Diet Coke® + Mentos® = Fountains. Really, really big fountains.
Participants in the 2009 Expanding Your Horizons (EYH) conference on the Missouri State University campus got a chance to see this in action, learn the science behind it and have a lot of fun, all at the same time.
Oct. 24, 2009, marked the 16th annual EYH conference, sponsored by the College of Natural and Applied Science and the College of Health and Human Services, under the auspices of the Women in Science (WIS) group. WIS has been a member of the National EYH Network™ since 1994 when the group, led by Dr. Tamera Jahnke, offered its first annual EYH conference to sixth, seventh and eighth grade girls from the local area.
The National EYH Network™ (formerly the Math/Science Network), started in 1974 as an informal group of women scientists and educators in the San Francisco Bay Area who were concerned about low female participation in math courses. National surveys and government reports show many young women considering career options still avoid careers in science, technology, engineering and math, even though they have all the aptitudes, intelligence and interest necessary for such careers. The day-long conferences held at MSU are designed to get the participants involved with scientific learning and to allow them to talk with women scientists and professionals from the community about their careers, work experience and education, as well as to provide parents, teachers and other adult leaders with the knowledge and resources to encourage young women to choose any career they desire.
“Mythbusters” was the theme for the 2009 conference. Activities revolved around dispelling often-held myths about science and math. Participants were welcomed onto campus with a demonstration of a Ruben’s Tube, courtesy of the Society of Physics Students. They then proceeded to a series of hands-on activities, including such colorfully-named activities as “Bat Busters,” “Fat is Phat” and “Does that Monster Make you Growl?” In the afternoon, participants were given an opportunity to interact with community mentors (scientists and professional women from the community) and to hear Kendra Williams, administrator of Community Health and Epidemiology, speak about “hini Myths.” The final event was a Diet Coke/Mentos extravaganza, where students learned what it took to make the best fountain using these simple materials. They wrapped up the event by simultaneously setting off 150 fountains spelling out the letters “MSU,” an activity that provided plenty of “fount-astic” fun for everyone.
The WIS group is making plans for the 2010 conference and hoping to reach even more young women with the idea that careers in science, technology, engineering and math are open to them.