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Participate In Louisiana Stem Equity Pipeline Project 2.0:

Pilot Site Application Available for Louisiana High Schools and  
Community Colleges

Baton Rouge, LA (5/21/14)--Louisiana has participated in the National Alliance for Partnerships in Equity (NAPE) STEM Equity Pipeline™ activities since September 2013 and is pleased to announce the opportunity for pilot site participation. The purpose of the STEM Equity Pipeline project is to develop strategies to increase female participation and completion in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM)-related programs, including nontraditional career and technical education programs, offered at the high school and community college levels. Site-based teams will participate in a professional development program that includes data analysis for identifying equity gaps, root cause action research, and implementation of research-based strategies. 
 
Through the collaboration of education and public and workforce agencies, a kick-off webinar was hosted May 8, 2014, titled "Build a Strong STEM Pipeline for Louisiana" and included:

�     First Lady of Louisiana, Supriya Jindal

�     Susana Schowen, Workforce Initiatives Manager, Louisiana Economic Development

�     David Helveston, Executive Director, Louisiana Workforce Commission

�     Beatrice Arvie, Director of Academy of Engineering, Scotlandville Magnet High School, Baton Rouge

�     Mimi Lufkin, CEO, National Alliance for Partnerships in Equity

The webinar focused on the emerging economic boom in Louisiana that will require a highly skilled STEM workforce. Specifically, presenters addressed what the future STEM economy is in Louisiana, how the state can prepare and develop a diverse workforce to meet this demand, and the roles of education, workforce development, and business and industry.   
 
The State Leadership Team will select up to four pilot sites to participate in the STEM Equity Pipeline. This cohort will participate in year-long professional development leading to the implementation of strategies that increase the participation and retention of females in STEM-related programs of study utilizing the Program Improvement Process for Equity in STEM™ (PIPE-STEM), NAPE's highly successful flagship professional development program funded by the National Science Foundation, Human Resources Development, Research on Gender in Science and Engineering Program.   
 
Interested high schools and community colleges should visit the Louisiana STEM Equity Pipeline webpage to access the pilot site application, view the archived webinar, and learn more about STEM Equity Pipeline activities in Louisiana, http://www.stemequitypipeline.org/StateTeams/LA.aspx. 
 
Applications are due by June 27, 2014, and can be emailed to Jo Dale Ales, Baton Rouge Community College, via email at alesj@mybrcc.edu. Applicants will be notified by August 1, 2014. Participation will begin upon selection and will continue through the 2014-15 school year.

I recently attended the North Louisiana Regional Science Fair Competition and was impressed with many of the projects coming out of our young people. But, one young lady stuck out especially to me - Ashini Modi. She toke first place in the elementary division as well as multiple special awards including one called The Spark of Curiosity Award from my center, Sci-Port: Louisiana's Science Center and a special Cosmo Award where she was featured on our local FOX station.

What I later found out (after the state science fair) was that she is also acquainted with my colleague, friend and fellow Girls Collaborative Lead for the state of North Carolina, Christi Whitworth from the Pisgah Astronomical Research Institute (PARI). I can't tell you how excited I was to hear Ashini had found such a great person/women mentor to work with on her project from the very beginning. Ashini's mother, Dr. Kalgi Modi, expressed how amazing Christi was as a mentor for Ashini; "Her expertise, patience and guidance have given Ashini a much deeper understanding of the astronomical field. Her unconditional involvement has helped Ashini create not only a successful project, but a passion and curiosity for Astronomy."  This ladies and gentleman is one of the key components of creating what we all call the Gender Tipping Point!

Christi and I are part of many initiatives that are working diligently to get girls into STEM fields - especially non-traditional ones like Physics and Astronomy. We all talk about the Gender Tipping Point, but rarely do we get to personally see it in action. It happens in little window's, here and there, but we probably aren't able to see it as obvious quite yet.

What is especially exciting is that I KNOW this young lady. When I say I know this young lady and her family, I don't just mean in passing. She is one of our "STEM Girls" (a reference to the Girl Scout Generation STEM report). She and her family (science center members) actively engage in and seek out STEM opportunities in all their forms here in the North Louisiana area (and pretty much any STEM event or program we do here at Sci-Port). This young lady is creating the reality we are all working so hard to make for our girls. And is mentor such as Christi Whitworth that are helping to make it possible for them to reach for the stars! We/the U.S. is in desperate need of young women like Ashini to help us get to where we need to be for all our futures.

Congratulations to Ashini Modi and we will continue to watch because we believe...correction, we know that she is destined for great things.

Lou Papai

Director of Education, Sci-Port: Louisiana's Science Center

Lead for the Louisiana STEM Girls Collaborative Project