Calling all girls! Career Girls and NGCP invite you to an interactive discussion focused on hearing the voices of women and girls as they explore careers in engineering, marine biology, and environmental sustainability to address climate change and protect our environment. Led by girls, designed for girls, members of the NGCP Girls Advisory Board will moderate the discussion and include audience questions. This Town Hall will provide information about career paths for girls related to the environment, climate change, and sustainability.

Calling all California girl-serving organizations! The California Girls in STEM Collaborative is hosting a virtual event to foster collaboration amongst girl-serving organizations and to promote equity in STEM. Participants will hear from key funders about what they see as key lessons and trends for the future of STEM education. Organizations will have the opportunity to connect and share ideas, resources, and challenges as we re-emerge from the pandemic. This will be the first event in a series. Future virtual summits will highlight evaluation techniques and equitable and inclusionary practices in “Making,” invention, and engineering.

Museumexpert.org and NGCP invite you to hear from a panel of former museum education staff on how they transition their experience and skills in informal STEM education to careers outside the field. We will also be joined by an executive recruiter to discuss what you can do to market yourself for success.

NGCP partners with Girls STEAM Ahead with NASA (part of NASA’s Universe of Learning) to provide implementation stipends for informal STEM organizations. The stipends support the implementation of events featuring resources that enable participants to explore fundamental questions in science, experience how science is done, and discover the universe for themselves. Congratulations to the 2021 recipients:

We look forward to sharing information about recipient events later this year. Check out Girls STEAM Ahead with NASA to find free resources for use in your events and programming.

Teachers and afterschool educators are invited to take part in this free CryptoClub Educator Training. CryptoClub uses games, treasure hunts, and other informal activities to engage students (grades 5-12), in both formal and informal settings. It applies topics typically found in a middle-school curriculum, such as decimals and percent, division with remainder, common factors, negative numbers, and pattern recognition, with cryptography games and activities. Learn more and register.

The NASA Teams Engaging Affiliated Museums and Informal Institutions (TEAM II) management team is recruiting qualified peer reviewers external to NASA to review NASA TEAM II proposals. Please submit your qualifications, interest, and availability, or nominate qualified colleagues. Send questions to TEAMII@jpl.nasa.gov. Selected reviewers will be expected to disclose all conflicts of interest, including situations that may give the appearance of bias.

The Girls Advisory Board is made up of young women that review and provide feedback on current NGCP initiatives and assist in informing the future direction of the NGCP.

Renuka G. is a high school senior from Kentucky interested in pursuing a major in neuroscience and psychology. She hopes to graduate with a Bachelor of Science degree and attend medical school to fulfill her aspirations of becoming a neurologist. Renuka has been an active and valuable member of the Girls Advisory Board for two years. She participated in the "Ask a Paleontologist" video series, and served on a panel for the Tennessee STEAM Festival, serving as a role model for younger girls. She also served as the moderator for the Town Hall series, leading the event with confidence. NGCP is grateful for Renuka’s passion and effort to spark girl's interest and participation in STEM.

Each month, this spotlight will highlight new programs, resources, and role models that are part of the IF/THEN®, an initiative from Lyda Hill Philanthropies designed to activate a culture shift among young girls and introduce them to STEM careers.

For Earth Day 2021, three days of climate action are planned (April 20-22). To inspire youth, the IF/THEN Collection provides curated Climate Science resources with activities, videos, and photos showcasing female scientists researching and protecting the natural world through geology, ecology, geography, and more. Here are a few of our favorites:

Managed by NGCP, the IF/THEN® Collection includes thousands of images, videos, posters, and materials available at no cost to educators across the U.S. to use in classrooms, social media, camps, museum exhibits, and more. Stay connected to IF/THEN on social media:

Robotics Week is a series of events and activities aimed at increasing public awareness of the strength and importance of the U.S. robotics industry and of the tremendous social and cultural impact that robotics will have on the future. Search events and discover ways to celebrate robotics at home.

Educational leaders from across the U.S. will present new ideas, teaching techniques, and experts in science and STEM education will discuss research-based strategies that promote imaginative learning and student engagement. Join NGCP on May 8, 2021 at 5:30 PM Eastern, for a presentation entitled, IF/THEN: Inspiring the next generation of women in STEM. Conference sessions will be available in the on-demand library for 90 days following the event. Register.

Join NGCP at the National Math Festival (NMF), with hands-on, interactive activities for youth of all ages, plenty of booths to visit and pick up resources for math play at home or in the classroom, and engaging films and lively math talks to round out the program. Visit the NGCP booth to learn more about our resources and meet our team. NMF is free and open to the public, with activities designed for all ages, from very young children to adults. Register.

This National Alliance for Partnerships in Equity conference brings together administrators, teachers/instructors, counselors, and educational leaders. It focuses on educational equity and social justice at the intersections of race, ethnicity, ability, gender identity and sexual orientation, and socioeconomics. Workshops concentrate on these strands: Equitable Learning Environments in a COVID-19 Reality, Access and Equity in CTE and STEM for Underrepresented Students, Foster a Diverse Workforce, and Public Policy. Register.

Participants will have the opportunity to network, participate in team-building activities, and learn about the latest trends and research in innovative and quality out-of-school-time programming. Join NGCP on April 29, 2021 at 10:00 AM Pacific, for a presentation featuring the IF/THEN COLLECTION. Register.

The Connectory showcases STEAM opportunities for youth to families and is a free online collaboration tool for providers to help find partners based on interests and needs.

For Earth Day, we’re turning the spotlight on OurEcho Challenge. This STEM competition empowers U.S. middle school students (grades 5-9) to take a closer look at biodiversity. Students first identify threats to local ecosystems and then propose solutions to help preserve, protect, or repair those natural resources.

The 10 finalists will join EarthEcho International on June 10-11 to virtually present their ideas to restore and protect local biodiversity. The top three teams will be awarded grants to turn their projects into a reality (Grand Prize: $5,000, Second Prize: $2,000, Third Prize: $1,000).

Get Started and stay connected to The Connectory:

Citizen Science enables all people to advance scientific research. SciStarter has compiled resources, events, and projects for youth to turn their curiosity into impact during Citizen Science Month. Learn more.

April marks a time to increase the understanding and appreciation of math and statistics. Both subjects play a significant role in solving real-world problems (internet security, sustainability, disease, climate change, etc.) Mathematics and statistics are important drivers of innovation in our technological world.

Teach the importance of civic responsibility and environmental sustainability this month to celebrate Earth Day (April 22) and Environmental Education Week (April 19-23, 2021). Below are some additional Earth Day challenges, events, and resources:

This NCWIT virtual chat series explores Black girls in K-12, Black women in postsecondary computing education, and Black women in the tech workforce. Each online discussion features a panel of experts who explore the advancement and inclusion of Black women and girls across the tech ecosystem.

Gender Scan research is an international study that examines the role of women in scientific and technology professions. Among its goals is to raise the profile of women working in cutting-edge technology and science research sectors. The Gender Scan 2021 online survey is now available. Designed and developed by experts and associations from around the world, the survey gives a voice to students, researchers, entrepreneurs, the self-employed and employees about the reality faced by each, and the impact of COVID-19.

International Girls in ICT Day aims to create a global environment that empowers and encourages girls and young women to consider careers in the growing field of information and communication technologies (ICTs). It is celebrated every year on the 4th Thursday in April. The website includes a toolkit for organizing your own Girls in ICT Day event.