Fall 2011 Back-to-School Edition

Dear members and friends,

It's back-to-school time after a summer full of exciting science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) activities across the country! This summer, the nation saw a major celebrity get involved in the STEM effort as Will.i.am of the band the Black Eyed Peas demonstrated that science is cool with his ABC special "i.am FIRST" about the FIRST Robotics program. AAUW of California's own Tech Trek camps also received national attention when CBS News interviewed member Marie Wolbach about the recent trend of STEM camps for girls. We were thrilled that such a dedicated member and successful AAUW program were given the spotlight!

And fall has certainly started off with a bang for STEM in Washington, D.C.! In October, President Barack Obama invited AAUW and other prominent organizations to take part in a White House event where a new initiative was announced focusing on improving the workplace environment for women in STEM. It looks like the discussions around STEM are as relevant as ever, and that's in large part because AAUW members keep up the momentum with grassroots projects. Let us know how you are taking part!

Sincerely,

Linda D. Hallman, CAE
AAUW Executive Director

P.S. Missed an issue? Interested in sharing with a friend? Back issues of Spotlight on STEM are now archived on the AAUW website.

AAUW Goes to the White House
In September, AAUW President Carolyn Garfein, Executive Director Linda Hallman, and Director of Public Policy Lisa Maatz attended the White House announcement of the National Science Foundation's 10-year plan to increase workplace flexibility in the STEM fields. The event featured first lady Michelle Obama and NSF Director Subra Suresh. The NSF is practicing what it preaches. It now allows researchers to delay or suspend their NSF grants for up to a year to care for newborns or other family members. As AAUW steps up our work encouraging women to enter STEM fields, this plan will help women already there stay on a STEM career track.

American Girls Sweep International Science Competition
Google's inaugural science fair concluded July 11, and girl power (and brains!) won the day. American girls earned the top awards in all three age groups. Lauren Hodge of the 13–14 age group tested various marinades for levels of carcinogens in grilled chicken, while Naomi Shah of the 15–16 age group studied the effects of indoor air quality on asthma medication reliance. The grand prize winner was 17-year-old Shree Bose, who discovered a method to improve treatment for ovarian cancer patients whose bodies resist some types of chemotherapy — a groundbreaking discovery that was reported in Scientific American.

Gender Wage Gap Smaller in STEM Careers
A new U.S. Commerce Department report found that women in STEM careers experience greater economic parity with men. The department's Economic and Statistics Administration report Women in STEM: A Gender Gap to Innovation says that women with STEM jobs made 33 percent more than women with non-STEM jobs in 2009. However, only 24 percent of women in the United States are in STEM careers. Engineering, which remains the most male-dominated STEM career, offers the lowest wage disparity between genders.

Visit the AAUW website to learn more about AAUW's STEM priorities and download our policy recommendations on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education.

AAUW Joins BISEC Committee
AAUW has joined the Business and Industries STEM Education Coalition. The committee is tasked with identifying STEM activities that work and bringing them to scale; aligning, leveraging, and promoting STEM resources at the local level; and changing the public perception of STEM. Being a part of this committee will enable AAUW to work more closely in these efforts with various industries throughout the country.

AAUW Attends AIA and NDIA Meeting
In September, AAUW staff attended the most recent meeting of the Aerospace Industries Association and the National Defense Industrial Association group to connect with corporations concerned about the STEM workforce and increasing interest in STEM. AAUW was able to discuss with industry leaders the role they play in the STEM arena and how we can work with these groups to meet their goals of recruiting more women into the STEM workforce.

GEMS Club Joins Clinton Global Initiative
AAUW Reston-Herndon (VA) Branch member Laura Jones attended the Clinton Global Initiative meeting in Chicago this summer to discuss Girls Excelling in Math and Science clubs and their success with getting girls interested in STEM. Jones has worked with AAUW for many years to support and promote GEMS clubs and will also be partnering with the Society of Women Engineers to bring 100 after-school clubs to elementary school girls across the country! Check out the video on their website (starting at 1:07:35) to hear former President Bill Clinton speak about this and other efforts.

Get STEM Updates on the AAUW Blog
Check out some recent STEM blog posts from AAUW Dialog!

• Girls Aren't Who They Used to Be
• Spatial-Skills Training Can Improve STEM Retention
• Spatial-Visualization Courses Improve Spatial Skills
• The Importance of Spatial Skills
• Too Pretty to Do Homework?
• Cultivating a Culture of Respect to Attract Women to STEM
• Women Have Higher Standards
• Even at Fictitious "Male" Tasks, Women Assess Themselves Lower
• 24/7 Engineering: Live It. Learn It.
  

Want to know more about AAUW's STEM efforts? Check us out on Facebook or follow us on Twitter @AAUWSTEM!

Kentucky Girls Collaborative Project Conference
In June, the Kentucky Girls STEM Collaborative Conference took place at Northern Kentucky University. AAUW members participated and learned all about projects that were successfully carried out with the support of the previous year's mini-grants. Projects such as MISS Electricity, in which girls in fifth grade learn about electricity and are encouraged to teach younger children about it, were featured. Former AAUW Community Action Grantee Kathleen Koenig from Wright State University also presented on her 2009 project, Fueling Girls' Interest in Science and Math.

Utah eSmart Camp
Digging up archeological artifacts was only one of the exciting activities offered in June during the AAUW St. George (UT) Branch's eSmart camp, which was hosted in conjunction with Dixie State College, Center for Business, Education and the Arts (CEBA), and Kane County. This daylong camp gave local girls the opportunity to dream big about STEM while learning about everything from scuba diving to the math involved in baking brownies. This summer there were 80 attendees — twice as many girls as last year. The eSmart camp earned an honorable mention for the Breaking through Barriers Awards at the 2011 AAUW National Convention.

Stanford Tech Trek Provides Pilot Group
Members of area STEM societies and technical professionals donated their time and expertise in July for the 14th annual Tech Trek Camp Marie Curie at Stanford University. In addition to participating in the International Year of Chemistry Global Water Experiment, building robots, and studying marine biology, food chemistry, and math brain training, the 74 eighth graders were the pilot group for the Women in Computers educational enrichment program at the Computer History Museum. A field trip to the Exploratorium filled out the week!

Indiana Girls Collaborative Project Annual Conference
The Indiana Girls Collaborative Project Annual Conference took place in Indianapolis in September. The conference keynote speaker was NASA Astronaut Jeanette J. Epps. Some of the sessions included 21st Century STEM Skill Needs — Closing the Gap; Funding, Grants, and Resources; and Reaching Underserved Girls. There was also a speed networking event and a showcase of participants' STEM programs and projects.

Pennsylvania Girls Collaborative Project Conference
The Pennsylvania STEM Girls Collaborative Project Conference took place in Allison Park, Pennsylvania, in September. The conference included a mini-grant information session led by National Girls Collaborative Project Liaison and AAUW Board of Directors member Dot McLane. The conference also had a workshop on AAUW's Why So Few? Women in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics and a poster session featuring great local projects. Westminster College, which Forbes.com recently named the number one school for women in STEM, brought information about their project, which fuses literature and STEM with detective novels for girls.

Mid-Atlantic Girls Collaborative Conference
The Mid-Atlantic Girls Collaborative Conference took place in Reston, Virginia, in September at the Microsoft Innovation and Technology Conference Center. The conference featured keynote speaker Zipporah Miller from the National Science Teachers Association. Miller is a leader on education reform, a former K–12 science supervisor, and a STEM coordinator for Prince George's County in Maryland. The conference included a mini-grant panel, and recipients spoke about their experiences and collaborations.

New NGCP Collaboratives
The National Girls Collaborative Project has announced new partnerships in Louisiana, New Jersey, Arizona, and California. If you'd like more information on how to get involved with the new collaboratives, visit www.ngcproject.org.

Hosting an upcoming event you'd like to share? E-mail us.

Science at Home
The Scientific American website features fun science activities that use common household ingredients. The projects include Clean Dirty Water with the Sun, Find Magnetic North with a Homemade Compass, and Get the Iron Out — Of Your Breakfast Cereal. Science learning can continue at home with family involvement!

Career Girls
This organization is dedicated to providing young girls of all income levels and ethnic backgrounds the academic tools and support they need to achieve their professional aspirations. The website provides real-world context through interviews with women role models and a comprehensive collection of educational resources.

SASS-E Girlz Engineering Career Counseling
SASS-E Girlz is a comprehensive engineering outreach program available through the Society of Women Engineers. SASS-E Girlz strives to develop and leverage school and community partnerships through SWE volunteers and middle school counselors with the aim of encouraging girls to pursue a career in engineering. The SASS-E Girlz curriculum includes a webinar to train educators to implement the lesson plans.

iWASwondering.org
This website is a project of the National Academy of Sciences and showcases the accomplishments of contemporary women in science, highlighting the varied and intriguing careers of current prominent scientists for girls in grades six through eight. The fun, interactive site includes games, comic strips, videos, activities, and a time line of women in science.

Future City Competition
For the 2011–12 National Engineers Week Future City Competition, sixth, seventh, and eighth graders from across the country will team with engineer mentors to create their visions of the city of tomorrow. Future City combines problem-based learning with computer simulation to address real-world issues using national and state academic content standards. The registration deadline is October 31.

Mathalicious
This interactive website is a great resource that is "transforming the way math is taught." It designs math lessons around real-world topics that students care about, from sports to technology to health and wellness.

See our list of online STEM resources for women and girls, compiled by AAUW's NGCP regional liaisons, for more tools.

National Science Teachers Association Professional Development
October 27–29 in Hartford, Connecticut
Professional development is not a luxury in this age of employment uncertainty. Teachers need to hone their skills, build their classroom techniques, and learn new strategies that help students succeed. NSTA offers the best professional development for science educators across the nation.

Society for the Advancement of Chicanos and Native Americans in Science Conference
October 27–29 in San Jose, California
This conference is one of the largest annual gatherings of minority scientists in the country. The interdisciplinary, inclusive, and interactive conference motivates and inspires through professional development, mentoring sessions, and scientific symposia and offers more than 300 exhibits that share training, research, grad school, and job opportunities.

Texas Science and Engineering Festival
November 5–6 in Austin, Texas
The festival will feature hands-on activity booths, and it is still looking for partners and sponsors. Check out the website for details about this great community event, where you'll also have the chance to meet up with Texas Girls Collaborative Project members!

Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing
November 9–12 in Portland, Oregon
This conference is designed to bring the research and career interests of women in computing to the forefront. This year's theme, What If?, explores the idea that innovation in technology arises from questions.

National Science Teachers Association New Orleans Area Conference
November 10–12 in New Orleans
NSTA's conference offers hands-on workshops, symposia, seminars, and presentations led by experts from across the nation. Science educators of all disciplines and in every grade and, administrators, and college professors can choose from more than 400 activities. Build content knowledge, learn strategies for STEM integration, discover techniques to reach English-language learners, hear about the framework for new standards, and more.

Questions or comments about this e-newsletter? E-mail us at stem@aauw.org.