February 2015

In This Issue

Collaborative Network Activities

FabFems Spotlight

Upcoming STEM Events
Champions for Collaboration

Quick Links

NGCP Updates

The National Girls Collaborative Project is collaborating with UN Women joining a global campaign to demand equal access to and control of technology for women and girls worldwide. Women and girls have the ability and ingenuity to ignite change - but may be limited unless they are equal players in science and technology. Women around the globe are too often excluded from the global technology revolution. The result: more inequality, less innovation, and solutions that leave women out. Sign the petition to end the global gender technology gap today to make sure women and girls are at the center of the science and technology revolution.

Survey to Programs Participating in NGCP
Please respond to an upcoming survey on the NGCP! Evaluators from Education Development Center are administering the survey to help us understand the experience of NGCP participants and the impact of the project on educators, programs, and girls in STEM. All contacts from the NGCP Program Directory and registrants to NGCP events will receive a link to the online survey in early February. We encourage everybody to respond, regardless of your level of involvement in the project. Thank you in advance for your participation! If you have questions, please contact Carrie Liston at [email protected].

Collaborative Network Activities

STEMwise Forum - Great Plains
Sioux Falls, SD; March 5-6, 2015
Regional and national leaders in STEM education and industry will contribute to collaborative sessions and discussions on industry-education partnerships, dual credit and early college courses, utilizing transdisciplinary approaches, project design and execution, connecting innovation and transformative technologies with education, and maximizing use of regional STEM resources.
Register

SciGirls Training University of Albany

Albany, NY; March 28, 2015; 9:00 AM-3:30 PM

Participants will learn how to re-shape current lesson plans to engage a wide variety of learners using 21st century skills, learn how to use media in the classroom, and explore circuits using play dough and other hands-on science activities aligned to New York State Learning Standards.

STEAM Powered Collaborations for Girls: Celebrating the Successes!

Lafayette, LA; March 28, 2015; 9:00 AM-3:00 PM
Attendees will connect with like-minded participants, hear how LaSTEM Girls Collaborative Project mini-grant recipients have enhanced STEM opportunities for girls in Louisiana, become inspired to make a positive difference for girls, and learn how to create positive collaborations.
Register

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. Search the Role Model Directory to find FabFems to connect with in your area.

Kate Nolan

Meet Kate, Materials & Process Engineer at The Boeing Company. She is passionate about K-12 STEM outreach and continually seeks to communicate to students and adults with influence, that engineering is useful to society and allows for creativity and innovation. She enjoys writing/blogging, traveling, and playing sports in her free time. Visit Kate's profile to learn more.

We benefit from role models at all stages of our lives. The FabFems Role Model Directory is excited to have more college students joining the directory and recognizing the power they have as role models.

Stay connected to FabFems:

Upcoming STEM Events

Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day

Nationwide; February 26, 2015

Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day serves as a call to action to focus on getting more girls into the engineering and technology fields. Find events near you, learn how to start an event, and explore resources to encourage girls in engineering.

WhizGirls Academy Mobile Bus Tour
Nationwide; March 2015
The WhizGirls Academy is a STEM-focused learning workshop for students. Lessons are Briefings, hands-on projects are Missions, and members are Agents on a mission to build practical knowledge about coding, healthy balanced lifestyles, and entrepreneurship. The mobile WhizGirls Academy is launching a tech tour in 11 cities nationwide bringing tech education directly to underserved communities.

Association for Career & Technical Education (ACTE) National Policy Seminar

Arlington, VA; March 2-4, 2015

The ACTE National Policy Seminar provides participants with advocacy tips and tools to promote their programs at the local, state, and federal levels. Participants will discuss policy issues affecting their programs. Register

International Women in Aviation (WAI) Conference
Dallas, TX; March 5-7, 2015
Participants in the WAI Conference will be immersed in the tactics and strategies necessary for successful aviation careers. Register

National Afterschool Association (NAA) Convention

Washington, DC; March 8-11, 2015

The NAA is dedicated to the development, education, and care of children and youth during their out-of-school hours. Participants will share successes in afterschool and summer programs and connect with leaders and experts. Register

Teaching & Learning 2015

Washington, DC; March 13-14, 2015
Participants will discuss challenges facing educators and learn about solutions that work. Topics include common core state standards, education technology, and advancing issues of equity in the classroom. Register

National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) Convention
Anaheim, CA; March 25-29, 2015, 2014
This year's them is "Innovation and Excellence: Re-imaginng Your Future", which will showcase innovation in a variety of traditional and emerging fields. Workshops will introduce new technologies and provide a blueprint plan for igniting entrepreneurial spirit to thinking beyond what is common. Register

International Technology and Engineering Educators Association (ITEEA) Conference

Milwaukee, WI; March 26-28, 2015

ITEEA is a professional association focused on providing and meeting the professional development needs of classroom teachers, supervisors, curriculum writers, and teacher educators who are interested in developing technological literacy. Sessions include: Establishing International Technology and Engineering STEM Partnerships, How Female Students Engage in Engineering Design, and Collaboration Across STEM Fields in Program Development. Register

National Women in Cybersecurity Conference
Atlanta, GA; March 27-28, 2015
This conference brings together women in cybersecurity from academia, research, and industry. Participants will have the opportunity for networking and mentoring. Register

Champions for Collaboration

NGCP Champions Board members are selected to provide the NGCP with a balance of expertise and regional representation. We highlight Champions Board members to inspire and inform your work to engage girls in STEM. This month we feature Shawna Young, Executive Director of the MIT Office of Engineering Outreach Programs at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Shawna Young

What excites you most about your work? I'm excited by the ability to give young people incredible, free-of-charge opportunities that they typically wouldn't have access to. I get to lead a team that works collaboratively to create a bridge for students from diverse backgrounds to MIT, the number one engineering school in the world. It's amazing to watch our students' experiences reframe who they think they are and who they know they can become.

What do you most appreciate in a collaborator? I value collaborators who are open to talk, share, and recognize we all face similar challenges. Leading an organization can be isolating, but collaborators have helped me discover best practices, generate ideas, and solve problems effectively. I also value collaborators who help provide our students with more opportunities. We provide one specific experience in our students' lives, and many others are doing great work to prepare our future scientists and engineers.

Who are your role models? I don't think about role models as much as I think about mentors. When I think of role models, they could be people I look up to, who I may or may not know. When I was younger, I had many role models. Today, I think more about the people in my life who have personally helped me think through things differently. They've been people I've worked for, people I've worked with, people who have worked for me, and my friends. There are too many to name, but I've learned that you're never too old to have mentors.

What advice would you give to the NGCP community? Keep doing the work you're doing. Our students, the next generation of scientists and engineers, need so much. We don't hear "thank you" every day, but every day we do meaningful work. I love being a part of this community, and I'm proud to know there are so many people looking out for our kids, even when they don't know we're looking out for them. Continue to collaborate - the more we collaborate, the more impact we'll have.

STEM Resources

African American History Month

In recognition of African American History Month, resources that serve to promote African American students in STEM are highlighted below:

National Society of Black Engineers Pre-College Initiative

The Pre-College Initiative (PCI) Program is designed to spark students' interest in STEM fields. The PCI program provides activities to help students discover how engineering and technology relate to the world around them, encourage students to strive for academic excellence, and develop leadership, technical, and teamwork skills.

ManyMentors

ManyMentors is an organization that aims to inspire, encourage, and support underrepresented students' interest in STEM fields. ManyMentors connect individuals to near-age mentors who can make opportunities in STEM become more visible, valuable, and viable.

Blacks in Technology (BIT)

BIT is a community-based website that is geared towards building and establishing a community that focuses on bringing blacks together within technology related fields.

DiscoverE Educator Awards Application

The DiscoverE Educator Awards recognize educators who are inspiring tomorrow's innovation generation. Nominate an educator who is helping students discover engineering. The application deadline is March 16, 2015.

Engineering for You (E4U)
E4U is a video contest that highlights the impact engineering has on society. A $25,000 prize will be awarded to the best video that depicts how achieving one or more of the National Academy of Engineering's Grand Challenges for Engineering will lead to a more sustainable, healthy, secure, and/or joyous world. The submission deadline is March 2, 2015.

NCWIT's EngageCSEdu

EngageCSEdu encourages the development of more inclusive learning environments in introductory computer science courses by helping faculty easily browse, contribute, and review materials that will engage all students. This dynamic collection offers thousands of projects, homework assignments, and other course materials that are searchable by CS knowledge area and programming language.

NGCP Program Directory: Search for Collaborating Programs or Register Your Program! The online Program Directory highlights 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.

Global Resources

International Women's Day
Global; March 8, 2015
International Women's Day celebrates the social, political, and economic achievements of women while focusing world attention on areas requiring further action. "Make it Happen" is the 2015 theme for the internationalwomensday.com global hub and encourages effective action for advancing and recognizing women. International Women's Day news, events, and resources are featured on the global hub site.

Partners

About Us

The National Girls Collaborative Project™ is partially funded by a grant from the National Science Foundation, GSE/EXT: National Girls Collaborative Project: Building the Capacity of STEM Practitioners to Develop a Diverse Workforce, Grant No. HRD-1103073.