Astronaut Sally Ride Invites Girls to Explore Hands-on Science at Science Festival...

Tue Apr 8, 2008 3:48pm EDT

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Astronaut Sally Ride Invites Girls to Explore Hands-on Science at Science Festival at Southern Methodist University

Sally Ride Science Festival brings science to life and inspires
upper elementary and middle school girls to think about the vast range
of careers in science
SAN DIEGO--(Business Wire)--
On April 26, Dr. Sally Ride, America's first woman in space, will
touch down at Southern Methodist University in Dallas to inspire local
girls to dig into hands-on science at the Sally Ride Science Festival.
The festival, which is open to the public, runs from 11 a.m. to 4:15
p.m. and is presented by ExxonMobil. Ride, the festival's keynote
speaker, is currently president and CEO of Sally Ride Science(TM), an
innovative science content company dedicated to fueling students'
interests in science, math and technology.

The Sally Ride Science Festival, hosted by the SMU School of
Engineering, will bring together hundreds of upper elementary and
middle school girls, parents and teachers for a day of science and
socializing. The festival features an inspiring talk by Ride and
discovery workshops for girls given by local scientists and engineers.
While girls learn how to extract DNA from a strawberry, take apart a
computer, and search for signs of life on other planets, parents and
teachers attend workshops on ways to support girls' interests in
science and math. The festival also includes a street fair with
hands-on activities, booths, food and music.

"Southern Methodist University is extremely proud to host the
Sally Ride Science Festival on our campus," said Dr. Geoffrey Orsak,
Dean of SMU School of Engineering. "Having started a program called
the Gender Parity Initiative to reach out and attract female
engineering students to SMU, partnering with Sally Ride provides the
perfect opportunity to expose area girls to engineering education and
career opportunities."

"ExxonMobil's goal is to inspire students to see math and science
as the keys to a variety of rewarding career options. For America's
prosperity, we recognize the need for students to stay in school and
to pursue careers that will include science, technology, engineering
and math," said Sherri Stuewer, Vice President for Safety, Health and
Environment for ExxonMobil Corporation. "Sally Ride is an outstanding
and inspirational role model to show girls exactly how much impact
they can have as engineers and scientists."

The cost of the festival is $18 and advance registration is
required. The registration fee includes the featured talk, workshops,
lunch and the street fair. Scholarships are available. For more
information, contact Sally Ride Science at 1-800-561-5161.

About Sally Ride Science

Sally Ride Science is an innovative science content company
dedicated to fueling girls' and boys' interests in science, math and
technology. Dr. Sally Ride, best known as America's first woman in
space, founded the company in 2001 to create quality programs and
products that educate, entertain, engage and inspire. Our programs
include Sally Ride Science Festivals, TOYchallenge, Educator
Institutes, summer camps, and after-school programs. Our publications
include award-winning science books, science career books, and
innovative Classroom Sets to supplement science instruction. Our
publications and programs bring science to life and show kids that
science is creative, collaborative, fascinating and fun. For more
information, go to www.SallyRideScience.com or call 1-800-561-5161.

For Sally Ride Science:
Leslie Eicher, APR, 314-965-1776
Leslie@EicherCommunications.com