Program introduces young woman to career in science

NASA News
National Aeronautics and
Space Administration

John C. Stennis Space Center
Stennis Space Center, MS 39529-6000 ASL-03-183
(228) 688-3341 Dec. 8, 2003

Paul Foerman FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
NASA News Chief
(228) 688-3341

PROGRAM INTRODUCES YOUNG WOMEN
TO CAREERS IN SCIENCE

HANCOCK COUNTY, Miss. - Every winter Tupelo Middle School teacher Sherry Davis brings a select group of students
known as the MERMAIDS (Marine Educational Research with Manatees and Aerospace Investigation for the Development of
Students) to NASA Stennis Space Center (SSC) as part of a weeklong field trip that introduces young women to careers
in science and technology.

MERMAIDS, a highly competitive program for female students at Tupelo Middle School in Tupelo, Miss., is partially
funded through a NASA grant from the Mississippi Space Grant Consortium. Other groups, including The Mississippi State
Department of Education's Learn and Serve America and the Association of Excellence in Education, also help fund the
program.

The idea for MERMAIDS began about four years ago when Davis met a Stennis Space Center education representative.
Although she was already sponsoring a program for young women, when Davis became more aware of activities at SSC
she decided to create a program that educated young women about careers in space and marine science.

Since then, groups of students have made trips to Florida, Mississippi and Texas to learn about scientific careers.
Each year, the MERMAIDS visit at least one NASA center, with SSC being a stop on every trip. The group has visited
Kennedy Space Center in past years and visited Johnson Space Center (JSC) in Texas this year. At JSC, the girls toured
the Natural Buoyancy Lab, where astronauts train for journeys into space. At SSC, the group will send their fingerprints
into space after touching one of the Space Shuttle Main Engines to be tested there. Davis said she makes a point to
visit NASA every year because each center has a different focus and different career opportunities for the girls to
discover.

Davis enjoys seeing how the girls react to what they learn on the field trip. "It's amazing to see things through their
eyes for the first time," she said. "They are applying things they've learned in the classroom and seeing why they need
to know these things for jobs."

The program is having the desired impact of encouraging young women to pursue careers in scientific and technical fields.
Raven Bradley, a seventh-grade student, said she wanted to participate in the MERMAIDS program to learn about
opportunities for women in science and technology careers. Bradley plans to study oceanography.

Another MERMAIDS participant, eighth-grader Crystal Usher, said she is grateful for the opportunity to be part of
MERMAIDS. "I've learned that women do have an impact on society and on these particular career fields," Usher said.
"I think that MERMAIDS has opened my eyes to new opportunities."

While the girls participate in various programs throughout the year, the field trip is the culmination of the MERMAIDS
program. Besides visiting two NASA centers, the MERMAIDS participated in an overnight program at Sea World in San
Antonio, Texas, where they glimpsed behind the scenes to see how the animals are cared for, and completed experiments
including water quality testing at the Edwards Aquifer in South Texas.

For more information about NASA grants and educational programs, contact the NASA SSC Office of External Affairs,
Education Office, at (228) 688-3830.

-END-


Jacques :-)

Editor: www.spacepatches.info