Math/science breakfast hosted by AAUW

FALLBROOK — Working to inspire and instill the love of math and science, the Fallbrook Branch of the American Association of University Women (AAUW) will host a Math/Science Breakfast on Friday, May 20, at 8 a.m. at the Fallbrook Public Utility District meeting room. With the assistance of teachers and administrators of the Fallbrook Union Elementary School District approximately 27 high school students and eighth-graders from the district who show exceptional talent in math and or science will attend the breakfast with a parent. Mentors who are professionals in various fields that emphasize math and/or science will sit with the students and exchange information about their activities and, if possible, attend their workplace after the event.

Each year an outstanding woman in the field of math or science presents a keynote address. This year Valerie Tsang, an AAUW Educational Foundation Fellow, will address the girls and mentors. Ms Tsang completed her PhD at UCSD in bioengineering last year, with her dissertation on the topic of building 3-D liver tissues using light-sensitive polymers. Currently, she is a scientist in BioProcess Development at Biogen Idec, Inc., where she works on developing the cell culture processes for preclinical and commercial products.

The national organization of AAUW has done research that indicates the importance of identifying girls in their early teens who have done well in math and science and to encourage them to remain interested. The Fallbrook Branch of AAUW is involved in Tech Trek, a summer week-long math/science camp at UCSD, and is sending three seventh-graders to excite them about this field of study. The recent Country Garden Tour of Fallbrook provides funds for this. Several girls who attended last year’s Tech Trek will be on hand to tell of their experiences at the camp. For further information about the Math/Science Breakfast or Tech Trek contact Linda Gregg, president, at (760) 451-1232.