A select group of Latino women from the Richmond area participated in the third Caminos a La Ciencia/Pathways to Science camp, which took place July 21-26, 2019 on the Randolph-Macon College campus. The camp is designed to spark high school-aged Latina interest in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) and encourage them to pursue a career in science.

The camp is the product of a partnership to foster equity and inclusion in STEM assembled by Randolph-Macon that includes Fortune 500 companies and STEM-focused nonprofits. The program—the first of its kind in Central Virginia—gives participants the opportunity to explore STEM disciplines and interact with researchers and other professionals.

Opening Ceremony + U.S. Senator Tim Kaine
RMC President Robert R. Lindgren welcomed 34 campers from 17 Virginia high schools, their families, and guests on July 21 to the Pathways to Science opening ceremony. He also introduced a special guest: United States Senator Tim Kaine of Virginia. Said Lindgren, “We are deeply honored to have you with us today, Senator, to celebrate this important program and most importantly, these wonderful students.”

Kaine delivered words of encouragement to students, in both English and Spanish, about the importance of the Pathways to Science program and the STEM disciplines. He said the enormous challenges facing us can only be solved by people who work together and bring diverse perspectives and views. He also discussed how imperative it is for more students to get involved with STEM. Kaine said, “I’m happy to see a program dedicated to recruiting and mentoring Latina high schoolers in STEM disciplines. These girls represent some of the best and brightest from across Virginia, and I can’t wait to see what they accomplish!”

Valuable Community Partnerships
Thanks to the Pathways to Science program, Randolph-Macon College has established valuable community partnerships with The Science Museum of Virginia, Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden, Maymont, CodeVA, Virginia Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Dominion, WestRock, and the Office of the Governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia.

Exploring STEM
Campers, who attended the camp for free and earned a $5,000 scholarship to the college of their choice, explored a variety of STEM topics. They attended an astronomy workshop in Randolph-Macon’s Keeble Observatory; toured the Brock Environmental Center at the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, where they worked on an oyster restoration project, participated in a Q&A session with female Hispanics in STEM fields, and took a boat tour; and learned how to make dental molds at VCU’s School of Dentistry.

At WestRock, campers learned the science behind packaging products and competed in the “marshmallow challenge,” with teams competing to build the tallest structure that would support a marshmallow using only 20 pieces of dry spaghetti and a yard of masking tape. Campers also toured Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden, the Science Museum of Virginia, Dominion Energy, and Maymont park. Students in their third year of participation were given the opportunity to perform research in the labs of RMC faculty members, collaborating with students in Randolph-Macon’s Schapiro Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) program. The Pathways participants then presented the results of their work at a mini “research day” on the last day of the camp.

Leadership and Mentorship
In March 2019, RMC was awarded a $1,082,291 grant from the National Science Foundation’s ITEST initiative (DRL 1850405) to support the continuation of the Pathways to Science program at RMC, which was initially funded by a $300,000 grant from the National Science Foundation’s INCLUDES initiative (HRD 1649289). This year, the Jessie Ball Dupont Foundation also provided $70,000 for Pathways to Science camp funding.

RMC Chemistry Professor April Marchetti ’97 serves as Primary Investigator and research director. Other project leadership members include Molly Smith, program coordinator, and co-PIs Rebecca Michelsen (chemistry), Rachele Dominguez (physics), Tricia Reagan (Spanish), and Laurie Massery (Spanish). Adriana Rosales ’21, Jessica Ramirez ’19, Damon Reed ’19, Melody Peacock ’21, Fattima Flores ’22, Liz Cerritos ’21, Rosa Paredes ’21, Kirsten Whittaker ’21, and Jennifer Sarbo ’19 served as mentors, RAs, and interpreters this year.

Excitement + Enthusiasm for Diversity in STEM
“We are so excited to be able to offer this programming to support equity and inclusion in STEM,” says Marchetti, the Garnett-Lambert Endowed Professor in Chemistry.  “The support we have received from the college and from our partner organizations is spectacular, and we’re grateful to the National Science Foundation for funding this program. Our project works to identify ways to address the disparity in participation in STEM careers for the Latino community, and we’re hoping that the Pathways to Science program encourages and supports these talented young women as they pursue education in STEM careers.”