The mission of the Center for Women In Science and Technology is to engage, sustain, and retain women in academic and professional science and technology fields. Center programs provide outreach, professional development, and mentoring opportunities for girls and women across the developmental spectrum. Major programs supported by the Center include SPECTACLES summer camps for middle school girls, continuing professional development courses for local schoolteachers through the Math Science Partnership, and classroom visits by Wesleyan science and math scholars to local elementary schools for hands on experiments through the KISMET program (Kids In Science and Mathematics - KISMET).

Through the Math Science Partnership (MSP), Wesleyan College collaborates with the Bibb County Public School System to deepen teacher content knowledge in mathematics and science. Funded by the Georgia Department of Education, this program provided 60 hours of continuing professional education during the summer of 2010 and will provide an additional 24 hours of continuing education during the school year for public school teachers. Classes for 3rd and 7th grade teachers, designed and facilitated by Wesleyan College faculty in biology, chemistry and mathematics, are offered in the Munroe Science Center. Through this initiative, Wesleyan impacts the science and math content knowledge of 25 teachers directly, and over 500 elementary school children, indirectly. Nine Wesleyan faculty members have offered classes in this exciting initiative.

The Center also sponsors the successful SPECTACLES summer camps for middle school girls. In its nineteenth year, SPECTACLES offers an exemplary, week-long residential camp experience filled with activities designed to encourage middle-school girls to see science and math in new ways. In the summer of 2010, a new scholarship from the Girls Action Network provided funding that enabled girls from as far away as New Jersey to attend these summer camps.

The Center offers numerous opportunities for students of all ages through various educational outreach programs. For example, Wesleyan's Center provides Science Fair Preparation for students. In its third year, this joint effort of the Bibb County Public School System, Wesleyan College, Macon State College, and the Museum of Arts and Sciences provides a “toolkit” for parents and children, as parents support their children’s science fair experience. In August of 2010, 500 parents and children attended these free, public evening sessions. Download a user's guide to science fair experiments, Three Steps to a Better Science Fair Experience.

Through KISMET, Wesleyan offers valuable resources for math and science teachers. Dozens of sample experiments are available online. (More about KISMET.) The Center for Women in Science & Technology also facilitates school field trips to support science and math laboratory explorations at Wesleyan College. For more information, teachers may contact the Director at 478-757-5276.