READY FOR CRIME TIME WORKSHOPS MAKE SCIENCE A BLAST FOR TEENAGE GIRLS.Byline: Amy Raisin Darvish Staff Writer VALENCIA - Save for the sneakers and flip-flops on their feet, the lab- coat clad girls sporting protective goggles goggles, n the protective eyewear worn by dental personnel and patients during dental procedures. goggles see periocular leukotrichia. looked the part of scientists processing crime scene evidence Saturday at Valencia High. The workshop titled ``CSI: Solving Crime with Science'' was one of nearly 20 hands-on sessions offered to junior-high girls at the fifth annual Expanding Your Horizons Conference, sponsored by the local branch of the American Association of University Women ''This article or section is being rewritten at The American Association of University Women (AAUW) advances equity for women and girls through advocacy, education, and research. . ``Girls actually do very well in math and science during the younger years, but for some reason, when they get to high school, it just goes (down),'' said Gina MacDonald, a Santa Clarita attorney and member of AAUW. ``The whole idea is to keep them focused on the fact that they can follow a career path in the sciences or in a math field,'' she said. About 200 girls attended the event, each selecting three workshops ranging from space exploration and building construction to environmental cleanup and animal behavior. Rebecca Goldberg, a ninth-grader at Hart High, displayed precision and finesse in the ``Making the Cut'' workshop, where girls learned about opportunities in nursing by suturing a laceration laceration /lac·er·a·tion/ (las?er-a´shun) 1. the act of tearing. 2. a torn, ragged, mangled wound. lac·er·a·tion n. 1. A jagged wound or cut. 2. on an actual pig's foot. ``It's kind of gross, but I got the hang of it. It's pretty easy,'' she said, using medical scissors scissors Cutting instrument or tool consisting of a pair of opposed metal blades that meet and cut when the handles at their ends are brought together. Modern scissors are of two types: the more usual pivoted blades have a rivet or screw connection between the cutting ends and other instruments to stitch up to mend or unite with a needle and thread; as, to stitch up a rent; to stitch up an artery s>. See also: Stitch her patient stand-in. ``But I really liked the business workshop earlier. We learned about stocks and interest rates.'' Pat News, a nurse practitioner and one of the instructors for the suture workshop, said the event exposes girls to occupations not typically associated with women. In the crime scene workshop, two female criminalists from the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department This article is about the Los Angeles County Sherriff's Department, not to be confused with the smaller Los Angeles County Police The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department (LASD) is a local law enforcement agency that serves Los Angeles County, California. taught the girls how to fingerprint a crime scene and identify DNA DNA: see nucleic acid. DNA or deoxyribonucleic acid One of two types of nucleic acid (the other is RNA); a complex organic compound found in all living cells and many viruses. It is the chemical substance of genes. patterns. Summer Flores-Martin, 12, said she was impressed with the methods used in the labs to lift and preserve fingerprints. But the animal lover said her favorite workshop was the wildlife session. ``I want to be a veterinarian, so that one was the best. I learned that macaws can live to be 80 years old. That's a pretty long time.'' Amy Raisin Darvish, (661) 257-5254 amy.raisin(at)dailynews.com CAPTION(S): 2 photos Photo: (1 -- color) Junior high students gather around a mock crime scene Saturday morning at Valencia High School Valencia High School may refer to:
(2 -- color) Jeanette Alcaraz gets help from Pat News, a nurse practitioner, in suturing a pig's foot at a science workshop. Charlotte Schmid-Maybach/Staff Photographer |
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