Our Crowdfunding Groups
Who We Are
Expanding Your Horizons at Berkeley is a group of graduate students, post-docs and undergraduate women from a broad range of STEM departments (chemistry, molecular and cellular biology, neuroscience, biophysics, etc), experiences, and backgrounds at UC Berkeley. We welcome cis girls, trans youth, gender non-conforming and/or non-binary youth, and young people dedicated to increasing gender diversity in STEM - EYH is a big tent.
We want to share our passion for STEM subjects especially with younger women and girls, to encourage them to pursue STEM subjects in their future studies and careers. In the United States, cultural gender stereotypes dictate that women are less capable of excelling in STEM fields. This stereotype manifests in both an achievement gap for girls at the K-12 level in STEM subjects, as well as in the underrepresentation of women in STEM professions. Research has shown that particularly middle school represents a critical period in which young women first begin to question whether STEM subjects are “for them” and lose interest in STEM fields.
EYH at Berkeley aims to encourage middle school girls to explore and participate in STEM activities by giving them access to education and mentorship from women in STEM fields, reducing the attrition of young women from science and mathematics fields. Founded in 2012, EYH at Berkeley hosts an annual conference where over 300 middle school girls from the East Bay Area community have the opportunity to visit the UC Berkeley campus and explore STEM subjects through hands-on workshops led by female mentors that are experts in their fields. The EYH conference offers an exciting keynote speaker, a full day of hands-on workshops, and opportunities for the girls to closely interact with undergraduate and graduate student mentors working in STEM related fields.
Our conferences feature unique and engaging workshops that were prepared and supervised throughout the day by volunteers from a wide range of STEM departments of the UC Berkeley campus including:
2024 Conference
Last March, the UC Berkeley Chapter of Expanding Your Horizons hosted our thirteenth annual conference. We had the opportunity to reach around 400 young science enthusiasts from various schools around the Bay Area. These past couple of years we have been piloting a transportation program that provided buses for students to and from the conference. As transportation can be a significant barrier to participation, we started this program in hopes of increasing accessibility and it was a great success!
Once at the conference, the participants had the chance to immerse themselves in a full day of hands-on exploration, ranging from introductions to food science and animal behavioral studies to the basics of computer science. The twenty workshops were prepared and supervised throughout the day by volunteers from a wide range of STEM departments of the UC Berkeley campus.
The day was topped off by our keynote speaker, Dr. Hannah Larson. Dr Larson is an Assistant Professor of Mathematics at the University of California, Berkeley who talked about her fascinating work in Algebraic Geometry.
Additionally, many of our participants’ parents registered to attend the parents’ workshop aiming to provide information and guidance in encouraging their children to further their STEM education.
Importantly, our organization is committed to making the conference accessible and fair to those from underrepresented and disadvantaged backgrounds. For the second time, this year, thanks to the generosity of our sponsors, we were able to offer the conference free of charge to all participants who applied to waive the registration fee.
How Your Support Helps
Despite the hundreds of volunteers that will donate their time to the EYH conference, it still costs over $25,000 to provide a day of interactive learning for al the students. We are committed to ensuring the conference remains accessible for all young women and therefore ask for only $20 per student in registration fees. Furthermore, we are committed to honoring every single scholarship request. Your donation to the EYH conference at Berkeley will have a significant impact on our ability to inspire the next generation of female scientists, engineers, and mathematicians. With your support, we hope to be able to offer at least 250 conference scholarships to young girls across the Bay Area, ensuring that our STEM education program is accessible regardless of socioeconomic status.
We are seeking $5,000 to sponsor 250 students to participate in the conference. The cost for each student to attend the conference is $20 which includes an EYH at Berkeley T-shirt, all the necessary materials sent to them for workshops they are interested in, and mentorship from UC Berkeley graduate students, post-docs, and undergraduates in STEM. Additionally, all parents will have the opportunity to participate in a parents’ workshop to learn how to support and prepare their child for a college education and explore ways to foster their interest in STEM fields. Your support for the EYH conference at Berkeley will have a significant impact on our ability to inspire the next generation of female scientists, engineers, and mathematicians. Please consider donating and sharing our page with your friends and family! Thank you!
All estimates are rough only, and actual expenditures may vary.
Questions? Email us at eyhberkeleyinfo@gmail.com or contact Miah Pitcher, co-chair of the Finance team, directly at miah_pitcher@berkeley.edu.
$20 (= 1 Scholarship), Social Media Shoutout: Receive a thank you shoutout on one of our social media channels for sponsoring 1 girl!
$40 (= 2 Scholarships): In addition to the perks above, your name will be listed on the EYH @ Berkeley website!
$75: In addition to the perks above, we will put your name on digital event programs and materials!
$150: In addition to the perks above, these donors will receive a handwritten thank you card on a custom-made photo postcard from a member of the planning committee!
$300: In addition to the perks above, you will be able to have a Zoom meeting with a member of our planning committee!
