Utah Math and Science Network

Expanding Your Horizons Conference Program, 1990

Image used courtesy of Special Collections, J. Willard Marriott Library, The University of Utah. 

Mission Statement

Expand the vision of women of all ages and and cultural backgrounds by developing talents and skills in mathematics and science so they may participate more fully in today's technological society

-Utah Math and Science Network Salt Lake Chapter

 

The Utah Math and Science Network (UMSN) was a nonprofit organization that operated from 1979 to the late 2000s and advocated for gender equality within STEM. The organization was founded by Ann Erickson and Anne Nicoll as an offshoot of the Math/Science Network (later renamed the Expanding Your Horizons Network) which was founded in the San Francisco Bay area in 1974. The UMSN had multiple chapters throughout Utah including in Salt Lake City, Provo, Logan, and Ogden. Each chapter focused their efforts on immersing young women in STEM-related topics, introducing strong role models, and preparing the next generation of women for the workforce. They specifically wanted to tackle the unequal proportions of men and women in STEM fields and increase womens' confidence in the topics of math and science. A 1993 Deseret News article evaluates the gender gap within STEM in Utah and looks at the influence of the UMSN, stating "the Math/Science Network have worked for decades to encourage women to pursue such careers."
 

The Utah Math and Science Network records are located in the J. Willard Marriott Library Special Collections archives and includes newsletters, pamphlets, booklets, newsclippings, hand-written notes, meeting transcripts, and financial records.

Expanding Your Horizons Conference

ATK Launch Systems Newsletter on EYH Conference, 2007

Image used courtesy of Special Collections, J. Willard Marriott Library, The University of Utah. 

The Utah Math and Science Network primarily focused their efforts on hosting annual conferences titled Expanding Your Horizons. These conferences invited middle school and high school girls from all across the state to learn about STEM careers and partake in hands-on experiences led by women in STEM.  The UMSN began hosting these conferences in 1980 with an initial attendence of about 100 Utah students, which later grew into around 500 students per conference.  The conferences would take place on Saturdays and typically consist of keynote speakers, workshops, games, and round-table disscussions.  Speakers and mentors involved women from engineering, weather science, veterinary science, physics, chemistry, zoology, medicine, forensic science, computer science, geology, and much more. These conferences were and still are known to be incredibly helpful and enjoyable for thousands of young women and they still continue to this day. The author of this page had the pleasure of attending one of these conferecnces in middle school and it was incredibly influencial in deciding career paths.

Leading Women

The UMSN's success was thanks to the hard work of numerous individuals including dues-paying members, volunteers, and the chapter and state-wide officers. The organization had hundreds of dues-paying members throughout its operation and sent out newsletters to even more individuals and organizations. The UMSN was led by Bobbie Othmer as the state president with Ruth Novak as the Salt Lake City Chapter president. Bobbie Othmer was the chairwomen for computer science at Westminster College and coauthored several papers on computing and technology.  Ruth Novak was a program manager and later vice-president of the Navy program at the Hercules Aerospace Corporation and helped with the development of several missile systems.

References

Callister, L. A., & Adams, B. (2024, January 24). Unequal equation: Women Shunning Scientific pursuits. Deseret News. https://www.deseret.com/1993/8/15/19061175/unequal-equation-women-shunning-scientific-pursuits/ 

Expanding Your Horizons Network. (2008). About Us. Expanding Your Horizons Network. https://web.archive.org/web/20080714154409/http://www.expandingyourhorizons.org/about/

Mitchell, Mark. (2015, November 10). Interview with Ruth Novak. Utah Women's Walk-Honoring the Women of Utah. https://cdm17182.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/womenswal

Muffoletto, M.-A. (2019, September 4). Women of USU: Then and now, Ruth Lemon Novak and Maura Hagan. Utah State University. https://www.usu.edu/today/story/women-of-usu-then-and-now-ruth-lemon-novak-and-maura-hagan 

Utah Math and Science Network, ACCN 2527, Box 1, Folder 1. Special Collections, J. Willard Marriott Library, The University of Utah.

Utah Math and Science Network, ACCN 2527, Box 1, Folder 2. Special Collections, J. Willard Marriott Library, The University of Utah.

Utah Math and Science Network, ACCN 2527, Box 1, Folder 3. Special Collections, J. Willard Marriott Library, The University of Utah.

Utah Math and Science Network, ACCN 2527, Box 1, Folder 4. Special Collections, J. Willard Marriott Library, The University of Utah.

Utah Math and Science Network, ACCN 2527, Box 1, Folder 5. Special Collections, J. Willard Marriott Library, The University of Utah.

Utah Math and Science Network, ACCN 2527, Box 2, Folder 3. Special Collections, J. Willard Marriott Library, The University of Utah.

Utah Math and Science Network, ACCN 2527, Box 2, Folder 4. Special Collections, J. Willard Marriott Library, The University of Utah.

Utah Math and Science Network, ACCN 2527, Box 2, Folder 5. Special Collections, J. Willard Marriott Library, The University of Utah.

 

Page researched and written by Livia Anderson

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