence

Science Club for Girls

2

The mission of Science Club for Girls is to increase the self-confidence

and science literacy of K–12th grade girls belonging to groups that are

underrepresented in the sciences, through free, after school programs

that provide experiential learning, mentorship, and leadership

opportunities.

Girls work with mentor-scientists who model and foster leadership,

affirm college as an expectation, and promote careers in science and

technology as goals and options.

Board of directors

Shirby Steward-Best, Chair City of Boston

Uche Amaechi, MBA, Treasurer Fletcher Maynard Extended Day

Alex Revioliotty, Secretary Anvil Group

Rosalyn Britt, MPH Meditech

Connie Chow, Ph.D. Science Club for Girls

Jessica Holbert (alum) UMass Boston

Beth O’Sullivan Mathemagics Workshop

Bruno Marino, Ph.D. Smart Surfaces

Mary McGowan Pettibone Boston University

Sharon Stone Citizens Bank

Staff

Connie Chow, Ph.D. Executive Director

Kareen Wilkinson Program Manager

Brianne Studer Assistant Program Manager

Stephanie Lemnios Program Coordinator

Liz Pelletier Massachusetts Promise Fellow/Site Manager

Madhvi Patil, Ph.D. Site Coordinators

Shirley Harvey Site Liaison

Deborah Jackson Site Liaison

3

Dear friends,

What an exciting year for Science Club for Girls! We planted the seeds of our program in three new

communities—Boston, Lawrence and Framingham; collaborating with different partners to learn how

best to replicate our program. And we have learned much. We look forward to working with current

and new in the coming year.

We hosted our first fundraising event, Catalyst, in June. We were overwhelmed by the warm response

and the wonderful spirit of the event, as our girls, alumnae, parents and supporters came together. We

hope more of you will be able to join us next year as we celebrate our 15th anniversary.

The board and I are so proud of our eight graduating seniors--Andrea, Lillian, Louisa, Maryam, Nikki,

Ruth, TeTe and Vassia. I have had the privilege of sitting down with them individually in conversation,

and reviewed their resumes. I am amazed each time by what I learn about them. They are scholarship

recipients, participants in various STEM competitions, leaders in other youth groups and in their faith

communities, mentors outside of Science Club; accomplished athletes, singers and scholars.

We here at Science Club will sorely miss them. We have no doubt that they will blossom and excel in

their various undertakings, and wish them the best of luck! We hope they will return and volunteer with

us, or start a club through their college campus!

We will continue to strive to provide the best programs possible for these and other young women, and

help them pursue their dreams! Thank you for your support!

Sincerely,

!

Letter from the Executive Director, Connie Chow

4

Programs Overview

Science Clubs • Girls from K-7th grades welcome • Meetings take place for ~1 hour, once a week, for

8-10 weeks in the spring and fall • Semester-end Science Fair showcases what girls

have learned and accomplished

Junior Assistant Program • Girls from 7th-12th grades can apply • Co-lead experiments in school-year clubs • Teach clubs during the summer • Serve as mentors for younger girls • Learn leadership and life skills • Explore careers in science and engineering

Rocket Team • Designs and builds rockets every other Saturday

at MIT • Competes in the Team America Rocketry

Challenge

Media Team • Girls design, write and publish a print newsletter • Contribute to an oral history project: Women of

Power

Catalyst 2008: Our First Fundraising Event MIT President Susan Hockfield delivered a video address affirming the necessity of programs like ours and imparted her advice to our girls to continue to be curious. Ms. Judy Ozbun and Dr. Lydia Villa-Komaroff were honored for their unflagging efforts to make science and engineering accessible to females and underrepresented groups. The program highlighted a panel of Junior Assistants and alumni who discussed their experience in Science Club and the impact of an all girls' environment and mentorship on their individual development and growth.

Science literacy.

Sisterhood.

Self-confidence.

These are attributes that

Science Club for Girls seeks to build.

SCFG is devoted to

making science fun and interesting

for young girls and to

providing avenues for adolescent

girls to discover their own talents, and

to build their capacity for leadership.

5

TeTe, graduating senior

“I remember first joining SCFG as a 'student'.

Participating in group experiments and falling in

love with science [and] chemistry...It's been eight

years now, and I can't believe that I'm not going to be

here next year. I will truly miss this program and I

hope it continues to give females the motivation to be

whatever they want to be.

“I plan to … major in Sports Management and minor in

Chemistry. I will never forget the joys I’ve had as a JA (Junior

Assistant) and as a member of the media team.

“SCFG forever has my love and support.

Peace, love and hair grease!!!”

6

Program Results

Junior Assistant survey results 92% reported that SCFG has had a

positive effect on their attitude

towards science

95% realize that science is helpful in

understanding today's world

74% reported that participating in

SCFG has helped them to

become a better science student

72% learned to communicate her

thoughts and ideas clearly

78% became more comfortable

speaking in front of a group of

people

92% learned how to be more

responsible

87% learned how to work as part of a

team

94% learned to be a mentor to a

young child

Facts and Figures 616 youth in total participated in Science Club for Girls this year! 331 girls (and 66 boys) in 1st-7th grades participated in after school, Saturday and school day clubs.

57 Junior Assistants in 8-12th grades led clubs.

Rocket Team mentors led a group of 5 girls to design, build, and launch model rockets.

The 6 members of the Media Team conducted interviews, edited and oversaw the production of a print newsletter each semester and continued to update our website.

140 children in K-5 benefited from 6 weekly one-hour sessions in the summer program.

11 girls participated in the Summer Peer Mentoring Program.

IMPACT

All 8 high school participants in our Junior

Assistant program who graduated in June 2008

were accepted into 4-year colleges.

Five of them plan to be science or engineering

majors.

Where are this year’s graduates headed?

Boston University, Emerson College, Regis College (2), Framingham State College, Mass. College of Pharmacy

and Health Sciences, Columbia University

(deferred), Hood College.

We are grateful for the 90 +

women who served as mentor-

scientists

35% of them are women of color

38% have a graduate degree

and/or are professionals

They’re from BU, Harvard, Lesley,

MCPHS, MIT, Northeastern, Tufts,

Simmons, Wellesley; Amgen,

Bose, Comcast, Draper, General

Mills, Genzyme & Novartis.

44 additional volunteers helped at

our various events. Thank you!

7

Partners All our partners, like SCFG, believe in the need to close the achievement gap that currently exists in the fields of math and science for young girls, particularly those from economically disadvantaged communities.

Sponsors

We couldn't be where we are without the support of long time sponsors, such as Biogen Idec Foundation, Genzyme and Omega Natural Sciences, who have been sponsoring us since 2004.

At the same time, we have been able to reach many more girls due to the support of new partners.

The Amelia Peabody Foundation, Boston Scientific Foundation, Llewellyn Foundation, Boston Jewish Community Women’s Fund, Motorola Innovation Generation Fund and others have been instrumental in enabling our pilot programs in Boston, Lawrence, and Framingham.

School Year Club Sites

Boston (new) • Tobin School • McCormack School (Citizen's

Schools partnership)

Cambridge • King Open School • Fletcher-Maynard Academy • Cambridgeport School • King and Amigos School • MIT (Rocket team)

Framingham (new) • Greater Framingham Community

Church

Lawrence (new) • Movement City at Lawrence

Community Works

Newton • Myrtle Baptist Church

“Our primary focus is to support innovative

and effective programs that provide a significant impact

with measurable results.

Without exception, Science Club for Girls

complements our objectives.”

Jacqueline Boas,

Boston Scientific Foundation

Summer Partners

Cambridge • Cambridge Community Center • King Open Day Camp • King Summer Splash Camp • Middlesex Boys & Girls Club • Frisoli Youth Center • Fletcher Maynard Academy

Summer Program

Field trip host sites (Pilot program) • Biogen Idec • Broad Institute • Deer Island Waste Water

Treatment Plant • Finnegan, Henderson, Farabow,

Garrett & Dunner (IP) • Museum of Science

"...your program for our girls is

exceptional," Ms. David, Extended

Learning Services Manager at the

Maurice J. Tobin School in Boston.

8

Sowing the Seeds of Science

We piloted Science Clubs in 5 sites in Boston, Lawrence and

Framingham, allowing 50 girls to become marine biologists,

building engineers, chemists etc. Girls in several clubs couldn’t

wait to get started again in the spring! We’re grateful for our

new partners who provided the space to host our clubs.

Rube Goldberg Machines

Guided by the Society of Women Engineers chapter at the

Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering, seventh graders at our

Newton site realized their imaginations through electro-

magnetic principles and mechanical engineering to create

lemonade-making and a candy-dispensing Rube Goldberg

machines. These girls demonstrated these at Family Science

Day at the American Association for the Advancement of

Science Annual Meeting in February in Boston.

Program Highlights After school and on Saturdays, girls from across eastern Massachusetts are connected to women who are passionate about science and engineering. Through special field trips, girls encounter resources beyond those we bring to their schools, churches and community centers.

CSI Night at the Cambridge Science Festival

In spring 2007, Science Club for Girls hosted another Forensics

Festival for more than 40 children during the second annual

Cambridge Science Festival at the King/Amigos School. Thanks

to the many volunteers, including the Cambridge Police

Department, and a group of 13 women from Boston University's

Delta Phi Omega sorority who made the event a

"I would actually like science if they taught it like this in school."

a new 6th grade participant of our Lawrence program

9

“Without [Science Club for Girls], I wouldn’t have been so into science. It improved my academic performance, because usually I had learned it there first. I had more confidence to answer questions in class."

Jessica, alumna who attended from K-12th grade

Green Building Tour

The Shirley Ann Jackson Physicists (6th graders) in Lawrence

concluded their place-based curriculum with a public green

building tour of Our House, where club is held. Architect

Bruce Hampton who designed the building showed the girls

the various sustainable design features at the beginning of the

semester. The girls incorporated what they learned about

insulation, solar panels, and compact fluorescent light bulbs

into their tour.

Pilot Field Trip for 5th graders

Our 5th Grade Mae Jemison Astronauts at the Cambridgeport

School went all the way to Winthrop to show off to staff

members at the FDA what they learned in their Blast Off!

curriculum. The adults in turn eagerly shared with the girls

various experiments in the labs, from microbiology to chemical

analysis.

Multi-site Museum of Science Overnight

For the first time, 5-7th grade girls from different schools in

Cambridge and Newton came together to discover new

friendships, stayed up to do fun science and slept under the

dinosaurs!

Junior Assistant Field Trips

…because science is everywhere.

ThinkFest * Girls Get Connected

Technology Conference * Draper

Labs * Chandra Control Center * Art

Conservation and Collections,

Museum of Fine Arts

10

Diverse Income Stream As SCFG increases its revenue to meet the demand for our programs, we have continued to diversify our income sources to include support from the corporate community and partnerships with government agencies.

As a next step, SCFG will develop funding campaigns targeting individual donors, unique fundraising events that will increase its visibility within the community. These parallel strategies will allow SCFG to maintain its sustainability and viability.

Focus on Programming

Science Club for Girls has maintained a fiscally responsible expense history. By utilizing in-kind donations and maximizing volunteer contributions, SCFG is able to retain highly skilled staff to offer high-quality programs with reasonable operating expenses.

FY05-06 FY06-07 FY07-08

Revenue $156,300 $240,900 $317,180

Expense $125,130 $181,620 $276,540

In-kind $76,900 $78,340 $89,880

Total Assets $61,160 $116,660 $157,300

Expense Distribution

Program 83%

Administration 10%

Fundraising 8%

Fundraising 8%

2007-08

Financials

“It’s hard not to be passionate about Science Club for Girls. It’s an organic, positive experience. Once you’ve done one thing you just keep coming back for more,” said Ms. Judy Ozbun, advisor to SCFG, and formerly Community Relations Manager at Genzyme

11

Thanks for enabling the gift of wonder.

INDIVIDUALS Cora Beth Abel, Martha Ahrens & Gary Madison, John Athanasopoulos, Uche Amaechi, Donna Barnett, Frederick & Mary Barr, Barry Berk, Scott Berk, Shirby Best, Judith Ohnermus Bisson, Rosalyn Britt, Melissa Bryant-Neal & Joel Neal, Frederick Cabot, Jill Canelli, JW Cannon, Anne Chessler, Timothy Chow, C. Chow, Anne Coghlan, Frances Cooper, Kelly Cooper, Pamela Daniels, Atty & Norma Dworski, Joshua Flax, David Fleming, Craig Forest, Laura Forest, Virginia Fuller, Walter & Celia Gilbert, Mark & Joung Goulet, Susan Haber, Tayyaba Hasan, Deborah & Jack Heffernan, Donna Hill, Roberta Hirsch, Greg Jobin-Leed, Ruthann & Thomas Kirby, Kevin Knobloch, Marla MacDonald & Paul Johnson, Bruno Marino, Tom McGowan, Kathleen McKinney, Patrice Milos, Ronda Moore, Ben Munoz, Lauren Silverman, David Spillane & Linda Murphy, Blair & Debbie Okita, Beth O'Sullivan, Mary McGowan Pettibone, Whitney Retallic, Alex Reveliotty, Julie Robotham, Jo Solet, Sharon Stone, Maura Vogel, Emily Wade, Lisa Wang, Ernestine Washington, Mark Hickman & Sue Wee, Susan Whitehead, Union of Concerned Scientists staff, HMS/HSDM JCSW members GIFTS-IN-KIND Biogen Idec Community Lab, Broad Institute, Cambridge Public Library, Cambridge Public Schools, Cambridge School Volunteers, Citizen Schools, Classic Graphx, College Club of Boston, Draper Labs, Eva Reck Todtfeld, G Z Pizza, Greater Framingham Community Church, Lawrence CommunityWorks, Lesley College, Massachusetts Promise Fellowship, Maurice J. Tobin School, Middle East Restaurant, MIT, Museum of Science, Myrtle Baptist Church, Nature Publishing Group, Pfizer, Sebastian’s

Science Club for Girls and our families would like to extend our gratitude to all our donors who have made it possible for girls and boys to explore science and learning. $25,000+ Amelia Peabody Foundation, Boston Scientific Foundation, United Way* Today's Girls...Tomorrow's Leaders (*SCFG is not an affiliate)

Ellen Swallow Richards $15,000-$24,999 Motorola Innovation Generation Fund, Abbott Fund, Genzyme Corporation, Proctor & Gamble, Virginia Wellington Cabot Foundation

Marie Curie $10,000-$14,999 Anna B. Stearns Foundation, Boston Jewish Community Women's Fund, Biogen Idec Foundation, Mattel Children's Foundation

Jewel Plummer Cobb $5,000-$9,999 Rebecca Pomroy Foundation, Caswell Foundation, City of Cambridge, Omega Natural Sciences; Finnegan, Henderson, Farabow, Garret & Dunner; Massachusetts Space Grant Consortium, Merck Research Laboratory-Boston, Millipore Foundation, Novartis, Plymouth Rock Assurance Foundation

Maria Goeppert-Mayer $2,500-$4,999 City of Cambridge, Corners Fund, Ciba Specialty Chemicals, Citizens Bank, Lenny Zakim Fund, Loomis Sayles, MIT Community Service Fund

Marie Maynard Daly $1,000-$2,499 Draper Labs, Symantec, Harvard/MIT COOP, Pfizer Research Technology Center

Kate Gleason $500-$999 Bose Corporation, New England Roots & Shoots Diversity Initiative, Richard Jacobus Family Foundation

Elizabeth Blackwell up to $499 Cabot Corporation, Mass-AWIS, MGH Center for Faculty Development

Our apologies if we inadvertently left out or misspelled your name or organization

Science Literacy

Sisterhood

Self-confidence

Science Club for Girls PO Box 390544 Cambridge, MA 02139

617.391.0361

www.scienceclubforgirls.org

How to Contribute Donate Follow the Donations button on our website to give online. Checks can be made out to Science Club for Girls and mailed to the address below.

Volunteer As mentors or other aspects of our organization. Visit our website or email us for details.

In-Kind Services We would appreciate printing, PR, IT, web hosting or other services that you can provide. Please contact us at scfg@scienceclubforgirls.org