Building the Capacity of STEM Practitioners to Develop a Diverse Workforce      

In This Issue

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NGCP Updates

 Collaborative Network Activities

NGCP Informational Meetings

Program managers, guidance counselors, business partners, educators, and representatives from professional organizations and higher education are invited to learn how the NGCP model can help your organization and to network with colleagues for collaboration opportunities.

Alabama Girls Collaborative Project Informational Meeting, Huntsville, AL

December 9, 2013; 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM, sponsored by the Huntsville-Madison County Public Library.

Great Plains GC Forum Event: Collaboration 101

Fargo, ND; November 14, 2013; 3:30 PM - 6:00 PM

Collaboration can help reduce the isolation among professionals working in the STEM fields. It can also strengthen relationships among organizations, increasing the potential for learning by sharing exemplary practices. This networking event will allow participants to learn and share information on how to develop and grow programs as well as obtaining resources including grants from GPGC. 

Experience Hands-On STEM!

Louisville, KY; November 14, 2013; 4:00 PM - 6:00 PM

Attendees will explore a variety of STEM activities geared towards girl-friendly programming and discuss strategies for integrating hands-on, open-ended investigations that will help foster girls' interest in STEM and shape their attitudes towards these fields. This forum is sponsored by Girls RISEnet, a national network of museums working to strengthen the professional capacity of informal science educators to engage and motivate minority girls to explore & pursue science and engineering careers. 

KY Girls STEM Collaborative West Kentucky Forum

Paducah, KY; November 14, 2013; 4:00 PM - 6:30 PM

The Paducah Area Chamber of Commerce Business Education Partnership committee, in partnership with the Kentucky Girls STEM Collaborative, invite female students to participate in a regional forum to encourage exploration of STEM disciplines through hands-on activities and demonstrations presented by area professionals. Parents and other adults will attend a panel discussion while girls participate in the hands-on activities. 

TxGCP - SciGirls Workshop

TxGCP - Role Models Matter: Engaging Girls (and All Youth) in STEM

Research shows that girls who interact with female role models are more likely to develop and maintain an interest in STEM. Bringing STEM to life is an important step in getting students interested in STEM careers and excited about their futures. Participants will learn about the "Recipe for Role Model Success" and resources to engage STEM role models in the classroom and beyond. Registration for each location is here.

Austin, TX; November 19, 2013; 5:00 PM - 7:00 PM

Edinburg, TX; December 14, 2013; 9:00 AM - 11:00 AM 

Microsoft Campus in Redmond, WA; December 4, 2013; 9:30 AM - 4:30 PM

This is a full-day conference of inspiring panels and thought-provoking sessions hosted jointly by the Pacific Northwest Girls Collaborative Project and the National Girls Collaborative Project.

The morning will include networking and resource sharing opportunities, plenary sessions, and two panels: 1) Girls in STEM - High School Perspectives, and 2) Girls and Gaming in Today's World. The afternoon will include multiple breakout options, including sessions with researchers from the 2013 Afterschool Matters Fellowship program and leaders of Northeastern University's G.A.M.E.S Initiative.

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, and frequently asked questions are available online.  Open and closing dates are listed below and more information is available on each Collaborative website.

Mid-Atlantic Girls Collaborative (MAGiC) (DC, DE, MD, VA): 10/15-11/14.

Montana Girls STEM Collaborative Project: 10/8-11/18.

This month we feature Rachel Rigsby, Associate Professor of Chemistry at Belmont University. She has been on the Girls Raised in Tennessee Science (GRITS) Collaborative Leadership Team since 2009. She was nominated for this spotlight because "[she] brings fresh ideas to the table. She has taken on the role of the Mini-grant lead for GRITS with a passion for collaboration and a desire to share best practices in STEM for Tennessee girls."

What excites you most about the work you do every day? Interacting with students and helping them understand chemistry.

What drew you to participate in the GRITS Collaborative Project in a leadership capacity? I was asked by our Collaborative Lead, Judith Iriarte-Gross, to join the team, and I was excited to participate in a project aimed at helping girls overcome barriers to succeed in STEM.

Which NGCP resources do you find most valuable? The Program Directory as it is the most valuable - it centralizes so many contacts in one place. 

How has being involved in NGCP impacted your work? It has made me more aware of difficulties faced by females entering college in STEM fields. I am especially diligent in trying to support new students who are minorities.

Who are your role models? Early in life it was definitely my high school chemistry and math teachers, a husband-wife team who taught and inspired all of their students. I remain in awe of so many women pioneers in STEM who faced immense obstacles to succeed. Maud Menten, Canadian physician-scientist, stands out in my field of biochemistry. She was not allowed to do research in Canada, so she pursued her career in other countries. She was successful in science, medicine, and in the pursuit of many hobbies as well.

FabFems Spotlight

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.

Meet Kim Wilkens, founder of Tech-Girls. Kim lives in Charlottesville, VA. She is establishing a non-profit with a mission to empower girls to imagine new futures for themselves in the field of computer science. Read More  

Looking for a FabFem like Kim to connect with in your area? Search www.fabfems.org.

STEM Smart: Lessons Learned From Successful Schools Focus on Early Learning 

Washington, D.C.; December 3, 2013

Attendees will learn about reports from the National Research Council, "Successful K-12 STEM Education" and "Monitoring Progress Toward Successful K-12 STEM Education: A Nation Advancing?," with special focus on the critical importance of STEM learning and early intervention in pre-K through third grade. Breakout session include: National Science Foundation funded projects, resources and initiatives that align with the reports' evidence base on effective instruction, access to high quality STEM for all students, and building supportive infrastructure. 

Association for Career and Technical Educators (ACTE) National Conference

Las Vegas, NV; December 4 - 7, 2013

Career and technical education (CTE) professionals will learn about best practices and innovative programming, how to use technologies to enhance learning, ways to help students plan their secondary careers, and information on project-based learning.

Computer Science Education Week

Nationwide; December 9-15, 2013

Computer Science Education Week (CSEdWeek) provides an opportunity to raise awareness about the impact of computing, the richness of computing careers, and the critical need for computer science (CS) education. CSEdWeek is a call to action to inspire students and colleagues about CS education, to employ new and better strategies for engagement, and to connect with the broader community about the need for and value of CS education.

The Hour of Code

Code.org is launching the Hour of Code as part of the annual CSEdWeek, a celebration to encourage interest in the field and show that anyone can learn the basics. Code.org will host a variety of hour-long tutorials on the CSEdWeek website for students. Many of the tutorials are compatible with tablets and smartphones, and there are "unplugged" lessons available as well. 

Resources

DuPont Essay Challenge

DuPont is challenging students in grades 7-12 to write an essay addressing one of four challenges:

Google and Raspberry Pi Coder

Google and Raspberry Pi PC recently created a new tool called Coder. It is an open-source educational programming platform. It is designed to work alongside instruction from other programming websites like Codecademy and Khan Academy. With Coder, users can develop their own apps for the web and then host them on a miniature server located directly on Raspberry Pi.

NASA Survey for Informal Educators

NASA's Informal Education Working Group has developed a survey to assess the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics resource and professional development needs of informal educators. The results of the survey will help NASA's Science Mission Directorate Education and Public Outreach community better meet those needs and plan future opportunities for the informal education community. The survey is open until November 15, 2013. 

Play-i Help a School Program 

Play-i was founded with the mission of making programming fun and accessible for every child. Play-i recently launched a crowdfunding campaign to help bring robotics and computer programming to schools and programs serving underrepresented students. 

Science in Fiction Video Contest 

Space Foundation Teacher Liaison Application

Selected teacher liaisons will receive Space Foundation training and resources to integrate space based education into their classrooms. Applications are open to public, private and homeschool teachers and school administrators, including principals, specialists, curriculum and instruction developers and administrators, and others who deliver education programs to students. Deadline: December 6, 2013.

Tri-IT

Tri-IT provides learning opportunities to high school girls through year-round, interactive IT instruction. The curriculum includes research-based strategies to engage girls in IT, math, and science.

NGCP Program Directory - Search for Collaborating Programs or Register Your Program