Local Philanthropic Educational Organization Chapters Take a Field Trip to Explorit

Members of the Philanthropic Educational Organization (P.E.O.) visited Explorit on Tuesday, August 3. P.E.O. is a "philanthropic organization where women celebrate the advancement of women; educate women through scholarships, grants, awards, loans, and stewardship of Cottey College; and motivate women to achieve their highest aspirations."

Each quarter the local chapters get together for a meeting, and this summer's lunch and meeting was followed by a visit to Explorit Science Center. A group of about 20 women had the opportunity to explore the "Move It! Science In Action" and "Take Matter Into Your Own Hands" exhibitions.

Program Director, Megan Contreras, also provided the group with a short presentation about the history of Explorit as well as information about Explorit's role in the Portal to the Public (PoP) program. The group even got a sneak peek at one of the PoP activities, usually only reserved for scientists participating in the PoP workshops.

P.E.O., founded on January 21, 1869 (by seven students at Iowa Wesleyan College in Mount Pleasant, Iowa), has grown from a tiny membership of seven to almost a quarter of a million members in chapters in the United States and Canada.

In a similar manner, Explorit grew from a small group of women scientists and educators who envisioned an informal community science center in Davis-- "A place people could find out how science is part of all of our everyday lives." Anne Hance, Judy Moores, and Maria Ogrydziak begin hosting informal coffee meetings with the public to discuss ideas for the new science center. Explorit has grown from this group of three, to a staff of 20, hundreds of volunteers, and over 1,300 members to serve an audience of 65,000 to 80,000 people per year.