F.I.N.S.
We talk with Julia Whidden, Director of the F.I.N.S. program in Miami, Florida.
What is F.I.N.S.?
Females in the Natural Sciences (F.I.N.S.) is a science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education initiative for girls that offers unforgettable hands-on experiences in the sciences. Our program goals are: (1) To address the gender disparity in STEM fields and encourage girls to stay engaged in the sciences by providing relevant female mentorship; (2) To provide an exciting opportunity for children and youth to engage with nature; and (3) To stimulate public interest in our oceans, particularly in the next generation.
When did F.I.N.S. begin?
F.I.N.S. was conceptualized several years ago, but officially began in June 2016. This past year, I was fortunate enough to be a Fulbright Canada Visiting Researcher with Dr. Hammerschlag’s Shark Research & Conservation (SRC) Program at the University of Miami. When applying for this grant to intern with SRC, I wrote about my goals to expand Dr. Hammerschlag’s incredible existing community outreach program to include younger students, as SRC previously served local high school students and corporate groups.
F.I.N.S. was funded through Fulbright Canada’s Eco-Leadership Program, a grant given to select Fulbrighters to engage in environmental action in their host community. For our inaugural F.I.N.S. Program, we first hosted 32 middle-school girls at the Rosenstiel School for Marine &
Atmospheric Science (RSMAS) campus of the University of Miami for a morning of science workshops. The girls were engaged in presentations and activities about shark conservation, oceanographic technology, and marine debris. The second component of our program is to provide exciting hands-on experiences in the sciences, which we accomplished through a partnership with Field School Scientific Training to bring the girls aboard the R/V Garvin for two days of shark tagging.
Why is the F.I.N.S. program so important locally? Globally?
What we now know about STEM education and engaging girls in science is that targeting students in high school is simply too late. Many students at this age have already decided what they feel their academic strengths are, and too few students in American schools are picking STEM subjects and careers - one million too few over the next decade, to be more precise. In Miami-Dade County, the need for impactful STEM programs is especially pressing for a few reasons; in the public school system, 59% of students are from low-income families and are eligible for free or reduced lunch, while extra-curricular science opportunities remain largely unaffordable and/or are unavailable for middle-school students. Further, South Florida is already facing the disastrous consequences of climate change in the form of sea level rise and an increase in the frequency and severity of hurricanes. It’s imperative that the next generation is informed and feels a connection to nature through science, since they’ll be the last that can make a difference before we cross the point of no return. Having an engaging, hands-on experience in the sciences can mean the difference between ignorance towards the environment and action to benefit the environment. Finally, and on a global scale, women are an underrepresented group in science at only 25% of STEM careers despite making up half of the total work force. F.I.N.S. recognizes that today’s students are the scientists and conservationists of tomorrow, and we need our nations' girls to be part of the next generation’s problem solvers
Personally, seeing other young women succeed in science and research was - and continues to be - one of my biggest inspirations. Several studies have confirmed the importance of this female mentorship in STEM fields, including a 2011 study that showed that girls presented with primarily male examples of scientists and engineers were less likely to think they could be successful in STEM careers. For this reason, we aim for our F.I.N.S. trips to be staffed by exclusively female volunteers. It’s important for girls to know that careers in STEM fields are exciting and impactful, and we try to communicate this by providing them with a memorable and informal science experience free of grades or evaluation, where they can ask questions and seek mentorship from relatable women at many stages of their scientific careers.
What kind of opportunities are available for young females through F.I.N.S.?
Our program is currently based out of the University of Miami’s SRC, and interested girls can book a shark tagging expedition through our F.I.N.S. page: http://sharkresearch.rsmas.miami.edu/females-in-the-natural-sciences-f-i-n-s. During their day of shark tagging, girls will be extensively involved in our research, helping the SRC crew set and pull in drumlines, and assisting in shark workups, which involves inserting a tag, performing reflex tests, taking length measurements, and snipping off a tissue sample. These data contribute to over a dozen ongoing research projects in SRC, and may inform future conservation and management practices in South Florida.
This summer, we’ll be expanding F.I.N.S. to Canadian waters through a partnership with Acadia University in Nova Scotia. We hope to engage local First Nations girls in marine research being conducted in the Bay of Fundy, with a specific focus on traditional fishing techniques and community-academic partnerships. This event will offer an interesting rural contrast to our highly urbanized Miami F.I.N.S. program, and we hope that it is only the start of our expansion into both small and large communities across North America.
How can young (or old!) females get involved with F.I.N.S.?
Shark tagging and other hands-on experiences in the sciences tend to be quite expensive, but F.I.N.S. is committed to keeping our program events as subsidized as possible. We’re currently looking for additional funding opportunities to be able to offer this experience to as many girls as possible. If you are able to, we accept tax-deductible donations (http://sharkresearch.rsmas.miami.edu/donate/online), which are used exclusively to run additional shark tagging expeditions.
We like to keep our F.I.N.S. events staffed by only women, including volunteer chaperones, so if you are not a middle-school aged girl and would like to participate, find a group of 10-12 girls and come as a chaperone! We also have opportunities for individuals to join SRC shark tagging expeditions as citizen scientists, however these trips are run with either local high school classes or corporate groups: http://sharkresearch.rsmas.miami.edu/participate/citizen-science-public-expeditions. For young females interested in getting involved with F.I.N.S., find a group of 10-12 friends (aged 10-14), 3 chaperones, and sign up online (http://sharkresearch.rsmas.miami.edu/females-in-the-natural-sciences-f-i-n-s) to book a trip!
Otherwise, there are a number of organizations around Miami doing incredible marine conservation work, including Rescue a Reef (http://sharkresearch.rsmas.miami.edu/donate/rescue-a-reef), who provide citizen science opportunities to transplant coral, Debris Free Oceans (http://www.debrisfreeoceans.org/), who organize local beach cleanups, and Field School (http://www.getintothefield.com/), who offer week-long live-aboard expeditions centred around marine conservation. There’s so much work that needs to be done and so many opportunities to make a difference, so don’t be afraid to roll up your sleeves and get involved!
December 2016 - Stories from the Sea
104 - SEVENSEAS