Girls in the Grand Island School District and their parents will have a unique opportunity to learn about women in science and mathematics, and how they, as students, can begin preparing a career path in these fields while still in school.
The Zonta Club of Grand Island is sponsoring a panel discussion on women in the sciences, at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 9, in the Grand Island High School auditorium, 1100 Ransom Road, Grand Island. The panel will feature women scientists on the University at Buffalo faculty.
The event organizer is Dr. Stacey Watt, a member of the Zonta Club. She is chief of anesthesiology for Kaleida Health and program director for the Pediatric Anesthesiology Fellowship at UB. She will moderate the panel discussion and the question-and-answer session afterward.
Watt has assembled a panel to honor the memory of Amelia Earhart, a famous air pioneer in the 1920s and 1930s and a member of Zonta International.
Zonta International, through its foundation, each year awards Amelia Earhart Fellowships to outstanding women pursuing graduate degrees in aerospace-related sciences and engineering.
Wednesday night’s panel includes:
• Christine Schaner Tooley Ph.D., UB assistant professor in biochemistry
• Mary Gallo – STEM supporter and UB scientist.
• Lisa Hotung – pilot.
• Dian Chin Kit-Wells – UB Pediatric and community dentist and clinical assistant professor in dentistry.
• Rose Berkun – past president New York State Society of Anesthesiologists.
An introduction will be provided by Sidway School Principal Denise Dunbar, a member of Grand Island Zonta. Dunbar will explain Earhart’s significance to women in science and to the STEM movement of education in the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics.
Following the panel discussion, there will be a meet-and-greet with the panelists, with refreshments, in the Viking Mall.
Zonta International’s Amelia Earhart Fellowships are given to the women graduate students exhibiting the most promise in advancing the field of aerospace and engineering.
Zonta International is proud to honor these women as part of the legacy of Amelia Earhart. By her example, Earhart encouraged women to expand their horizons by exploring occupations and holding positions beyond those traditionally held by women. By supporting the Amelia Earhart Fellowships, Zonta International encourages women to enter the aerospace-related fields and keep the Earhart legacy alive
Zonta International selected Jan. 11 as Amelia Earhart Day in recognition of the day Earhart began her trip from Honolulu, Hawaii, to Oakland, California, which made her the first person to fly solo across any part of the Pacific Ocean.
The Zonta Club of Grand Island awards scholarships to women, donates to many charitable organizations and conducts service projects throughout the year to fulfill its mission of advancing the status of women through service and advocacy.
