PROGRAM HELPS KIDS FIND SCIENCE MENTORS.

Byline: Douglas Clark Daily News Staff Writer

In 1960, while attending a public high school in Phoenix, California's first lady Gayle Wilson had what very few girls have today - a mentor.

As a result, that year Wilson was one of 40 students nationwide who won top honors in the Westinghouse Science Talent Search. Nine of those honorees were girls.

Before opening the 1997 Athletes and Entertainers for Kids Amgen Math & Science Carnival on Saturday, Wilson remembered that important year.

``Students need a nurturing culture. They need role models. By the third grade, 50 percent of students have decided they don't like the sciences,'' she said.

The Math & Science Carnival held in Thousands Oaks was designed to alter that statistic by showcasing math and science careers and proving these subjects are not boring.

Saturday morning more than 100 Ventura County low-income and culturally diverse students of both genders arrived at Amgen headquarters to take part in a full day of workshops on mathematics, physics, toxicology and bioengineering, to name a few.

The workshops were taught by professionals like Rashid Syed, an Amgen research scientist.

Syed, who offered a workshop on how proteins help design better medicines, said he was pleased to be able to leave the laboratory to share his knowledge with the students.

``It's exciting to interact with them and get some future scientists interested,'' he said.

A future in science was the last thing Amgen research associate Marsha Henderson had in mind when she was girl. But after attending a workshop similar to the one Amgen sponsored for the first time Saturday, her mind was changed.

``When I was little, I never thought I could be a scientist. I never thought it was an option. But once I saw other women and black people in science, I thought, `hey, I can do this,' '' she said.

Henderson added that much of what frightens students away from the sciences is vocabulary. ``We want to help them understand the vocabulary, because once you do, it's simple,'' she said.

Aside from providing role models, part of the goal of Saturday's carnival was to find mentors for students with a flair for the sciences, said Lynne Connell, Amgen's project supervisor for corporate communications.

``When I see the expression on the kids' faces when they light up to math and the sciences, it's very rewarding,'' she said. ``We've already had some employees ask about mentoring.''

Esther Gurrola, 17, already knows she wants a career in biotechnology. But after using the Internet to research the field, she decided to attend Saturday's event so that she could get some suggestions on where to attend school and how to plan for her career.

``I see the area is growing so much, there will be so many opportunities,'' she said.

But statistics show that Gurrola is unusual. Girls consistently score 40 percent to 50 percent lower than boys on math tests. And as Wilson said, often no one encourages girls to consider careers in math and science.

Wilson, who earned a biology degree from Stanford University, said most women who now work in the sciences either had a parent who was a scientist or were lucky enough to find a mentor.

Even Wilson admitted it wasn't her own parents who encouraged her to consider a science career.

``A mentor is critical,'' she said. ``And as California advances toward the 21st century, it's important that our students be scientifically literate and able to compete in the changing marketplace.''

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Photo: Gayle Wilson, wife of the governor, watches Amgen technicians try to get kids jazzed about science.

Joe Binoya/Special to the Daily News