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Health & Fitness

BAY VIEW ACADEMY HOSTS 3rd ANNUAL WOMEN IN SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING (WISE) CONFERENCE

East Providence, RI – Bay View Academy hosted its third annual Women in Science and Engineering (WISE) Conference this past Saturday, October 19th. The event, open to all girls in grades five through eight in Rhode Island and Southeast Massachusetts, was a great success, drawing over 120 attendees. WISE offers girls a completely free opportunity to look at science, technology, engineering, medicine and mathematics (STEM) in a fun, exciting, and educational way. The goal is to encourage attendees that they can succeed in STEM fields in order to help correct the historical underrepresentation of women in the sciences.

WISE ran from 8:30 AM-12:00 PM this past Saturday on Bay View’s campus. It included a free breakfast and three hands-on workshops related to STEM fields. The workshops, led by distinguished faculty, alumnae and friends of the Academy, covered all disciplines from dental hygiene to medical illustrations. For example, alumna Ashley Wigginton, class of 2004, an Associate Scientist in QC Chemistry at the University of Aberdeen, conducted a workshop called Pollution Solutions in which the girls worked as detectives in environmental chemistry to discover soil sites and test to see if they were contaminated. Another alumna, Peg Miller, MD, class of 1979, is an Associate Professor of Medicine at the Alpert Medical School of Brown University and Director of the Women's Medicine Collaborative. Her workshop, Welcome to Medical School, invited the girls to go on imaginary “rounds” and even learn how to give an injection on a practice rubber arm, just like real medical students.

 

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The conference was co-chaired by Bay View alumnae, Jennifer Huff Kushner ’00 and Rachel Burga ’07. Jennifer, who served as a presenter during the past two WISE conferences, has a Bachelor of Arts in astrophysics from Wellesley College and has previously worked as a Mission Planning Research Scientist at Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Lincoln Laboratory. Rachel Burga, who has a Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Engineering from Columbia University, is a cancer research assistant at Roger Willams Medical Center.

Approximately 30% of the WISE participants this year came from Bay View Academy, the remainder came from other schools, some nearby like Joseph Jenks Junior High in Pawtucket, and others from farther away, such as Friends Academy in North Dartmouth, MA. Bay View is happy to provide this opportunity to middle school girls and to encourage the next generation of women scientists.

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WISE Presenters and Workshop Descriptions

The Art of Medicine
Kevin Somerville (Wakefield), Bay View Faculty and Medical Illustrator
Duke University, BS in Zoology and German; Medical College of Georgia, MS in Medical Illustration

Develop an appreciation for the profession of Medical Illustration ... its scope and the skills and academic preparation that it requires. Learn to accurately sketch a small bone or other body part!

Better Bristles
Kris Durkay (Seekonk), Bay View Faculty

Engineers design productive tools at a reasonable cost. We will examine many types of a simple tool that we call a toothbrush and decide which ones are best! Our "big finish" will be to create elephant toothpaste!

The Big Dig
Meg Regan Battersby ’74 (Rumford), Bay View Faculty

Explore for yourself the science of discovery by digging for "bones" and artifacts buried in sand! Practice the skills and techniques of archaeologists by using available tools to piece together the buried evidence.

Looks Like a Chicken, Tastes Like a Chicken, Acts Like a Human
Barbara Aldrich Connors '70 (Seekonk), Bay View Faculty

How can a common chicken wing help us learn about science? Use the skills and tools of a surgeon to dissect a chicken wing. Discover for yourself the inner workings of muscles, tendons and ligaments that are very much like your own.

Pollution Solutions! 
Discover Pollutants in our Environment
Ashley Wigginton '04 (East Providence), Associate Scientist in QC Chemistry
University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen Scotland, BSC in Biology 

Be a detective! As an environmental chemist, you will investigate multiple soil sites and use various chemistry techniques to analyze them. You will not only be able to determine if the sites are contaminated, but possibly discover the source and the solution to the pollution.

Ride the Wave - Explore the Oceans
Britta Voss (Woods Hole), Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Aquatic geochemistry research of rivers 
University of Washington, BS in oceanography

Be an Oceanographer for the day! Learn about the kind of work that goes into being an oceanographic researcher and how they use a variety of tools to learn about the biology, chemistry, and physics of the oceans. Oceanographic Researchers often need ways to measure things we can't see with our eyes. We will show you how scientists creatively approach this challenge.

Say Cheese
Allison Olear, RDH '05 (New York), Registered Dental Hygienist at LAVAAN Dental Spa
New York University College of Dentistry, BS in Dental Hygiene
Meredith Miller, RDH '05, Registered Dental Hygenist 

It’s important to keep your smile bright and beautiful! Discover what’s hiding on and in between your teeth and why brushing and flossing are important for healthy, happy smiles and bodies!

Skin and Bones
Susan Mitchell Faasse '80 (Mansfield), Physician Assistant in Pathology
Assumption College, BA in Biology; Quinnipiac University, MS in Health Science

Come and learn about the field of pathology and one possible career available to you if you have an interest in biology. Students will have an opportunity to see and touch some real lab equipment and perform a simple lab test (slide staining). Learn some basic anatomy along the way!

Water, Water, Everywhere - Are There Drops to Drink?
Kerry Britt (Johnston), Bay View Parent
Assistant Pretreatment Manager, The Narragansett Bay Commission; University of Rhode Island, BS in Chemical Engineering

What’s in our water? Find out with hands-on experiments. Learn what the Narragansett Bay Commission does to regulate what companies can put in our water supply and respond to water emergencies.

Welcome to Medical School
Peg Miller, MD '79 (Cranston), Associate Professor of Medicine Alpert Medical School of Brown University; Director, Women's Medicine Collaborative.

Join us on "rounds" as we discuss a case of a patient who presents to the doctor with cough and a fever.  Help figure out the diagnoses.  Learn how vaccines work and why they are important in keeping you healthy.  Learn how to give an injection and practice on a rubber "arm" just like real medical students.  Don't worry; you won't have to get any shots!

Whodunnit?
Lisa Tortorice Ragaza ’95 (Hamden), Forensic Science Examiner
Tufts University, BS in Archaeology and Geological Sciences; University of New Haven, MS in Forensic Science

Help solve a mystery by learning how to investigate a "crime scene.” Search for fingerprints, footwear impressions and other evidence. Learn how to collect, document and package the evidence in order to preserve it for further examination.

St. Mary Academy-Bay View is an independent Catholic School for girls open to all faiths, Pre-kindergarten through Grade 12, located in East Providence, Rhode Island. In existence since 1874, Bay View endeavors to provide a quality education preparing girls and young women for the challenges of the global community. St. Mary Academy–Bay View is a college preparatory school accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges. 

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