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JANUARY UPDATE
The InterMountain Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Launch Pilot (IM STEM)
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What's going on In the network?
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Communications and Resource Sharing
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The Communication and Resource Sharing group asks that you get the most out of network membership by engaging in conversation with each other on our social media channels, including our LinkedIn group (IM STEM Network) and Twitter (@imstemequity). We have also created a form on the IMSTEM website where you can enter information about your program, so we can share it across the network in future IM STEM newsletters.
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In partnership with Idaho, this workgroup has developed a pilot data dashboard to display data from Idaho’s career and technical education programs to test the feasibility of using a dashboard to conduct a more comprehensive equity gap analysis. Perkins V requires data to be disaggregated by gender, race/ethnicity and each of the 9 special population groups. This pilot dashboard can inform states as they are working on data collection and accountability in their State Plans for Perkins V. To learn more about Perkins V and to view the national data dashboards go to NAPE’s resource page at
https://www.napequity.org/public-policy/frontline-legislation/strengthening-career-and-technical-education-for-the-21st-century-act/
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Our asset mapping team is currently working with Nevada to develop an asset map that shows where STEM programming exists. Some states already have maps, including
Idaho
,
Wyoming
,
and
New Mexico
. You can view them by clicking on the state name.
Any other questions about the IMSTEM Asset map initiative, please contact Kathleen Fitzpatrick
kfitzpatrick@napequity.org
.
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Effective Practice Scaling
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The Rubric for Evaluating Programs to Broaden Participation in STEM is complete.
Click here to access it
. Watch our network meeting where Utah Valley University, UT and Clark County School District, NV share how they are using the rubric to improve their STEM programs.
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This workgroup continues to monitor NAPE’s professional development efforts in the six states. Since the fall of 2017 (the beginning of the NSF INCLUDES DDLP: IM STEM grant) NAPE has conducted professional development (PD) in five states at twelve sites with over 1200 educators. The Pilot Monitoring workgroup is conducting a follow-up survey with participants to learn more about the impact of this PD. For more information about NAPE’s PD contact Kathleen Fitzpatrick at
kfitzpatrick@napequity.org
.
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What's going on Around the network?
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Colorado
Sixth grade students in Colorado and Wyoming are invited to participate in the
33rd Annual Great Women in Engineering and Science Essay Contest
sponsored by the Rocky Mountain Section of the Society of Women Engineers. Through the contest, 6th grade girls and boys research one of five female engineers/scientists and submit a 500-word essay. The goal of the contest is to foster an interest in science, engineering, and technology in middle school students and to introduce students to female role models who have achieved significant success in areas of science and engineering. The top students will receive prizes and be invited to an award ceremony in April. Schools will also be awarded books for high student participation. Entries must be received by February 27, 2020. Click on the following link for more information:
http://www.swe-rms.org/essay-contest.html
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Nevada
Discover Science Lecture Series: Dr. William Tate, Washington University
Date:
February 6, 2020 - 7:00pm
Location:
University of Nevada, Reno, Davidson Math and Science Center.
About:
William F. Tate IV is the Edward Mallinckrodt Distinguished University Professor in Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis. He currently serves as Dean of the Graduate School and Vice Provost for Graduate Education. Tate's lecture is titled "Is Space + Race > STEM Opportunity?" According to Tobler’s first law of geography, “Everything is related to everything else, but near things are more related than distant things.” This lecture describes the implications of this law for the opportunity to learn in STEM education. Using geospatial methods, Tate illustrates the relationship between place and STEM attainment.
The Discover Science Lecture Series is always free and open to the public.
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New Mexico
What’s it like to sleep in space? Have you ever tried a New Mexico chile? Is microgravity as fun as it looks? Those are just a few of the questions students had the opportunity to ask NASA Astronaut Christina Koch aboard the International Space Station, as they chatted with her live from
The University of New Mexico
(UNM) in December 2019. Hundreds of students from across the state crowded inside the UNM Student Union Building to take part in the
NASA In-Flight Education Downlink
.
Students pre-submitted questions about life aboard the space station, NASA’s deep space exploration plans and what it’s like to conduct science in space. The event was free and open to students, K-12, from across New Mexico. International Space Station In-flight Education Downlinks support NASA's efforts to encourage K-12 students to study and pursue careers in STEM. Each year, NASA selects 5-6 educational institutions to host a live chat with astronauts.
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Utah
The
Utah STEM Bus
, a program run through the STEM Action Center, travels to schools and other organizations across the state to provide hands-on, project-based learning for children in K-8th grade. The STEM Bus aims to generate enthusiasm for STEM careers and supports the Utah Governor’s initiative for a STEM-competitive workforce. Marathon Petroleum Corp. provides the support for the Utah STEM Bus. The bus itself was donated by the Utah Transit Authority and was converted to a mobile classroom in 2016. Each school year, the STEM Bus visits over 70 schools across Utah.
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Wyoming
The University of Wyoming has two opportunities coming up in February 2020:
Engineers Week
Dates:
February 17-21, 2020
About:
This is an opportunity for 3rd grade classrooms throughout Wyoming to engage with professional engineers and participate in hands-on engineering activities that inspire innovative thinking, design, and problem solving all while learning the engineering design process. To sign up, click
here
.
Tests of Engineering Aptitude, Math, and Science (TEAMS)
Date:
February 24, 2020
About:
Every February, the University of Wyoming hosts the Wyoming TEAMS State Competition for high school students. During this day-long competition, students are encouraged to apply math and science knowledge in practical, creative ways to solve real-world engineering challenges. To sign up, visit
https://tsaweb.org/teams
.
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STEM Equity News, Events, & Resources
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Top 10 Ways Families Can Encourage Girls’ Interest in Computing
The National Center for Women & Information Technology (
NCWIT) has developed a list of resources that families can draw upon to encourage girls to explore, study, and have a career in computer science (CS) and related technology fields. Resources include books, interactive websites, TED talks, podcasts, movies/videos, activities, programs, and links.
For The First Time In History, Girls Win All The Top 5 Prizes Of The National STEM Competition
At the Broadcom MASTERS National STEM Competition in October 2019, both the participants and organizers were excited to witness a historic moment. For the first time since the competition was launched in 2010, all top 5 prizes were awarded to girls. Also, for the first time, out of 2,348 middle schoolers, more girls than boys were chosen to try out their strengths in the competition. Click on the following link to read about the top 5 finalists.
For Young Female Coders, Internship Interviews Can Be Toxic
More than 1,000 young women college-aged or older, hailing from 300 schools around the country, participated in a recent survey about the challenges female engineers face while applying for technical internships. The study was conducted by Girls Who Code, a nonprofit organization that educates and supports girls studying computer science, which has 30,000 college-aged alumnae. The results reveal that many young women, whom the tech industry is counting on to diversify its heavily male workforce, are put off by their first encounters with tech companies.
The National Center for Women & Information Technology (NCWIT) has released one of the few longitudinal studies of girls and technology, and one of the even fewer to span high school, college, and beyond. According to the six-year study, giving girls access to computer programming courses in high school supported by strong parental and teacher engagement is one of the most important factors in ensuring they will persist over inevitable obstacles to continue studying computer science in college and eventually enter a tech career.
NM MESA Hosts Teacher Advisor Professional Development Conference
ALBUQUERQUE, NM: New Mexico MESA will be hosting a Professional Development Conference for their teacher advisors in Albuquerque, NM at the Embassy Suites hotel on January 21 and 22, 2020.
Eighty-five teacher/advisors have registered for this highly anticipated event. During the course of the two days, the NM MESA advisors will learn new teaching methods, enhance their teaching style, increase their STEM knowledge, and learn about new opportunities. NM MESA strives to excel by providing highly-interactive breakout sessions in the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Mathematics (STEAM). Areas of emphasis are: Curious About Energy?; Engineering in the NM STEM Ready! Science Standards; Project Management Tools; Computer Coding and Processing; Aviation and Aeronautic Careers; Creative Coding; Architecture; Circuit City; Arduino 101; Dumpster Dive with STEM and TI Technology; New Advisor Mid Year Check-in; Agricultural lessons and Hands-on Activities; On-site Competition; Fun with Sphero-Mini; Journey 2050 Ag Resources; UNM STEM-H Programs; NMSU College of Engineering Programs; Innoventure Challenge Program; Science Olympiad Program; and more. “I can’t wait to go to PDC next week, meet fellow colleagues and learn more about MESA, and how to do more MESA activities!” says Ricardo Sierra a middle school teacher and MESA advisor from Gadsden MS.
We appreciate our partners who extended their expertise and collaboration for our workshop sessions. They are: New Mexico Public Education Department; University of New Mexico STEM-Health Center; Eastern New Mexico University Roswell Aviation; Explora Museum; New Mexico Agriculture in the Classroom; New Mexico State University College of Engineering; and New Mexico State University Arrowhead Center. In addition, other organizations will showcase their programs during a partner open house.
NM MESA’s Statewide PDC is always a great opportunity for members of MESA’s extensive network across the state to get together and share inspirational ideas about the best ways to bring exciting learning to our students. We are looking forward to the opportunity to re-connect with each other as proud MESA educators!” says NM MESA North Central Regional Coordinator, Nicholas Kunz.
Additional information can be found on the NM MESA website:
www.nmmesa.org
.
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Help grow the network!
Please forward this newsletter to colleagues and contacts.
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IM STEM is a network of STEM educators and leaders across six states (CO, ID, NM, NV, UT, and WY) working to support STEM equity at key transition points (middle school to high school and high school to college).
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This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. 1744472. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.
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