Past and Upcoming Events

2012-2013 Events

Cumberland Valley ESTEEM
Exploring Science, Technology, Engineering, Earth Science, Mathematics
A career exploration program for 7th grade girls jointly presented by Wilson College and Shippensburg University
Friday, May 10 at Shippensburg University

2011-2012 Events 

Dr. Kate McGivney
Professor of Mathematics, Shippensburg University
Science in Society Seminar Series
Thursday, November 3rd, 6:30 p.m. Allen Auditorium, Warfield
Sponsored by WISMAT and Women's Studies Advisory Group
Untangling Probability Paradoxes

Dr. McGivney will explore several classical probability problems which are easy to state but whose solutions have been known to stump mathematicians and non-mathematicians alike.  These problems involve card games, game shows, gambling, and more.  We'll explore similarities between these problems and also see how conditional probability lies at the heart of these paradoxical problems.

Dr. Mary Blair, American Museum of Natural History
Postdoctoral fellow at the Center for Biodiversity and Conservation 
Science in Society Seminar Series
Monday November 14, 6:30 Patterson Lounge, Laird Hall 
Women and Diversity in Science: An Imperative for Biodiversity Conservation

The field of biodiversity conservation aims to address the challenges that threaten the persistence of biodiversity. Today’s complex conservation challenges require input and analysis from a variety of voices, vantage points, and expertise. The present day conservation workforce, and the scientific workforce in general, does not reflect the potential diversity that could be brought to bear to address complex biodiversity conservation issues. Why do certain groups remain underrepresented, and what can we do about it?

Bio:
Dr. Blair is a postdoctoral fellow at the Center for Biodiversity and Conservation (CBC) at the American Museum of Natural History (http://cbc.amnh.org). Her current research integrates molecular techniques with geographic information systems (GIS) modeling to understand the behavioral, ecological, and evolutionary responses of animals to environmental change. She is also the coordinator for the CBC's Enhancing Diversity in Conservation Science Initiative. Mary received her Ph.D. in Evolutionary Primatology from Columbia University. She was an American Association of University Women (AAUW) Dissertation Writing Fellow and received her B.A. in Biology and Anthropology from Swarthmore College.

Dr. Farrell will explore the role of fat shaming and fat activism from the time of the suffragists to the most recent body acceptance movement.

Amy Ensley, Wilson College
Director, Hankey Center for the Education and Advancement of Women
National Women's History Month
Thursday, March 22, 2:00 p.m. 
Grove Family Library, Historical Society of Franklin County
A Historical Look at Women and the Issue of Work/Life Balance

A brief history of women's education, career paths and changing cultural expectations for mothers. 

Cumberland Valley ESTEEM
Exploring Science, Technology, Engineering, Earth Science, Mathematics

A career exploration program for 7th grade girls jointly presented by Wilson College and Shippensburg University
Friday, May 11 at Shippensburg University 

Franklin County Tenth Grade Career Expo
Tuesday, May 22, Shippensburg University

 
Dr. Gelman will focus on the paradoxical fact that infants and preschoolers know much more about math and science than we thought. Yet, older students have real problems mastering the material they are supposed to learn in these domains.

Dr. Gelman is the Co-Director of the Rutgers Center for Cognitive Science at Rutgers University. Her PhD, from UCLA, is in Developmental Psychology and Learning. She has developed ways to uncover and study the ease with which young children acquire intuitive understandings of science and mathematics.

Dr. Annalisa Crannell, Franklin and Marshall College
Professor of Mathematics
Science in Society Seminar Series
Thursday, November 11, 6:30 p.m. Brooks Science Complex Auditorium
Math and Art: The Good, the Bad, and the Pretty

Dr. Annalisa Crannell will ask, "how do we fit a three-dimensional world onto a two-dimensional canvas?" Answering this question will change the way you look at the world. We will learn where to stand as we view a painting so it pops off that two-dimensional canvas seemingly out into our three-dimensional space. We will explore the mathematics behind perspective paintings, which starts with simple rules and will lead us into really lovely, really tricky puzzles.

Dr. Crannell is Professor of Mathematics at Franklin & Marshall College. Her primary research is in topological dynamical systems or "chaos theory". She is also active in developing materials on Mathematics and Art.

 
Dr. Veronique Delesalle, Gettysburg College
Professor of Biology
Science in Society Seminar Series
Tuesday, February 22, 6:30 p.m. Brooks Science Complex Auditorium
Sex and the Single Flower

A discussion of sex allocation theory using two species of the genus Clarkia.

Dr. Sara Grove, Shippensburg University
Professor of Political Science
National Women's History Month
Monday, March 28, 6:30 p.m. Allen Auditorium, Warfield Hall
Left Out of the Club: The Ongoing Struggle for Equal Rights for Women

Dr. Grove will discuss equal rights in employment and education using examples from the United States and other nations.

 
Dr. Judith Bond, Penn State College of Medicine
Professor and Chair Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Science in Society Seminar Series
Monday, April 4, noon Brooks Complex Auditorium
The Journey of Discovery of Meprin Metalloproteinasis

Dr. Bond will discuss her journey to becoming a biochemist including how her experiences at a small liberal arts college influenced her future and her work.

Amy Ensley, Wilson College
Director, Hankey Center for the Education and Advancement of Women
Tuesday, April 22 9:00 a.m. Brooks Science Center Auditorium
The History of Women's Education in the United States 

Franklin County Tenth Grade Career Expo
Friday, April 29 Chambersburg Area Senior High School 

2009 - 2010 Events

Dr. Pamela Glass, US Army Research Institute of Infectious Diseases
Microbiologist
Science in Society Seminar Series
Wednesday, February 17, 6:30 p.m. Brooks Science Complex Auditorium
The Trials of Vaccine Development: From the Bench to the Clinic

This talk will focus on the generation of new vaccine candidates and the long road from their inception - involving production and regulatory requirements - to the clinic, where a vaccine can make meaningful public health impact.

Dr. Glass earned her doctorate in Virology from the Baylor College of Medicine. She is a microbiologist with the U.S. Army Research Institute of Infectious Diseases.

 
Dr. Julia Blum, Summit Health
Radiation Oncologist
Science in Society Seminar Series
Wednesday, April 21, 6:30 p.m. Brooks Science Complex Auditorium 
From Zelienople to Chambersburg, Not in a Straight Line

Dr. Julia Blum will discuss her career path and how science has impacted her career during the last 26 years. She will also discuss recent developments in radiation oncology and treatment options available in Franklin County.

Dr. Blum earned her medical degree from Washington University in St. Louis. She completed her residency training in radiation oncology at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, and her fellowship training at Washington University. She is a Radiation Oncologist with Summit Health in Chambersburg, PA.

 
Expanding Your Horizons Science and Mathematics Conference for Girls
Saturday, April 24, 8:30 a.m. - 3:45 p.m.
Brooks Science Complex, Wilson College

Join us for a joint Wilson College/Shippensburg University science and mathematics conference for girls in 9th and 10th grade.

This event will feature four hands-on workshops: The Mathematics of Carnival Games, Introduction to Computer Science, Environmental Science and Geographic Information Systems. Additionally, there will be a panel discussion with alumnae from both Wilson and Shippensburg focusing on career paths in science and mathematics, and a keynote address by Dr. Laura Altfeld, assistant professor of Biology at Wilson College.