CHAT CORNER
Carol's Trip to Costa Rica
In March of this year I visited Costa Rica with my husband and mother. We met our group of fellow adventurers at the Hotel Europa in San José. San José is the capital of Costa Rica with about 885,000 inhabitants in the greater San José area.
While in San José we visited the University for Peace (in nearby Colón) which was founded through the United Nations. We each planted a tree on the campus in a symbolic gesture signifying support for the country’s efforts at reforestation.
The National Theatre in San José is a beautiful and oddly adaptable cultural center--The floor in the auditorium can have all seats removed, the floor raised at the front until it is level with the stage and the back of the hall, whereupon it becomes a ballroom. This was built around the time of our Civil War!
San José’s Children’s museum was originally a PRISON! With great creativity they have put together a very colorful and interesting set of displays ranging from health, national resources, culture and history, and all with interactive displays, talking figures and a great neon light show at the entrance
On our trip north we hiked up to get a great view into Poas Volcano crater. We stayed at Selva Verde, a rustic rain-forest lodge (no, not THAT rustic) and awoke the next morning to the unearthly sound of the howler monkeys--they are only a couple of feet tall, but sound like they must be as big as gorillas as their "roar" fills the jungle. Our boat trip on the Rio Sarapiquí left from a tiny port that used to be the only Costa Rican port accessing the Caribbean. We saw herons (blue and green), anhingas, cormorants, ibis, egrets, kingfishers, and more.
From Sarapiquí we headed for Arenál Volcano, to stay at the Arenál Vista Lodge after a visit to the Tabacón Hot Springs Spa at the northern foot of the volcano. Peter and I hiked up the trail from the hot springs and watched as huge boulders of hot lava bounced down the side of the volcano, leaving puffs of dust (ash) every time they bounced several hundred yards at a leap near the lower reaches of the volcano. Arenál has been in an active phase since 1968
At the Dundee Ranch in Orotina near the Pacific coast we were delighted to find a beautiful swimming pool because this is the "dry" side of Costa Rica and the temperatures were noticeably higher than we had experienced elsewhere. In a nearby a nature reserve we saw many scarlet macaws in the height of their mating "dances", 3-foot iguanas around every bend in the trail, and many plant species. On a boat trip on a nearby river we saw numerous birds including lots of roseate spoonbills, storks, a galinule, herons of several varieties, cormorants, anhingas, and more that I can’t remember names of. But the height of that boat trip was the crocodiles--our boatman had brought some fresh meat to feed them, which he did by wading into the river and slapping the meat on the water’s surface until a croc appeared, at which point he held the meat at shoulder high and the croc lept up to take it. I’m not sure it wasn’t really trained, but it was entertaining.
Costa Rica is a destination we hope to return to as there is much of the country we’d like to explore further.
April 2000 Board Meeting
April 15, 2000
The meeting was held at NMIMT, Cramer Bldg., Room 120 in Socorro after the Science Fair. The following board members were in attendance: Carol La Delfe, Nancy Weinbrenner, Wyona Turner, Claudia Lewis, Mary Lou Westrom, Angelique Neuman, Margo Clark, and Alexine Salazar.
Call to Order:
2:07 PM
Approval of Minutes:
The February board meeting minutes were approved as read.
TREASURER
The Treasurer’s report was approved as submitted. Activities included Chapter (membership) rebates, Career book printing, and EYH seed money to chapters. Claudia discussed the possibility of opening a CD with the money currently in the checking account. Upcoming expenses are minimal so Claudia felt we didn’t need to keep so much money in the checking account. The money in the money-market account are liquid assets, which are accessible if need should arise. We will add this to the agenda for the June meeting. Also, Claudia has Central’s rebate check but doesn’t know who to send it to. After brief discussion, it was decided that she would hold on to it for now.
STANDING COMMITTEE REPORTS
ANNUAL MEETING
Nancy and Wyona reported in Karen’s absence. The annual meeting is scheduled for October 20-22, 2000 at the Swiss Chalet in Ruidoso. They’re currently working on the food and entertainment portions. A theme has been selected: Science in the New Millennium: Women Leading the Way. A call for papers will be made (at least 9 needed based on their agenda). Tentative agenda includes a reception social on Friday evening; Saturday will be the presentations, ending early for dinner; and a Board meeting is scheduled for Sunday. The State will provide $250 seed money. Carol also mentioned the $320 budgeted for scholarships.
ARCHIVES
No report. Carol announced a replacement would be needed for Angela Ferrara. Angela tendered her resignation as she has taken a job in Tucson, AZ.
ELECTIONS
Angelique will announce a call for nominations in the May newsletter. Nominees will be announced in the July newsletter. Positions open include: President Elect (3-year term), and four Members-at-Large (2 year term) positions to replace Adrienne Dare, Wyona Turner, Mary Lou Westrom, and Angelique Neuman.
FUNDRAISING
A new mailing list is being created. Last year’s letters to donors (dated August) will be used as a basis. A report from the Science Fair (recipients) and EYH, including printing of Career books will be sent. Nancy will contact chapters for a list of their donors. A copy of the ’98-’99 audit (dated Oct.’99) will also be needed.
MEMBERSHIP
Wyona submitted an activity report. Total state membership is 92 (72 professional). Chapters are: Central 24; Eastern 1; Northern 54; and Southern 13. Welcome letters and directories were sent to 3 new members. Wyona also printed some very nice congratulation cards for the women entrants to the State Science Fair.
Wyona had copies of the new draft version of our brochure she designed available for comment. She’ll wait to get a more formal printing pending the new logo, and quotes from EYH attendees and notable women scientists. In the interim, Wyona will incorporate a date (to track versions) and will make color copies.
NEWSLETTER
The March newsletter was sent a little late. The next newsletter will be in May. Carol is scheduled for the "Chat Corner". A suggestion for July’s "Chat Corner" is Diane Albert, who recently received the Governor’s Award for Outstanding Women. Claudia did an excellent job in the March edition. A suggestion was made to have the "President’s Message" and the "Chat Corner" both begin on the first page. Both are important enough to get "equal" billing on the front page.
POLICY AND PROCEDURES
No report. Angelique brought a list of 4 mistakes I the state’s by-laws per Nancy Sheer’s review. Mary Lou will give them to Sarah. Sarah did an excellent job putting together the listserver.
PUBLICITY
No report. Kim Linder has been appointed to replace Kim Elam for this position. Kim had a previously scheduled event and could not attend this meeting.
SCIENCE FAIR
Claudia and Angelique reported in Mercedes’ absence. The forms used by the Science Fair judges were not available for special judges, so Claudia made similar forms with ratings from 1-10. Claudia will collate the statistics of number of girls in each category. Mostly, they covered the physical sciences heavily. Next year, Claudia and Angelique recommended we cover more of the biological/life sciences. More judges will be needed. Also, it would be a good idea to offer 2 prizes in both categories. That is, $50 for first place and $25 for second place, in both senior and junior levels.
The issue regarding judging (gender) mixed teams came up again. Previously mixed teams have not been considered for prizes and, thus, not been judged. However, mixed teams are increasing so we need to decide whether or not we will begin judging them in the future. Discussion centered on concerns of the boy dominating the project. Point of fact, Angelique had a tie at this year’s fair between a mixed team (boy-girl) and a two-girl team. The all girl team came in just below the mixed team. In interviewing the mixed team, the boy did not dominate the interview and the girl had just as much knowledge about the project and also interviewed well. Discussion pointed out that we need to focus on our reason for acknowledging girls at the fair, by-law wording of our participation of the science fair, and the fact that in the real world, women have to work with men. Discussion was tabled for continuance at the annual meeting. However, as to the question of what amount to give the two teams that tied, a motion was passed agreeing on $50 for each team.
Here is a list of the winner for this year’s science fair:
- JR Earth & Space Sciences
- Ariele Powers, "Measuring and Interpreting Soil Quality to Sustain Healthy Ecosystems", St Mary’s School, Albuquerque
- SR Chemistry
- Natasha Begay, "Microbial and Chemical Analysis of Surface Water on the Navajo Reservation", Wingate HS, Ft Wingate
- SR Engineering
- Tonya Proctor, "Stop Light Circuit", Portales
- SR Environmental Science
- Cristina Sheyke, "Temperature and Humidity of Rodent Burrows and Bubonic Plague in Bernalillo", Albuquerque
- SR Earth & Space Sciences
- Jocelyn Salaz, "Variable Stars Phase III: Long-term Changes in the Period of WUMa", Cuba
- SR Team Project
- Katherine Wurden, "Vortex Cannon Dynamics", Los Alamos
- SR Team Project
- Alexander Wurden, "Vortex Cannon Dynamics", Los Alamos
- JR Team Project
- Whitney Hosford, "What’s Shopping with You?", Farmington
- JR Team Project
- Emily Wirth, "What’s Shopping with You?", Farmington
- JR Chemistry
- Mia Gonzalez-Aller, "Check Washing/Check Fraud", Albuquerque
- SR Team Project
- Katherine Durrer, "Hamster Dance", Los Alamos
- SR Team Project
- Katherine Rudell, "Hamster Dance", Los Alamos
- JR Engineering
- Maria Martinez, "Hear Ye! Hear Ye! Measuring Sounds’ Bounce", Albuquerque
- JR Environmental Science
- Kelly Jaffa, "Livestock, Geology, and Nitrate--Is Your Well Water Safe for the Baby?", Tijeras
EXPANDING YOUR HORIZONS
State
All statewide EYH conferences are complete. Adrienne wants to remind chapters to submit the Math & Science Network evaluations along with 10 copies of the program/brochure.
Albuquerque EYH
Carol passed around digital pictures from Kim Linder taken at the EYH conference in Albuquerque. There was no report received from the EYH committee.
Los Alamos EYH
Alexine submitted a written final report to the board. Northern Chapter’s EYH was held March 6th at LANL. Highlights mentioned are summarized. The biggest issue for this year’s planning were changes in the Lab’s view and approach to safety and security. Due to construction I the general vicinity from where the conference is held, parking was a major concern. As always, several workshops were held off-site, but transportation has now become a problem, as GSA vans no longer allow anyone under the age of 18 to be transported in their vehicles (unless you’re an employee). We used local bus service, but not without problems. Problems also occurred with the caterer (food was late, cold, and not enough), additional concerns and paperwork required for security reasons. In spite of obstacles this conference was a success. A success because of record-breaking attendance (148 of the 159 registered) and participation by presenters (18 workshops and 27 presenters). And, of course, overall evaluation by the girls was the most important measure of success. Complete details and demographics are on file within the report and available upon request. Math & Science Network evaluation are included in the report for Adrienne along with 10 programs.
Las Cruces EYH
The Southern Chapter’s EYH was held on March 23 at White Sands Missile Range with a total of 180 students and 25 adults. We kept the same format as last year’s which allowed each student to attend 4 workshops. The EYH was successful. About $1000 in registration is still outstanding although all invoices have been submitted to the schools. Of note, Southern’s EYH get the schools to pay for the conference. Special thanks go to Kathrine Graham for sending our Thank-You letters and to Ann Mauzy for her extra effort in getting the career booklets to us. The final budget was an income of $1886.00 and expenses of $1574.76.
Silver City
The Silver City EYH Conference was held on February 26 at WNMU. In spite of low attendance (40 girls registered when 150 were expected), the conference was a great success. Because of the high number of girls expected 14 workshops were provided. The schedule was adjusted which allowed the presenters to do just one presentation instead of three. And the girls were allowed to attend 3 workshops. Lunch worked out well, using tickets for lunch at the school’s cafereria. This way we were charged only for what they ate. The $5 registration fees more than covered the $4.50 for lunch. A total of 200 t-shirts had been ordered in anticipation of the 150 participants. Locally, $950 was raised, this plus the $300 seed money coverd the $1200 expense for the t-shirts. The final group activity in the gym was a great success. Pictures of this were printed in the local newspapers.
Chapter Reports
Central
No meetings yet planned. Carol has not heard from Kelly Bitner or Debby Potter. Claudia is waiting to send Central’s membership rebate because she received email dated April 11, 2000 from Debby Brinkerhoff stating she has the checkbook, but there is no Central Chapter.
Eastern
No report.
Northern
No report.
Southern
The chapter was inactive throughout the year and no meetings are planned. The Chapter again sponsored a Girl State Delegate. A working committee (Angela Ferrara, Nancy Weinbrenner, Wyona Turner, and Karen Saenz) has started planning the Annual Meeting in October.
OLD BUSINESS
- Career booklets Booklets will be stored in Tinka Gammel’s Garage for next year. (NOTE: Tinka’s garage burned in the Cerro Grande fire, along with her house, so these are now lost. We also lost next year’s supply of tote bags for our EYH, plus other EYH stuff, I think). Thank you Ann Mauzy for all the hard work in getting our new books published.
- Host for June meeting-The meeting will be at Margo’s home. She will send out directions. Margo asked if we once again wanted to have a picnic. Everyone agreed to open it to all membership. Margo will check if dede wants to host the picnic.
- Replacements for Secretary and Publicity Chairs-Carol has appointed Alexine Salazar as Secretary, replacing Julie Seton. Also Kim Linder will replace Kim Elam.
NEW BUSINESS
- Replacement for Angela Ferrara-Carol has accepted Angela Ferrara’s resignation and will announce an appointment to the vacant "Archives" position in the near future.
- Annual meeting suggestion-A thought occurred to Nancy in discussing drop in membership. For the annual meeting, Nancy suggested allowing potential new members to attend and waive their registration fee. They would need to pay for their dinner. Everyone agreed this would be a good idea.
- Do revised by-laws need state approval?
- Misc:
- Claudia received a Visa Business Card. Do we want this? No.
- Claudia has new New Mexico Tax Certificates if anyone needs them.
- Claudia received a notice from the Business Women’s Network (As did Carol) asking if we still wanted to be listed (free) in their listing (Yes, Carol will call them since we missed the deadline to respond).
- Claudia announced Diane Albert of the Northern Chapter will receive the Governor’s Award of Outstanding Women. The process has begun for next year’s awards and Claudia will work on it.
- Claudia announced that the LANL Women’s Diversity Working Group has sent out a call for nominations for their annual Women’s Career Development Mentor Award.
- Claudia received a request from Diane Albert for us to donate $100 to her mentee Lizzy Kee for a Girls Scout Gold Award project. Some questions arose, but the board agreed on the condition of her providing us with a report (maybe presented at the annual meeting) and stipulating that NMNWSE be recognized a sponsoring a break.
Meeting was adjourned at 4:10 PM.
