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Diversity in STEM
Julie Kantor (Chief Partnership Officer, STEMconnector & Million Women Mentors): STEMinism (Huffington Post)
A mentor once told me that "inch by inch life is a cinch, yard by yard life is hard." It is hard for us to hear the stats and facts coming out of top tech companies that under 20% of the tech jobs are filled by women and under 3% for blacks and hispanics. It is hard to have conversations with so many women who express isolation in being one of the only women in their departments, on boards, in leadership positions. It is hard to see so many great men, husbands and fathers also and equally confused about this predicament. How did this happen? Did we get thrown back into the 50s? Were we having too much fun on the technicolor playgrounds of our making that we didn't see or want to read-the-world in black and white, in women and men, in then and now.
Fluor Invests In STEM Camp for Girl Scouts of Northeast Texas (GSNETX Council)
Girl Scouts of Northeast Texas (GSNETX), in partnership with Irving-based Fluor Corporation, an engineering and construction company, recently hosted more than 60 Girl Scouts at College Journey, part of its summer STEM series that gives young girls an opportunity to explore interest in [STEM] fields, while getting a taste of college life. Studies show a lack of qualified candidates to fill much-needed jobs in STEM fields. GSNETX is working to lessen that shortage by partnering with companies, such as Fluor, to offer fun and exciting STEM-related programming, giving a day-in-the-life peek into a STEM career. �Fluor is pleased to help make it possible for girls to explore creativity, innovation and problem solving through Girl Scouts� College Journey program,� said Torrence Robinson, Fluor�s Senior Director of Community Affairs and President of the Fluor Foundation.
NIU students mentor young African-Americans in STEM (Northern Illinois)
The low number of students of color pursuing STEM degrees, and the absence of underrepresented students obtaining those degrees, is only becoming more critical. Members of the National Society of Black Engineers, including NIU�s chapter, are working to turn that around. Led by engineering students dedicated to pursuing professional excellence and giving back to the community, Summer Engineering Experience for Kids (SEEK) is a free, three-week program that exposes African-American children to STEM fields. The program employs a hands-on design curriculum supplied by various educational curriculum companies and corporate sponsors. Campers work in teams, using their knowledge to solve problems and create products while discovering the underlying engineering principles involved in these processes.
PowerToFly Aims to Find Women Techies Jobs Wherever They Are (Video) (re/code)
While there are a lot of new startups getting funding from high-profile investors, PowerToFly is a welcome development, to say the least. Using a website designed to look like a social network � lots of great photos and chatty text � it is aimed at helping women techies across the globe match with companies looking for talent. The twist is that PowerToFly focuses on vetting that talent, often in remote locations, with three rounds of interviews and a code check. The startup is beginning with tech, but hopes to move into other verticals. �We want to change the nature of work overall for women, especially now that all the technology is there to allow people to work � productively� from anywhere,� said Zaleski, who noted that the startup has recruited over 300 women from the Middle East, Asia, Europe, India and the U.S. 
Viewpoints
Lt. Gen. William J. Lennox Jr. (Retired Superintendent, U.S. Military Academy at West Point): Tech, vocational schools serve vital need (Army Times)
By early 2015, tens of thousands of troops will have returned stateside after more than a decade of military engagement in Iraq and Afghanistan. Some will continue their careers in the armed forces, but many will rejoin their loved ones as civilians where they will likely be confronted with a harsh reality: an advanced set of technical military skills that sometimes doesn�t translate into the �real� world. How will these veterans obtain long-term careers? Many won�t, as evidenced by the nearly 200,000 veterans who are unemployed, according to government data. Through the Post-9/11 GI Bill, most vets are eligible to receive education benefits to help them ultimately transition to a career. But instead of supporting their educational choices, some government officials are aggressively working to limit veterans� access to high-quality training programs � in particular, those offered by for-profit technical schools.
Higher Education
NU Board of Regents vote to merge UNL, UNO engineering departments (Daily Nebraskan)
Future engineers studying in Lincoln or Omaha will soon work together in a combined program. The University of Nebraska-Lincoln�s engineering department and its sister program in Omaha will be more tightly connected following a 7 to 1 vote in mid-July by the NU Board of Regents to combine aspects of the programs. The University of Nebraska at Omaha�s Department of Computer and Electronics Engineering (CEEN) will combine with UNL�s Department of Electrical Engineering (EE). The merger essentially adds an electrical engineering major to UNO�s curriculum, said Timothy Wei, dean of the College of Engineering at UNL. The plan will also add 30 new faculty positions in Omaha and 20 in Lincoln, Omaha Regent Hal Daub said.
UT to launch Houston engineering institute (Houston Chronicle)
The University of Texas system board of regents voted unanimously to launch an engineering institute in Houston, tapping into what UT officials called the energy capital of the world. "We need to develop a stronger presence in Houston, especially since it is the energy capital of not only the nation and in many ways the world," said Charles Helms, a professor of electrical engineering at UT-Dallas, who chaired a system task force on engineering education that led to the proposal for the institute. UT hopes to partner with Houston-area firms, especially in the energy field, to create intership opportunities for students at what it has deemed the Engineering, Research, and Education Institute. The plan has been in the works for some time, but Thursday's vote by the regents, to set aside $2 million in start-up funds, put the project into motion.
MU Initiative Receives $500,000 NSF Grant to Augment Public Science Education and Outreach (Mizzou)
The National Science Foundation (NSF) has awarded a $500,000 grant to fund a five-year, multi-institutional initiative designed to encourage education and outreach efforts that communicate the value of taxpayers� investment in federal scientific research. �The Broader Impacts and Outreach Network for Institutional Collaboration (BIONIC)� program, led by the University of Missouri, will bring together professionals who help scientists convey the importance of their research to society. �Broader Impacts refers to the educational outreach and community engagement efforts that NSF-funded scientists use to show the social relevance of their research,� said Susan Renoe, director of the Broader Impacts Network in the Office of Research and Graduate Studies at MU..
The top 10 engineering colleges in the U.S. (USA Today)
Engineering is one of the highest paid degrees you can get � and it�s a popular choice for students who are interested in building and developing products, as well as for those who have a knack for math and science. The list below breaks down the top 10 places to get an engineering degree in the U.S. The list comes from College Factual and is a ranking of colleges based on their overall quality. #1. The Colorado School of Mines is a public research university with very high admissions standards. One of the focuses of the school is the responsible use of Earth�s resources. Engineering is the most popular field of study at this school, with majors in General Engineering and Petroleum Engineering being the most sought-after.
Industry
What do actress Mayim Bialik, Texas Instruments� calculators and back to school have in common? (Dallas Morning News)
What do on the television actress Mayim Bialik, calculators and back to school have in common? They�re all part of Dallas-based Texas Instruments Inc.�s latest back-to-school effort being launched today. A TI spokeswoman said the goal is to get students excited about STEM subjects. Bialik is the brand ambassador for TI calculators and the face of a contest starting today and ending Sept. 21. The contest � �Express Your Selfie� � calls for students and teachers to submit selfies with their favorite TI calculator to win a set of graphing calculators for his or her class and a video-conference call in class from Bialik. Five runners-up will get other gifts.
Social enterprise startup gets $100,000 to help bolster STEM education (St. Louis Business Journal)
The Disruption Department, a St. Louis-based social enterprise startup, has received a $100,00 grant from the American Communities Trust to help advance work it�s already doing to help sustain STEM education nationwide. The Disruption Department is using the grant to upgrade its space in the Grand Center Arts Academy with art laser printers, design labs and robotics. According to its website, Disruption Department is modeling itself after a professional baseball farm system, in which teams invest in young talent to develop future companies.
California
Davis teachers learn to use robots in daily lessons (The Davis Enterprise)
..So she and fellow King High teacher Cathy Haskell learned how to integrate robotics into their classroom instruction at a recent 60-hour training program held at the Yolo County Office of Education. The training sessions, held from July 21 through Aug. 1, were organized through a partnership between the Yolo County Office of Education and the UC Davis Center for Integrated Computing and STEM Education. This summer�s training sessions are part of a three-year program that is being supported by a $1.5 million grant from the California Department of Education�s California Math and Science Partnership program.
West Virginia
State gets NASA funding for STEM education (AP)
West Virginia is sharing more than $17.3 million from NASA to increase student and faculty engagement in [STEM] at community colleges and technical schools. Officials say the Community and Technical College System of West Virginia is getting funding through the National Space Grant and Fellowship Program. Thirty-five awards were granted after a solicitation to members of the national Space Grant Consortia. NASA says the winning proposals outlined ways to attract and retain more students from community and technical colleges in STEM education. |
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Million Women Mentors Update: August 21, 2014
sm.jpg) A new Million Women Mentors Newsletter is out, featuring important updates on the MWM such as: we're just shy of 170,000 pledges to mentor women and girls in STEM, guest blogs from thought leaders from Teach for America and Nepris, and lots of women in STEM news!
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. The solicitation sought STEM projects to infuse cutting-edge NASA research and development activities into curriculum development and implementation, teacher preparation and professional development, effective teaching, out-of-school activities and educational technology. "Research shows that for most Americans, only about 20 percent of their learning occurs in traditional school settings with the remainder coming from other experiences," said Mary Frances Sladek, director for STEM Education and Accountability in NASA's Office of Education. "The new opportunities offered by these museums and informal education institutions will use NASA content to amplify STEM concepts beyond the classroom." These projects are designed to engage youth, families, educators and the public through educator professional development, webcasts, digital and traveling exhibits and community-based programming. They have performance periods from one to five years and range in value from approximately $150,000 to $900,000.
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. Below are the top five tips we�ve learned for helping historically underrepresented students pursue their passion for STEM education.
Science Center to Host Free Admission Day on Aug. 24
 On Sunday, Aug. 24, general admission to Carnegie Science Center will be generously underwritten by the Jack Buncher Foundation. Visitors can discover hundreds of hands-on exhibits, including Highmark SportsWorks�, free of charge from 10 am � 5 pm. Guests can engineer a mini-city in the BLUE! exhibit, explore a walk-in replica of the International Space Station, challenge a robot to a game of air hockey, and take a walking tour of western Pennsylvania at the world-renowned Miniature Railroad & Village�, plus much more. |
