School has started once again and with it, another semester of the San Diego Zoo’s Girls In Science program. Girls In Science, or GIS, is a program designed to expose girls in grades 6 to 8 to professional women who work in sciences at the Zoo. The program runs two days a week out of Roosevelt Middle School and is funded by a grant from Wells Fargo.

Designed to reach out to girls that might not otherwise be exposed to professionals in the science fields, the program is currently in its fourth year of existence. In the past, participants have learned to bandage up stuffed animals at the Zoo’s hospital, pollinate orchids, feed giraffes, necropsy “dead” fruit, and collect panda urine samples (okay, it was water with green food coloring…). They have also examined blood samples in the pathology lab, made enrichment items for meerkats, and assisted with sun bear observational research.

Each semester is capped off with a weekend-long camping trip, and two years ago, we instituted a spring field trip, as well. Our first field trip was to the Wild Animal Park, where the girls got to participate in a Photo Caravan Safari tour, meet elephant keepers (and elephants!), visit Lorikeet Landing, and spend a little time just wandering around.

Last spring, for the first time since the program started, we graduated nine “Four-Semester Participants!” Four semesters was, at that time, the maximum number of terms that any girl could participate. Our students have moved on to various high schools around the city and, as alumni, will be invited back to participate in our camping and field trips.

Keep watching for weekly updates! Our girls’ adventures will be regularly posted right here!

Cindy Spiva-Evans is an educator at the San Diego Zoo.

Girls In Science is a program for Roosevelt Middle School girls which creates science-based experiences with professional women at the San Diego Zoo. The program is funded through the generosity of the Wells Fargo Foundation.

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