Contact: eyhSLC@atk.com

Holly Lamb, 435-863-4784

Copyright © 2009,
Alliant Techsystems Inc

Frequently Asked Questions — Presenters

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?  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

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.

What time, Saturday morning am I (presenter, assistant, volunteer) supposed to be at the school and ready?

• The school will be open by 7 a.m.
• We would like at least one person from each workshop to check in by 8 a.m. If you are running late, please notify the committee by calling the emergency numbers provided

Do I have to stay after 12:20 (when session 3 is over)?

No, but you are invited to stay and join the young women and fellow presenters for lunch (at no cost to you). You are also welcome to come listen to the keynote speaker.

What is the difference between a Workshop and a Session?

• Not a lot. "Workshop" is the activity; "session" is the time you conduct your activity.
• If you conduct a workshop "Ping Pong Cannons," you will conduct it three times:
1. Workshop "Ping Pong Cannons," session 1 is at 9 a.m.
2. Workshop "Ping Pong Cannons," session 2 is at 10:10
3. Workshop "Ping Pong Cannons," session 3 is at 11:20

How many workshops/sessions do I conduct?

• One workshop — three times (3 sessions)
• We ask you to prepare one workshop and conduct that workshop three different times — each time slot will have a different group of young women.

What is meant by a "hands-on" workshop?

• Measuring, weighing, mixing, taping, cutting, holding, touching, exploring, analyzing, "I do this and it does that" and/or playing a game, etc.
• How many of the five senses can you use to teach your subject?
• You do need to take time to explain things and give instructions, but we would like our conference to be more of a "learn through doing" than "learn through lecture."

How many young women will be in my workshop sessions?

• You tell us.
• We encourage 20 or less per session. We would like to maximize how many young women can attend the conference, but we also want the workshops small enough the young women can learn and have fun. Typical workshop sizes are 12-20 young women.
• You are asked to provide us with three numbers
1. Minimum — what is the smallest group you will work with? What is the minimum amount of young women you need to make your workshop work?
2. Full — what you would consider a full session. (Generally 12-20)
3. Emergency Overflow — if we had a last minute emergency, such as a workshop doesn't show, can you handle 3 to 5 more young women?

How many young women can attend the conference?

That depends on how many workshops we have and the "full" level of each individual workshop. Each presenter sets their own full level for their workshop. We add all the "workshop full" levels together, and that tells us how many young women can attend.

The past few years have averaged ~600 young women.

Can a male person help me with my workshop?

• A male CANNOT be the lead presenter. The main person presenting the ideas of the workshop must be a woman.
• We do discourage having a male as an assistant presenter, but we understand the need in some cases. If a male is used as an assistant, we prefer his role to be minimal. This conference is intended to provide a "girls-only" atmosphere and present as many women role models as possible to the young women.
• A male can help with ideas, development, set-up and tear down.
• For our event day volunteer team, we can use males to monitor and halls before and during the conference, help with loading and unloading of workshop materials and equipment at the beginning and end of the day, and help with the morning setup and afternoon teardown.

Do I have to be an expert in the field the workshop is about to participate?

• Not necessarily.
• Present or co-present — If you can teach the concept the workshop is about, and the workshop is encouraging the young women to want to stay in math and science, that is accomplishing our goals.
• Assist the girls — Many workshops need only one "teacher" but can use several helpers to make sure the young women stay on task and understand the instructions.
• Be a helping hand — Many workshops need help before, during and after just to keep things cleaned up and safe.

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.

How much does the EYH conference cost the young women?

• Registration costs have varied each year, but have not exceeded $20.
• What the young women get in return for the registration fee
1. EYH T-shirt
2. Participation in three workshops
3. Lunch
4. Listen to a keynote speaker
5. Chance to win a door prize.

Does a Presenter, Assistant or Volunteer have to pay the registration fee?

• NO, you do not pay the registration fee that the young women pay.
• We do ask you or your company to provide the supplies for your workshop if possible.
• Things provided for each volunteer:
1. T-shirt (size not guaranteed)
2. Water
3. Snack
4. Lunch

Who pays for the Workshop supplies?

• We ask that you or your company provide the supplies for your workshop.
• If you or your company cannot provide the supplies for your workshop, please contact our committee via e-mail (eyhSLC@atk.com) as soon as possible to discuss if it is possible to subsidize your supplies using conference registration fees.
• If you work for ATK, please do not assume ATK will pay for your supplies. Please discuss materials support with your supervisor or community relations.

How does ATK support this conference?

ATK provides the organizing framework to run the Expanding Your Horizons conference. Planning and event resources including site licensure, registration, accounting, web hosting, printing services, communications and mailings, and event logistics are managed by ATK. Many presenters and volunteers are also employed with ATK.

This conference would not be a success without the many volunteers and sponsoring organizations that come together to provide a meaningful experience for the young women who attend. We appreciate all of the partners that make this a positive event for all involved.

What is the age group of young women that are 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, friend, etc attend — their school is not listed in the schools to be invited?

Yes, if she is in grades 6 to 12.

What is the "Workshop Profile" all about?

• The main point of contact for each workshop needs to complete this form. Only one workshop profile needs to be filled out for each workshop.
• The form requests the title and description of your workshop and also includes other questions that will help with your planning.

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 participants request that workshop, they will be placed in other workshops that are not full. There is no guarantee participants will 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 girl 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 web site to ask if she can attend.

When will the presenter of the workshop know how many young women are going to be in her session?

We will provide periodic updates about registration levels after online registration has opened. Unless a workshop becomes full, workshop presenters will not know exactly how many will attended. If the conference is not full after the online registration period has closed, we will allow additional participants to register at the event.

How do you plan to advertise?

We plan to advertise through event fliers distributed through the school districts and direct contacts to other organizations including math and science club advisors.

My daughter, niece or friend has not seen any advertisement yet — what can I do?

• Please direct them to our website where they can learn more about the conference, complete registration, or find additional contact information.
• If the individual does not have Internet access, she can ask for support from the school or local library to access the information.

Can I help advertise?

Please do! Word of mouth is the best advertisement.