Speaker shows that girls can be scientists, too

From Florida Times-Union, Jacksonville
Speaker shows that girls can be scientists, too

By NANCY WHITE
Girl Scouts gathered recently at the Museum of Science and History for the "She's a Scientist?!" featuring environmental engineer Becky Heilman. The program was created by Cari Holland, Girl Leadership Program specialist as part of the Science, Technology, Engineering, Math series, which encourages girls to pursue careers in these fields.

"The Girl Scouts who attend the sessions of this program series gain such valuable insider knowledge, that you only hold if you've had the experience or you talk to someone who has - and women like Heilman have been there, done it and are willing to share the know-how with girls," Holland said.

The girls heard Heilman's story and learned how her love for science and math led her to a degree in engineering, and how her interest in the outdoors steered her to the environmental side.

"I'd like to think that environmental engineering is an easy profession to relate to, especially in Jacksonville, where our health and quality of life has improved due to improvements in environmental engineering and in air pollution control.

"I would absolutely recommend working with the Girl Scouts to my colleagues. We are all Girl Scouts, students, daughters and mothers. It was a great experience to help complete the circle necessary to nurture strong women," Heilman added.