Gateways East Bay STEM Network Newsletter
April 2014
Issue 20


East Bay STEM Network News

3rd Annual STEM Career Day  

The Institute for STEM Education at CSU East Bay, in partnership withBayer Healthcare, Wareham Development, UC Berkeley, Berkeley City College, and the East Bay EDA hosted their annual STEM Career Awareness Day on April 11th at Wareham Development in Emeryville. Wareham Development provided every student with a video camera and a video challenge, with a first prize of $500 and a private theater showing of the winning video.  Approximately 120 students from Berkeley, Emeryville, Oakland, Oakland Tech, and McClymonds High Schools participated. There were students from the Groundwork Richmond Project as well.

Participating students viewed a Women in STEM video by
CaTameron Bobino, Graduate Student, CSU East Bay (see link below), were treated to remarks from
Keith Carson, Alameda County Board of  Supervisors, and Sarah Kobrinsky, Poet Laureate, City of Emeryville.  

Next students learned about STEM Careers: Pathways, Pitfalls & Possibilities from a panel facilitated by Trina Ostrander, Associate Director, Public Policy and   Comm., Bayer Healthcare.  Panelists included:
Ridder Alvarez, Transportation Engineer, Caltrans;
Jack Cunniff, Ph.D., Regional Sales Manager, Thermo Fisher Scientific; Jateen Bhakta, Co-Founder, Ninja Pandas; Clare Bhakta, Instructor, CSU  East Bay;
Colleen McMahan, Acting Research Leader, US Department of Agriculture.  
 
Afterwards the students loaded onto buses for site tours, hands-on demonstrations and Q&A sessions at local businesses including  Balfour Beatty Construction, Bayer Healthcare, Ex'pressions College, Joint BioEnergy Institute, Kinemed, Meyer Sound, Swerveco, and Wareham Development.  
 
After a catered lunch, students played Network Bingo.  Julie Sinai, Director, Berkeley School Board & Community Relations, UC Berkeley provided closing remarks. 

EARLY MATH CONFERENCE- Why Math Matters: Research ~ Practice ~ Implications

For Professionals involved in preparing Early Childhood Educators, Pre-K-3. 

 

Friday, May 2, 2014

9AM to 3PM

First 5 Alameda Conference Center
1115 Atlantic Ave/Alameda, CA 94501 
 

Why you want to attend :

To hear the latest research on the importance and impact of high quality, research-based early math education and how this research translates into classroom practice and professional development

AND

To discuss implications for classroom practice and to promote awareness of the crucial role of high quality early math instruction in later academic achievement.

 

 Presenters:

  • Linda Platas, Heising-Simons Foundation
  • Kim Bambao, San Mateo County Office of Education
  • Kathy Liu Sun and Cathy Humphreys, Stanford University
  • Prentice Starkey & Alice Klein, WestEd

 Special Guest:

  • Hon. Joan Buchanan, CA Assemblymember, District 16, Chair Assembly Committee on Education

This event is free and we expect to reach capacity.  If you register and your plans change so you are unable to attend please let us know so we can fill your spot from the waitlist.  Complimentary continental breakfast will be available at 8:30 and lunch will be provided. Feel free to share this invitation with colleagues.

 

For registration, please click here. 

 

This event is hosted by Gateways East Bay STEM Network.

Women in STEM Documentary

Please watch this short video created by CaTameron Bobino, a student at California State University, East Bay about Women in STEM.  

 

Here is her description of the project, "Women are throughout the STEM fields, but are misrepresented in the media. Why is this and where are they? I am a Master's student in the Biological Sciences, but I took a Communications class because I wanted to learn more about filming and one day have my own science show. For the class, I had to make a documentary. This is what I made and it is the first time I've ever filmed and edited ANYTHING! So, don't judge too harshly. Dangit Jim, I'm a scientist not a cinematographer!"

 

Please click here to watch the video.

Alameda County Apps Challenge 2014.1

SAT May 3, 2014 

Dublin High School/8151 Village Parkway/Dublin, CA 94568


Hackathon #3: And the Challenge continues...

Calling all residents! Are you a Promoter, Developer, Marketer, Collaborator, and/ or Observer? It doesn't matter what role you fill. Your skills, passion, and enthusiasm are what we need to make a difference for the residents of Alameda County.

 

Join other Alameda County Residents on May 3rd, form a team, join a team or come alone. The choice is yours. Use technology, open data, participate, and collaborate to create your ACApp.


Create a concept, web and/or mobile app that:

  • Will benefit Alameda County residents, businesses and/or visitors and...
  • Uses at least one of the data sets from Alameda County Open Data (click here for that info) or create data about Alameda County
Yes, you can improve your local government and your community. You can make a difference! Take the challenge, the ACApps Challenge 2014.1.  See more by clicking here!

INVITATION: Register Now for the Million Women Mentors Town Hall Online Event

Wednesday, May 7, 2014 2:00- 3:30PM ET

 

 

  

About Million Women Mentors (MWM):

Million Women Mentors is an engagement campaign and national call to action that mobilizes corporations, government entities, non-profit and higher education groups, around the imperative of mentoring girls and young women in STEM fields. Click here to download the Official MWM Brochure.
 

Million Women Mentors Vision and Goals:

Million Women Mentors will support the engagement of one million science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) mentors (male and female) to increase the interest and confidence of girls and young women to persist and succeed in STEM programs and careers.

 

Pledge Now to Mentor:

Since launching on January 8th, Million Women Mentors is joined by 54 national partners who reach over 25 million girls. More than 55,000 have joined the MWM movement thus far by making a commitment to mentor girls and young women in STEM skills.

 

Learn about this new initiative with options to engage as a corporation, organization or individual.

 

During their National Town Hall you will have the opportunity to hear from several corporations and non-profit partners who are taking leadership roles in pledging and mentoring strategies.

 

Please join MWM now in a movement that has met its time, as they mobilize one million men and women to mentor girls and young women in STEM skills!

  

Please register here for the Town Hall to find out how you can be part of this movement.  
For the list and bios of the confirmed speakers, please click here,

 

The Million Women Mentors� Team: 

Founding Platinum Sponsors: Accenture, Cisco, Sodexo and Tata Consultancy Services (TCS). Gold Sponsors: ADP, Alpha Corporation, the Department of Defense, Diana Davis Spencer Foundation, FleishmanHillard, Microsoft Research, Diversified Search and Walmart. Silver sponsors: Adecco Group North America, Freescale, General Motors, Apollo Group, Intellectual Ventures, UST Global and Reston Limousine.  

Maker Faire Bay Area

May 17 & 18, 2014 

San Mateo County Event Center 

1346 Saratoga Drive

San Mateo, CA 94403

SAT 10AM-8PM / SUN 10AM-6PM

 

Part science fair, part county fair, and part something entirely new, Maker Faire is an all-ages gathering of tech enthusiasts, crafters, educators, tinkerers, hobbyists, engineers, science clubs, authors, artists, students, and commercial exhibitors. All of these "makers" come to Maker Faire to show what they have made and to share what they have learned.

 

For more information and to buy tickets, please click here.

OneDublin.org's Women in STEM Series Most Recent Interview

Computer Scientist and Entrepreneur Gayle McDowell on 

Succeeding in Silicon Valley 

 

As part of OneDublin.org's Women in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) Series, they recently spoke with Gayle Laakmann McDowell, a University of Pennsylvania computer science graduate, founder & CEO of CareerCup, and former full-time Google software engineer (and programming intern at Microsoft and Apple during college). Ms. McDowell is also the author of three books targeted at helping candidates secure positions in leading technology companies (The Google ResumeCracking the Coding Interview and Cracking the PM Interview). 

To read this fascinating interview, please click here  to visit OneDublin.org's official website.

Contra Costa STEM Summer Camps

The Contra Costa Economic Partnership (CCEP) has presented an array of Contra Costa STEM Summer Camps since 2004.  Camps are made possible through industry sponsorships and collaboration with business, higher education and key educational institutions in Contra Costa including Chevron, California State University, East Bay, Contra Costa County Office of Education, and the Contra Costa Community College District.

 

Focused on industry sectors in the East Bay which are in high demand and offer careers that are high-skill and high-wage, the STEM Summer Camps are for high school students and teachers who receive Science, Technology, Engineering, Math (STEM) enrichment opportunities each summer. 

 

The summer camp experiences allow students and teachers alike to explore theory and practice in week-long curriculum that blends hands-on exploration, field visits in industry, problem-solving and expert viewpoints combined with college campus exposure and college credit. 

Registration for 2014 summer camps is now open. The activities of the 2013 Camp programs are still listed. Click the title of a camp of your interest to view their programs.The tentative dates for 2014 are:  
 

  

Engineering Summer Camp

June 16-20, 2014 Diablo Valley College 

 

BioTechnology Summer Camp 

July 7-11, 2014 CSU-East Bay, Concord 

   

Environmental Sciences Summer Camp 

July 21-25, 2014 CSU-East Bay, Concord

 

To visit the website, click here. 

 

For more information, contact:

Liz Ritchie, Camp Coordinator
[email protected] (925) 684-4995

Come & Explore Alameda County's Largest Classroom!  

Alameda County Fair offers 

many STEM learning opportunities

 

The Alameda County Fair is a living learning classroom that offers an almost limitless variety of activities and experiences that are not only fun but educational as well! Thousands of exhibits and hundreds of activities await inquisitive minds and offer educational opportunities for the entire family as well as youth groups. The sights, sounds, smells, and tastes at the fair will tickle your senses and create unique learning experiences - in a safe and family friendly environment!

Did you know research shows young people experience learning loss when they do not participate in educational activities during the summer?

 

Plan a field trip to the fair and you and your family can learn about:

Science      Math     Music     Robotics     Agriculture     Environment     Physics     Natural resources    

Solar & wind energy     Water conservation     Horticulture      Recycling     Animals     Sports     Health

Cooking     The arts

 
The Alameda County Fair is offering several programs & exhibits designed to engage and educate your family or youth group. Please read about some of them below and for the full list and Fair website, please click here.
 

STEM Nuggets Program(this program offered on Kids Free Fridays): This program consists of hands-on activities in the special areas of robots, rockets, sun, space, sports, fitness, health, water and wind.  Enjoy activities, exhibits and special guests.

 

RayRAY: (open daily) Located near the red gate, RAY is an attraction that is sure to delight young and old. RAY is a remote control racetrack powered by solar energy.  RAY consists of scale model NASCAR type race cars, steering consoles and lap counter.  The educational exhibit on solar power shows how the sun is used to power the system. Once fairgoers complete the educational circuit, they can participate in the race circuit and compete for the checkered flag.  Be sure to check out the solar energy learning center adjacent to RAY for more solar powered fun.

  

Discovery Quest Program: (offered daily)

An informal program designed for families and youth groups. Discovery Quest is a self-guided tour of the fair offered every day the fair is open. Participants follow a map and choose from a list of activities provided in information packets available on the website and on site. The learning activities for grades K-8 are designed to use existing attractions, venues and exhibits including the carnival rides. The learning concepts are designed in a fun way that includes exploration of questions that can be answered by visiting those areas.


The educational focus includes:

Animal science including biology, health, and care of farm and domestic animals

Earth science focusing on plants, sun, wind and water

Environmental stewardship focusing on recycling, composting and worm farming

Life science including health and wellness

Physics of gravity, forces, momentum and simple machines

Simple math, data collection, probability and statistics

 

Big Green Race:

A race for teams of youths ages 8-18 This adventure will take you all over the fairgrounds for fun and entertaining physical and mental challenges; some challenges are about the fair and some about environmental action. Teams of four work together throughout the race and interact with the fairgoers in educational and entertaining ways. Challenges will be physical and mental and many will focus on "green" activities.  The 2014 race will be held on Sunday, June 22 and $5.00 per team for youth competition and $10 per team for teacher competition. Pre-registration required.

 

Puzzle-mania Exhibit: (open daily) located in Kid's Park near the yellow gate, this family entertainment area offers a challenging, fun new twist to solving all kinds of puzzles - jigsaw, geometric, tangrams, disentanglements - take them apart and put them together. Puzzles have been around for thousands of years. They are made to entertain, stimulate, challenge and rehabilitate the mind. Find your old favorites and try new ones.

Girls Incorporated of Alameda County offers Great STEM Curriculum

Girls Inc. is a nonprofit organization with a mission to inspire all girls to be strong, smart and bold. Girls Inc. offers academic enrichment activities, skill-building programs, and counseling services to girls and their families. Read their recent newsletter here. 

 

  STEM Curriculum

Science, Technology, Engineering, & Math

 

At Girls Inc., they believe girls can do and be anything. For over 20 years they have provided award-winning hands-on, minds-on STEM curriculum to thousands of girls in Alameda County. Beginning in 4th & 5th grades, their girls are budding scientists, building their confidence through interactive experiments and academics. In middle school, their girls can be found creating apps, coding websites, designing digital architecture, and more through Build IT, an interactive technology curriculum designed locally by Girls Inc. of Alameda County and SRI (Stanford Research Institute).

 
Starting in the 8th grade, their young women engage in their green-tech curriculum, InnovaTE^3 (Innovating with Technology as Entrepreneurial Environmental Engineers), also developed by Girls Inc. and SRI. Both of these programs have been scaled nationally. 

Additionally, Eureka! is the only free, multi-year STEM program for underserved, low-income, middle and high school girls in the Bay Area. The program integrates the InnovaTE^3 curriculum with career exploration, college preparation, sports, personal development and internship opportunities. By developing ecologically sustainable innovations, the curriculum offers girls opportunities to explore concepts in physics, chemistry, biology, earth system science and engineering. 

 

They hold a strong commitment to STEM curriculum and innovation, particularly surrounding access for girls from underserved communities. Learn more about their STEM pipeline here.

Job Opportunity: Preptoon looking for Content Writer 

PrepToon is an edTech startup which brings math to life using engaging visuals. Teachers and homeschool parents are using our product to engage and excite their students to learn math.

 

PrepToon is looking for highly qualified, experienced and super creative independent contract content writers to develop Common Core Standards-aligned content for grades 4th and 5th.  It's a telecommuting contract based position.

 

He/She will write multi-step, questions for each standard. The focus will be on both Common Core content and practice standards. All the material submitted under this contract must be original and must not be submitted or used elsewhere. 

 Qualifications: 

 

    You're a TOP notch educator/math coach
    3+ years teaching experience at middle, or secondary levels

    Content writing experience with excellent communication skills. 

    Familiarity with CCSS (content and Practice Standards) must.
     

    

Please email your resume to Joseph Abraham at [email protected]If you know of anyone that might be a great fit please let Joseph know or forward this info. Thank you.

Links to Other STEM Related Publications


Network participants are encouraged to submit any STEM related news that they would like to share in future editions to [email protected]. Bruce can also be contacted to unsubscribe.
In This Issue

East Bay STEM Network News

 

Early Math Conference-Why Math Matters

 

Women in STEM Documentary

 

Alameda County Apps Challenge 2014.1

 

Million Women Mentors Online Town Hall Event

 

Maker Faire

Bay Area

 

OneDublin.Org Women in STEM Series Interview

 

Contra Costa STEM Summer Camps

 

Alameda County's Largest Classroom at the County Fair

 

Girls Incorporated of Alameda County & STEM Learning

 

Job Opportunities:

  

Content Writer for Preptoon

 

 

Links to Other STEM Related Publications 


CSLNet

Contra Costa STEAM Newsletter
Gateways East Bay STEM Network
Co-Chairs
Leroy M. Morishita
President
CSU East Bay

Alexander Zwissler
Executive Director/CEO
Chabot Space and Science Center

Stephanie Couch
Director
Gateways East Bay STEM Network
and
Institute for STEM Education

Bruce Simon
Associate Director
Gateways East Bay STEM Network
CSU East Bay

Amy Miller
Communications
Gateways East Bay STEM Network

Action Group Facilitators

vacant
Early STEM Learning

Jackie Shonerd
STEM in Out-of-School Time

Hilary Haugen Dito
STEM Professional Learning

Pam Comfort,

April Treece, and Julie Sinai
College and Career Pathways
Quick Links
East Bay STEM Network
Our Sponsors
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San Francisco Foundation