July 2015  


Our TxGCP eNewsletter arrives monthly in your inbox to learn about science, technology, engineering and math resources, educational opportunities and more around Texas and beyond!

Conferences, Events, Contests & More

NCWIT's Latinas & Tecnolog?a de la Informaci?n Website

This is a Spanish website designed to inspire young Latina women to pursue technology. The website provides fact sheets for creating awareness about the current state of girls' participation in technology, talking points about undergraduate courses and careers in computing, videos and profiles of Latina women for addressing the attractions to technology and possible barriers in the field, as well as links to computing activities and recruitment programs.


Applications for the Thinkery's EdExchange program are open

This free program aims to empower educators to use technology across diverse learning experiences. Participants will be introduced to creative tools, engage in hands-on training, and collaborate with Thinkery staff to identify fun and effective ways to incorporate technology into classrooms and programs. Selected participants will work with like-minded educators from a variety of backgrounds while learning new skills and developing curriculum ideas.  The professional development series will introduce the following topics: Best Practices for STEAM Education, Tinkering & Making, Design Thinking, Coding, Digital Fabrication. Space is limited, apply today!

New DIY Lake Science App

Just in time for summer, plunge into the fun science of lakes, rivers, creeks, and ponds with the new iPad/iPhone DIY Lake Science app. Get wet, or not, as you investigate freshwater ecosystems and their importance to all life on Earth. Using inexpensive, everyday materials, the app lets learners explore freshwater science outdoors or indoors, anywhere they live, go to school, or even travel on vacation.

New Worlds: Cities in Space Competition & Conference

The Cities in Space Competition will be a Texas-wide competition. There are three divisions of the competition: 3D Modeling, Video and Combination of 3D Modeling with Video. Students are asked to create a sustainable colony model for human life on the Moon, Mars or in Free Space.

7 Months of the SciGirls 
Seven:
Proven Strategies for Engaging Girls in STEM


 

2. Girls are motivated by projects they find personally relevant and meaningful




Girls become motivated when they feel their project or task is important and can make a difference. Support them using STEM as a tool to explore issues or topics they care about. If they see how STEM is relevant to their own lives and interests, their attraction to these subjects is likely to increase.


K-12 STEM Outreach, SciGirls, Role Models Matter & Mother Daughter TEA Workshops

    

Educators across Texas are invited to attend free professional development opportunities and discover how to engage young women through research-based, high quality activities and resources!

 

To request or schedule a workshop or forum in your area, please contact [email protected].   

   

Check out the TxGCP website for details about forums, Role Models Matter and SciGirls

 

Interested in Summer Camps

  

To find great summer camps across the country or to list your own, please visit The Connectory website!

Articles, Reports, Resources

For the Poor, the Graduation Gap Is Even Wider Than the Enrollment Gap
Rich and poor students don't merely enroll in college at different rates; they also complete it at different rates. The graduation gap is even wider than the enrollment gap. In 2002, researchers with the National Center for Education Statistics started tracking a cohort of 15,000 high school sophomores. The project, called the Education Longitudinal Study, recorded information about the students' academic achievement, college entry, work history and college graduation. A recent publication examines the completed education of these young people, who are now in their late 20s. 

Engineer the Revolution: Top Ten Strategies to Diversify Technology
Looking for talent to drive a new engineering design from prototype to product? She is a 5th grader in Oakland. Looking for expertise on clean tech to advise your venture capital firm? She is a junior in high school in Washington, DC. You may not have imagined these individuals as the solution to your workforce needs, but we do. Today's skilled technology workforce is insufficient to meet the demands of business, and critically lacking in women and people of color. In computer science, there are fewer females majoring in the field than there were 20 years ago. In Silicon Valley's backyard, less than 2 percent of students are enrolled in computer science. 

Creating Craftier Engineers: Why students should learn to sew in STEM classes
When I moved to a new town after graduate school, one of the first things I did was head to the local makerspace-a place where people get together to work on all kinds of DIY projects, from the high-tech to the low-. I soon noticed two things: I was often the only woman in the room and usually the only person who expressed an interest in crafting over coding or 3-D printing. While my scientific street cred (Ph.D. in chemistry and nanotechnology) gained me acceptance, both my gender and my interests made me feel like an outsider in this group, especially when, inevitably, someone asked how much "technology" was going to be present in my projects or whether I was interested in a fashion show because I modeled.

About TxGCP
Texas Girls Collaborative Project
The Texas Girls Collaborative Project (TxGCP) connects organizations and individuals across Texas committed to informing and motivating girls to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). The TxGCP is excited to provide opportunities across Texas for collaboration, networking, sharing of best practices, and leveraging of resources through in-person forums, email listservs and mini-grants.   

Led by the Women in Engineering Program (WEP) at The University of Texas at Austin along with a dynamic Leadership Team and Champions Board, the TxGCP brings together advocates and leaders from non-profits, K-12 schools, higher education institutions, companies and organizations across the state of Texas.

Like us on Facebook   Follow us on Twitter
Follow TxGCP!
About NGCP
The vision of the National Girls Collaborative Project (NGCP) is to bring together organizations throughout the US and Puerto Rico that are committed to informing and encouraging girls to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).

Like us on Facebook   Follow us on Twitter
Follow NGCP!
The TxGCP eNewsletter is distributed approximately once a month. Visit the TxGCP web site for additional updates on upcoming events, resources and mini-grant information.
Share Your Events and News 
Submit information or events to be included in future TxGCP eNewsletters. Remember TxGCP eNewsletters are typically sent at the beginning of each month. Send news and information to [email protected].
Million Women Mentors


 

We are part of the Million Women Mentors movement and with the Texas Girls Collaborative Project, we have made a 

20,000 mentor and role model pledge 

for Texas. Help us meet our 20,000 mentors and role models goal by sharing your story on FabFems or pledging to mentor with Million Women Mentors

 

Join the movement today!
FabFems - STEM Role Models
FabFem of the month:

Yisel Rivera
At an early stage of my life, everything around Yisel motivated her to ask herself simple questions of why things happen. Yisel did her PhD in Biomedical Sciences at the University of Puerto Rico Mayaguez Campus and currently works at the MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston.

Join the FabFems directory today!
STEM Program Highlight:
TXRX Labs
TXRX Labs is a non-profit hackerspace for the greater Houston area. Housed in the East End District, we offer courses in and access to our rapid prototyping lab, woodshop, machineshop, electronics lab, and a wide variety of other tools. Our goal is to educate the public about technology and show how seemingly complex techniques can be used by anyone.
 
Create an account on The Connectory to get added as an event coordinator...and then start entering your events!
K-12 STEM Outreach Google Groups
These groups are all about sharing resources, information, events, volunteers, needs, and more with others reaching out to K12 students aiming to excite them about science, technology, engineering and math (STEM).

For those not in one of these areas who still want to receive information going out to all groups, join the Texas K-12 STEM Outreach group. 

 

Contact Tricia Berry for any specific regional requests or questions.

STEM Opportunities

TxGCP is frequently asked for STEM program connections. Don't miss out on getting connected with possible collaborators and funders!

 

Gain access to mini-grants and have the first shot at opportunities such as the Water Works camp curriculum, role model training and other curriculum and resource dissemination across Texas!

 

Sign up your program, organization and/or event in The Connectory .  Join over 200 listings from across Texas and find collaborators and other STEM educators in your area.