Frequently Asked Questions — Young Women and Parents
What is EYH?
Expanding Your Horizons in Science and Mathematics (EYH) is a program that started in California in 1974. See the Internet site:
http://www.expandingyourhorizons.org/ to learn more about the
national organization.
Alliant Techsystems Inc. (ATK) has sponsored an annual EYH conference in Northern Utah since 2000. Utah Valley University
also sponsors a conference in Utah County that takes place annually in March. A new conference was added to the Salt Lake
Area in April 2009.
The EYH Salt Lake conference is a one-day event lasting approximately six hours. We invite young women in grades 6 to 12 to attend.
We invite all women (individuals or groups) from other companies, organizations and schools to join our conference to promote math and
science education for young women.
Why EYH?
When young women begin junior high they tend to lose interest in and drop out of science and math. Compared to young men, as they get
older young women take fewer math and science courses and score lower in tests. The EYH conference is geared to help young women maintain
interest or become more interested in science and math. The conference provides opportunities for young women to meet women working in
science- and math-related fields and learn how these subjects relate to possible careers.
Statistics show both young men and young women tend to learn better in a same-gender environment. The conference provides a "girl only"
atmosphere. All lead presenters must be women. Occasionally men assist in the workshops. We encourage the workshops to be "hands-on."
Each session is limited to approximately 20 young women.
What are the goals of EYH Salt Lake? What are we trying to accomplish?
- Promote math and science education for Salt Lake area young women
- Encourage young women to take full advantage of opportunities to gain the maximum amount of education in math and science before
graduating from high school
- Provide opportunities for young women to meet and learn about careers from women working in math and science related fields
- Promote not only math and science education, but the idea that math and science can be fun by providing a fun day of activities
- Promote a less threatening and less distracting learning environment by providing a "girl-only" atmosphere
I'm a parent/teacher — can I volunteer to help with the conference?
Yes — please do. There are three ways you can volunteer.
- Presenter — A presenter has an idea for a workshop and is willing to be a leader of a workshop, develop the idea and facilitate the
workshop sessions. If you are willing to be a leader and need suggestions for workshops, we can suggest topics and content for you to develop
the workshop. Sample workshops are also available online. Presenters
must volunteer early in our recruitment process. We are always looking for new ideas and new people to help.
- Workshop assistant — Workshop assistants are needed to help young women with the hands-on elements of the workshops. Instructions are
given by the lead presenter, and assistants help the young women follow the leader's instructions and stay on task (no special expertise required).
Some workshops need an assistant with some experience. In this case, the assistant may need to work with the presenter a few times before the conference.
If a workshop needs a fully qualified assistant, the presenter has usually done her own recruitment or we have already worked something out with
the presenter.
- Day-of logistics volunteer — We can use extra helpers setting up, tearing down, cleaning up, monitoring the halls, etc. We have a committee
member that works directly with event day volunteers to keep the conference moving efficiently.
How do I let you know I'd like to volunteer?
- You can call the contact number listed on our web site and tell us you would like to volunteer
- You can email eyhSLC@atk.com and tell us you would like to volunteer
- If you volunteer as a presenter or assistant, we ask you to fill out a volunteer contact form.
What is the "Volunteer Contact Information" all about?
The form is a way of gathering initial information about you.
- We ask how your name should appear on your conference badge and other printed materials.
- We request personal contact information for committee use only to contact you or provide a way for another EYH volunteer to contact you to coordinate
conference activities.
- We ask you to share a description of what you do for your employer. We collect this information to get to know you better and to spotlight you in
a volunteer recognition handout for all conference attendees. Write your description in a way that would appeal to a 12-year-old girl.
- We lastly ask you about how you would like to be involved as a volunteer
Do I have to fill a "Volunteer Contact Information" form out?
If you are volunteering as a presenter or assistant, please do. Tracking down contact information can be time consuming. If we have your contact
information upfront, things will run more efficiently.
Do I have to give you my home phone number and home address?
NO — BUT! We do need legitimate contact information for you. Your work address and phone number would be fine. A valid email address is most important.
Can parents and teachers go to the conference?
Parents are invited and encouraged to attend a free 1-hour panel discussion entitled "Higher Ed 101." Representatives from local colleges and universities
will be on hand to discuss what can be done now to meet entrance requirements and be competitive when it comes time to apply for scholarships. Financial planning
information will also be available. Don't miss it!
With respect to the full conference, it is recommended that the girls attend without their parents or teachers — with the thought that they may feel
less restricted. If you would like still like to participate in a greater way, please join with us as an event day volunteer.
What is the schedule for the day of the conference?
- 8:00 a.m. — Registration
- 8:30 a.m. — Welcome
- 9-10 a.m. — Session 1
- 9-10 a.m. — “Higher ED 101” for parents
- 10:10-11:10 a.m. — Session 2
- 11:20 a.m. — 12:20 p.m. – Session 3
- 12:25-1 p.m. — Lunch
- 1-1:45 p.m. — Keynote Speaker
- 1:45-2 p.m. — Closing session/Door prizes
What is the length of each workshop?
1 hour. We have found through our experience a one-hour format accommodates the needs of most workshop presenters, provides a greater variety of workshops
for attendees, and keeps the conference from becoming too long or drawn out
How much does the EYH conference cost?
- Registration costs have varied from year to year, but have not exceeded $20.
- What the young women get in return for the registration fee
- EYH T-shirt
- Participation in three workshops
- Lunch
- Listen to a keynote speaker
- Chance to win a door prize
What age group of girls is invited?
Most participants will be 11 to 16 yrs old. Young women in grades 6 to 12 are invited.
What school districts will be invited?
We welcome elementary, junior high, middle and high school students from all areas to attend. An effort will be made to reach out to the following districts.
- Salt Lake
- Granite
- Murray
- Jordan
- Canyon
- Davis
- Area charter and private schools
Can my daughter, niece or friend attend — their school is not listed in the schools to be invited?
Yes, if she is in grades 6 to 12.
How do the young women sign up for a workshop?
Participants register online through a secure website. Fliers containing registration information will be distributed through area school district offices.
Registration will open approximately one month before the scheduled conference date.
How many young women will sign up for each workshop?
The number of open spots for a workshop is determined by the workshop facilitator based on how many students she can comfortably accommodate in one session.
For example, if the presenter decides 18 young women per workshop session is comfortable, then only 18 young women will be placed in each workshop session —
that would be a total of 54 young women who could attend the workshop throughout the day (18 young women x 3 sessions = 54 young women). If 100 participants
attempt to sign up for the workshop, the workshop will become full after the first 54 participants are placed. The remaining 46 participants will be directed
to workshops that are not full yet. Workshop requests are placed after verification of payment on a first-received, first-placed basis.
What happens if a workshop is full and more young women want to sign up for that workshop?
- Workshop requests are placed after verification of payment on a first-received, first-placed basis.
- After a workshop is FULL — if more young women request that workshop, they will be placed in other workshops that are not full. There is no guarantee to
young women to be placed in the workshop they request.
- The online registration form allows a participant to submit her top six choices of workshops she would like to attend. She is asked to put them in the order of
the priority she would like to attend, in case some or all of the top three choices are full. If all six choices are full, we will do our best to place her in a
similar or close to the same subject of a workshop she requested, but there are no guarantees.
When will a young woman know what workshop she is in?
If a participant has successfully registered, she will receive an email confirmation within five business days that includes a schedule of the three workshops
assigned. Participants will also receive copies of their workshop schedules when they check in on the conference day.
Can friends sign up and get the same workshops together?
There are no guarantees. Very little effort can be given to try to keep friends together. If a group of registration forms are received together asking for
the same workshops, there is a chance they will get the same sessions, but NO GUARANTEE. If the friends are not in the same workshop sessions, they still can sit
together during lunch and during the opening and keynote sessions. No seating restrictions are in place during these parts of the event.
Can a young woman request what order she attends which workshop?
The online registration does not allow for this type of request.
Are walk-ins ok? If a young woman did not pre-register, can she still attend?
- If the conference is full before the scheduled day, we cannot accommodate walk-in registration.
- If a young woman missed the online registration period, it would be best for her to call the number listed on our website to ask if she can attend.
