Grad student’s science show targets young women

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Photo | Yuqui Qui

CaTameron Bobino smiles as she discusses her STEM initiative.

Erynn Wanek,
Contributor

In an old lab room tucked into a corner on the fourth floor of the North Science Building at California State University, East Bay, a student production crew spent a recent Friday setting up tripods, cameras, audio and lighting equipment amidst dusty shelves with jars of insect specimen, lab equipment, animal bones and stacks of science books.

A long table with Jell-O, toothpicks, petree dishes and vinegar crowded the small makeshift set. It was the first day of filming for CaTameron Bobino’s webisode series, “In the Know Science Show.”

Bobino, a graduate student in the Science Department, studying Conservation Ecology at CSUEB, developed the show as a way to educate youth about basic science through experiments.

Currently in post-production, the website and first show will be posted within the next two weeks.

The project has three episodes that have been filmed and have two more planned. One was filmed at Lake Merritt’s Nature Center and one at the Davis Street Transfer Station, Alameda County’s waste management recycling center.

“The show we did at the recycling center was great because we worked in association with Vintage Hills Elementary,” Bobino added. “The fifth graders, who learned all about recycling, passed down the ‘green torch’ to the fourth graders to continue the education.”

The idea for the show was sparked in a casual conversation with a friend when he asked Bobino how would she impact the world? Although she did not know her answer at the time, she came to realize the need for an increase in the female influence in the STEM field, which stands for Science, Technology, Engineering and Math.

She felt that by doing a series of episodes that could be posted online and ultimately, be aired on TV, she could reach a larger audience and therefore, inspire more young girls to get interested in STEM.

“This is an important project because girls don’t have anyone to look up to in the STEM fields,” Bobino said. “There are no women on television that teach science.”  A lack of role models for girls and women will result in less female involvement in the STEM field.

An article by AllAcademic Research, “Stereotype and Women’s Math Performance,” from the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, states, “related research shows that women experiencing stereotype threat show a related negative affect on math test scores; this stereotype threat may contribute to the higher attrition of college women within math, engineering, and physical science majors as compared to college men.”

An article by Annie-Rose Strasser from ThinkProgress.org, said that despite making up about 50 percent of the U.S. workforce, women hold only a quarter of STEM jobs available. Women make up 41 percent of graduates with degrees in science programs but do not always go into the workforce in the field they have studied.

“When you think about TV, could you name me one woman who teaches anything from the STEM field?” Bobino asked. “The answer is usually no. The typical ‘science teacher’ is a white male.”

The media usually show women displaying ignorance and that all you need is beauty and fashion to get by. “We want to instill more than that into the kids,” said Bobino. “The nerd stereotype of being socially awkward is not true at all.”

“I am amazed at what Cat has achieved so far with her Science show! She has put her heart and soul into it.” Associate Professor Erica Wildy, Bobino’s advisor in her graduate program said, “I can see this inspiring so many, especially young girls who think science is kinda cool or who are unsure if it’s okay to like science. I look forward to her debuting the final product!”

Future episode topics will include physics and the science of sweat. The webisodes can be seen on the project’s YouTube and Vimeo sites. To follow along with the production, check out the Facebook page and Twitter account.