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Continuing Education
 GMSO
The fourth annual Girls+Math+Science=Opportunities (GMSO) conference was held in November 2008 at UW-Fond du Lac with 230 attendees. Of those attending, 96.4 percent said they would recommend the conference to a friend. The conference has become regional as it attracts participants from Milwaukee, Two Rivers, Sheboygan, and Columbus.
The goals of GMSO include increasing awareness of careers in math and science, developing confidence in girls that careers in these fields are achievable and providing opportunities for interaction with female role models in these fields.
Founding sponsors are UW-Fond du Lac/UW-Extension Continuing Education, Agnesian HealthCare and MPTC.
Additional major sponsors include NEWAHEC (Northeast Wisconsin Area Health Education Center), FDL Area Foundation, Mercury Marine, AAUW (American Association of University Women), UW-FDL Foundation, UW-Extension, Boys & Girls Club, Girl Scouts of Manitou Council, MSOE and the FDL Public Library.
Grants Received
The UW-Fond du Lac Continuing Education Office received two of the 13 UW Colleges and UW-Extension Program Innovation Fund grant awards totaling $26,000 in 2008 for local projects.
The purpose of these grants is to expand collaborative activities across UW-Extension and UW Colleges institutions. The first project “Fire Souls: Support for Community Change” received a $3,000 grant and brings together five partners from UW-Extension, UW-Fond du Lac and the Fond du Lac Public Library.
These partners will work together to support sustainable “hybrid” communication, both web-based and face-to-face, among “fire souls,” citizens with a burning interest in sustainable development who want to create a community of practice and community change. The project director is UW-Fond du Lac business Professor Carolyn Polodna.
The second project, Eastern Wisconsin GEMS (Girls Engineers Math and Science), received a $23,000 grant. As a result of this funding, conferences promoting science, math and technology knowledge and skills in middle-school-aged girls will be held on three more UW Colleges campuses including UW-Fox Valley, UW-Manitowoc and UW-Waukesha.
A regional GEMS website will be developed using the expertise of the UW-Extension Pyle Center Instructional Communications Systems team. The project director is Leanne Doyle, continuing education director at UW-Fond du Lac.
“The GMSO (Girls+Math+Science=Opportunities) program here in Fond du Lac, founded by Agnesian Healthcare,
UW-Fond du Lac, and Moraine Park Technical College has been a phenomenal success,” said Doyle. “So, it’s an honor to assist three other campuses in developing similar programs in their communities.”
For more information click here.
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