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Reports
Top 10 Tech Companies for Culture and Values (Mashable)
Some companies know exactly how to make their employees happy, and Twitter is at the top of the list. The social media giant ranked No. 1 out of 25 companies with the best culture and values, according to a new report from job community site Glassdoor. From Google to Facebook to Apple, 11 tech companies managed to make the list � more than any other industry. Results were based on feedback from people who know these companies the best � their employees. Culture and value ratings were based on a five-point scale, with "1" representing "very dissatisfied," "3" meaning "OK" and "5" standing for "very satisfied." 
Diversity in STEM
Pandora, Indiegogo Release Employee Diversity Reports (TechCrunch)
Both Pandora and Indiegogo released diversity reports today that highlight an absence of African-American employees. The companies join a bandwagon of tech brands that have been releasing similar reports throughout the summer. At Pandora, approximately 3% of its 1,300 or so employees are African-American/black and 4% are hispanic. That�s notable given that the company is located in Oakland, where about 28% of the total population is African-American and 25% is hispanic. The percentage of African-Americans is even lower in leadership and tech roles, where they represent only 1.1 and 2.8% of employees. In contrast 6.3% of Pandora�s leadership is hispanic. At Indiegogo, a company of slightly more than 100 employees, only 2% of total employees are African-American, and the group is not represented in leadership or tech positions.
Bill Clinton Gives Nod to American Indian STEM Program (Indian Country)
When your science education program figures in remarks made by a former U.S. president, folks pay attention. President Bill Clinton recognized the work of the PAST Foundation during his opening statement at the 2014 Clinton Global Initiative America Meeting, saying, �In 2012 the PAST Foundation and its partners committed to improve STEM education in rural and Native American reservation schools in South Dakota by equipping 450 teachers with the necessary training to implement an innovative and culturally relevant approach to teaching. It�s now known as the South Dakota Innovation Lab, a statewide STEM professional development program that has so far provided 8,300 students with access to quality education that meets them where they are and prepares them for the modern economy.�
University of Houston receives $3.3 million grant to promote women in STEM fields (Your Houston News)
The University of Houston has received a $3.3 million grant from the National Science Foundation to increase the number of women faculty in [STEM] fields, as well as to ensure they have opportunities to move into leadership roles. The five-year grant is part of the foundation�s ADVANCE program, which is intended to increase the number of women in academic science and engineering careers. The University will establish a Center for ADVANCING Faculty Success to oversee its goal of increasing female faculty recruitment in STEM fields, especially among women of color.
STEM Jobs
Old Coders: When Programming Is a Second Career (Mashable)
Liz Beigle-Bryant took her first programming class, BASIC, in 1973. At the time, computers were part of the math departments instead of the engineering departments, she recalls. And because she had a background in family art, everyone at her high school discouraged her from doing so. Beigle-Bryant, now 57, didn't revisit coding again until a couple of years ago, when she signed up for Codecademy's free online tutorials. Though there was no immediate payoff, she found learning the skill helped ease the inevitable discouragement that comes during a job hunt. "I felt like I was accomplishing something instead of wasting time on Facebook or [playing] phone games," she says. "It helped me feel better about myself so I could project a better image."
Industry
SOLIDWORKS Launches Education Edition 2014-2015 (Engineering.com)
Recently, Dassault Syst�mes (DS) announced the launch of the SOLIDWORKS Education Edition 2014-2015. The new version will run on DS�s 3DEXPERIENCE (3DX), which promises to get students used to the all-encompassing platform. Like the 3DX platform, this version of Solidworks will have access to many CAE features from simulation, product data management, technical communications, electrical design, and of course 3D CAD. New tools in this release are designed to help educators and students learn how to use the program. As the number of SOLIDWORKS users grows it is important for schools to have the tools they need to teach the next generation of engineers how to use this software and its new features.
LHS teacher secures $69,000 grant for robotics education program (Laramie Boomerang)
Several Laramie High School math teachers watched as a quadcopter drone lifted from the floor and hovered higher than the classroom�s desks. Elad Inbar, CEO of RobotsLAB � a San Francisco-based company that develops robots and programs for education � used a tablet computer to control the drone Monday, turning it on and off, and entering in the height at which it would fly. The RobotsLAB representatives came for the training after Dennis Hogsett, LHS math teacher, secured a nearly $69,000 grant to teach students STEM subjects with the use of software, robots and 3D printers. Hogsett applied for the grant from the Wyoming Department of Education�s Wyoming Education Trust Fund.
Minnesota
State Fair STEM Program�s Goal? Get The Family Interested In Science [VIDEO] (WCCO)
The opening day at the fair was also STEM day � a chance for fair-goers to experience the creativity and fun that [STEM] have to offer. �We�re trying to inspire that next generation of scientists and engineers,� said Steven Wolvid, who�s with the program. Fair-goers were able to operate robots and air rockets, as well as meet with people with the Minnesota STEM Network. And the exhibits were not just for kids. �We�re trying to engage everyone,� Wolvid said. �From the youngest learners to the oldest continuing education learners. We want to make sure people understand that STEM is for everyone, and it�s a whole lot of fun.�
Louisiana
Judge rules against Jindal in Common Core lawsuit (Alexandria Town Talk)
Gov. Bobby Jindal's effort to derail Louisiana's use of the Common Core education standards was halted Tuesday by a state judge who said the governor's actions were harmful to parents, teachers and students. Judge Todd Hernandez lifted Jindal's suspension of contracts the education department planned to use to buy testing material aligned with the multistate standards. In his written ruling, Hernandez said the Jindal administration didn't produce any evidence to support the governor's claims that Education Superintendent John White and the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education, or BESE, violated state contracting law.
Tennessee
Governor promotes free tuition plan in Tennessee (AP)
Gov. Bill Haslam on Wednesday urged students to take advantage of his program to cover a full ride at two-year colleges for any high school graduate. The Republican governor has been visiting several schools throughout the state and wrapped up his trip on Wednesday at Antioch High School in southeastern Davidson County. Haslam told a packed auditorium of students that he doesn't want affordability to be a reason why a person doesn't attend college. "We don't want anyone to say, 'I'd like to go to college, but can't afford it,'" he said. Called "Tennessee Promise," the free tuition plan requires students to work with a mentor and complete eight hours of community service a year.
STEM Food & Ag
A Q&A with Logan Kostroun: Student�s Education in Ag Engineering Leads to Career in Designing Prosthetic Limbs (Texas A&M)
.jpg) One of the best things about the Biological & Agricultural Engineering Department at Texas A&M is the close-knit feeling and exceptional advising staff. With only 36 students in my graduating class this May, it was easy throughout my undergraduate career to create meaningful relationships and collaborate with classmates and faculty members. I consider this to be one of the major advantages of the department in comparison to larger engineering majors. I am absolutely thrilled to be able to one day design prosthetic devices, as they not only provide solutions for a better quality of life, but too provide the means to express one�s identity in an individualistic manner. |
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AT&T Makes Million Dollar Contribution To Girls Who Code To Support Next Generation Of Female Tech Leaders
 AT&T today announced a $1 million contribution to Girls Who Code, a national nonprofit working to close the gender gap in the technology and engineering sectors. The announcement was made at the graduation ceremony for AT&T's Girls Who Code Summer Immersion Program, a rigorous computer science course aimed at educating, inspiring and equipping high school girls with the skills, resources and confidence necessary to pursue opportunities in the technology field. AT&T additional contribution will help Girls Who Code expand its Summer Immersion Program and Girls Who Code clubs to additional cities across the country, offering more young women access to computer science courses and technology. Beginning on July 11th, AT&T welcomed twenty high school girls from across the five boroughs and metro suburbs, as well as one who travelled all the way from Houston, TX, to its New York City executive office in Rockefeller Center.
NASA Announces Awards to Expand Informal STEM Education Network
 NASA has selected 12 informal educational institutions to receive approximately $6 million in agency funding to provide compelling STEM opportunities in informal education settings, such as museums, science centers, planetariums and NASA visitor centers. The selected projects will complement and enhance STEM curricula taught in traditional kindergarten through 12th grade academic settings. These education grants were awarded through NASA's Competitive Program for Science Museums, Planetariums and NASA Visitor Centers Plus Other Opportunities (CP4SMPVC) in response to a solicitation issued in April 2013.
Chante Chambers and Jasmine Sanders (Teach for America): Mentoring Best Practices Tips: Teach for America (MWM)
 Being the first person in your family on the path to attend college can be intimidating. You may not know what is required of you during the application process, or what resources are available to you � and family members who want to help aren�t able to draw upon their own experiences to do so. Students who face this challenge deserve to learn how to effectively operate in college, develop their leadership potential, and experience academic equity and access which contribute to successful lives. Mentorship plays a critical role in helping them get there. This past year we helped Teach For America and Fisk University partner on a first-generation college mentorship students � with several students pursuing STEM degrees. |
