California Envirothon Teams Sought by 12/15/11

MEEC is a proud sponsor of the California Envirothon, an "environmental decathlon" of sorts for high school students, which will be held 25-27 April 2012 at the Wonder Valley Resort in Central California. "In an outdoor setting, students are challenged to work as a team while participating in hands-on training and testing focusing on environmental issues in the fields of aquatics, wildlife, soils, forestry, and a changing current issue.  The current (2012) competition topic is 'NonPoint Source Pollution/Low Impact Development.'"  Winners of the California competition will compete in the Canon National Envirothon in Pennsylvania.  http://www.envirothon.org/current-competition/231.html

MEEC will sponsor one team from the Antelope Valley area and one from the Victor Valley/Barstow/Morongo area.  Team sponsorship includes registration fees (including meals and lodging).  Applications/registration forms are due to MEEC by 12/15/11.  http://kerineal.com/caenvirothon.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/final2012.pdf

For more information, contact Christie Robinson at MEEC, (760) 245-1661 x 6101, or christier@mdaqmd.ca.gov .

Team America Rocketry Challenge Applications Due by 11/30/11

The Team America Rocketry Challenge (TARC) is open to the first 1,000 teams of 3-10 students currently enrolled in grades 7-12 in US schools which submit a completed application and $105 registration fee by no later than 30 November 2011.  No more than 5 teams from any one school may be entered.   http://rocketcontest.org/pdf/application_2012.pdf  Competitors in TARC, sponsored by the Aerospace Industries Association, " design, build and fly a model rocket that reaches a specific altitude and duration determined by a set of rules developed each year. . . .The top 100 teams, based on local qualification flights, are invited to Washington, DC in May for the national finals. Prizes include $60,000 in cash and scholarships split between the top 10 finishers. NASA invites top teams to participate in their Student Launch Initiative, an advanced rocketry program. AIA member companies, such as Lockheed Martin and Raytheon, have sponsored additional prizes such as scholarship money and a trip to an international air show."   http://www.rocketcontest.org/tarc_background.cfm

DIME and WING Proposals Due by 11/1/11

Dropping In a Microgravity Environment (DIME) for high school students and What If No Gravity (WING) for students in grades 5-8 is accepting proposals from teams to design, construct and test a microgravity experiment; top-ranked proposals will be selected and their experiments will be sent to NASA Glenn Research Center, and checked for safety before being dropped from the 2.2 Second Drop Tower, with data being returned to the student team for analysis.  Proposals are due from teams by 1 November 2011.  For full information, see http://spaceflightsystems.grc.nasa.gov/DIME.html

NASA Undergraduate Reduced Gravity Experiment Proposals Due 10/26/11

NASA is accepting proposals from college undergraduate teams to "propose, design, fabricate, fly and evaluate a reduced gravity experiment of their choice."  The flight week is currently scheduled for June 2012.  Detailed information on types of proposals, applicant qualifications, and how and when to submit can be found at http://microgravityuniversity.jsc.nasa.gov/.  Proposals are due by no later than 26 October 2011, and selectees will be notified in December 2011.

Webinar on Mentoring Millennial Women Engineers to Success 10/25/11

Dr. David Porush of MentorNet will be presenting in a free webinar on 25 October 2011 at 10:00am PDT regarding how to mentor millennial students, particularly women and underrepresented minorities, to success in the engineering fields.  The webinar will be moderated by Diane Matt, Executive Director of WEPAN.  To register, visit https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/265774969 .

Applications for Pallantir Scholarship for College Women and Minorities in Computer Science Due 12/31/11

Palantir Technologies is offering a scholarship to eligible college (undergraduate or graduate study) women and minority students in computer science or applied math or symbolic systems fields.  A one-time $10,000 grant is available for the 2012 academic year.  For more details on requirements and the application process, visit http://www.palantir.com/scholarship.

A Sightseer's Guide to Engineering

The National Society of Professional Engineers and National Engineers Week sponsors the website "A Sightseer's Guide to Engineering," which lists locations around the US where engineering feats or sights can be seen.  Locally, the Twenty Mule Team Museum in Boron, CA, is one of the featured sites.  http://www.engineeringsights.org/

Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers Hosts Conference in Anaheim 10/26-30/11

The Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers will hold its annual conference at the Anaheim Convention Center on 26-30 October 2011.  Sessions covering many levels, from pre-college, undergraduate, to graduate, and career and professional, will be held; it will also feature the STAR Awards acknowledging Hispanics in several categories and a Distinguished Lecture series.  http://www.prweb.com/releases/2011/7/prweb8652050.htm  SHPE has junior chapters available for pre-college members.  http://www.shpefoundation.org/pre-college/shpejr/

Microsoft STEM Survey Reveals Parent and Student Opinions

Microsoft Corporation revealed results in early September of a survey of college STEM students and parents.  Among the key findings were that only half of those parents who believed that STEM should be a US priority felt that it actually was; more felt that the priority was important for global competitiveness than for higher wages or job fulfillment for their children; only 24% were extremely willing to spend extra money to ensure their children's success in math and science classes. 

Of college students pursuing STEM degrees, 20% made the decision in middle school or earlier, while 78% made it in high school; somewhat more females than males were led to the decision by a teacher.  Only 1/5 of students felt adequately prepared by high school courses, and the less-prepared students felt that more STEM offerings in high school would have been helpful.  Approximately two-thirds of the students chose STEM fields for job security or wages or intellectual challenge, rather than at parent urging.  While males generally chose the field because of enjoyment of STEM subjects, most females chose the pathway because they wanted to make a difference.  http://www.microsoft.com/Presspass/press/2011/sep11/09-07MSSTEMSurveyPR.mspx

Background information with the survey results also outlines Microsoft's initiatives supporting STEM education.

Many New STEM Schools Target Students from Underrepresented Groups

According to a recent article in Education Week, many of the current crop of STEM schools are focusing more on students from underrepresented groups, including ethnic minorities and females, than their traditional counterparts which sought solely high-performing math and science students.  With no clear definition of "STEM school," some are intensifying studies of math and science, while others are providing interdisciplinary projects in STEM-related themes, such as the Grand Challenges of Engineering from the National Academy of Engineering.  http://www.engineeringchallenges.org/cms/8996/9221.aspx  [Grand Challenges Contest entries due between 20 Sept. 2011 and 30 March 2012 for the USA Scienc & Engineering Festival in April 2012.]  While there is no definitive data on the success of STEM schools as a whole in raising student test scores, early returns are promising.  http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2011/09/14/03stem_ep.h31.html?tkn=WOCCRf%2FVSK9%2FFpTBXVLPsvN8femsPBXNSN0l&cmp=clp-sb-ascd

Gamers Impacting STEM Education

In two recent articles, the impact of video games on education and science was highlighted.  MSNBC noted the contributions of online gamers using the Foldit game platform to reach a solution on the molecular structure of a complex "monkey-virus" retroviral protease which had been eluding scientists for more than a decade.  Through crowdsourcing, a solution was found in ten days.  http://cosmiclog.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/09/18/7802623-gamers-solve-molecular-puzzle-that-baffled-scientists

Michael Gallagher, CEO of the Entertainment Software Association, recently testified before the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology regarding the impact of gaming as an effective teaching tool in STEM education through the engagement of students and enhancement of technology skills required in the current workforce.  http://www.theesa.com/newsroom/release_detail.asp?releaseID=153