09 autumn reporter 1-20 - Franklin College

AROUND CAMPUS
Empowering girls in
math, science, technology
More than 30 participants took part in
a summer camp created to empower girls
to excel in math, science and technology.
The Girls in Power Camp, sponsored by
the Franklin College AmeriCorps program
and Johnson County Community
Foundation through a grant written
by Annie McEwan ’09, was held on the
college campus July 13–16.
“It is important to encourage young
women to develop an interest in science
and technology for future career paths as
well as to learn that they can be successful
in these areas,” said Jann Johnson, college
director of professional development and
AmeriCorps.
Some highlights of the camp activities
included a Rube Goldberg exercise in
which Franklin College AmeriCorps
volunteers helped the girls make a
complex device to perform a simple task,
a hands-on learning session led by Society
Student responds
expertly thanks
to training
his physical therapy.
PHOTO BY ETHAN LEFFEL ’11 Lindsay Letner ’11 helps Jacob Crow ’11 with
of Women Engineers volunteer Denise
Curtis and an interactive project in
forensic science conducted under the
supervision of Gina Ammerman,
professor of forensic science for Indiana
University-Purdue University Indianapolis.
The girls also attended a learning session
with Franklin College Technology Trainer
Vicki Mast. Guided by Mast, the girls
made their own movies with the theme
“Women Who Make a Difference.”
Each day of the camp was dedicated to
introducing the girls to role models and
resources that could inspire them to
succeed academically in preparation for
college and a career. Along with promoting
science, math and technology, the
camp also presented information to help
the girls make informed choices about
healthy lifestyles and building self-esteem.
“Through the discussion of these topics
and other planned activities our hope is
By Cathleen Nine ’11
Pulliam Fellow
For most students at Franklin College,
move-in day is a time to worry about arranging
the furniture. For Lindsay Letner ’11, it
was an entirely different experience. Letner
was driving from her home in Bloomington,
Ind., down State Road 44 when she spotted
something out of the ordinary.
PHOTO BY ETHAN LEFFEL ’11
that the girls came away with not only
exciting knowledge about careers but also
a more positive attitude about themselves,”
said Kristen Stout ’11, Girls in Power
Camp coordinator.
“I saw two guys standing on a dangerous
corner of State Road 44, and another was
lying on the ground; it didn’t look right,”
said Letner, an athletic training major.
Letner, unsure of whether to stop for
three strangers, initially drove past the
accident but decided to turn around and
offer help to the injured man, Randy
Lowe. He and two friends were on a
50-mile bike trip from Greenwood to
Morgantown. The three men were
experienced bicyclists who often rode
together. Lowe crashed when a dog ran
into the road and hit his bike; he was
severely injured in the crash.
Drawing from her experiences from
inside and outside the classroom,
Letner approached the injured man
and evaluated his condition, with the
help of the other two men.
“I did a quick assessment that I learned
from my athletic training,” Letner said.
“We made sure he didn’t need an
ambulance.”
However, the three decided Lowe
should be transported to the hospital.
Letner, whose car was loaded down with
things for her dorm room, made room
14 FRANKLIN REPORTER WWW.FRANKLINCOLLEGE.EDU