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Industry
Boeing gives $30M to Museum of Flight to expand STEM education (GeekWire)
The Boeing Co. and June Boeing today announced a $30 million donation to the Museum of Flight to expand its [STEM] education opportunities, particularly for underrepresented communities. The donation, $15 million from the company and $15 million from June Boeing wife of the late William E. Boeing Jr., the son of Boeing founder William E. Boeing will help the Museum of Flight launch a new program called Boeing Academy for STEM Learning. With the funding, the Museum of Flight hopes to double the amount of students it serves over the next two years and connect them to jobs in STEM-related fields.
Over 80% of companies increased revenue by investing in Internet of Things: TCS study (TCS)
Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), a leading global IT services, consulting and business solutions organization, launched a major new global study looking at the impact of IoT technologies across a wide range of industry sectors around the world. The TCS Global Trend study on IoT, which surveyed 795 executives from large multi-nationals, identifies the huge potential for revenue increases from IoT, while also highlighting the significant challenges that lie ahead for businesses transitioning to the new model. Commenting on the study, Natarajan Chandrasekaran, CEO and MD, TCS, said: The age of IoT is well underway. The question is, whether businesses are ready to realize the full potential of this technology." 
Discoveries
Scientists Find Closest Thing Yet to Earth-Sun Twin System (New York Times)
Scientists have identified a "close cousin" to Earth that's orbiting a sun-like star and might harbor life. "It is the closest thing that we have to another place that somebody else might call home," said Jon Jenkins from NASA's Ames Research Center in California. The researchers announced their discovery Thursday based on observations from NASA's Kepler space telescope. This older, bigger cousin to Earth is called Kepler-452b. What makes this planet remarkable is that it orbits its star at about the same distance that Earth orbits the sun. What's more, its home star looks to be similar to our sun. Based on what scientists know today, Jenkins noted it's the nearest thing to another Earth-sun twin system.
Viewpoints
Kirsten Weeks (Head of Global Community Relations, Cisco): Engineering a STEM mentoring moonshot (The Hill)
In 1961, President John F. Kennedy laid out an ambitious goal for our nation to land a man on the moon by the end of the decade. In doing so, he inspired a new generation and helped ensure U.S. global leadership in technology for years to come. Today, we have an earthbound, but no less important, challenge. We face a massive skills gap -- by 2018, our nation will have 1.8 million unfilled jobs requiring technical skills. Our nations business community is uniting to address the challenge. Why mentoring? Because students wont do what they cant see. Its one thing to teach math and science in the classroom. Its another thing to build, explore, and engage the incredible world of science and technology that is transforming our society in real-time.
Diversity in STEM
Candice Hughes: Women Are Making Progress In STEM But We're Not There Yet (Forbes)
I am a PhD level scientist who studied biology at a womens college, Mount Holyoke. Not content with just attending a womens college, as an undergraduate I set out specifically to compare educations at a co-ed and a womens college. To this end, I spent a semester junior year at a co-ed, top liberal arts university. What I discovered was that women at each school behaved very differently. At this co-ed university, I noticed that, in general, women did not raise their hand in class nearly as often as the men. Women put considerable time and effort into dressing and applying makeup to go to the library and other campus locations. Women did not hold leading positions in many of the campus organizations.
14 Girls Explain Why Women Should Learn How To Code (ImpactX)
These girls want to change the face of coding. This summer, over 1,000 girls around the country are participating in a free summer program that gives them intensive instruction in computer science and mentorship from top female technology executives. The summer program is put on by Girls Who Code, a nonprofit that empowers women to pursue technology-related careers and sends them to the campuses of tech companies like Microsoft. The gender gap in technology is vast. In 2013, just over a quarter of computing jobs were held by women -- a percentage that has actually decreased since 1990. Girls attending the summer program told Microsoft a little bit about why they think it's important that girls learn how to code.
Texas Tech doctoral students win national science education awards (Lubbock Avalanche-Journal)
Two Texas Tech doctoral students received national awards for science education. The students of the College of Educations Global Pragmatic Researchers in Science Education program have focused on reaching underrepresented minorities and women in STEM. According to a news release from Tech, Florentia Spires, a master educator in the District of Columbia Public Schools, received the Presidential Award for Excellence in math and science teaching for the District of Columbia on July 1. The presidential awards are the nations highest honors for math and science teachers. One high school science teacher per state is recognized every other year for teaching excellence.
Higher Education
University of Kentucky computer science chairman, students decipher ancient Hebrew scroll (Lexington Herald-Leader)
The most ancient Hebrew scroll since the Dead Sea Scrolls has been deciphered, thanks in part to students in the University of Kentucky computer science department, and its chairman, Brent Seales. Digital-imaging software developed by Seales made it possible to read parts of a 1,500-year-old Torah scroll that was excavated in 1970, but at some point earlier had been badly burned. A research team at UK and Seales' software discerned the first eight verses of Leviticus from the charred, still-rolled parchment.
Make School Wants To Build The Product University For The Masses (TechCrunch)
College has failed, or so many Silicon Valley entrepreneurs believe. Not only are tuition costs spiraling out of control, but students are leaving college without the ability to produce.. anything. We are living in the era of code, and yet, college students are graduating barely able to read or write an essay let alone make an app. Make School hopes to change this sordid state of affairs. Through a rigorous and lengthy two-year curriculum, the school hopes to instill deeper critical thinking skills while also providing students engineering and product skills that will allow them to be highly productive at startups and large tech companies.
Summer of STEM
Griswold students get chance to explore STEM careers (Norwich Bulletin)
At 12 and 11 years old, it might be a little soon to have the future figured out. But Griswold Middle School students Joseph McElwee, 11, and Jackson Kempesta, 12, have already started thinking about it. I want to be a science engineer that makes medicine for diseases to cure them, Joseph said. Jackson said hes split between two options. I want to be someone who designs video games or I want to go into sports medicine, he said. The two returned Friday from a National Youth Leadership Forum: Explore STEM program at Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering in Needham, Mass. The program gives students an opportunity to expand leadership and career skills outside of the classroom.
Science under the sky and stars at Cradle Beach (University of Buffalo)
About 15 years ago, University at Buffalo chemistry professor Joseph Gardella and his wife sent their daughter, Claire, who is physically disabled and cannot speak, to a summer camp at Cradle Beach in Angola, New York. The experience helped Claire become more independent. She attended for three summers and made lasting friends. She got support from counselors. She was shy before Cradle Beach; now she is highly opinionated. Today, the camp with help from Gardella and other local educators is doing even more to help children like Claire find their place in the world.
STEM Food & Ag
YC-Backed PickTrace Helps Farmers Manage Their Harvests (TechCrunch)
 PickTrace, a harvest and labor management platform for farm owners, is launching out of beta today. One of a few AgTech startups in Y Combinators Spring 2015 batch, PickTrace is using a system of hardware and software to track worker attendance, productivity, and crop yield. Most of the fruit that you find in the produce section berries, stone fruits, cherries, apples is handpicked, says PickTrace co-founder Austin Steed. You have this large labor force, hundreds or thousands of employees, that family farms are not well equipped to handle. Generally farm employees are paid by the bucket, either at flat fee or by weight, to incentivize good performance, according to Austin. |
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 STEMconnector®
Governor Terry McAuliffe serving as the First Governor to be the Honorary Chair for Million Women Mentors® for Virginia
 Today, Virginia announced that Governor Terry McAuliffe will be the First Governor to be the Honorary Chair for the Million Women Mentors® (MWM) effort in Virginia! Governor Terry McAuliffes support will be instrumental in growing the movement to reach the 3000 pledges for the state. The leadership team for MWM VA is currently focusing on growing the higher education sector for the MWM Effort, which makes Governor McAuliffe a perfect fit. Education is at the heart of Governor McAuliffes policies, and he recognizes the importance of STEM as a focus within education systems. The Governor advocates for non-traditional education methods to ensure students are ready for the workforce. Million Women Mentors is connecting students to industry through mentorship opportunities. In order to build a new Virginia economy, we need to equip our students with the skills they need to fill the jobs of today and create the jobs of tomorrow," said Governor McAuliffe. "Providing girls and women with mentors through the Million Women Mentors movement will support getting more women into these high demand STEM positions. I am proud to be the first governor to serve as the Honorary Chair for the Million Women Mentors effort in our state.
Meet the 100 CIO/CTO Leaders in STEM!
 Today at the STEMconnector STEM Council meeting in Washington, D.C., we release the cover photo for the next publication in our 100 Leaders in STEM series title 100 CIO/CTO Leaders in STEM. The publication is produced by Cisco, Deloitte, Tata Consultancy Services, the CIO Executive Council, and STEMconnector. For updates on the publication, follow #100STEMLeaders on social media!
Weve Been Counted! Oak Ridge Associated Universities (ORAU)
 Oak Ridge Associated Universities (ORAU) counted over 3200 girls and women, who were mentored through their programs last year, and those numbers were easily entered into the Million Women Mentors portal! ORAU brings together university faculty and students to collaborate on major scientific initiatives with the mission to keep America at the leading edge of science and technology, and is a proud sponsor of the Million Women Mentors Initiative!
The EdTech Weekly Report: July 21, 2015
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