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Diversity in STEM
Tennessee to pledge 10,000 female STEM mentors as part of national effort (Nooga.com)
The National Girls Collaborative Project will pledge 10,000 mentors in [STEM] as part of a countrywide movement aimed at boosting the interest of young girls and women in these academic and career areas. The National Girls Collaborative Project is a founding partner of the Million Women Mentors initiative. Tennessee is one of 22 states whose leaders have committed to mentoring 140,000 girls. The goal of the Million Women Mentors movement is to get 1 million STEM mentors over the next four years. Chattanooga entrepreneur and professional engineer Sheila Boyington, who owns local e-learning business Thinking Media (which aims to sharpen STEM skills), is the national state strategy leader for Million Women Mentors.
Lesbians Who Tech, From Silicon Valley To The White House (Forbes)
As I�m reaching for my morning coffee, I see this email: �You�re invited to Lesbians Who Tech, a global community of over 4,000 queer women in and around tech (and the people who love them). Whether you work at a tech company, have a technical job or you�re just obsessed with every new app that comes out, we want you to join Lesbians Who Tech. Get geeky with techy folk just like you, enjoy tasty adult beverages, land gigs, make new friends and connections.� Leanne Pittsford is an entrepreneur, technology strategist, UX designer, tech investor and the founder of Lesbians Who Tech. Why is there an organization for lesbians in tech? That�s what I asked Leanne.. 
Viewpoints
Behind the Cover Story: Elizabeth Green on America�s Math Crisis (New York Times: The 6th Floor)
Elizabeth Green, a co-founder and the chief executive of Chalkbeat, wrote this week�s cover story about the Common Core and the challenges in overhauling the way math is taught. The article is adapted from her forthcoming book, �Building a Better Teacher: How Teaching Works (And How to Teach It to Everyone),�.. NYT: The adaptation that ran in the magazine focused primarily on how teachers are chronically undertrained in teaching math. How well are they trained to teach other subjects? EG: Math is sadly not much different from other school subjects. As I�ve seen several people point out in comments on the article and social media, the same piece could be written about literacy, writing, history or science..
Higher Education
NYC schools to use video games to teach computer coding (CU-Boulder)
A program designed at the University of Colorado Boulder to teach kids to code using video games is being introduced into New York City public schools as part of an initiative to give every student access to computer science education. Scalable Game Design is a program developed over two decades by CU-Boulder computer science Professor Alexander Repenning to spark an interest in coding among kids by allowing them to design and build their own video games. The idea behind the program, which uses drag-and-drop programming tools, is to combat the widely held notion that computer programming is hard and boring, said Repenning.
Yavapai College Receives STEM Funding Grant (Prescott e-News)
As part of the State of Arizona�s FY 2015 budget, Yavapai College received $802,900 to bolster educational efforts in [STEM] and Workforce areas. �The Career & Technical Education Center in Prescott and the Southwest Wine Center on the Verde Valley campus in Clarkdale present the strongest opportunities for workforce development leading to direct job growth,� said Clint Ewell, vice-president of finance and administrative services. �In support of both programs, the STEM funding will be used for capital expansion and development of both facilities.�
Government
Fountain-Fort Carson District 8 receives $2.5 million grant (Colorado Springs Gazette)
Fountain-Fort Carson School District 8 has received a $2.5 million grant to create an innovative program that will focus on some of education's hottest topics, including biotechnology and engineering. The program, for students in grades 4 through 12, is called "The Systemic Bridge Between Science and Math," and D-8 will partner with the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs for a variety of projects. "We are seeing endless possibilities for our kids. It will be transformational," said Debbie Pierre, former D-8 assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction, who wrote the grant and will oversee implementation. She will be working with D-8 administrator Clint Allison, who will be project director.
Maker Movement
Maker Camp: Halfway through an Awesome Summer! (MAKE)
It�s been a busy first three weeks of Maker Camp. Thousands of kids worldwide have been dipping their toes into making. Our more advanced supercampers have been taking on bigger challenges and even holding their own gatherings around the virtual campfire with hangouts after our official hangouts. (We�re looking at you, Supercamper Ashley Van Steenhacker!) Today we kicked off the fourth week of Maker Camp, on the theme of Science and Technology, and we did it with two big parties. In our usual spot at 11am we welcomed Massimo Banzi (yes, the co-founder of Arduino!) and fellow maker superstar Ayah Bdeir of littleBits.
Most Interesting Makerspaces in America (MAKE)
What makes a makerspace interesting? Itʼs not just the size of the shop or the number of active members. Nor is it the selection of tools or having an advanced RFID inventory system. Sure, those pieces count, but itʼs how a makerspace slots into its community � elevating and inspiring the makers � that makes it stand out. Weʼve compiled 34 shops across the country that keep our attention, from those that have revived historic industrial sites to libraries that offer access to the latest tool technologies. There are hundreds more around the country; to find one or details on how to start a makerspace near you, please visit makerspace.com and get connected.
STEM Jobs
Hiring in shale industry shifts to engineering, construction workers (Pittsburgh Tribune-Review)
Gas companies operating in and around the Marcellus shale say they are increasingly hiring skilled workers for engineering and construction jobs as the industry matures beyond the rush to drill wells. The high-paying jobs accounted for 26.5 percent of new hires last year, according to a survey of member companies that the Marcellus Shale Coalition will release on Tuesday. That percentage increased from 10.8 percent in last year's survey by the North Fayette-based group. Hiring for equipment operations, which accounted for nearly 30 percent of new workers in 2012, dropped to about 23 percent.
Louisiana
BESE holds special meeting on Common Core dispute (AP)
Louisiana's state school board is holding a special meeting to consider whether to sue Gov. Bobby Jindal in an ongoing dispute over the Common Core education standards. Jindal opposes the multi-state standards, while Education Superintendent John White and most members of the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education continue to support them. Up for discussion at Tuesday's BESE meeting is whether the board should join a lawsuit accusing the governor of illegally meddling in education policy or file its own lawsuit.
Connecticut
$4 Million State Grant To Kick Off CT Science Center Expansion Plan (Hartford Courant)
Just five years after it opened, the Connecticut Science Center in Hartford is scheduled to get a $4 million state grant this week to launch an ambitious 10-year plan to expand and upgrade its exhibits and facilities. State officials said that some of the center's expansion plans include creating more educational lab space, transforming one portion of the existing building into a greenhouse and butterfly conservatory, and paying off debts related to the center's heating, cooling and ventilation systems. The money is part of a $10.5 million bond authorization for the project approved by the General Assembly.
Ohio
Ohio lawmakers want Common Core standards repealed (AP)
Republican lawmakers in the state House are beginning a push to repeal Common Core learning standards by year�s end, citing widespread discontent they�re hearing from parents, teachers and communities. Reps. Matt Huffman, of Lima, and Andy Thompson, of Marietta, said Monday that Ohio made a mistake four years ago in pursuing the standards and their legislation would seize back state control over the process. �I don�t think there�s an issue that I�ve heard more about in the last two or three months than this,� Huffman said at a news conference. The legislators characterized the standards as federal mandates, though they were developed with the help of educators from participating states, including Ohio.
STEM Food & Ag
White House to Begin $10 Billion Rural Investment Fund (New York Times)
.jpg) Wall Street is looking for ways to invest in America�s heartland, and the government is ready to play matchmaker. The White House Rural Council will announce plans on Thursday to start a $10 billion investment fund that will give pension funds and large investors the opportunity to invest in agricultural projects. Those include wastewater systems, energy projects and infrastructure development in rural America. �We�re the eHarmony.com of infrastructure and business investment,� the agriculture secretary, Tom Vilsack, said, referring to the online dating service. �We�re going to be a connector,� he added. �This is a new role for the U.S. Department of Agriculture.� The fund, called the Rural Infrastructure Opportunity Fund, will be backed by CoBank, a cooperative bank and a member of the Farm Credit System, a government-sponsored network of banks that lend to the agriculture industry.
These Floating Vertical Farms Are Designed To Bring Local Food To The Densest Urban Areas (Fast Co.Exist)
As one of the densest countries in the world, with nearly 20,000 people per square mile, Singapore doesn't really have room for farms. Almost all of the food there is imported from elsewhere--sometimes as far away as Brazil or Argentina. But could floating vertical farms make local food a reality? Architects from Barcelona-based design firm JAPA have proposed a new system of looping towers that could float in local harbors, providing new space for year-round crops. Called F.R.A., short for "floating responsive architecture," the design is inspired in part by floating fish farms that have been in use locally since the 1930s. The unusual shape is intended to save space and maximize the light that reaches plants. "We used the sun as a design driver," says Javier Ponce, principal from JAPA. |
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 STEMconnector�
EdTech Weekly Report: July 28, 2014
 Top stories from this week's all-new edition of the EdTech Weekly Report include Duolingo and Google entering the standardized testing game, 8 NYC startups enter Kaplan's ed-tech accelerator class, OpenCurriculum releases free, online library, and much more!
Team USA Attains Three Gold Medals and One Silver Medal at the International Biology Olympiad
 The Center for Excellence in Education (CEE) announces Team USA was awarded three Gold Medals and one Silver Medal at the 25th International Biology Olympiad (IBO) held in Bali, Indonesia. Team USA represented this nation in the world�s competition for top academic achievement in biology, surpassing student representatives from 63 nations of the world. Team USA members were selected based on their academic merit by CEE during the 12th annual USABO National Finals hosted by Purdue University. Long, Du, Mangalick, and Mudigonda, are this nation�s premier biology students and will be seniors this fall. �CEE is extremely proud of the success of Team USA 2014,� said Joann DiGennaro, President of CEE.
International Association for STEM Leaders Gives Professor Usha Rajdev the International Higher Education K-12 STEM Partnership Award
 The Higher Education K-12 STEM Partnership Award was presented by the International Association for STEM Leaders to Dr. Usha Rajdev, professor of Education at Marymount University. Through her work with undergraduate and graduate students, Rajdev has facilitated opportunities for her students to partner with Fort Belvoir Elementary School in Fairfax, Virginia. She and Dr. Eric Bubar, Marymount assistant professor of physics, also enabled elementary children to talk via amateur radio with an astronaut on the International Space Station. In addition, Rajdev�s undergraduate and graduate students create integrated STEM lesson plans and implement them, alongside seasoned teachers in area schools.
LEGO compatible robotics for less than the cost of a text book
 Microbric has launched a Kickstarter campaign for its latest STEM targeted offering, Edison, (www.meetedison.com) in a bid to address the shortage of affordable technology resources in mainstream education. Edison � or the little orange robot � encompasses the functionality of other robotic products already available, but at a much lower price, opening the door to wide spread adoption by all schools. Besides the cost of equipment, Edison tackles the question of student engagement by providing icon based drag and drop programming software, as well as an amazing array of sensors to react to light, sound and remote commands. Its modular design enables compatibility with LEGO products allowing schools already using these robotic products to continue seeing a return on their original investment as well as a cost effective extension through integration with Edison.
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