Faire hopes to attract more women

SAN MATEO, Calif. (KGO) -- This weekend the hugely popular Maker Faire in San Mateo is expected to attract tens of thousands of people. The faire is a wild gathering of intensely creative, do it yourselfers. But most of them are men. That's not really a big surprise when you consider very few women choose engineering as a career. That's why educators are trying to get young girls interested in the field early.

There is a climbing wall inside a San Jose garage. Computer engineers Laura Kassovic and Matt Baker built it, and use a computer to control LED lights that plot out which path to follow.

Kassovic says, "It's really something that came down to lack of space and us being engineers."

Kassovic and Baker are part of the "Maker Movement," a growing fascination with building things yourself. They'll show off their climbing wall at the annual Maker Faire in San Mateo. The Maker Faire attracted 100,000 people last year. At this year's event, Kassovic will stand out for more than just her climbing wall.

"I wish there were more female engineers," she said.

The Maker Faire is just one example of the gender divide in engineering. The Society of Women engineers said fewer than 18 percent of graduating engineers are women. Even fewer actually end up working in the field, just 13-percent. The creator of the Maker Faire wants to change that statistic.

Dale Doughtery is the CEO Maker Media. He says, "My goal is that people really crossover and try new things. We want to make everything kind of accessible so that you are not saying these are things that women do, these are things that men do. You want to get away from that and say, 'This is something that I like to do, so why not?'"

Research shows getting girls interested in science, technology, engineering and math while they are in middle school is key.

At the Castilleja School for girls in Palo Alto, six graders are building boxes and learning to use power tools.

"It's not about boxes and drills. It's about getting them to think spatially, and getting them to solve problems," said engineer Angi Chau, Ph.D. Chau heads up the Bourn Idea Lab.

"There's actually a lot of intricate problems you have to solve like, 'Wait, where should the hinge go? What side should it fit in? Which side of the box should open? How do all these pieces fit together?' And the more practice we give them, the more advantage these girls will gain," said Chau.

Teachers agree. Laura Thornburg brought her History class into the lab. "If they begin to think of themselves as capable, especially in an environment that's been traditionally male dominated, that they just feel more sure of themselves and more flexible thinkers across the board," she said.

For these girls, it's about thinking "outside" the box.

One student said, "It's really cool to have a hands-on project like this, where you are trying to build something with your hands."

Another added, "I think that this is showing that we have the same skills that men do, and this is in an opportunity for young women to learn, and do things that they are not expected to do."

Castilleja students will be at the Maker Faire showing off some of their other projects. The family friendly event is this Saturday.

Written and produced by Ken Miguel

(Copyright ©2013 KGO-TV/DT.

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Steve Young hopes to bring music therapy to Lucile Packard

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- San Francisco 49er great Steve Young may be retired from football, but he is not sitting around. He's deeply involved in sports, business and the community. ABC7 News sat down with Young and his wife to talk about a big project they're developing to bring music therapy to sick children.

Anybody who loves the 49ers remembers how well Hall of Fame quarterback Steve Young played the game. He retired in 2000 after more than 15 years in the NFL.

Steve and his wife Barb are tackling the big job of raising four young children. They also have an active role in children's health issues. The Youngs want to bring music therapy to Lucile Packard Children's Hospital in Palo Alto.

Steve's foundation already created the playroom there called The Forever Young Zone years ago. However, there is no room in this crowded space for their next program called Sophie's Place. So they are in talks with Lucile Packard about finding a permanent location inside the new children's hospital expansion.

"Once you see it and get a vision for Sophie and Sophie's Place, and what music therapy actually does, it's like great ideas sell themselves," said Young.

"You've got children who can't even speak, yet in music therapy, they can sing. Children that can't move, then in music therapy, they're able to dance, or bang on a drum," said Barb.

Sophie's Place will honor their dear family friend, 17-year-old singer, songwriter Sophie Barton.

Sophie died suddenly, while on a hike, with her mother in Salt Lake City. The Youngs are very close with the Barton family. Sophie was one of five children, who are all talented musicians. Sophie dedicated much of her time to charity.

"People need to know who she was, she was a phenomenal person," said Steve.

"She herself was volunteering so much time," said Barb.

Barb visited The Forever Young Zone, the day before Steve came by to talk about her vision for Sophie's Place.

"It's going to be this wonderful music therapy room, that the music therapists can bring in children and work with them, but it's also going to have a sound studio so children can make their own music," said Barb.

The first Sophie's Place is being built in the Children's Hospital in Salt Lake City. The Youngs are hoping Lucile Packard Children's Hospital will be next.

"We've committed to a plan to where we could fund a music therapist in the future," said Steve.

The Packard hospital expansion won't be complete, though, until 2015.

Barb and Steve Young believe their next charity project, Sophie's Place, is going to make a world of difference for sick kids, and one way or another, they plan to bring the program here to Lucile Packard Children's Hospital.

"We're going to go mobile. And we're going to create a Sophie's Place inside this truck," said Barb.

Volunteers can take that truck on the road to camps for sick children like the Taylor Family Foundation's Camp Arroyo in Livermore.

Sophie's family says she would be so pleased to know her work is being carried on.

"Sports are important and useful and teach great lessons, but it doesn't work everywhere. Music works everywhere. It changes everything," said Young.

You can learn more about the Sophie's Place project, it's on the front page of the Forever Young Foundation website and you can learn how to get involved.

So, Steve and Barb are asking for your help to start with the mobile Sophie's Place. They need a brand new empty van so they can fill it with music equipment. By the way, Steve says he will not be singing, he doesn't have that talent. Although, Barb says he's a great shower singer.

(Copyright ©2012 KGO-TV/DT.

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