Some girls get tattoos of flowers. Jackie Seslar has a carbon molecule tattooed on her right arm.

"I'm a chemistry nerd," she explained.

Her tattoo also includes the words, "Never give up." That's Seslar's motto as she plows through her junior year at Oregon State University.

It's also her message for middle school girls who want to become scientists. Dozens of girls from across Western Oregon came to OSU on Saturday to learn about science and meet role models such as Seslar.

Seslar understands the value of role models. She was inspired to become a chemist by one of her high school teachers. "That's the way it goes," she said. "You take a class from a really good teacher, and you just want to keep going."

Saturday's workshop, titled "Discovering the Scientist Within," was sponsored by OSU because of statistics that say girls shy away from science.

Lindsey Rautsch of Albany, 12, certainly isn't shy.

When girls were asked what they want to be as grown-ups, her arm shot up like a rocket. "I want to be an engineer and work with solar power and wind," she said.

Eliza Jandrasi, 12, said she likes engineering but has her heart set on being a politician. How far does she want to go with her ambitions? "As far as I can," she said.

Girls had their chance to visit various departments on campus and experience the scientific field of their choice. For Lauren Jansen of Corvallis, there was only one choice: "Bugs!"

"Bugs are so cool," she said.

She even owns a pet praying mantis. "This one time, it crawled all over my face."

Lauren also wanted to learn about veterinary science. "So I can take care of a friend's iguana," she said.

Kristin Patton of OSU's College of Veterinary Medicine said she understands the allure of her discipline. It's a deep, dark secret to most kids, she said.

"They want to know what goes on there," she said. "It seems to be a popular choice."