TxGCP eNewsletter
 
August 2011
Greetings!

Happy Summer! The new school year is almost upon us. Our TxGCP eNewsletter arrives ~monthly in your inbox to learn about science, technology, engineering and math resources, educational opportunities and more around Texas and beyond!

Water Works Underwater LEGO® Robotics

 

APPLICATION IS OPEN!  Water Works educator training is scheduled for January 9-12, 2012.  Don't miss out on this exciting opportunity to excite kids (girls in particular) about robotics and to gain access to full kits to run your summer camp.

 

This past January 2011, 31 educators from 17 organizations across Texas were trained on the high school camp curriculum.  Camps are being offered this summer - check the website for sites and dates around the state.  

 

To also learn more about the project, check out the great media coverage from Texas State Technical College in Waco.

K-12 STEM Forums Scheduled Around TX
 
K-12 STEM Outreach Forums are scheduled around the state for this fall and spring.  Additional details and forum dates will be shared as they become available. Forums will include lots of networking, resource sharing and the launch of regional TxGCP Leadership Teams. Contact Tricia Berry for any specific regional requests or questions or if you organization would like to host a forum.
  • Tuesday, September 27, 4:30 - 6 p.m. - Girlstart STEM Center, Austin
  • Tuesday, October 18, TBD - El Paso
  • Thursday, November 10, TBD - Houston
  • Wednesday, November 16, TBD - Dallas/Fort Worth
  • Wednesday, February 15, TBD - UT Tyler, Tyler
  • Spring TBD - Corpus Christi
  • Spring TBD - Laredo
Regional K-12 STEM Outreach Listservs
 
To help create a community of K-12 STEM Outreach providers, supporters, educators and organizations, regional listservs have been created.  These groups are all about sharing resources, information, events, volunteers, needs, and more with others reaching out to K12 students aiming to excite them about science, technology, engineering and math (STEM).  Join whichever group(s) make sense for you and start collaborating, connecting, communicating and sharing!

 

More groups to come!  Contact Tricia Berry for any specific regional requests or questions.

Are You Listed in the Program Directory?

 

Gain access to mini-grants and have the first shot at opportunities such as the Water Works camp curriculum, role model training and other curriculum and resource dissemination across Texas!  Sign up your program, organization and/or event in the National Girls Collaborative Project Program Directory.  Join over 170 listings from across Texas and find collaborators and other STEM educators in your area. Registration is free...can't get better than that!

 

Conferences, Reports, Articles, Resources

 

National Girls Collaborative Project Webcast: Making Programs More Inclusive and Accessible for Youth with Disabilities, September 28, 2011, 10 - 11 a.m., Register or learan more online!

 

City of Waco Engineering Day 2011, October 18, 2011, Waco Convention Center, Waco, TX - The purpose of the day is to generate interest in engineering among students. Hosted by the City of Waco Engineering Department, exhibitors and volunteers are needed and all schools/students are welcome. Contact George Hill <GeorgeH@ci.waco.tx.us> to get involved.

 

Texas Science & Engineering Festival, November 5-6, 2011, Austin Convention Center, Austin, TX - Hands-on activity booths, partners and sponsors wanted.  Check out the website for details about this great community event.  TxGCP will be there!

 

National Afterschool Association 2012 Conference coming to Dallas - April 2-4, 2012, Gaylord Texan hotel, Grapevine, TX

 

Girls Win Big at Google Science Fair - More than 10,000 applicants from 91 countries entered the online contest and the three winners were girls!

 

STEM Education Report from the Commerce Department - Good Jobs Now and for the Future 

 

Report from the National Research Council identifies key factors in boosting student interest in STEM courses - Successful K-12 STEM Education: Identifying Effective Approaches in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics

 

WGBH and the Association for Computing Machinery collaborative marketing campaign - New Image for Computing - aimed to bring more girls into the science-major pipeline

 

Race matters when recruiting, retaining undergraduate women - report from the Project to Assess Climate in Engineering (PACE) out of the University of Washington (note that Texas A&M, Texas Tech, UT Austin, and UT El Paso participated in PACE)

 

New Approach Proposed for Science Curriculums - from the National Research Council's Framework for K-12 Science Education
The TxGCP eNewsletter is distributed approximately once a month. Visit the TxGCP web site for additional updates on upcoming events, resources and mini-grant information.
Share Your Events and News 
Submit information or events to be included in future TxGCP eNewsletters. Complete the short online form.  Remember TxGCP eNewsletters are typically sent at the beginning of each month.
I Was Wondering
The Web site iWASwondering.org is a project of the National Academy of Sciences intended to showcase the accomplishments of contemporary women in science and to highlight for young people the varied and intriguing careers of some of today's most prominent scientists.

 
The activities and experiences of the biography series and Web site are inspired by the lives of 10 remarkable contemporary women scientists. The
teacher guide suggests ways that the content of this project can be used as a teaching tool in the classroom and offers ideas for extending the content with additional questions and activities.
The Women's Adventures in Science (WAS) project is designed to support kids, especially girls, in their scientific explorations so they learn the fundamental skills of scientific investigation and feel empowered to tackle such adventures.
About TxGCP
Texas Girls Collaborative Project
The Texas Girls Collaborative Project (TxGCP) connects organizations and individuals across Texas committed to informing and motivating girls to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). The TxGCP is excited to provide opportunities across Texas for collaboration, networking, sharing of best practices, and leveraging of resources through in-person forums, email listservs and mini-grants.   

Led by the Women in Engineering Program (WEP) at The University of Texas at Austin along with a dynamic Leadership Team and Champions Board, the TxGCP brings together advocates and leaders from non-profits, K-12 schools, higher education institutions, companies and organizations across the state of Texas. 
About NGCP
National Girls Collaborative Project
The vision of the National Girls Collaborative Project (NGCP) is to bring together organizations throughout the United States and Puerto Rico that are committed to informing and encouraging girls to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).