Sheryl Ann Tucker

The Magic of Chemistry™ is a hands-on, inquiry-based educational program for junior Girl Scouts (fourth through sixth graders) in the 18 mid-Missouri counties served by the Heart of Missouri Council. It is designed to ignite girls’ interest in science. Workshops are held twice a year, during National Chemistry Week and National Girl Scout Week, on the University of Missouri campus.

Three different workshops — Case of the Unsigned Letter, Fun with Polymers, and Chemistry of Color — rotate annually, allowing juniors to attend a different program every year. In small groups, the girls visit the various workshop stations, where each girl individually completes the experiments. Four hundred girls participate each year (200/workshop). Since 1998, over 3,000 girls and 1,800 volunteers have participated in the program. Cadette and Senior Girl Scouts are invited to take part in the workshops as volunteers.

Sheryl Tucker is the Program founder, coordinator and disseminator.

Mizzou ADVANCE

A National Science Foundation- and University of Missouri-Funded Workforce Diversity Initiative Serving Faculty in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM)

Aligned with the NSF program goals, Mizzou ADVANCE seeks to develop a more diverse workforce by advancing women faculty in STEM, enhancing the excellence of the University of Missouri. The three-year grant educates faculty and administrators on gender equity issues, develops a mentoring system for tenured STEM faculty, identifies barriers to women's advancement, and collects institutional data on the climate, support and resources for women's advancement.

The four Program components are – STRIDE, Mentoring, Interactive Theatre, and Research & Evaluation – of the Mizzou ADVANCE initiative. Unique in many ways, the Mentoring Program serves senior (i.e., associate and full) faculty. Moreover, several layers of coaching are built into the program – one-on-one relationships, peer mentoring, Lunch & Learn sessions and professional development workshops.

Sheryl Tucker is Chair of the Mentoring Program, founding member of the Steering Board and member of ADVANCE Council.

Focus on Faculty

Based on the Mizzou ADVANCE Mentoring Program, Focus on Faculty is a mentoring program for tenured humanities faculty in the College of Arts & Science. Sponsored by the University of Missouri Provost’s Office, this pilot program demonstrates the portability of the Mentoring Program to different disciplines. It also provides professional development activities to senior faculty, while enhancing faculty diversity. Structured similarly, the program assists faculty in achieving their individualized professional goals.

Sheryl Tucker is a founding Program Co-Chair and Advisory Board member.