ABSTRACT
The VISTA intervention was a central feature of the Girls into Science and Technology (GIST) project as originally conceived because it appeared to combine the merits of providing girls with role models of women in 'masculine' occupations and offering first-hand experience of science and technology as interesting and socially useful endeavors. The VISTA scheme broke new ground in two senses: were specifically aiming to bring women visitors and only women visitors in to the school, and also wanted to include non-graduate women working at all levels from craft apprenticeship upwards to visit our classes. The method choose for recruiting and then briefing the women operated essentially on a self-selection system, with some women deciding at each stage that they could not, or did not want to go ahead to the point of making school visits. The visitors offered their own ideas and suggestions at this stage about how girls could be encouraged to consider careers in science and technology.
