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#STEMSolve
The Crucial Role of Mentors in STEM (U.S. News & World Report)
 A panel at the U.S. News STEM Solutions Conference on Wednesday also agreed that too many students in poor, rural or underserved communities don�t often get those opportunities, which can be as elaborate as after-school apprenticeship programs - or simple as meeting a pilot in a grocery store. �Leading by Example: The Crucial Role of Mentors� featured Capt. Barrington Irving, the president and founder of Experience Aviation, as well as Dr. Dara Richardson-Heron, the CEO for YWCA USA, Eric Schwartz the co-founder and chief executive of Citizen Schools and the executive chairman of US2020, and a last-minute addition to the panel from the ACE Mentor Program.
Putting Veterans to Work for STEM (U.S. News & World Report)
The U.S. government, nonprofits and companies are responding to the demand by developing programs aimed at matching veterans with suitable employers and helping them find relevant training, particularly in the STEM fields. While the country still has a way to go to improve the transition from the military to the workplace, these efforts have begun to make a positive difference, according to panelists who spoke Wednesday at the U.S. News STEM Solutions Conference. Featured speakers on the panel included Michael J. Ott, chapter leader of VetsInTech; Kristine J. Urbauer, program manager of Military Initiatives and the junior officer leadership program at General Electric; and Commander Cara LaPointe with Joining Forces in the Office of the First Lady of the United States.
NAEP�s New Report Card: Measuring Technology and Engineering Literacy (U.S. News & World Report)
Education experts discussed the nation�s first assessment to determine what students know about technology and engineering, and how they use it in their lives, in a late Wednesday afternoon session at the U.S. News STEM Solutions Conference. Speakers at the "Inside NAEP�s New Report Card: Measuring Technology and Engineering Literacy" breakout session included Lonnie Smith, an assessment specialist at Electronic Testing Service, and William Ward, senior research scientist, assessments division, at the National Center for Education Statistics. Peggy Carr, associate commissioner, assessment division, of the National Center for Education Statistics acted as moderator. 
Computer Science
Code.org gets serious, launches computer science programs in 30 public school districts (Venture Beat)
Computer science might soon become as much part of the American public school curriculum as geometry, chemistry, American literature have traditionally been if Code.org has anything to say about it. Code.org, a one-year-old non-profit working to increase the availability of computer science courses in U.S. public schools, has announced it is partnering with 30 public school districts across the nation, including three of the top 10 largest in the country. These partnerships mean that Code.org�s efforts will reach over 2 million students, representing 5 percent of all U.S. public school students.
Codecademy Moves To Be A One-Stop-Shop For Programming Education (TechCrunch)
Since its launch two years ago Codecademy has become synonymous with online education for basic computer programming. In that time, the company says it�s learned a few things itself and today launched a newly redesigned website with an enhanced framework for teaching more than just the nuts and bolts of programming. In some ways it�s the company�s attempt to transform itself from the first step on the path to learning how to code and getting a job � a process that could include additional programming bootcamps or coursework through a site that charges for educational services � to a one-stop-shop for online continuing and professional education for programmers and developers.
High school students are all about computers but get little instruction in computer science (Washington Post)
Their lives swirl in technology, but the nation�s high school students spend little time studying the computer science that is the basis of it all. Few are taught to write lines of code, and few take classes that delve into the workings of the Internet or explain how to create an app. In a world that went digital long ago, computer science is not a staple of U.S. education, and some schools do not even offer a course on the subject, including 10 of 27 high schools in Virginia�s Fairfax County and six of 25 in Maryland�s Montgomery County. �It�s shocking how little there is,� said Rebecca Dovi, who has taught computer science for 17 years in Virginia schools and is an advocate for more courses statewide.
Women in STEM
Monique Morrow (Chief Technology Officer, Cisco): 5 Reasons Why Girls (and Boys) Should Consider a Career in IT (HuffPost ImpactX)
Having worked in the IT industry for over 20 years, and been the only female in the room on many occasions, I can say with some certainty that we haven't yet resolved the challenge of attracting an equal balance of men and women into the industry. For instance, we run a training course called NetAcad at Cisco, which helps young people from all over the world learn IT networking skills -- currently, only 8 percent of our students are female. This baffles me - I see so many young women absorbed with their smartphones and tablets. I want to shout out, "If you're enjoying using technology so much, just imagine the fun you could have creating it!" April 24 marks International Girls in ICT Day so it seems the perfect time to address the true possibilities that technology presents for young girls and aspiring women.
Girls in ICT Day Tweetathon (NCWIT)
The Girls in ICT initiative of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) is a global effort to raise awareness on empowering and encouraging girls and young women to consider studies and careers in ICTs. The initiative is committed to celebrate and commemorate the International Girls in ICT Day on the fourth Thursday of every April as established by the ITU membership. NCWIT and Intel have partnered to host a tweet-a-thon in honor of Girls in ICT Day on April 24, 2014. You'll have an opportunity to ask your questions to the tweet-a-thon participants; remember to use #AskGirlsinICT to ask your questions to our tweeters!
Linda Rosen (CEO, Change the Equation): These Books Are Hazardous to Your Child's Future (Huffington Post)
Employers are very worried that so few women are going into [STEM] at a time when we need all the STEM talent we can get. Many believe society sends girls and women subtle messages that STEM is not for them. Or maybe not so subtle... Get a load of these pages from two companion sticker books, one for young boys and the other for young girls: The first page is from My Brilliantly Blue Sticker Book; the second, from My Perfectly Pink Sticker Book. The first encourages boys to count astronauts, planets and satellites. The second encourages girls to count decorative pillows. A colleague picked these books up at a major metropolitan bookstore last year (not in 1950).
Industry
Chevron Issues Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) Call to Action for Business (Business Wire)
Chevron Corporation (NYSE:CVX) today, as part of National Science Week, issued a call to action to other businesses to join the company in supporting project-based learning methods to increase engagement in STEM and promote engineering design thinking in classrooms across the U.S. In doing so, Chevron supported this call to action by announcing an additional $30 million commitment to create national partnerships with STEM focused organizations, raising its total commitment to $130 million since 2011. �Our charge is clear: the U.S. must increase student engagement in STEM subjects, said Steve Green, vice president, Policy, Government, and Public Affairs for Chevron Corporation.
AT&T giving $20,000 to MITECH+ to help promote STEM in the Great Lakes Bay Region (MLive)
Earlier this month, a Midland-based nonprofit that promotes [STEM] education and development got a financial boost from AT&T and Consumers Energy. Gavin Goetz presented a $20,000 check to MITECH+ on behalf of AT&T, and Tom Begin presented a $15,000 check on behalf of Consumers Energy during the Leadership Saginaw County Economic Development day April 9, at the Saginaw County Chamber of Commerce. On Friday, April 25, AT&T plans to present the donation again during a second ceremony, according to a news release. The check will be presented a second time at 10:30 a.m. at the Saginaw Community Foundation, One Tuscola Street.
AMD providing educational tools to teach kids STEM skills through game design (Polygon)
AMD is helping to educate middle-schoolers in [STEM] by providing tools that will allow students to learn those skills by designing games, the company announced today. The microprocessor manufacturer has partnered with Lambton-Kingsway Junior Middle School in Toronto, and is providing the school with a mobile lab containing HP ProBook laptops. AMD has also teamed up with E-Line Media, a publisher of educational games, to bring E-Line's Gamestar Mechanic to the students. Gamestar Mechanic is educational software that teaches young people how to make video games. E-Line will also provide a professional development workshop for teachers to help them learn how to use the software in classrooms.
Foundations
Momentum Continues to Build for Posse Foundation�s STEM Program (Diverse Education)
At a White House summit on January 16, President Obama called for higher education leaders to commit to the administration�s goal of leading the world in college graduation rates by 2020. Among the guests at the summit was Dr. Debbie Bial, president of the Posse Foundation. �There she announced that the foundation�s STEM program would double the number of its partner institutions to 10 and provide $70 million in full-tuition scholarships to 500 Posse Scholars over the next five years. The students, who are selected following a vigorous and highly selective three-step interview process, receive scholarships to attend these schools. 74% of the selected students identify as Black or Latino and another 7 percent as multiracial, according to foundation officials.
STEM Events
April 29th: Underwater Dreams (Center for American Progress)
Underwater Dreams, narrated by Michael Pe�a, chronicles the epic story of four teenage boys from the desert who built an underwater robot from Home Depot parts, and went up against engineering powerhouse MIT in the process. This is how it transpired. Two energetic high school science teachers, on a whim, decided to enter their high school into a sophisticated underwater competition sponsored by NASA, among others. Only four boys, all undocumented, signed up for the team. Short on money, all they could afford was PVC pipe. And some duct tape. The Center for American Progress, in partnership with FWD.us and the National Immigration Forum, presents a special screening of Underwater Dreams, followed by a panel discussion and Q&A session. This film was made possible by the Bezos Family Foundation and the Laurie M. Tisch Illumination Fund.
Viewpoints
Ed Hernandez (Tustin High School, CA): STEM and Motorsports (Siemens STEM Academy)
As STEM educators, we know that connecting the classroom to the real world is key to engaging our students. Without relevance, classroom education remains a standalone, distant partner to our personal life � hence the proverbial question: �When am I ever going to use this?� We all know there are many ways to bring relevance to the classroom. In my high school, one of them is through vehicle design and motorsports. After all, cars are an integral part of our lives! In an old shop space at Tustin High School in Orange County California, my students are putting engineering principles to use by making electric cars. Students in my T-Tech Engineering Academy work throughout the year building an energy efficient vehicle to compete against other high schools and universities.
Higher Education
Remembering his education: Woltosz donates $10.55 million to College of Engineering (Auburn Plainsman)
The Samuel Ginn College of Engineering received a $10.55 million philanthropic investment nearly two weeks ago from Walter S. �Walt� and Virginia E. �Ginger� Woltosz to support its student�s educational needs and faculty�s research efforts, while also bettering the technical advances of its research facilities. Walt Woltosz earned a bachelor�s degree in 1969 and a master�s degree in 1977 in aerospace engineering from Auburn and also holds a master�s in administrative science from the University of Alabama. |
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Bring Your Robot to the USA Science & Engineering Festival Expo's 'Robot Zoo'!
 Robots are a perennial fascination for young learners, which is why we are asking them to bring their favorite one to showcase at the Festival Expo, the largest celebration of STEM. The Expo is hosting its first ever "Robot Zoo" at a premiere location inside the Washington, D.C. Convention Center. The experience will allow kids to share their robot design with the public and to show what makes their robot design unique. The Festival Team will choose a group of robots to feature in our "Robot Zoo" at a special booth inside the Convention Center. Attendees will be able to meet the robots and talk with the robot creators
Children�s Science Center Announces Micron Foundation Sponsorship of Museum Without Walls Program
 The Micron Foundation provided $20,000 to the Children�s Science Center to sponsor the Museum Without Walls program for the 2014-15 school year. In 2013, the program delivered hands-on, interactive [STEM] activities to 14,400 children and families at schools, libraries, and public events. The Children�s Science Center is embarking on its third year of the popular and successful Mobile Labs Family Science Night program, serving 40 schools in seven jurisdictions in the 2013-2014 school year. Other Museum Without Walls programs include community events, the new Early Childhood Hands On Science (ECHOS) program for preschools, and the Youth Leadership Council that engages students ages 10-16 in science-related performances and events. �We are thrilled to continue our partnership with the Micron Foundation as a sponsor for Museum Without Walls, allowing us to continue to bring hands-on STEM activities to thousands of students in Northern Virginia,� commented Executive Director Nene Spivy.
4300 Students Participate in Inaugural STEM Career Accelerator Day!
.jpeg) On March 18th, 2014, STEMconnector�s Innovation Task Force launched the inaugural STEM Career Accelerator Day (STEMCAD14) to excite 4,300 high school students about the possibilities of a STEM career through connections with STEM professionals. Students took part in interactive learning activities that connected coursework directly to career applications�with 300 participating through in-person events, and an additional 4,000 students engaging with STEM employers virtually via on-demand video. Across the board, all STEMCAD14 events - in person or virtual - were successful in increasing student interest and engagement in STEM. The STEM Innovation Task Force, with evaluation expertise from the Spark 101 team, measured the outcomes of pilot events� impact on student engagement and interest in STEM coursework and careers - with quantitative and qualitative data collected through pre and post participant surveys. While pre- and post- student and teacher surveys continue to be tabulated, here are initial results of STEMCAD14.
U.S. News & World Report Unveils the U.S. News/ Raytheon STEM Index
 Despite multiple initiatives to improve [STEM] education in the United States, America is still not producing enough workers to fill current and future STEM jobs, according to the new U.S. News/ Raytheon STEM Index, unveiled today.. The new index was developed exclusively by U.S. News & World Report, with support from Raytheon, as a way to track STEM jobs and education since the year 2000. It is the only comprehensive index to measure key indicators of economic- and education-related STEM activity in the United States over time. The first U.S. News/ Raytheon STEM Index shows that while STEM employment as defined by the U.S. government has gone up by more than 30 percent, from 12.8 million STEM jobs in 2000 to 16.8 million in 2013, high school student aptitude and interest in pursuing STEM has not kept pace with demand for STEM workers. Furthermore, gender and ethnic gaps among students interested in STEM remain wide. "With as many as 50 percent of future jobs requiring some STEM skills, there is significant national interest � and investment � in improving STEM education," said Brian Kelly, editor and chief content officer of U.S. News & World Report. "The U.S. News/ Raytheon STEM Index allows us to measure whether there has been positive or negative movement in key areas, particularly in workforce development, and identify ongoing pipeline issues such as female and minority participation in STEM." |
