Duke Energy Foundation grant strengthens science programs for girls, minorities

Published: June 16, 2010

CLEMSON — Science is near and dear to every teen girl's heart.

It beats in the electronic pulse of her cell phone. It's woven into the fabric of her trendiest jeans. It oozes through the very essence of her makeup.

And science is what will draw more than 30 rising eighth-grade girls to Clemson University June 20-25 for Project WISE, a math, science and engineering camp that proudly proclaims, "It's a Girl Thing!"

Sponsored by the Duke Energy Foundation since 1997, Project WISE — an abbreviation for "Women in Science and Engineering" — enables young teen girls to experience a breadth of science subjects and careers.

"They learn that science, engineering and mathematics offer a world of interesting and exciting careers that improve our lives. And women are an important part of these fields," said Serita Acker, director of the WISE program.

The Project WISE campers experience life as a Clemson science student. They live in residence halls, eat in university dining halls, and their counselors are Clemson undergraduate women who major in science, mathematics or engineering.

"We give them experience and hands-on learning in biology, mathematics and civil, industrial, chemical and computer engineering," Acker said. "We try to show them how science and engineering affect them personally, and how exciting and rewarding careers in these fields can be."

In prior Project WISE classes, students performed bypass surgery on a bovine heart. In a chemical engineering class, the girls studied the composition of their favorite cosmetics and even created their own shade of lip gloss.

In addition to campus projects, this year's group will tour Duke Energy's "World of Energy," an education center associated with the company's Oconee Nuclear Plant.

The Duke Energy Foundation recently renewed its commitment to Clemson's science and engineering programs for women and minorities with a $90,000 grant. In addition to Project WISE, the grant assists:

— Clemson's Math Excellence Workshop, an honors opportunity for 40 incoming minority freshman engineering, science, computer and math majors who have aspirations to continue in graduate school. With further funding from the Louis Stokes-South Carolina Alliance for Minority Participation and the College of Engineering and Science, the workshop offers students pre-calculus and calculus classes and daily collaborative learning seminars in mathematical reasoning where they work together to solve problems. "It's a first step to working collaboratively, a skill they'll need as future research professionals," said Sue Lasser, director of the Programs for Educational Enrichment and Retention (PEER).

— Clemson's National Society of Black Engineers Pre-College Initiative Program, in which NSBE members — both students and alumni — help cultivate the interest of prospective engineering students. The program promotes middle school and high school students' academic, technical and leadership skills and introduces them to career opportunities in various engineering fields.

"The future of science and engineering students goes hand-in-hand with the future of the energy industry," said Joni Truss, director of staffing and recruiting for Duke Energy. "The value of these educational programs can be measured by the achievement of the young people who participate in them, and Duke Energy is proud to have been a part of them for more than a decade."

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