Join the Texas Girls Collaborative Project for our 5th Annual Texas Women and Girls in STEM Summit designed to share best practices, connect organizations and individuals, and showcase outstanding efforts to increase the number of girls in STEM and support the retention of women in STEM careers. STEM professionals and all who are engaged in education, outreach, recruitment, and/or retention of women and girls in STEM are invited to join in.

Call for session proposals is open through midnight October 8th!

Know of great organizations would would like to sponsor the summit as well as have visibility through the entire Texas Girls Collaborative Project network? All sponsors have the opportunity to have a representative join the MWM-TX Steering Committee, TxGCP Champions Board, and/or TxGCP Regional Leadership Team. Contact Tricia Berry at triciaberry@txgcp.org to discuss these and other TxGCP and/or Summit partnership opportunities.

Million Women Mentors Texas (MWM-TX) annually awards the MWM Stand Up for STEM Awards to recognize and elevate the work of incredible mentors, companies and organizations within Texas. Award applications are open August through September annually and are announced in late October. Awardees and nominees are recognized during the TxGCP Texas Women and Girls in STEM Summit. Self nominations welcome. Categories:

Applications are open for

Please submit the online application to indicate your interest in serving on a TxGCP Regional Leadership Team, the TxGCP Champions Board, or the Million Women Mentors - Texas Steering Committee. See the details regarding each of these roles on the online application and at https://www.txgcp.org/.

The Greater Austin STEM Ecosystem invites organizations and individuals engaged in STEM outreach, education, workforce development, educational technology, volunteering and advocacy to connect, network and share.

*NEW* USA Bebras Computational Thinking Challenge

The USA Bebras Computational Thinking Challenge 2021 registration is open!  If you don't know what Bebras is, it's a fun, free online challenge in informatics and computational thinking (CT) for students of all ages and grades (1st - 12th). It's very popular internationally and gaining traction in the USA. Students can participate during class --- or they can do the challenge from home. Signing up (by teacher) is relatively easy.  There's also some practice challenges on the website.

*NEW* Free Virtual Field Trip with NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory

As NASA’s premier X-ray telescope, Chandra gives us a powerful tool to investigate hot regions of the Universe, from black holes, to exploding stars, colliding galaxies and more. Get a backstage pass to Chandra's Operations Control Center, tour the Chandra spacecraft through virtual reality, and take a (virtual) quick trip to some exploding stars in our own galaxy. This virtual field trip is part of the Code.org CS Journeys.

*NEW* EcoRise Sustainability in the Classroom PD Events - Houston, San Antonio, & Rural TX

Learn how teachers can empower students to become “environmental superheroes” within their communities by utilizing the classroom and their school as an active laboratory for sustainability-based problem-solving. Do you want to see your students' ideas and solutions come to life? Consider having your students apply for an Eco-Audit grant. This session will help you get ready for the process. Eco-Audit grant applications are accepted on a rolling basis for grant awards up to $500.

*NEW* NASA Makes! Mini-Institute on Culturally Responsive STEM Teaching and Maker Ed

Join Maker Ed and NASA STEM Engagement & EPDC for this hands-on, minds-on virtual educator mini-institute where we’ll explore how culturally responsive STEM teaching and maker education can be integrated to create meaningful explorations and deeper learning. We will have time to make, reflect, discuss, and connect with other STEM educators. Shared resources and sample lessons are intended for 3-8th grade STEM teachers but is open to all educators interested in culturally relevant STEM teaching.

*NEW* NASA Makes! Mini-Institute on Culturally Responsive STEM Teaching and Maker Ed

Join Maker Ed and NASA STEM Engagement & EPDC for this hands-on, minds-on virtual educator mini-institute where we’ll explore how culturally responsive STEM teaching and maker education can be integrated to create meaningful explorations and deeper learning. We will have time to make, reflect, discuss, and connect with other STEM educators. Shared resources and sample lessons are intended for 3-8th grade STEM teachers but is open to all educators interested in culturally relevant STEM teaching.

*NEW* NASA New Student Project: Code a Mars Rover Driving Game

For grades 6 - 12! Test your coding skills with a new project from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California. Use Python to code a game that simulates how NASA explores Mars using rovers. Your game will challenge players to drive a Mars rover from one location to another while avoiding hazards.

*NEW* NASA New Student Project: Code a Mars Rover Driving Game

For grades 6 - 12! Test your coding skills with a new project from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California. Use Python to code a game that simulates how NASA explores Mars using rovers. Your game will challenge players to drive a Mars rover from one location to another while avoiding hazards.

The TxGCP eNewsletter is distributed approximately once a month. Visit the TxGCP web site for additional updates on upcoming events, resources and mini-grant information.