Roberta Johnson, director of the UCAR Education and Outreach Program and a scientist in NCAR's High Altitude Observatory, and SCD administrator Dorothy Bustamante take the stage at the Building Bridges in Education Conference.

Photo: Lynda Lester, NCAR/SCD

Building bridges in education

Dorothy Bustamante, an administrator in SCD's Operations and Infrastructure Support Section, co-chaired the fourth annual "Building Bridges in Education Conference" at UCAR's Center Green facility on 15 April 2004.

The conference, which was co-sponsored by UCAR and the Boulder County Latina Women's League, was aimed at helping students realize the importance of staying in school and the long-term benefits of a high school diploma and a college degree. Each year, the conference pairs professional women with young Latinas so the girls can preview various careers. This year 150 people attended, including 79 students who spent the morning shadowing their mentors at work.

Dorothy organized the conference with co-chair Teresa Rivas, an administrator in NCAR's Atmospheric Chemistry Division. Dorothy and Teresa handled all aspects of conference organization, including coordination with school liaisons and mentors, transportation and catering logistics, arrangements for guest speakers, and funding.

Also participating in the conference from SCD were Janice Kauvar and Lynda Lester, who served as mentors.

At the conference luncheon, two keynote speakers, chosen for their strength as role models, addressed the assembly. Dr. Roberta Johnson, director of UCAR's Education and Outreach Program and principal investigator on the Windows to the Universe Project, spoke about the connections between science, space, and the human experience. Some of the advantages of having a Ph.D., she told the audience, might include travel, adventure, money, family, and success.

Teresa Garcia, assistant principal of Boulder's UniHill Elementary school, gave a motivational talk on how to achieve one's goals, using her own example to illustrate how it was possible to overcome obstacles and go to college.

That afternoon, students attended workshops on career preparation, leadership skills, and self-esteem.