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Coding
The BBC taps Doctor Who to bring the basics of coding to kids (The Next Web)
Tying in with the new coding and computing content initiative announced by the BBC last month, the British broadcaster has announced a new Doctor Who-themed game designed to teach the basics of programming to kids. Available online in the UK from Wednesday 22 October, �The Doctor and the Dalek� game is aimed at CBBC-age viewers, and is voiced by the good Doctor himself, Peter Capaldi. Digging a little deeper, the puzzles are tied in with the new English computing curriculum, hence why this game is only open in the UK for now. Users are encouraged to combine instructions to accomplish a goal, using variables to change behaviour. Repetition and loops are also weaved in to the puzzles. 
Higher Education
Young science enthusiasts gravitate to STEM Fest at NIU (DeKalb Daily Chronicle)
Tommy Frayne, 11, of Sycamore likes science and math. He thinks chemical reactions, or how things react to other things, are really cool and the chemical structure of salt and sugar interests him. His mother found the STEM Fest event online, and the family really wanted to go. Tommy likes the research component of science and thinks it�s important in today�s world. STEM Fest happens once a year and celebrates STEM in northern Illinois. While local groups participated in the event, companies like Microsoft and Com-Ed also had booths. Pati Sievert, director of STEM Outreach at NIU, said this is STEM Fest�s fifth year and the event�s attendance exceeded 6,000 people, which is twice as many attendees as the first year.
Georgia State University College of Education Receives $7.5 Million Department of Education Grant (PRWEB)
The U.S. Department of Education has awarded the Georgia State University College of Education $7.5 million for its Collaboration and Resources for Encouraging and Supporting Transformations in Education (CREST-Ed) program, which is designed to increase the number of teachers committed to high-need schools in urban and rural settings. The College of Education will partner with Albany State University, Columbus State University, the National Commission on Teaching and America's Future and nine county school systems to recruit, train and support 250-300 students who want to teach in [STEM] fields. Georgia State was one of 24 institutions nationwide to receive funding through the U.S. Department of Education's Teacher Quality Partnership grant competition, which focused this year on supporting projects that prepare STEM teachers.
Vala Afshar (Chief Marketing Officer, Extreme Networks): 10 Uses of Drones in Higher Education [Slideshare] (ImpactX)
Along with the drones come new jobs. In the US alone, 70,000 new drone-related jobs are projected within the next three years; 100,000 new jobs are expected by 2025. In order to provide a trained workforce capable of meeting this demand, schools are already jumping in and offering drone programs and degrees. Brian A. Rellinger, CIO Ohio Wesleyan University has been experimenting with drones on campus to see firsthand how they can used to enhance teaching, learning, research, and service to society. Some OWU students are already bringing drones on campus, further extending the bring your own device concept. I spoke with Brian about all the ways drones can be used for educational purposes. We compiled the list of Ten Uses of Drones in Higher Education below, which is presented in the accompanying slideshare.
Diversity in STEM
The Fascinating Evolution of Brogramming And The Fight To Get Women Back (Fast Company)
Since her 20-year-old daughter told her she was dropping her computer science major in college, Robin Hauser Reynolds has made it her mission to understand why the coding industry can be so unwelcoming to women. Why is it that while 37% of U.S. college computer science grads in 1985 were women, today only 17% are? Reynolds has talked to women coders, historians, neuroscientists, psychologists, and people working inside some of the biggest tech companies in Silicon Valley, looking for answers. The result is a documentary film, CODE, that recently raised more than $86,000 through an Indiegogo campaign.
"Girls only" workshop at Naval Academy designed to spark interest in STEM careers (Baltimore Sun)
Thirteen-year-olds Vivian Lin and Jenny Tan crouched over a tiny plastic container holding a dozen possible specimens of faux smallpox and dripped in clear fluid through a syringe. The girls giggled as they argued over who would get to do the next step in the exercise, designed to simulate how epidemiologists test for infectious diseases. "Is this what scientists actually do all day?" Vivian asked Sarah Durkin, a U.S. Naval Academy professor overseeing the activity, one of 10 hands-on experiments held Saturday during a workshop intended to interest some 300 middle school-age girls in STEM fields. Durkin told the teen that she has done similar tests in her career, but on a much larger scale.
Event Showcases STEM Careers for Students With Disabilities (TWC-Central NC)
With a service dog by his side, Ed Summers shared his story. It was a journey of struggles and success that brought him in front of families at the 2014 STEM Career Showcase for students with disabilities. "When I was diagnosed and losing my vision, it was a long slow process of coping and adjusting to that process and it lasted about 20 years and it took me that long to get to the point where I could deal with the psychological challenges around visual impairment," said Summers, senior manager of accessibility and applied assistive technology at SAS. "But since then, I've learned the tools that I need to succeed and I'm doing things today that I never thought I could do."
Viewpoints
David Edwards (Professor, Harvard University & Founder, Le Laboratoire): American Schools Are Training Kids for a World That Doesn�t Exist (Wired)
Are Americans getting dumber? Our math skills are falling. Our reading skills are weakening. Our children have become less literate than children in many developed countries. But the crisis in American education may be more than a matter of sliding rankings on world educational performance scales. Our kids learn within a system of education devised for a world that increasingly does not exist. We �learn,� and after this we �do.� We go to school and then we go to work. This approach does not map very well to personal and professional success in America today. Learning and doing have become inseparable in the face of conditions that invite us to discover.
Startups
MicroBlink Launches PhotoMath To Solve Math Equations With A Phone (TechCrunch)
Imagine you are a 14-year-old kid again. You need to do this really difficult math exercise for tomorrow, but have no idea how to do it. What if you could just open an app on your phone, point your camera at your textbook, snap a picture and get the detailed instructions to solve your equation. This is exactly what PhotoMath does. The team is launching this app today at TechCrunch Disrupt Europe in London. MicroBlink is a text recognition technology company that has been developing a powerful engine for mobile phone cameras for the past two years. The startup is in the business of selling its core technology to companies who might find it useful.
Utah
STEM Utah School Assembly to be Broadcast Statewide (Utah Policy)
The first STEM Utah school assembly, designed to inspire students on the value of STEM education, will be broadcast live on Tuesday, Oct. 21 at 1:10 p.m. from the new Olympus High School Commons with Bryan Kehl, seven-season NFL linebacker and STEM advocate, as a featured speaker. Not only will the one-hour assembly be webcast live on Oct. 21 but it will be broadcast later on KUEN Channel 9, at 1 p.m. on Oct. 23, 24, and 31. It will also be available to view on-demand at the Utah Education Network website; www.uen.org. The STEM Innovation Awards, or STEMies, will also be announced. This is an awards program with a value of up to $25,000. The STEMies will recognize the semester and year-end achievements of students, teachers, counselors, principals, and mentors. Anyone will be able to make nominations on www.CuriosityUnleashed.com.
New York
New York approves career and technical diploma for high school (Albany Business Review)
High school students in New York may soon be able to graduate with a specialized diploma in career and technical education as well as the arts, science technology, engineering and mathematics and other areas of study. The state Board of Regents Monday gave preliminary approval to a plan that would create new paths to graduation. The new paths include career and technical education; arts; humanities; biliteracy; science, technology, engineering and math. To earn a specialized diploma, high school students must pass four Regents exams, as well as a comparable assessment in the specialized area. The comparable assessment takes the place of the fifth Regents exam that is currently required to graduate.
Arizona
49 finalists named for Super Bowl STEM awards (AZ Central)
The Arizona Super Bowl Host Committee on Thursday announced finalists for the 2014 STEM Superhero Awards. The awards highlight excellence and innovation in STEM teaching throughout the state. The local organizing committee chose 49 out of nearly 200 finalists for categories including Best STEM school, Most Innovative STEM Club and Most Dedicated STEM Teacher. The committee will host a Nov. 12 ceremony at the Arizona Science Center to honor the finalists, and winners will receive prizes � from Super Bowl memorabilia to donations to their STEM clubs.
Illinois
Music studio, STEM rooms added to Downers Grove library (Chicago Tribune)
After six months of construction and renovations Downers Grove Public Library officials unveiled an updated facility promising 21st century services to the community. During an Oct. 18 dedication ceremony celebrating the end of major renovations, Downers Grove Mayor Martin Tully said the library has a "deep and rich history" as a keystone of the community.. the renovated library features an area dedicated to STEM training. During the renovation celebration more than a dozen children worked on robotics projects with library staff members.
STEM Food & Ag
The Futuristic Gadgets Running Today�s High-Tech Vineyards (Wired)
.jpg) Sure, the label on your C�tes du Rhinoceros suggests that the grapes were tended by craggy, distant-eyed, French-accented wine savants who nurture the earth, as did their fathers and their fathers' fathers before them. But the truth is, if modern technology can make for better vino and cut costs, plenty of winemakers are going to buy it. (Anyway, between hotter summers and an influx of bulk wine from around the world, that French guy will soon be out of a job.) Here's how they keep the Tempranillo flowing. #1. Lancaster Hawkeye Mark III: This drone images vineyards in near-infrared, which shows distressed vegetation in need of attention. #2. Fruition Sciences Sap Flow Sensor: Thirsty vines mean concentrated flavor. These sleeves track water flow through the stems, so growers can keep the vines at juuuust the right level of stress. |
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 STEMconnector�
100 Diverse Corporate Leaders in STEM - Adriane Brown of Intellectual Ventures
 Adriane Brown is President and COO for Intellectual Ventures (IV). "At IV we believe that diversity is key to innovation. I believe that collaboration of great, diverse minds is how we will solve our world�s toughest challenges and create the next round of breakthrough technologies. We are in the business of great ideas and we are attracted to people with diverse backgrounds, skill sets, and a burning desire to disrupt the status quo."
2014 PLTW Summit Brings Together Nation�s Top STEM Education Advocates, Leaders, and Learners
 Project Lead The Way has announced the complete lineup of keynote speakers, panelists, and workshop presenters for the 2014 PLTW Summit, Nov. 2-5, in Indianapolis, Indiana. The 2014 PLTW Summit will bring together nearly 1,500 educators and leaders in the corporate, nonprofit, and government sectors who work together every day to help students develop the knowledge and skills they need to succeed. The national event will serve as a catalyst for collaboration and strategies that can help solve the education and workforce development challenges facing our nation. In addition to previously announced speakers Dr. William Bennett, former U.S. Secretary of Education; Jeff Charbonneau, the 2013 National Teacher of the Year; and Steve Forbes, chairman and editor-in-chief of Forbes Media, keynote speakers for the 2014 PLTW Summit will include Dr. Cheryl Schrader, Eunice Heath, and Julian Rimoli.
STEMconnector to Host 100 Diverse Corporate Leaders in STEM TownHall (10/22, 2-3PM ET)
 STEMconnector� will host an online TownHall on Wednesday, October 22nd from 2:00-3:00PM ET, featuring keynote presentations from honorees in the 100 Diverse Corporate Leaders in STEM publication. Participants will speak about their vision for a more competitive nation, their own journey, and their advice on how to get more women and minorities into STEM education and careers. Speakers include Kimberly Foster Price, VP at 3Mgives; Ray Dempsey, VP at BP America; Theresa Hennesy, VP at Comcast Cable; Larry Quinlan, Global CIO at Deloitte; Dexter Cole, VP of Programming at the Science Channel; Seema Kumar, VP at Johnson & Johnson; Barbara G. Koster, Senior VP & CIO at Prudential Financial; Sanjay Verma, Divisional VP of Global Services at PTC; Dawne Hickton, CEO at RTI International Metals; Michael Norris, CEO at Sodexo; Sajan Pillai, CEO at UST Global; and Miguel Quiroga, Executive Director of Customer Experience at Verizon.
100 Diverse Corporate Leaders in STEM - Avis Braggs of ConocoPhillips
 Avis Braggs is manager, Information Technology (IT) and is a member of the IT leadership team and the senior manager leadership forum for ConocoPhillips. "Mentorship is a key vehicle for gaining access to unfiltered feedback, guidance and support. I also believe being a mentor is an obligation leaders have. Mentoring others increases our ability to expand the impact of the experience we�ve gained, and it extends the value of the investments that have been made in our professional growth. While I serve as a mentor for several employees, I believe I have the most impact when I know the employees� abilities and aspirations, I�m familiar with the organizations they�re trying to navigate, and there is a mutual trust." |
