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The IN STEM Girls Collaborative Project e-newsletter seeks to support efforts in gender and diversity-related issues surrounding STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) fields.
In this inaugural issue:
We hope you enjoy the quarterly newsletter. Please feel free to send any comments/suggestions to either of us.
INGCP Newsletter Editors:
Jennifer Groh, PhD
Associate Director, Women in Engineering Program
Purdue University
jgroh@purdue.edu
Terri Schulz
Senior Director of School Engagement
Project Lead The Way
tschulz@pltw.org
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| |  Welcome from INGCP Lead, Bev Bitzegaio | |  Welcome to the Indiana Girls Collaborative Project (INGCP) quarterly newsletter. We are happy to provide exciting news, share information, and otherwise enhance our collaborative efforts to bring INDIANA organizations together to inform and encourage girls to pursue careers in STEM. We are fortunate to be well connected to the National Girls Collaborative Project (NGCP) which offers incredible resources at a national level. Our intent with this newsletter is to complement the national communication with STATE news and resources. Please subscribe to the NGCP newsletter to receive a broader array of resources.
March is National Women's History Month which offers us a great opportunity to celebrate STEM women in Indiana. I encourage you to help us "share your past and spark a future" by becoming an online role model through FabFems. It's an easy and effective way to reach out to girls who might share your interests. I also encourage you to post on our INGCP Facebook page to help us spread the word about Indiana women in STEM. Don't miss your opportunity to connect with all of us at the statewide conference on March 19, "STEM-ulating Collaboration: Sustaining Equity and Resources for Indiana Girls." I invite you to contact me if you are involved in a group that would like to be a part of sustaining the NGCP vision through a statewide leadership system - be sure to attend the session, "All Together Now" to get involved. More about the conference is provided below - I hope to see you there! |
| | Spotlight on an INGCP Leadership Team or Champions Board Member | | |
Terri Schulz, Champions Board Member
Organization and Title: Senior Director of School Engagement, PLTW
Why did you join INGCP? I joined INGCP because I am interested in collaborating with groups that are focused on increasing access to STEM fields for underrepresented populations. As I visit PLTW pre-engineering programs, I rarely see more than two or three girls in a class. These girls are often the top students in the classes, but there are so few of them. My goal is to increase female representation in STEM classes and a partnership with the INGCP is a terrific way to do that. Both INGCP and PLTW have incredible resources. Collaboration is the key to making the most of the resources. Check out the new PLTW video, Go Girl: Engineering a bright future for today's girls.
What drives or motivates you?
The kids motivate me. They have so much curiosity and creativity. I feel that education can be challenging and engaging. It should stimulate a love of learning. Most students are remarkably bright, but they are bored in school. We lose so much potential by not engaging them in learning that is relevant to their lives. I am motivated to help change that, so students are driven to learn because they want to. The ability to help more students engage in learning relevant, challenging content is what drives me.
What do you like to do in your free time? I like to travel and spend time with family and friends. I love flowers, gardening and spending time outdoors. I am a lifelong learner and am in the process of writing a dissertation. The topic is bridging the gender divide in STEM, so I spend a lot of my free time reading and writing about girls in STEM. |
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| | Spotlight on INGCP Organization | | 
How does your organization meet the mission of INGCP?
The Girls Inc. mission is to inspire all girls to be strong, smart, and boldŽ and to work toward our vision of empowered girls and an equitable society.
We are committed to providing girls with opportunities and experiences that build skills and capabilities for a responsible, confident and economically self-sufficient adulthood. We do this through programs that address the needs of girls today, including STEM-focused programming. Through initiatives like Girls Inc. Day and Girls Inc. Operation SMART, girls develop enthusiasm for and skills in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Girls engage in hands-on activities that encourage them to explore, ask questions, and solve problems.
What has been one of the greatest moments/impacts for your organization recently?
We have so much to celebrate right now! In 2013 we served 4,322 Greater Indianapolis girls through more than 7,700 program enrollments, with many girls enrolling in multiple Girls Inc. programs. We are able to reach so many girls thanks to our hundreds of trained volunteer program facilitators and the more than 100 local schools and community organizations where our six-week-long programs are led.
One incredible event from last year was our annual Girls Inc. Day-a Saturday dedicated exclusively to introducing girls to STEM fields and getting them excited about the possibilities. In collaboration with the IUPUI School of Informatics, more than 100 girls learned about web design, HTML and CSS coding, and careers in technology. The girls learned from women working in technology, toured the school's virtual reality lab and advanced visualization lab, and learned to code their own web pages.
We can't wait for our 2014 Girls Inc. Day in April, which will feature aeronautical engineering challenges, a speaker from NASA, 3D modeling and printing, and video game coding. The 2014 collaboration involves the Purdue Women in Engineering Program (fellow INGCP member) and IUPUI School of Informatics.
What advice would you like to share with others in Indiana who have common interests with INGCP?
At Girls Inc. of Greater Indianapolis, our STEM initiatives depend on our amazing partnerships. We've learned that by working collaboratively to leverage community resources, we are able to give girls access to incredibly valuable opportunities. Tapping into the wealth of talent and resources here in Indiana magnifies the impact any one person or organization can make. That's why we love working with the National Girls Collaborative Project!
In closing...
Learn more about our work! We are always training new volunteers to facilitate our girl-empowering programs. |
| | Updates & Upcoming INGCP Events | |
INGCP Spring Conference
Plan to attend: STEM-ulating Collaboration: Sustaining Equity and Resources for Indiana GIrls on March 19, 2014, in Indianapolis (8:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.). This conference is open to all individuals and organizations, including but not limited to, afterschool providers, school administrators, engineers, technical professionals, business partners, members of professional organizations, K-12 educators, and university staff. Keynotes by Congresswoman Susan Brooks, Ind.-5th District and Glenda Ritz, State Superintendent of Public Instruction. Professional development and networkings sessions focus on three areas: (1) Gender equity in STEM; (2) Collaboration and sustainability of resources; and (3) Resources for K-12, counselors and out-of-school providers.
This conference is made possible by the generous support of the Indiana Space Grant Consortium and the Indiana Department of Education (both INGCP members).
INGCP Facebook page -- Like Us Now!
If you enjoy keeping up with others through Facebook, check out the INGCP Facebook page for photos of recent INGCP events and more! A link to Facebook will also always be at the bottom of the newsletter.
Indiana Mini Grants Announcement
Congratulations to the 2014 INGCP mini-grant winners!
Through support from the National Girls Collaborative Project (NGCP), Indiana Girls Collaborative Project (INGCP) will soon open its Spring Mini-Grants round. Mini-Grants are small, seed funding grants with a maximum award of $1000.
Mini-Grants are awarded to girl-serving science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) programs to support collaboration, address gaps and overlaps in service, and share exemplary practices. The requirements to apply are:
- Collaboration between at least two programs from different organizations
- Programs must be registered in the INGCP Program Directory (takes several days for new registrant to post)
- Lead program must be in Indiana
- Project must be longer than one day
Preference will be given to programs that incorporate innovative project designs, use exemplary practices, are new program collaborations, and have strong evaluation methods.
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| | Girl-Serving STEM Events & Resources | | |
Fostering Gender Equality in Engineering by Roger Green*
INGCP introduction to this article: While INGCP organizations focus on helping girls to see STEM as a viable career choice, we need to engage, as allies, those who comprise the STEM majority in order to foster lasting cultural changes. As Roger puts it, ask others "what they view as the top areas of critical national importance, and then ask them if they think a 60 percent increase in our resource and talent capability to tackle those challenges is worth a little personal commitment and future effort. If so, invite them to join us as we work together towards the goal of gender equality."
Introduction from Roger Green: "Gender inequality disadvantages women, certainly, but it also hurts men, reduces the effectiveness and competitiveness of businesses and organizations, and diminishes our nation's capability to address and solve global challenges....Particularly in the male-dominated fields of STEM, gender equality requires the cooperation, commitment, and active participation of men. This focus on men has been the cornerstone of North Dakota State University (NDSU) Advocates and Allies program [NSF funded with the goal to] learn about gender equality (or lack thereof); inform men about, among other topics, gender discrimination, implicit bias, and male privilege, and then equip those men with skills and individual actions to help promote gender equity; and effectively advocate on behalf of my female colleagues".
To view the full list of tips (8 total), visit the article by the Women in Engineering Division (WIED) of American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE). Then - tell us your thoughts on this discussion.
Advocacy Tip # 1
Many men, particularly those in STEM, lack knowledge of gender equality issues, research, and literature. Furthermore, lack of knowledge is a key force that undermines men's engagement as gender equality allies (Prime and Moss-Racusin, 2009). Our first tip, therefore, is to encourage men to do some reading. The web-available report "Engaging Men in Gender Initiatives: What Change Agents Need to Know" by Jeanine Prime and Corinne Moss-Racusin is a good place to start. The "Advocates and Allies: References & Recommended Reading" recommends many other relevant and interesting reading items. Knowledge is the foundation for engagement and action.
*Roger Green, North Dakota State University Associate Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering and NDSU Advance FORWARD Advocate for Gender Equality
Spring STEM Programming for Girls in Indiana
Summer STEM Programming for Girls in Indiana
Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College is planning Today's Women in STEM Tomorrow (TWIST) summer camp on June 23-27, 2014 from 9 am - 4 pm daily. The camp will feature fun, interactive STEM activities for girls in 6-8th grade. For more information, please contact Dr. Anneliese Payne. |
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Mission Statement for NGCP and INGCP | |
Visit the National Girls Collaborative Project (NGCP) online to learn more, including how you can register your girl-serving program in the NGCP directory. The vision of the NGCP is to bring together organizations throughout the United States that are committed to informing and encouraging girls to pursue careers in STEM. The NGCP engages project participants from every sector, including K-12 educators, higher education faculty, industry and business leaders, community-based organizations, and government. A benefit of participation in NGCP is the support of a community of individuals and organizations working together in an important national effort to improve STEM education for girls.
Visit the Indiana Girls Collaborative Project (INGCP) online to learn more about the leadership, activities, and events in Indiana. The mission of INGCP is to connect girl-serving organizations/individuals in our state and complement the mission/activities of the NGCP. The benefit of participation in INGCP is the support and collaborations that arise from networking with others working together to increase the number of girls in Indiana pursuing STEM careers. |
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