Katelynn Thrall couldn't wait to get her hands on some reptiles, especially lizards.

"I like lizards more than snakes," she said. "Without the arms and legs, snakes are a little creepy."

Katelynn, a sixth-grader at Philomath Middle School, was joined by about 50 middle school girls and parents on Saturday for a science and engineering workshop held on the Oregon State University campus.

The workshop, titled "Discover the Scientist Within," invited the girls to explore science and engineering careers at Oregon State through tours with students and faculty and hands-on experiences.

Thrall's group learned about careers in pharmacy before heading over to see the reptiles. Students in the pharmacy program helped the girls make tubes of flavored lip balm and talked about their own experiences.

"I knew I always wanted a career in the medical field, but I was squeamish about the blood and guts," said Kimberly Russell, a fourth-year pharmacy student.

Others learned about the OSU Veterinary School, chemistry, food science and the Bug Zoo.

According to the National Science Foundation, practically the same number of girls and boys report liking science in elementary school.

Over time, though, girls tend to drop away from technical careers for a variety of reasons, including a lack of role models, stereotypes and overly aggressive "weeding out" classes in college.

Sujaya Rao, an assistant professor of entomology who coordinated the workshop, said parents can have a dramatic impact in helping daughters to pursue science and succeed.

"Typically, when you ask kids what they want to do when they grow up, they say doctor or vet," she said. "There are not enough role models, so you get this thing that happens where it's not cool to be a scientist or it's not cool to be an engineer, but it can be done."

Pam Parrish, whose daughter Allie was busy melting ingredients for her lip balm, said the OSU professors provided some insights into overcoming obstacles to science jobs.

"Math was a big part of it," Parrish said. "Not necessarily skills, but just keeping them interested."

The OSU workshop was held for over 30 years, Rao said, but hasn't been held for the past four. She's hoping it comes back as a regular event.

The half-day workshop was sponsored by the OSU Provost's Office and the Science and Math Investigative Learning Experiences Program.