THOUSAND OAKS : Sessions to Focus on Careers for Women

Auto mechanics, blood testing, dentistry and earthquake prediction are some of the careers that will be featured at a conference Friday for students in grades six through nine.

But this conference, at Newbury Park High School in Thousand Oaks, won’t be a typical career day. What’s unusual is that all 32 speakers are women, and their goal is to inspire girls to take math and science classes in junior high and high schools.

“When girls reach sixth through ninth grades, they lose interest in math and science courses because they’re looked at as ‘smart’ courses that nerds would take. There is tremendous peer pressure to be ‘normal,’ ” said Therese Hughes, the conference organizer. “Our message is that you can be acceptable with your peers and still take math and science classes.”

The conference, “Career Opportunities for Women in the Math & Science Fields,” is sponsored by the Thousand Oaks chapter of the American Assn. of University Women. It will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 12:55 p.m. Students in the Conejo Valley Unified School District have Friday off for a teacher training day.

Hughes said boys are encouraged to attend as well as girls.

“Sons grow up to be fathers, and they won’t encourage their daughters in math and science unless they have exposure to role models,” she said.

Hughes said she worked for nearly a year to find the 32 women who will lead the workshops.

Participants will attend four sessions and most workshops will be repeated every session. Four of the presentations will be given in Spanish and English.

The $5 registration fee includes lunch. For information, call Hughes at 499-8945 or Kathy Diener, 499-9937.