EAST PROVIDENCE – Bay View Academy held its fourth annual Women in Science and Engineering conference on Nov. 15, hosting 120 middle school girls from Rhode Island and Massachusetts.
The free conference, to promote opportunities in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) fields, featured hands-on, one-hour workshops presented by Bay View alumnae, faculty, parents and friends of the Academy with experience in the STEM fields.
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“We were thrilled with the turnout and the happy faces at the WISE Conference on Saturday,” Bay View President Vittoria Pacifico-DeBenedictis said in a statement. “The fact that 127 girls woke up early on a Saturday morning to attend this conference truly says something about their desire for opportunities to gain hands on experience and speak to experts in STEM fields. As a leader in all-girls education, Bay View Academy is honored to provide this opportunity and we look forward to the fifth annual WISE conference next fall.”
She said that the program was started by alumna Kathy Notarianni (class of 1982), who is the head of the fire protection engineering department at Worcester Polytechnic Institute.
“We are proud that our alumnae continue to volunteer as event chairs and presenters for WISE,” Pacifico-DeBenedictis said.
Two alumnae, Jennifer Huff Kushner, Class of 2000, and Ashley Wigginton, of East Providence, co-chaired the WISE Conference.
Kushner, who last year stepped into the role of chairperson, has a bachelor of arts in astrophysics from Wellesley College and has previously worked as a mission planning research scientist at Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Lincoln Laboratory.
Wiggington led a workshop again this year, along with the co-chair responsibilities. She has a bachelor of science in biology from the University of Aberdeen and is an associate at Biogen Idec.
Attendees were able to attend three workshops, which included designing a bicycle helmet that will protect a melon from breaking when dropped, learning about minerals and gems, creating a successful enclosure to protect a personal ice cube penguin from melting, learning how the heart really works, making a dental impression, exploring the world of pH, and investigating changes in bubble gum as it is chewed over time.
St. Mary Academy – Bay View is an independent Catholic School for girls open to all faiths, pre-kindergarten through grade 12, sponsored by the Sisters of Mercy. It has been in existence since 1874.
