Home

Our mission is to provide information about sun protection, skin care and skin disorders and to feature topics in the fascinating field of photobiology. We also cover news and information on the sun and benefits of light.

Editor's Bio
About us
Writer's Guidelines
Articles
Teacher's Corner
Ask An Expert
Careers
Resources
Link to Us

(NC)—On Hélène Prichonnet's first day on the job as a young chemical engineer, the nervous young recruit was told by the company's Senior Engineer of Operations: "There's no such thing as a woman engineer." Fortunately, her immediate colleagues, although all men, were more accepting. But she always lamented the lack of a woman mentor and female role models in her field.

So now she's doing something about it by mentoring young girls interested in science and technology. "When I began mentoring, I wanted to help encourage more girls to enter and stay in science and engineering. Once women form enough of a critical mass in these fields, hopefully they won't have to confront many of the difficulties I did."

Now a successful professional for L'Oréal Canada, Prichonnet is glad she persevered in her field. But many young women get discouraged and avoid or drop out of science, engineering and technology programs. Among the reasons cited by girls for this, a lack of female role models is one of the most common problems.

Mentorship programs are a great way to make women more visible in these fields while encouraging girls to persevere in them.

One such program is the Girls Mentorship Program, offered by Actua and L'Oréal Canada. Actua, a non-profit organization dedicated to raising the scientific and technical literacy of all young Canadians, offers all-girls programs across Canada. Aimed at encouraging girls to pursue scientific studies and careers, the new Girls Mentorship Program teams up girls' groups with women scientists to offer girls all-important role models. These scientists are recruited from the Canadian scientific community, L'Oréal's own laboratories, and laureates and fellows of the L'Oréal-UNESCO "For Women in Science'' program.

The program connects girls aged 8 to 15 with these role models through group and online mentorship, an all-girls Web site (www.girls.actua.ca) and a newsletter. Mentors visit all-girls science camps and clubs, engage girls' interest with fun activities, and tour labs with the groups.

For Denise Dauncey, director of Eureka, an Actua camp in Kamloops, British Columbia, there's no question about the inspirational power of a mentor in sparking and sustaining girls' interest in science. "Good mentors are people who are absolutely passionate about what they do, can tie their work in with the real world, and can connect with the girls and their reality. Through mentors, we can excite and energize girls toward different career paths in science and technology."

At Science Discovery, another Actua camp in Kingston, Ontario, Prichonnet recently shared her experience and passion for chemical engineering with the young campers. The radiant energy in the room was palpable as Prichonnet fielded the girls' questions about her job and her field. Along the way, she debunked the myth that science and engineering are just for guys and explained how these two fields help improve our everyday life and the environment.

Her message clearly found its mark. After the activity an enthusiastic camper noted, "I realized that engineering is not only men working on buildings. It's something that I can do too."

- News Canada

Home

Last updated: 01/09/04