Young Women Learn About Science at DePauw's DIGS Camp
June 14, 2002
June 14, 2002, Greencastle, Ind. - Bridget Gourley, associate professor of chemistry at DePauw and coordinator of the University's Women in Science program, says for women interested in science today, there are not many role models. Beginning with a week-long camp on campus this week, Dr. Gourley and others have set out to change that.
The DePauw Institute for Girls in Science (DIGS) was conceived with the idea that women should not be excluded from the scientific community and with the intention of showing young girls how much fun science can be. 
[DOWNLOAD VIDEO: "Science is Fun" 660KB] "We really hope that they 
take away the idea that science is a lot of fun and there's a lot of really neat and interesting people that do science," Gourley (seen at right) says.
The professor recruited 30 girls (most of them about to enter high school) interested in science from around the state to come to DePauw for a week, stay in the residence halls and use the school's technology to their learning advantage. She also recruited several current DePauw students and faculty members to help throughout the week. The girls who were eventually selected went through a written application process and were notified by mail of their acceptance to the camp earlier in the spring.
During the week, students learned about such diverse subjects as biology, chemistry, physics, astronomy, psychology, mathematics and geology, and spent time with professors in each discipline before spending Thursday conducting a designed experiment and designing a color poster to describe the results of the experiment.
Lauren Rogers of Indianapolis (seen at right), was happy that the scientific encounters of the week were more than she gets in school. 
[DOWNLOAD VIDEO: "Lauren Rogers" 437KB] "I thought maybe it could show me the more fun side of science, because the science that I do now in class is not really as exciting. But when I came here, it made everything exciting; made everything more fun."
Lauren's father, James Rogers, said he knew as soon as he saw the application to the camp that it would be good for his daughter. [DOWNLOAD VIDEO: "James Rogers" 582KB] "I was excited when I first saw the application, and recognizing that it was at DePauw University, which has an outstanding reputation and I knew that this would be a great experience," he said.
Jamie Grivas (at left), a student at Greencastle Middle School, was also picked to attend the camp. For Grivas, just getting the acceptance letter was a big thrill. [DOWNLOAD VIDEO: "Jamie Grivas" 318KB] "When I got the letter, my parents had already opened it. My dad gave it to me and I just started screaming and jumping up and down because it's such a cool opportunity," she said.
One of Grivas' teachers, Mike Van Rensselaer, came to see his student's work and was impressed by what the campers had produced. He was also happy that DePauw could give something back to students from both Greencastle and the rest of the state. [DOWNLOAD VIDEO: "Mike Van Rensselaer" 384KB] "This is a wonderful opportunity to have girls, not just in the community but also in the surrounding areas, be able to come and not just have the science and the classes but the camaraderie and the human things that went on this week too. It's a great thing." 
Van Rensselaer said he would promote the camp in future years to his students at the middle school.
The week was fun for its staff, as well. Olivia Hatton '05, is from Hawaii, but is spending her summer in Indiana, partially for the opportunity to be a DIGS counselor. Hatton says she most enjoyed getting to have fun with girls who shared some of her interests. [DOWNLOAD VIDEO: "Olivia Hatton" 248KB] "I think it's really kind of funny that part of me is still at their age level. It was really cool just hanging out and acting goofy. "
Gourley says the young visitors are not the only beneficiaries of the camp. 
[DOWNLOAD AUDIO: "Everyone Benefits" 465KB] "As a university, 
we get these girls on campus all week to see our wonderful facilities, meet the faculty ... There's the potential that that may turn into a few more students down the road. Also, being a scientist is part of being part of the community, and sharing science is a role that we need to play and so it's one of the ways that we as a University give back to the community of Indiana because all of the girls in the program are from throughout the state."