Jessica Lopez has been testing a lot of scientific theories over the past few months.
One Saturday, the 10-year-old tested the theory that exercise makes a person's brain work more efficiently.
Another Saturday, she tested the sounds and tones that tubes of different sizes make when she hit them against the floor or wall - one of her favorites.
And she did it all with the help of her mother, Juliana Lopez.
Jessica is one of 15 Hispanic girls ages 8 through 14 who participated in the SciGirls En Familia workshops. Sponsored by Girls Inc. and funded by a $7,500 grant from "SciGirls," a television show of Twin Cities Public Television, the program aims to get girls interested in science.
The goal, said Bea Lurie, president and chief executive officer of Girls Inc. of Chattanooga, "was to get Hispanic girls and their parents interested in science so they see themselves and the parents can envision their girls having different science careers."
Last year, Girls Inc. of Chattanooga was one of nine organizations nationwide awarded the SciGirls grant and this year it was one of 10, Lurie said.
Out of 18.9 million employed engineers and scientists in 2006, 8.2 million, or about 44 percent, were females, according to National Science Foundation data. And out of a million Hispanic engineers and scientists employed, 47 percent were females, data show.
Jessica, who participated in the bilingual workshops for the first time, might contribute to the number of Hispanic women in science-related fields. She said she wants to be a doctor or a nurse when she grows up because they help people.
The workshops, which started in October, helped not just the girls, but the parents as well, Lurie said.
"At the beginning, most of the parents were very uncomfortable being involved, but by the end of the series of workshops, most parents were involved and enjoying themselves," she said.
WHAT IS SCIGIRLS?
SciGirls is a national series on PBS funded by the National Science Foundation and ExxonMobil. The goal of SciGirls is to change how millions of girls think about STEM, science, technology, engineering and math.
For more information visit pbskidsgo.org/scigirls
Source: SciGirls