In one room, gumdrop buildings are being constructed. Down the hall, strawberries are being smashed into a clumpy juice and being analyzed. Next door, miniature pencil helicopters are flying across the room. Each room boasted a different theme, but every room contained something more important: the world’s next scientists, engineers, doctors and mathematicians.

The Girls Excelling in Math and Science Conference, better known as the GEMS Conference, offered more than 200 area fifth and sixth-grade girls the chance to explore the myriad career opportunities available to them in the Math and Science fields.

"Girls tend to have a high interest [in Math and Science] through fourth and fifth grades and then it starts to decline," Linda Martin, event coordinator said. "We’re trying to inspire them to continue in those fields."

THE 8TH INSTALLMENT of the Conference, which was held at Dogwood Elementary School in Reston, drew girls from the 16 GEMS clubs across Fairfax County. With the support of the Lockheed Martin Corporation and the American Association of University Women, the Conference offered their inspiration in the form of guest speakers and hands-on workshops.

Maj. Suzanne Schultz, member of the D.C. Air National Guard and veteran of the GEMS Conference in 2000, kicked off the day by motivating the girls with her keynote address. Shultz discussed her background and her journey from growing up in North Dakota to flying senators and congressmen across the world. She also offered life advice and insight, which she boiled down to what she refers to as her "five points."

The first point is to find a mentor, which Schulz said will help girls develop a plan for the future, or what she calls a flight plan. The second point is that life is not fair, and that failures should not prevent the attainment of goals. Point three is to "not let anybody tell you ‘no,’" or to pursue dreams even when told that it is impossible. Point four is to embrace one’s diversity. Schulz said that it is important to not be like everyone else and to have pride in the things that make a person different. The fifth and final point is to "take care of each other," and to avoid cattiness or what she calls the "mean girls" scenario.

"It warms my heart that these opportunities are available for girls," Schulz said. "Girls need flight plans, not fairytales."

AFTER LISTENING to the speech, the girls split up into groups, where they took part in three 45-minute workshops that involved math and science experiments and activities that they chose beforehand. The workshops, which were all run by Dogwood teachers, Lockheed Martin engineers and other local professionals, all explored an area of math or science, using fun and educational activities to help teach the girls about a specific topic and to pique their interest in the fields.

One workshop, run by Eboni Cotton, a systems engineer with Lockheed Martin, introduced architecture and engineering, and the girls were required to construct a structure using gumdrops and toothpicks. Another workshop, run by Dr. Michell Vitulli, a veterinarian, taught the girls about the different types of care given to animals and how they rehabilitate and treat them. This station was a big hit, as each girl had a hand wrapped in a colorful bandage and exchanged stories about their dogs and cats.

Yet another station, this one moderated by Keisha Shepherd, a project engineer at Lockheed, taught the girls the principles of microprocessing. Shepherd taught the girls how important giving comprehensive directions is by having the girls split into groups and draft a set of directions on how to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Shepherd then made the sandwich following the directions literally, which lead to many laughs.

"The main point is to give them a hands-on experience," Martin said. "That way they are really involved and engaged instead of sitting and listening to a lecture."

THE 100 PARENTS that joined their daughters were treated with a workshop of their own, which may have not been as much fun as the "Gumdrop Challenge" up in room 253, but it was just as informative. In four different rooms, they learned about the many academic opportunities available to the girls in the Fairfax County Public School system. The selection of advanced classes was discussed, along with the language immersion programs and technological offerings. A question and answer session featuring South Lakes High School and Langston Hughes Middle School and their respective principals was held as well.

After the final bell to signify the end of the conference, a steady stream of girls filed out of the classrooms, not only equipped with armfuls of all the things they made in each workshop, but also the knowledge that their love of math and science does not have to begin and end with the classroom.

"We’re really here to inspire girls to consider these opportunities," Martin said. "We are about opening doors and opening minds. We are all about inspiring."