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August 2015

Dear Friends of the Montana Girls STEM Collaborative Project...

We are happy to continue supporting STEM for girls in Montana. Thanks for being part of our team!

Girls STEM takes part in Give Big Gallatin Valley

On May 5, the Montana Girls STEM Collaborative took part in Give Big Gallatin Valley sponsored by the Bozeman Area Community Foundation. On that same day across the country, communities were encouraged to "give where you live" and support local philanthropy. Montana Girls STEM received donations from 25 individuals, many of them brand-new to our collaborative and community. Many thanks to BACF for organizing this fantastic event.

Board Member Update

Thanks, Matthew Quinn, and welcome, Sundi West

Many thanks to Matthew Quinn, who is retiring from the Montana Girls STEM Collaborative Board after serving with us since our start in 2012. Matt is passing the torch to his colleague, Sundi West, who is Deputy Director for the Montana Department of Military Affairs. Welcome, Sundi, and thanks for your service, Matt!

Sundi West earned her undergraduate degree in chemistry with a minor in Russian from the University of Montana. Her master's degree is in public health from the University of Wales, College of Medicine, looking at how changes of infrastructure, specifically dams, can impact public health. She is proud that her geeky interest in infrastructure gave her an opportunity to meet Nelson Mandela, when attending the World Commission on Dams meeting in London. After completing her studies she returned home and began working for the Montana Army National Guard in 2001 as their natural & cultural resource manager. Later she moved into the remediation field and the removal of unexploded ordnance (UXO) in 2009, actually becoming a UXO technician in 2010 graduating first in her class. In 2014 Sundi became the Deputy Director for the Montana Department of Military Affairs. Her hobbies are tango, biking and hiking with her family and two small dogs.

Meet Deanna Linn, our new AmeriCorps Vista Member!

Deanna Linn, an AmeriCorps Vista member based in Bozeman is joining the Montana Girls STEM Collaborative Project starting in August 2015.

We're happy to introduce the newest member of our MGSCP team, Deanna Linn. We hope you'll all get a chance to meet her and welcome her to our great state! A message from Deanna follows:

Hi everyone! My name is Deanna Linn and I am from Salmon Idaho. I graduated with a degree in physics from the University of Idaho. After I graduated college, I didn't want to go to graduate school immediately. I decided to join AmeriCorps and do something related to STEM. I will be serving as an AmeriCorps VISTA with MT Girls STEM Collaborative and MSU Extended University. As a high school student, I got to go to the All Girls All Math summer camp at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln which helped me decide I wanted to study math and science. This year will give me the opportunity to give back. I look forward to meeting you and learning about the exciting STEM programs you are a part of. I hope to facilitate connections among the different programs and help you find resources throughout Montana. And of course, I hope to get more girls interested in STEM. Besides physics, I like skiing, camping, baking and reading travel writing.

Montana's Lieutenant Governor joins Montana Girls STEM Collaborative in Helena

Celebration of STEM at Helena's Alive at Five

On Wednesday, July 22, Montana's Lieutenant Governor Angela McLean and her daughter, Ellen, joined board members and friends of the Montana Girls STEM Collaborative as they shared STEM and STEAM with the community of Helena, Montana during the city's weekly music festival, Alive at Five.

Montana Girls STEM was the featured non-profit organization that evening, invited by corporate sponsor A2Z Staffing Solutions, a local, independent, woman-owned business. A2Z Staffing Solutions is a strong supporter of STEM and STEAM efforts and is actively involved in national efforts of the ASTRA Women's Business Alliance.

Girls STEM Collaborative board members and friends shared information about the Collaborative and hosted hands-on STEM activities from Montana NSF EPSCoR's NanoDays. An AmeriCorps VISTA member from Helena's ExplorationWorks science museum shared a seed germination activity and two high school-aged girls helped with the Thin Films nano activity.

The event was covered by NBC Montana as Lt. Governor McLean took the stage during a break and emphasized the importance of encouraging young people to consider careers in STEM.

See the news coverage for the event here.

The 1.2 Billion Minute Movement

Montana STEM Mentors and Prospective Mentees encouraged to sign up for mentoring program.

A few minutes of your time can change the life of a woman considering a career in STEM. Can you imagine the impact that 1.2 billion minutes can make? The Million Women Mentors project is seeking to motivate one million people (both men and women) who can pledge just 20 hours a year to be supportive, creative,

positive mentors for women at all levels in the STEM career pipeline.

Prospective members can make an account on the national millionwomenmentors.org website, or sign up through Lt. Governor Angela McLean's flagship initiative, Montana STEM Mentors, to be counted as part of the movement in Montana. All mentors will be invited to make a profile that will be visible to women in Montana who are seeking mentors.

We have already had dozens of fantastic Montana Mentors sign up for the program, and now we are actively looking for mentees! If you a member of a Mentee Provider Organization (any organization whose members would benefit by connecting with a STEM Mentor), please visit the millionwomenmentors.org website to register your group and make a mentor request! Contact MWM state leader Tiphani Lynn ([email protected]) with any questions about the program or registration process.

Did you know??

Montana businesses and institutions can enroll as organizations to make pledges and be recognized for their support of diversity in the future STEM workforce.

Contact Tiphani ([email protected]) for more information about how your company can make a corporate pledge, or for ideas on engaging your employees in the Million Women Mentors movement.