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#STEMCAD14
STEM Career Accelerator Day Promotes Talent Sustainability (PepsiCo)
�I can really see myself working at a place like this.� "I loved today. Can I just stay here?� These were just a few reactions of students who attended the STEM Career Accelerator Day on March 18 at PepsiCo research and development facilities in Valhalla, N.Y., Barrington, Ill. and Plano, Texas. PepsiCo partnered with STEMconnector and the STEMconnector Innovation Task Force, as well as other national companies and organizations, on this pilot event. Each of the three PepsiCo locations developed customized, daylong programs for approximately 50 students that showcased the science behind bringing some of their favorite products from the drawing board to store shelves. 
USA Science & Engineering Festival
DoD Article for OSTP Blog Post DoD�s STEM Diversity Campaign (SDC) Participation at the USA Science and Engineering Festival (USASEF) (Dept. of Defense)
 The objective of the Department of Defense (DoD)�s [STEM] Diversity Campaign (SDC) is to foster awareness, build skills, and widen pathways into the Department�s technical workforce for women and underrepresented minorities. As an initiative of the SDC, DoD will sponsor Viva Technology, an award-winning STEM awareness program, for students from high-need Washington, D.C. public schools. Great Minds in STEM (GMiS), a Los Angeles-based non-profit, has delivered Viva Technology to more than 100,000 inner city and rural students in 18 states. Through the SDC, an exclusive hands-on Viva Technology activity will be accessible to students on April 25th, 2014 from 9am to 3pm at the USA Science and Engineering Festival (USASEF) in Washington, DC. DoD is sponsoring a special event called �Sneak Peek Friday� which is open to school groups, homeschoolers and military families to preview and experience the EXPO exhibits before they open to the general public on Saturday and Sunday, April 26th and 27th, 2014. This a Department of Defense document and does not constitute government endorsement.
From Space Heroes to Innovators in Bioscience and Planetary Exploration - You'll Meet Them at the Festival's X-STEM Extreme Symposium!
What two noted scientists at Northrop Grumman are spearheading efforts to usher in the next amazing high-tech space telescope to replace Hubble? Who was the first African American to walk in space? What famous molecular biologist now heads the prestigious Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI)? You'll find out by meeting these and other exciting visionaries at the X-STEM Extreme STEM Symposium set for April 24 at the Washington DC Convention Center. This unforgettable event, presented by Northrop Grumman Foundation and MedImmune, will give students and others the chance to interact with noted STEM pioneers ranging from space exploration, green technology and storm chasing, to bioscience and high-tech startups. Register today! Tickets are going fast.
Higher Education
CMU names Google Pittsburgh VP as its new computer-science dean (Pittsburgh Business Times)
Carnegie Mellon University has tapped a Google Inc. vice president as its new dean of the School of Computer Science. Andrew Moore will join CMU in August but he's no stranger to CMU nor Pittsburgh. He was a professor of computer science and robotics at CMU before moving over to the Google (Nasdaq: GOOG) office in Pittsburgh in 2006 as its founding director. He has been there ever since and seen Google Pittsburgh's growth to several hundred employees. Moore replaces Randal Bryant, who became the computer science school's dean in 2004 and has returned to teaching.
Women in STEM
Mari-Louise Ross (Engineer, STEM Advocate): Ode to My Mentors (HuffPost ImpactX)
A hot topic for career growth is mentorship. It seems that we need a mentor, a guiding star or a sympathetic friend at "the top" if we want to progress. Perhaps you feel a little anxious or frustrated because you cannot seem to find the "right" mentor, or mentors. I want to share a little bit about the people who I consider to be mentors to me. Perhaps it helps to look in less conventional places for mentorship. I have, in the past, had the privilege of working alongside women in my field and in my company who I could certainly learn a great deal from.
Government
The U.S. Government Wants 6,000 New 'Cyber Warriors' by 2016 (Businessweek)
The Pentagon plans to triple its cybersecurity staff by 2016, U.S. Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel announced recently. A few days later, FBI Supervisory Special Agent Charles Gilgen said at a conference on cybercrime that his agency�s cyber division plans to hire 1,000 agents and 1,000 analysts in the coming year. Just those two agencies are looking for 6,000 people with cybersecurity skills in the next two years. That�s a very tall order. A look at one way the government has tried to build and recruit such talent�offering university scholarships�shows why.
Bill would reserve visas for math, science doctorates (The Hill)
Rep. Michael Capuano (D-Mass.) has introduced a bill that would create a new employment-based visa for people who have completed math and science doctorate degrees in the United States. The measure, called The Best Return on America's Investment Now (BRAIN) Act, would reserve 14,000 visas for people already legally in the U.S. who have earned doctorate degrees in [STEM] fields from U.S. universities. The reserved visas would represent a portion of the maximum 40,040 visas allocated annually. The program would not create any new visas.
STEM Jobs
Top jobs of 2014 heavy in math and science (Phoenix Business Journal)
This year�s best job � mathematician � outscored all other professions on CareerCast�s 2014 Jobs Rated Report, as Arizona works to increase STEM education to prepare students for knowledge jobs. �In today�s data-driven economy, math skills unlock a world of career opportunities,� says Tony Lee, publisher of CareerCast. �In fact, the outlook for all STEM careers is very positive, as evidenced by many of this year�s best jobs -- mathematician, statistician, actuary, software engineer and computer systems analyst.�
Viewpoints
Ken Weber (Executive Director, Zynga.org): How The Gaming Industry Helps People Help The World (HuffPost ImpactX)
The social gaming industry is booming. Staggeringly, it comprises a $9 billion market and is the fastest growing segment of entertainment, engaging hundreds of millions of people from around the world daily. With this ever expanding community of players, game makers have an unprecedented opportunity - a responsibility, some would say - to do more to cultivate social games as a platform for social good.
STEM Competitions
This Programmable Chemistry Set Looks Like An Old Music Box (Fast Co.Exist)
Chemistry sets today aren't what they once were. With the old ones, you could mix dangerous chemicals together and explode things right on mom's kitchen table. Now, kids aren't so lucky. The explosive stuff has mostly gone, and the experiments aren't so interesting, or inspirational. Which is why the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation and the Society for Science & the Public thought about how they could create a new type of science kit--something that might inspire the kids of today the way the old sets inspired kids back then. The two groups created a competition, and the winners have just been announced.
New Jersey
Research & Development Council of N.J. accepting applications for Governor's STEM Scholars (NJ.com Independent Press)
The Research & Development Council of New Jersey has announced that it is now accepting applications for the Governor�s STEM Scholars. The program, a unique public-private partnership, identifies, promotes and mentors promising New Jersey students who are interested in working in STEM. Announced last year by Lieutenant Governor Kim Guadagno, the program is a joint initiative of leading companies and academic institutions, the Governor�s Office, the New Jersey Department of Education, and the Secretary of Higher Education.
STEM Food & Ag
South Butler students gain respect for farming through Agriculture Club (Pittsburgh Tribune)
.jpg) As South Butler fourth- and fifth-graders colored pictures showing the life cycle of a chick growing inside an egg, the real thing peeped away inside a box nearby. About 38 students are part of an after-school Agriculture Club at the South Butler Intermediate Elementary School in Jefferson Township. Teachers Krisann Lambert and Lauren Burgard started the club this school year after attending an �agriculture in the classroom� conference at Penn State University. They thought it was a good way to implement all that they learned there.
Intellectual Ventures Announces Formation and Launch of CF Global Holdings, Inc. (Intellecutal Ventures)
Intellectual Ventures� (IV�) announced today the formation of, and ongoing collaboration with CF Global Holdings, Inc. (CF Global), manufacturer of Coffee Flour, a new, sustainable food ingredient derived from coffee cherries. Coffee Flour�s inventor, Dan Belliveau, worked closely with Intellectual Ventures over the past two years to develop CF Global�s overall intellectual property strategy and the technical process of converting the coffee cherry pulp into nutritious, gluten-free flour. Intellectual Ventures is also providing financial and technical support for scientific testing and product development of Coffee Flour. |
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 STEMconnector�
U.S. News STEM Solutions National Leadership Conference to Host �Cyber Security is STEM� Lunch Panel
 U.S. News STEM Solutions announced today the �Cyber Security is STEM� session preceding the 2014 U.S. News STEM Solutions National Leadership Conference. Industry Cyber Security leaders will join Robin �Montana� Williams, the Department of Homeland Security�s (DHS) Branch Chief of National Cybersecurity Education & Awareness, on Wednesday, April 23 for an invitation only lunchtime panel to brief educators on the nation�s Cyber Security education strategy and how Cyber Security is playing a key role in advancing America�s STEM mission and inspiring students to pursue these cutting edge careers. BAE Systems is launching the Chief Technology Officer (CTO) LifeJourney where students can test drive their future as a CTO. Rick Geritz, CEO of LifeJourney, will moderate a session on how schools are providing their students the skills and capabilities to take advantage of this rapidly growing STEM market.
Carnegie Science Center Announces Launch of STEMisphere
 Parents: Now is the perfect time to hunt educational summer activities across western Pennsylvania for your children. A new, user-friendly tool launched by Carnegie Science Center will keep young minds sharp outside of the classroom. Carnegie Science Center launched STEMisphereThe database contains hundreds of listings of programs, classes, events, and more in STEM-related fields for students ranging in age from preschoolers to high school seniors. Students, teachers, and parents can use keywords to search for programs with specific focuses, such as �robotics� or �astronomy.� They can further filter those programs by age and region., a free central hub listing STEM resources.
Pearson Launches Free Virtual Nerd Mobile Math App, Putting High Quality Tutorials at Students� Fingertips
 At the 2014 National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) Conference, Pearson unveiled Virtual Nerd Mobile Math, a free math app that provides on-the-go access to a video library of more than 1,500 high quality math tutorials. Now available on the App Store, Virtual Nerd Mobile Math�s interactive tutorials, aligned to the Common Core and other rigorous standards, review fundamental math concepts for middle and high school students. �Personalized learning is essential to ensuring that all students are on the path to meeting and exceeding today�s more rigorous learning goals,� said Pearson�s SVP Mike Evans. �Providing free, mobile access to Virtual Nerd�s outstanding math tutorials provides students, teachers and parents with a powerful tool for refreshing critical math concepts, on-demand and anytime, anywhere.�
ICYMI: Video from STEM 2.0: Elevating Essential Career Capabilities for Tomorrow's STEM Workforce Town Hall!
.jpeg) Thank you to everyone who tuned in to our April 8th Town Hall, STEM 2.0 Elevating Essential Career Capabilities for Tomorrow�s STEM Workforce! We would also like to thank our wonderful speakers who are doing excellent work to make STEM 2.0 a reality. If you happened to miss the STEM 2.0 Town Hall, you can watch the full recording below or on our STEMconnector�s YouTube page and review the presentation slides on our website. The STEM Innovation Task Force is working towards a STEM 2.0 magazine to be released in early June. |
