THE ARCHER SCHOOL FOR GIRLS 2nd Annual S.T.E.M. Symposium Sets New Standard for Girls, Math and Science

The historic campus of The Archer School for Girls, located in the Brentwood community of Los Angeles, was the setting for the independent school’s second Annual STEM Symposium, held on Saturday, May 24. More than 150 students and parents were in attendance for a four-session, morning-long program of student STEM presentations. The keynote address was given by Yale professor Sally Shaywitz, M.D., who is the author of the best-selling book “Overcoming Dyslexia.” After attending the Symposium, Dr. Shaywitz commented, “I do not think I have seen this in any other school in the country. How can we duplicate this?”
     The Symposium, reflected substantial student growth in STEM areas, both within and beyond the Archer community. This expansion was revealed in several important ways during the Symposium, including the fact that participation in Honors Research in Science at Archer, now known as the RISE or Research In Science and Engineering program, has continued to be a popular course offering among high school students at Archer. Additionally, students representing other Los Angeles schools, including Marlborough, participated in the May Symposium as project presenters because of the academic relevance of the unique event.
     Notably, Archer’s 2014 graduating seniors have been accepted into top engineering programs at MIT, USC, Stanford, UCSB, UCLA, UC Davis, Tufts, Duke and Cal Poly San Luis Obispo as the result of Archer’s passionate commitment to STEM excellence. During her opening remarks, Archer’s Head of School Elizabeth English mentioned that in the fall Archer will be partnering with  UMass Amherst in a study to determine why girls frequently do not persist in STEM studies after entering college. English went on to state that the challenging fields of science, technology, engineering and math are traditionally dominated by men but that in order for our society and the world to progress, it requires a plurality of perspectives and that female scientists will need the confidence, resilience and grit to be successful in STEM fields.
    The diverse student presentations included projects by Archer student body president Marisa London, who will be attending Yale in the fall. Her research project explored the effects of three common phthalates on obesity, the test-subject being a soil-dwelling worm. Arielle Eshel, enrolled at NYU for September, studied the effects of natural supplements on the sleep-patterns of Alzheimer’s patients, using the fruit fly as a model. Courtney Urbancsik, who will attend Stanford in the fall, presented her project, “Saving Lives & Time on Sunset Boulevard: Design and Engineering Analysis of a Pedestrian Bridge,” citing the human tendency to gravitate toward light as a core concept for urban planners.
     To learn more from the students and Head of School Elizabeth English about The Archer School for Girls and its innovative STEM program, please watch this video.