Published: March 23, 2003

The ninth annual "Expanding Your Horizons" career conference, aimed at encouraging middle school girls to pursue careers in science, math, technology and other non-traditional careers, will be held at the University of Colorado at Boulder on Saturday, April 12.

The career conference, which is sponsored by CU-Boulder and the American Association of University Women, will be held from 10 a.m. to 2:15 p.m. in CU-Boulder's Engineering Center Complex. Registration will be in the Engineering Center Complex lobby.

Expanding Your Horizons is a national organization that encourages girls to pursue careers in non-traditional subjects. At the conference, girls will meet in small, interactive workshops with women from the community who have jobs in areas such as science, math and technology.

"The AAUW believes that a variety of career options enables young women to more effectively choose a career that corresponds with both their interests and goals," said Melissa Teel, public information chair of the AAUW Boulder branch. "Expanding Your Horizons makes it possible for middle school girls to meet professional women in many non-traditional career areas and discuss the opportunities that exist in our society today."

The girls may choose to attend two workshops in career areas such as anthropology, astrophysics, engineering, geology, meteorology, pharmacy, physics, optometry, veterinary medicine and Web page design. The students will be assigned to small groups and chaperoned by university guides during the conference. A box lunch will be provided for all attendees.

Parents are welcome to accompany their daughters, but also may attend up to three workshops that range in subjects from "understanding adolescent girls" to "planning for college." Adult sessions will be held in CU-Boulder's Leeds School of Business.

The registration fee for the conference is $10 for students and $15 for adults. Larger groups - eight or more students - must register by March 30. Individuals must register by April 5.

For more information or to request a registration form, please visit or call (303) 448-9669.