The History of the Science Enrichment Program

The San Diego Supercomputer Center has been designing and operating science enrichment programs for girls and members of underrepresented groups since 1987. In 1994, funding was obtained from NSF/ACR for programs that support outreach to underrepresented communities. This first funded program was the Science Scholars program. While it was successful, the program had a limited impact due to its reliance on the direct contact with the Principal Investigators. In 1997, the PI’s redesigned the program to broaden the impact and increase contact with students in the formative years (normally grades 5th – 8th for math, science, and computers). These new programs are very successful by a number of measures. In this project summary we present a history of the science enrichment programs, lessons we have learned in developing the current programs, details about the current programs, and a glance at related programs that are directly interacting with the NSF funded enrichment program.

Now with approximately 5,600 participants, the Girls are GREAT program targets second- to eighth-grade minority girls in the inner-city San Diego, border communities of San Diego County and now Houston, Texas. In this voluntary program, students learn firsthand about science by creating their own projects. SDSC's involvement includes developing curriculum, providing equipment, and training the Girl Scout staff. The teachers in the program are asked to acquire the scientific knowledge in order to make the program self-supporting. The Girls are GREAT curriculum includes chemistry, computer science, earth science, engineering, life science, and physics. Within these disciplines, students learn about such subjects as DNA, earthquakes, and solar energy.