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Building the Capacity of STEM Practitioners to Develop a Diverse Workforce
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NGCP Updates
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 January is National Mentoring Month
Mentors play an essential role in preparing girls for a bright future. During National Mentoring Month, we celebrate the contributions of all those who cultivate a supportive environment for the next generation, and we recommit to expanding mentorship opportunities across our networks. The online NGCP Program Directory is a great resource for finding scientists and engineers to meet with girls, as well as finding other programs that offer mentoring. You will also find several mentoring resources highlighted in this newsletter. January is a great month for encouraging girls to visit FabFems to search profiles, connect with role models, and find resources on career pathways.
NGCP Webinar: Recruiting, Training, and Retaining Role Models to Inspire Girls in STEM
January 23, 2012; 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM Pacific
In honor of National Mentoring Month in January, presenters from Techbridge and FabFems will discuss how to effectively provide role models and mentors for girls, including strategies for recruiting, retaining and recognizing professional volunteers. Participants will experience interactive activities, resources, and role model stories that will help craft engaging experiences that dispel stereotypes and ignite girls' interest in STEM careers.
Register: http://www.ngcproject.org/recruiting-training-and-retaining-role-models-inspire-girls-stem
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Collaborative News
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GRITS Collaborative Project Collaboration Conference: Building STEM Capacity for Girls in the South
Murfreesboro, TN
February 6-8, 2013
Hosted by Girls Raised in Tennessee Science (GRITS) Collaborative Project, the MTSU WISTEM Center, Expanding Your Horizons (EYH) Network, and the AAUW Foundation, this conference features professional development workshops focusing on tools and techniques needed to establish EYH Conferences for interested community groups, professional organizations, industrial and government agencies, and higher education. Participants will learn strategies to increase minority participation, identify effective fundraising strategies and use of publicity, post- evaluation and online EYH conference registration, and workshop leader content management systems. A special workshop titled Role Models Matter will be provided by Techbridge.
Register: http://www.ngcproject.org/grits-collaborative-project-annual-conference-building-stem-capacity-girls-south
Great Plains Girls Collaborative Project Kick-Off
Sioux Falls, SD
March 21, 2013; 6:30 PM - 10:00 PM Central
Program managers, guidance counselors, business partners, technical professionals, teachers, and representatives from professional organizations and higher education are invited to participate in this professional development opportunity and receive information about the Great Plains Girls Collaborative Project, which serves North Dakota, South Dakota and parts of Minnesota. This initiative will provide mini-grants, professional development, and free resources to help increase the participation of girls in STEM. Participants will learn more about the NGCP model, how this initiative can help their program, and identify collaboration opportunities by networking with colleagues.
Register: http://www.ngcproject.org/great-plains-girls-collaborative-kick
Texas Girls Collaborative Project - WACO SciGirls Educator Training
Waco, TX
March 26, 2013
SciGirls is an Emmy-award winning PBS television series and website dedicated to changing the way millions of girls think about STEM. Participants will practice proven strategies for engaging girls in STEM while building a device to measure wind speed, lighting up a room with dough creatures, and more. This training is hosted by the Texas Girls Collaborative Project and Texas State Technical College. Participants will have the opportunity to learn about the latest research for exciting and engaging girls (and boys) in STEM, participate in hands-on activities, obtain curriculum that puts a creative twist on teaching STEM, learn how to modify activities to engage youth using the SciGirls Seven, and discover online resources that enhance teaching and learning experiences for all youth.
Register: http://www.ngcproject.org/texas-girls-collaborative-project-waco-scigirls-educator-training
NGCP Collaborative Mini-Grants
NGCP mini-grants are designed to enhance access to and build collaboration between programs and resources. Mini-grant application resources, including a sample application, exemplary practices, project ideas, evaluation requirements, frequently asked questions and glossary are available online at: http://www.ngcproject.org/mini-grants. Upcoming grant opportunities will be available in the following Collaborative:
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FabFems Spotlight
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 The FabFems Spotlight highlights women from the FabFems Role Model Directory. FabFems are enthusiastic about the science and technology work they do and want to inspire a future generation of FabFems. Visit FabFems to search profiles, connect with role models, and find resources on career pathways.
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 Meet Keshia Ashe from Newington, CT. She was a quiet and reserved child growing up, but came out of her shell as she discovered her passion for track and field and community involvement. She led youth-focused organizations and worked with adults to teach them the benefit of incorporating youth perspective in strategic decision-making. Keshia went on to study Biomedical Engineering at the University of Virginia, but never lost her interest in youth advocacy. She participated as a youth mentor to middle school girls and served as an international youth trainer. She is currently a Chemical Engineering Ph.D. candidate at the University of Connecticut where she works on ligament tissue engineering research. Alongside working on her Ph.D., Keshia's passion for mentoring has led her to co-create ManyMentors, a nonprofit organization focused on virtual mentorship for high school students in the Hartford County area. Keshia is an amazing role model and mentor who works diligently so "all young people can benefit from the inspiration, encouragement, and support caring peer mentors can provide." To learn more about Keshia Ashe, visit her FabFems profile at: http://www.fabfems.org/users/keshia-ashe. If you or someone you know is interested in becoming a FabFem, visit: http://www.fabfems.org.
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Upcoming STEM Events
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Kid Inventors' Day
January 17, 2013
Television, water skis, earmuff, the Popsicle; what do they all have in common? All were invented by kids. Celebrate this day to acknowledge past and present accomplishments of kid inventors and to encourage the creativity of future inventors. Visit the Kid Inventors' Day website for links to contests, competitions, teacher's guides, and tips. http://www.kidinventorsday.com
STEMconnector TownHall Conference Call: STEM Students & STEM Jobs National ReportJanuary 30, 2013; 3:00 - 4:00 PM EasternThis webinar will present the findings of the national report, Where are the STEM Students? What are their Career Interests? Where are the STEM Jobs? The objective of this call is to convene thought leaders, key voices from across the stakeholder community to present perspectives from industry, government, education and non-profits working on STEM issues. This new report identifies the STEM interests of more than one million U.S. high school students interested in pursuing STEM careers, and links them to increasing demand for STEM jobs. Register: https://events.r20.constantcontact.com/register/eventReg?oeidk=a07e6vp9btja6c0c77a
Beyond School Hours XVI ConferenceJacksonville, FLFebruary 20-23, 2013At this educational conference educators and administrators will have the opportunity to network, share ideas, and engage in professional development and capacity building. Each day will feature a different celebration, beginning with a Beyond School Hours sweet 16 birthday bash. Register: http://www.foundationsinc.org/beyond-school-hours-xvi
International Technology and Engineering Educators Association (ITEEA) Annual ConferenceColumbus, OHMarch 7-9, 2013The ITEEA is a professional association concerned with providing and meeting the professional development needs of classroom teachers, supervisors, curriculum writers, and teacher educators who are interested in developing technological literacy. The theme for this year's conference is Improving Technology and Engineering Education for all Students: A Plan of Action. Register: http://www.iteea.org/Conference/registration.htm
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| Resources |
January is National Mentoring Month National Mentoring Month focuses national attention on the need for mentors to guide our youth. Research shows girls benefit from relationships with role models and mentors who can provide valuable information about STEM careers.
http://www.nationalmentoringmonth.org
MentorNet
MentorNet's mission is to help engineering and science students at the university level by matching them with mentors and guiding their one-on-one relationships over the Web. MentorNet enables students to achieve their career goals and works to diversify the engineering and science workforce by focusing on women and underrepresented minorities. This program is offered at no cost to students with an .edu email address who intends to enter the STEM field.
Role Models in Science & Engineering Achievement
The USA Science & Engineering Festival has added a new feature on their website highlighting "Role Models in Science & Engineering Achievement". These STEM profiles include a variety of pioneers in their field. This is a useful resource for teachers, students, and STEM enthusiasts.
http://www.usasciencefestival.org/schoolprograms/2014-role-models-in-science-engineering.html
 Curious George Activity Guide
The team that produces the PBS Curious George series has developed a free activity guide that invites parents to join their children (grades K-1) in exploring science, engineering, and math through play. The guide can be used in the classroom as a handout for children to bring home and share with their parents and siblings or as the basis for afterschool programming.
http://www.pbs.org/parents/curiousgeorge/activities/pdf/CG_ActivityGuide.pdf
DO-IT Scholarship Web Page for Youth with Disabilities
An important part of preparing for college is figuring out how to pay for it. DO-IT has a new web page with information about scholarships, including deadlines, award amounts, and eligibility. Using an interactive sorting tool, you can filter scholarships by disability or other criteria. http://www.washington.edu/doit/Student/scholarships.html
 EngineerGirl! Essay Contest: Essential To Our Health
The EngineerGirl! website provides career descriptions, profiles of successful women engineers, information about exciting engineering projects, and interactive tools for girls, parents, teachers, and guidance counselors, designed to encourage girls to pursue an engineering education and career. EngineerGirl! has announced their annual Essay Contest. Students (grades 3-12) are asked to describe an advance in the treatment or prevention of a disease, from a preselected disease category, developed through engineering. Winners will receive cash prizes. Submission deadline: March 1, 2013.
http://www.engineergirl.org/GetThere/Contest/2013Contest.aspx
Girls RISE Resources Directory
The Girls RISEnet resource catalog is a dynamic listing of crowd-sourced research and resources on engaging girls in engineering.
http://www.girlsrisenet.org/resource/list
 NCWIT's Girls in IT: The Facts
This new National Center for Women & Information Technology (NCWIT) resource brings together the latest research on increasing girls' participation in computing, by providing a coherent picture of the current state of computing for girls, the key barriers to increasing girls' participation, and promising practices for addressing these barriers. Read the resource online, request printed copies, and share the infographic.
http://www.ncwit.org/resources/girls-it-facts
SciGirls Simulation Game: Busy as a Bee
This simulation game immerses kids in the ecologically vital world of honeybees. Part Farmville, part Tamagotchi, players must manage the population of bees in their hive and visit other users' gardens for nectar, building on the unique social network of the SciGirls website.
http://pbskids.org/scigirls/busy-as-a-bee-game
NGCP Program Directory - Search for Collaborating Programs or Register Your Program Today!
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. NGCP has created a publication called Build Your Collaborative Network with the NGCP Program Directory which provides an overview of the Program Directory as an effective collaboration tool to maximize impact for your program and/or organization.
http://www.ngcproject.org/programs
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| Global Resources |
Microsoft YouthSpark
Microsoft YouthSpark is a program designed to help 300 million children in 100 countries "get a great education, find work or start their own business." Through partnerships with governments, nonprofits and businesses, Microsoft aims to empower youth to imagine and realize their full potential by connecting them with greater education, employment, and entrepreneurship opportunities.
http://www.microsoft.com/youthspark
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Contact Us
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The EdLab Group is a private, non-profit organization 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.
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