May 2012

 Building the Capacity of STEM Practitioners to Develop a Diverse Workforce
     

NGCP Updates  

USA Science & Engineering Festival 

The 2012 USA Science and Engineering Festival was a huge success this past weekend, with more than 150,000 attendees celebrating science at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in DC.  NGCP hosted a "Girl Zone", a reserved area for hands-on activities, interactive demonstrations, and female role models led by NGCP partners and programs. With over 3,000 exhibits and 150 stage shows, there are many wonderful Festival moments to highlight!. Special thanks to Collaborative leadership team volunteers who worked with hundreds of girls over the two days.

NGCP Program Directory - Find Summer Camps!

The online Program Directory lists organizations and programs that focus on motivating girls to pursue STEM careers. The purpose of the directory is to help organizations and individuals network, share resources, and collaborate on STEM-related projects for girls. When you sign up for the Program Directory, you will enter your program description, resources available within your organization, program and/or organizational needs, and contact information. You can search by summer camp offerings in your zip code as well. 

In this webinar participants will learn the basics of the web accessibility. A fully accessible website is one in which all visitors, with or without disabilities, using a variety of devices, can easily find information and access all the features of a site. Participants will learn basic steps they can take to assess whether their website might be excluding particular groups. No prior knowledge is required. This webinar will be presented by Terrill Thompson, Technology Accessibility Specialist at the University of Washington, where his work is supported, in part, by AccessComputing, funded by the National Science Foundation to increase the participation of people with disabilities in computing fields.

 Collaborative News  

PA STEM Girls Collaborative Project Collaboration Forum
State College, PA
May 21, 2012, 9:30 AM - 2:00 PM Eastern
The PA STEM Girls Collaborative Project invites program managers, guidance counselors, business partners, technical professionals, K-12 teachers, and representatives from professional organizations and higher education to join us for a professional development forum, to meet new colleagues and to identify collaboration opportunities. Participants will learn about best practices for successful collaboration and will develop a collaboration action plan.
Register: http://www.ngcproject.org/events/events.cfm?eventid=253

 Exemplary Practice Spotlight

The Exemplary Practice Spotlight for May focuses on fostering family involvement to engage Hispanic/Latino(a) youth in informal learning opportunities. Research findings consistently illustrate a strong relationship between family involvement and positive youth outcomes for Hispanic/Latino(a) youth, including outcomes related to engagement in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Based on a review of the literature, the Computer Science Collaboration Project has identified three strategies to foster family involvement for Hispanic/Latino(a) youth:

• Meaningfully engage families to increase their buy-in, and build their knowledge and social networks;
• Educate family members and other key adults to build youth's network of support and encouragement; and
• Provide culturally competent staff to connect with and get regular input from family members.

For specific examples of how one informal science education program incorporates these strategies, view the NGCP archived webinar Engaging Underserved Youth: Strategies for Family Involvement. Additional resources and background information can also be found in: Engaging Latino Youth in Community-Based Programs and What Works for Latino/Hispanic Children and Adolescents.

 Featured Mini-Grant

Women in Neuroscience (WIN)
A collaboration between the Graduate Women in Science - Psi Chapter (WA) and the Palouse Discovery Science Center (PDSC) created a project for high school girls (ages 15-18) to visit an exhibition entitled "Brain Power" at the PDSC for the opportunity to serve as a core member of a team of "Youth Explainers" at the science center. After orientation, girls became "Women in Neuroscience" (WIN). As WIN, they assisted PDSC visitors to explore the exhibits, and helped the PDSC evaluate exhibit activities. The program encouraged girls to become more aware of their abilities in science and provided an opportunity to gain confidence in assuming leadership roles helping others. Becoming more knowledgeable about neuroscience topics and science careers will increase their interest in pursuing careers in science.
http://www.ngcproject.org/mini-grant/grants.cfm?grantid=49

WEPAN Webinar Stereotype Threat: The Nature and Nurture of Intelligence
May 8, 2012
1:00 PM - 2:00 PM Eastern
Stereotype threat depresses the standardized test performance of black, Latino and female college students. Join this free webinar, conducted by Dr. Joshua Aronson, to learn what we can do to counter the power of these situations and to encourage the expression and the development of intelligent thought and academic achievement.  
Register: https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/556849352

The Rosenthal Prize for Innovation in Math Teaching 

The Afterschool Alliance is partnering with the MetLife Foundation on awards and issue briefs that highlight promising afterschool programs across the country, and for the third year in a row the focus is on middle school youth. Five exemplary afterschool programs that serve middle school youth will win a $10,000 MetLife Foundation Afterschool Innovator Award. Nominations are due May 15, 2012. 

GOT GAME? COMPETITION

Students are invited to compete in the 2012 Spring GOT GAME? Competition. STEM Fuse wants to get students excited about STEM learning by tapping into their natural passion for playing and making video games. The competition is open to high school students ages 15 - current high school seniors. Games must be created using Game Maker or Game Maker Lite (available as a free download). Submission deadline is May 31, 2012. 

Prepárate: Help Prepare Latino Students for Opportunities and Success in Education 

May 31 - June 1, 2012

Prepárate brings together professionals from higher education, secondary schools, middle schools and community-based organizations for thought-provoking sessions and plenary speakers that address crucial topics in education.

Register: http://preparate.collegeboard.org

NASA Seeks Hosts for Space Station Interactive Education Events   

http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2012/apr/HQ_12-105_Hosts_Ed_Downlinks.html

2012 American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) K-12 Workshop
San Antonio, TX
June 9, 2012
This workshop, "Employing Engineering for STEM Learning", will focus on advancing K-12 STEM education in the classroom and is open to pre-college/K-12 educators in STEM, school administrators and counselors, and anyone with an interest in engineering education. Learn about hands-on, innovative, effective ways to integrate engineering education into the STEM classroom. Count on new knowledge and best practices, fun ideas for lessons, useful take-away materials, and networking opportunities. Early bird registration ends on June 1, 2012.
Register: http://www.asee.org/conferences-and-events/conferences/k-12-workshop/2012 

American School Counselors Association (ASCA) 2012 Conference
Minneapolis, MN
June 23-26, 2012
From networking opportunities to educational and professional development sessions, the conference offers a wealth of opportunities to expand your learning - and to meet other school counselors outside the breakout sessions. This year's theme is "Be Brilliant: Celebrating ASCA's Diamond Anniversary." 
Register: http://schoolcounselor.org/regconference.asp 

National Coalition of Girls' Schools (NCGS) 2012 Annual Conference 

June 25-27, 2012

This conference will provide educators with the tools to empower girls in the classroom and beyond to be media-aware girls who can redefine the images and messages that inform and shape their world. NCGS envisions a world where girls not only consume media but learn to look at it with a discerning, critical eye and are motivated to create their own narrative with relevant and authentic digital content.

Register: http://www.ncgs.org/annualconference2012/registration

June 27-29, 2012

STEM Solutions 2012 brings together, for the first time on a national stage, business, education, and government leaders to address the country's mission-critical need for a competitive workforce skilled in science, technology, engineering, and math. Join us as we work to determine the solutions, policies, and collective changes that are needed now to carry our country, and its economy, into the future.

Register: http://www.USNewsSTEMSolutions.com

Part of Counselors for Computing (C4C), this computing and IT pathway card connects students' interests with opportunities in IT and computing that can be achieved through military service and beyond. Information about IT military assignments is linked to future jobs and salaries. C4C is a project of the National Center for Women & Information Technology K-12 Alliance, made possible by the Merck Company Foundation.

A recap of a live chat examines why women lag behind in some areas of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) and what can be done to encourage more young women to pursue careers in STEM fields.

Página Familiar is a full tabloid-sized newspaper page filled with features designed to engage Latino children and families in science featuring kid-friendly bios and interviews with Latino scientists, hands-on activities that can be done at home, and science cartoons. The page is also available to science centers, youth and community organizations, and science teachers who wish to use it with Latino students and families.

http://pulsoglobalnews.com

Research shows that when used effectively, role models can help dispel stereotypes, expand career options and motivate girls to pursue STEM fields. The following are resources and opportunities for meaningful role model experiences. 

• Techbridge Role Models Matter Toolkit provides effective strategies for making role models' outreach and field trips a success. www.techbridgegirls.org/RoleModels/Resources.aspx
• The FabFems role model directory is seeking women STEM professionals to volunteer their time to spark girls' interest in STEM careers.
• NASA G.I.R.L.S. is a virtual mentoring project for girls to interact with women from NASA during the Summer of 2012. women.nasa.gov/nasa-g-i-r-l-s/
• Engineer Your Life lists inspiring women in STEM fields who share pictures, videos and encouraging advice to girls.

White House Releases Report on Women and the Economy

The White House released a new report entitled Keeping America's Women Moving Forward, The Key to an Economy Built to Last. This report examines the ways in which the Administration has worked to ensure women's economic security through all stages of life including young women furthering their education and beginning their careers. STEM degrees and jobs are highlighted.

Your Spitting Image

The Your Spitting Image website and free downloadable educator guide can be used for classroom exploration of forensics, saliva and bioengineering, or in conjunction with a visit to the traveling exhibit at a museum near you. The National Museum of Dentistry uses animated illustrations and interactive activities to help students (grades 6-12) understand basic concepts and make learning engaging and fun.

http://www.dentalmuseum.org/ysi/resources

The EdLab Group is a private, non-profit center with funding from federal and state governments, private foundations, corporations, and individuals. Our mission is to leverage the power of technology and diversity to transform teaching and learning.