10th Annual Gifted Girls Conference

(7th-grade girls only)

May 1, 2008

Keynote Speaker

Bonnie Jacobs holds a Ph.D. from the University of Arizona, Department of Geosciences. Dr. Jacobs is an Associate Professor at SMU where she teaches undergraduate classes in Environmental Science and Ecology, and graduate seminars in Biogeography and Paleoecology.  Her research involves the use of plant fossils to reconstruct past climates and she has studied fossils from Africa and North America ranging in age from 100 million years to 600 years old.  Her research projects in Kenya provided climate estimates and plant identifications that have helped understand environments of human evolution. Climate research on 46 million-year old plants from Tanzania provides a rare glimpse into tropical African environments during a global warm interval. Ongoing research in northwestern Ethiopia includes work on past climate and ecosystems in this part of tropical Africa 28 million years ago, and provides projects for 2 PhD students addressing questions of ecology and plant evolution. She has also reported on plants found with dinosaurs in North Texas that are 112 million years old.

Breakout Sessions

Below is a sampling of breakout sessions for the 2008 Gifted Girls Conference. 

The Future is Nearer Than You Think
Alan Ramirez and Kerry Schneidewind—SMU Admissions Counselors

Space Exploration and Mars 
Kurt Chankaya— Aerodynamics Engineer, Member of the Mars Society

Women and Politics
Dr. Dennis Simon—Professor of Political Science, SMU

What is Leadership?
Dr. Carol Clyde, Director of Leadership and Community Involvement, SMU

He Said. She Said.  
Dr. Abigail Bartoshesky, Visiting Professor of Anthropology and Education, SMU

Explore the World Through Language
Paige Ware—Assistant Professor—Literacy, Language, Learning, SMU

Robots All Around
Nathan Huntoon—SMU Graduate Engineering Student

Conference Location

The Gifted Girls Conference will be held in the Hughes-Trigg Student Center on the SMU campus. Parking directions and a confirmation letter will be mailed to each participant as reservations are received. A map is available on the SMU website.  Space is limited; please make reservations early. 

Conference Fee

The conference registration fee per person is $40. The registration fee for girls who are eligible for the free or reduced-price lunch program is only $6. The Conference is limited to 7th-grade girls and their sponsors, but each teacher/sponsor who registers five girls will receive a free registration.  Breakfast is NOT provided, and the light lunch (included in the registration fee) is not served until 12:15.

Registration

Complete a registration form for each girl and adult attending (copy the form as needed). All girls must be accompanied by either a teacher or a parent, and there must be at least one sponsor for every ten girls. Notice that the form requires a Guardian's signature for each girl.

Please mail your group's registrations together in one packet with a check or purchase order payable to GSI / SMU.  Registrations and payment information must be postmarked by April 2nd and sent to:

Gifted Students Institute
Southern Methodist University
PO Box 750383
Dallas TX  75275-0383

Phone: 214-768-4383
Fax: 214-768-3147
e-Mail: gifted@smu.edu