#SHUTDOWNSTEM: A Day of Focus on Education & Discussion to Support Black Lives
On Wednesday, June 10, STEMconnector joined #ShutDownSTEM and #ShutDownAcademia to take time to focus on what we can do better, and plan how we can continue to play a bigger part in eradicating anti-Black racism in academia and the STEM fields. STEMconnector is committed to supporting corporate partners to invest in communities of color both in building their talent pipelines and in creating cultures of inclusion and support. Click on the following link for a list of resources that discuss racial tension, diversity, and steps everyone can take to make this country more equitable and inclusive to African-Americans. June 10, 2020. https://www.stemconnector.com/shutdownstem-a-day-of-focus-to-on-education-discussion-on-supporting-black-lives/

Thousands of Scientists Go on Strike to Protest Systemic Racism in STEM
Thousands of scientists across the world stopped working on Wednesday, June 10, in honor of #ShutDownSTEM to protest institutional racism. More than 5,000 scientists and two prominent scientific journals shut down operations and used the day to address how racial inequalities in science produce bias in research and scholarship, and focused on long-term plans to dismantle entrenched racism in STEM fields. Click on the following link to read more. June 10, 2020.

Announcing SciFest All Access! 
The USA Science and Engineering Festival is thrilled to announce their new program, SciFest All Access, coming to you virtually this summer! At SciFest All Access, attendees of all ages can engage directly with sponsors and exhibitors to experience 100+ virtual STEM activities. This FREE virtual event will be a graphical depiction of the live Festival to include exhibitor booths, pavilions, and lounges with demonstrations, videos, games, and more. Educators, please relay the opportunity to students and parents so they have access to this fun, educational, and inspiring program. There is no cost to attend! Click on the following link to register for this exciting program: https://usasciencefestival.org/scifest-all-access-registration/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_content=Register%20Here&utm_campaign=Newsletter%20Emma .

Also, contact the USA Science and Engineering Festival if your organization is interested in exhibiting at SciFest All Access.

Survey: Make a Difference for STEM Outreach for Girls
Arizona State University is calling out to parents/guardians of girls who participated in an out-of-school or afterschool STEM education program to help their daughters make a difference by having them answer a short anonymous research survey. The purpose of this research study is to improve the representation and access for girls to STEM education and career options. If interested, please email the researcher ( gabriela.a.gonzalez@asu.edu ) to obtain a parental consent form. Signed parental consent forms or confirmation of consent via email are required in order to include your daughter's responses in the research. The survey is available at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/Girls_STEM . Thank you for making a difference!

New Toolkits Aim to Increase STEM Diversity
A new classroom toolkit for junior high school and high school students includes the stories of real scientists, including women and people of color, to give more students the opportunity to see themselves represented in STEM fields. The kit is part of an initiative from educational nonprofit The Plenary, Co. to increase the diversity of those pursuing STEM fields. The toolkits will include posters, career resources and other classroom materials, and the scientists represented in the toolkits will vary from graduate students to those more established in their fields.

Virtual Interactive STEM Speaker Series
Last month, the USA Science and Engineering Festival held their first-ever virtual STEM speaker series. Over the course of five days, over 67,000 students, parents, and teachers from all 50 states and 60 countries tuned in to  X-STEM All Access , presented by AstraZeneca ! Moderated by Justin Shaifer , attendees tuned in virtually to learn from a variety of STEM visionaries! If you didn't have a chance to tune in, X-STEM All Access is now available to view on-demand at https://usasciencefestival.org/x-stem-all-access/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_content=website%20&utm_campaign=Newsletter%20Emma


Broadening Participation in STEM 
The NSF INCLUDES Coordination Hub team released its first research brief called Evidence-based Strategies for Improving Equity and Inclusion of Individuals in Underrepresented Racial and Ethnic Groups . The brief explores promising practices for broadening participation among racial/ethnic minorities in STEM and features numerous evidence-based strategies. You can read the brief here: https://documentcloud.adobe.com/link/track?uri=urn:aaid:scds:US:d07c699f-0ee3-4365-8461-732dbc8a4b89

Promising Practices for Addressing the Underrepresentation of Women in Science, Engineering, and Medicine: Opening Doors 
The National Academies Press released a report last month recommending actions to address “entrenched patterns” of women being underrepresented across science, engineering and medical disciplines and in leadership roles within fields. Although the report notes federal science agencies and other research organizations have made progress in addressing disparities, it calls on them to play a stronger role in catalyzing “culture change,” such as by formally auditing grantee diversity practices and modifying grant review criteria. You can access the report here: https://www.nap.edu/read/25585/chapter/1?utm_content=&utm_medium=email&utm_name=&utm_source=govdelivery&utm_term=

Survey: Female Students Still Lack Confidence in Math, Science
Following its latest research, Manchester Digital is encouraging both educators and businesses to do more to promote STEM subjects to young women in school. The data revealed 82% of women currently working in the technology sector weren’t encouraged to take up a digital or tech subject at any point in their education. April 8, 2020. https://www.educationdive.com/news/survey-female-students-still-lack-confidence-in-math-science/575678/

The Heroines STEM: Ten Women in Science You Should Know
Despite challenges of gender discrimination and lack of recognition in the scientific community, countless inspiring women in STEM fields have made historic contributions to science and helped advance understanding of the world around us. Many were not recognized in their own lifetimes, but their achievements have helped generations of female scientists to come. This article highlights ten women in science you should know. January 28, 2020. 

Girls Go CyberStart
High school teachers across the US can help find the next cybersecurity superstars by becoming Advisors and running a Girls Go CyberStart Club. Taking part will not only build your students' knowledge in multiple security disciplines, but it is also great fun! By taking part, your school will have access to free cybersecurity learning resources written and developed by industry professionals. Introduce, inspire and improve your students cybersecurity knowledge with online materials, while competing to win cash prizes for your school. Over 10,000 high school girls have taken part in the program so far. Click on the following link to learn more about Girls Go CyberStart and to sign up for updates about the next intake.

Although women have made significant strides towards gender equality in the workplace, many young girls and women are still discouraged from pursuing careers in STEM or in male-dominated industries. And even when they choose to pursue such careers, obtaining managerial positions is an even bigger uphill battle, which results in many industries still grossly underrepresenting women. One of the industries that still shows major gender gaps is the automotive industry. 

The Rising Crisis in American STEM 
To get more women and minorities interested in STEM, the solution starts in the colleges of education, not the colleges of engineering, math and sciences. Prospective teachers need to understand their role in changing the culture surrounding STEM learning environments and the societal norms they will be reinforcing in their classrooms. Teachers must model behavior in their classrooms that fosters the confidence of girls and minorities in their math and science abilities if we want to have a diverse STEM workforce. February 28, 2020. 

Overlooked Talent Pools
Employers across industries face the burden of STEM talent gaps and understand the imperative to increase diversity in STEM roles. Yet, many employers turn to the same populations, geographies, and systems to find talent year after year. In doing so, they are either missing out on viable sources of talent entirely, or they underestimate the potential power of their unique role in growing and strengthening such pools. STEMconnector’s Overlooked Talent Pools Data Series offers a clear, data-driven picture of under-represented and often overlooked talent pools, allowing you to deepen your understanding of these populations and make more informed decisions. https://www.stemconnector.com/overlooked-talent-pools/

Advancing Diversity in Engineering Research Labs
Diversifying the nation’s STEM workforce has been difficult, despite programs and strategies aimed at addressing the shortage of women and minorities in STEM fields. Increasing underrepresented populations in graduate engineering programs remains a challenge. According to an American Society of Engineering Education assessment, doctoral degrees awarded in 2017 to black/African American and Hispanic students were just 3.8 percent and 6.3, respectively. However, there are “microcultures” among engineering lab research teams where traditionally underrepresented students are present in great numbers and thriving. The National Science Foundation has awarded the University of Georgia a two-year, $342,000 grant to explore ways in which graduate engineering research labs have successfully developed diversity. The ultimate goal is to identify what factors help underrepresented students thrive in these environments so those lessons can be applied to creating a sustainable graduate engineering education model for diverse students. April 28, 2020. https://news.uga.edu/advancing-diversity-engineering-research-labs/

Women in Tech: The Importance of Mentorship
Too often women overlook careers in the technology industry. Click on the following link to view a clip filmed at Women in Cloud Summit 2020 where Adrienne Guillory, Director of Design Thinking at Usability Sciences Corporation, talks about the importance of mentoring and how it helped her navigate her career path when she started out in the tech industry. June 10, 2020. https://www.technative.io/women-in-tech-the-importance-of-mentorship/