EYH at Cornell officially began in 1988. In 1987 a groups of graduate students invited about 30 girls and parents to Cornell to discuss the benefits and impacts of math and science. The grad students discussed their degree programs, thesis projects, course work, and how math and science had helped them. The girls asked questions about different majors, job opportunities and difficulties they might face. The girls said that they would like to do some experiments the next year and EYH was born. In 1988 we found the EYH Network and conducted a conference very similar to what is still run today.

From the beginning, Cornell's EYH Conference has been organized and run by (mostly) graduate student volunteers from departments all over Cornell. The number of workshops has increased from 15 to over 30, and changes like a bus service have been introduced, but the focus on hands-on science exploration has remained the same. We are also one of the only EYH conferences to offer breakfast and lunch to participants, and we have always done this.

EYH was initially offered to 6-8th graders. The program became so popular that for a period in the 1990s it was offered only bi-annually to different school districts. This became too complicated, so in 1998 the invitation to 6th graders was dropped so that we could focus on 7-8th graders. This decision was based on a study by the AAUW showing that the critical years where girls loose interest in math and science are the 7-10th grades, and comments from volunteers that the 6th graders had the most trouble with the activities. The removal of the 6th grade meant that EYH could again be offered to all school districts in New York at the same time. In 2003 the conference was opened to 9th graders, again based on studies showing that these years are a critical time for girls. In 2004 and 2005 we turned away almost as many applicants as were able to attend, and in 2006 we filled our available spots in three days. In 2008 we expanded the conference capacity by 50 girls and began recruitment of girls from minority and rural backgrounds. We also took five workshops to Lansing Residential and were therefore able to bring the EYH experience to 40 additional girls. We will continue to offer EYH to 7th-9th graders in all school districts on a first-come-first-serve basis.

Cornell EYH Timeline

Year	~# girls	Comments	Chairs
1987	30	not associated with M&SN
1988	50	6th-8th graders, 45-min workshops
1989	75
1990	100
1991	130	first bus service (for ~20 workshops)
1992	250	workshops increased to 60 min
1993	250	workshops increased to 70 min
1994	150-200	only Northern half of NY invited
1995	150-200	only Southern half of NY
1996	150-200	Northern NY
1997	N/A	not run - no faculty advisor
1998	130	6th grade dropped, all NY invited
1999	120
2000	120
2001	120
2002	220		Carrie Stearns
2003	220	9th grade invited for the first time	Carrie Stearns, Jennifer Oaksmith
2004	220	Call Auditorium used for first time	Jennifer Oaksmith, Kate Papay, Karen Masters
2005	180	lunchtime activity introduced	Karen Masters, Kristin Price, Lisa Larrimore
2006	225	registration filled in 3 days	Lisa Larrimore, Lindsay Batory, Amélie Saintonge
2007	240		Lindsay Batory, Robin Smith, Lena Fitting
2008	270	workshops also at Lansing Residential	Robin Smith, Amy Richter, Lena Fitting
2009	250		Josie Gruver, Lauren Childs, Robin Smith
2010			Sharon Gerbode, Robin Smith, Sarah Short

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Expanding Your Horizons
Cornell University
eyh@ccmr.cornell.edu
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