Developing Young Female Minds: UMMC’s GWIMS Chapter Host PhUN Events Gouri J. Mahajan 1, Ana T. Palei 2, Junie P. Warrington 2, Mira Jung 2, Rugmani Padmanabhan Iyer 2, and Kristine Y. DeLeon-Pennell 2 1 Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior University of Mississippi Medical Center 2 Department of Physiology and Biophysics, University of Mississippi Medical Center INTRODUCTION The Group of Women in Medicine and Science (GWIMS) at the University of Mississippi Medical Center began providing a statewide K-12 outreach programming in 2015, its founding year. The mission of our local UMMC chapter is to advance the full and successful participation and inclusion of women within academic medicine. The purpose of our outreach program is to engage K-12 students in hands- on, experimental activities that foster an interest and generate an overall awareness of the opportunities in STEM fields so that an increasingly diverse pool of students choose to pursue and persist in a STEM field. Because we held 2 events during the calendar year, recruitment started in July of The first session targeted junior high and high school female students at the Boys and Girls Club Jackson and focused on preparation for college. The second session involved an interactive presentation introducing physiology to 6th graders. In total, our two very successful sessions targeted 150 students within the Jackson Area. Session 1: Boys and Girls Club Jackson, MS Summary This work was supported by the University of Mississippi Medical Center's Group of Women in Medicine and Science (GWIMS) ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Figure 3. Sessions involved 7-10 volunteers for each event. In total, our two sessions targeted 150 students around the Jackson area. Figure gift bags were prepared for both sessions. Because our first session targeted young women in Jr. High or High school, we focused on careers in science. Bags were filled with goodies including an informative packet of collages within Mississippi and the science programs they offer. In addition, Mississippi State University also provided pamphlets with information about their institute. For the second session, we filled the baggies with fun do at home science experiments. Table 1. Young women at Boys and Girls Club discuss careers in science. Participants were separated into 4 groups. Each group had a topic of discussion. Group leaders were assigned the task of facilitating discussions on their assigned topic. After 15 min, participants would rotate to a new discussion group. Participants were encouraged to ask questions about our experiences and learn from our mistakes and successes. #Topic of Discussion 1Path to A Career in Science 2Science Programs Offered at Universities in Mississippi 3Science Careers 4How to Be Prepared for College Session 2: Highland Bluff Elementary, Brandon, MS Figure 2. Planning sessions for Highland Bluff Elementary focused on biological systems. Volunteers brain stormed on which activities would inform yet keep the 6 th graders excited about science the group focused on interactive, hands on activities. Teachers informed us they were currently covering the characteristics of living things such as classification of organs systems. We decided to focus on biological systems which fits within the 6 th grade science curriculum in Mississippi. Table 2. Highland Elementary School 6 th grade students participate in activities focused on biological systems. Students were separated into 8 groups. Each group was assigned a task focusing on one of the biological systems or medical science. After 10 min, participants would rotate to a new group. #Topic of Discussion 1 Cardiovascular System- Students measured heart rate after exercise 2 Respiratory System- Students measured lung capacity 3Digestive System- Students “digested” bread 4 Nervous System- Students look at and discuss the brain 5 Skeletal System- Students work as a team and assemble the bones in the correct manner 6 Atomic Chemistry- Utilizing playdough, students build atoms of known molecules like H 2 O 7 Dentistry- Students played dentist and filled model cavities with playdough 8Science Jeopardy