Grant Application for Agriculture Integration Due 3/31/11

The Realize Science Technology Grant for Agriculture in the Classroom from School Technology Resources will award science education equipment to K-12 teachers who integrate agriculture into their lessons; 14 video microscope kits will be awarded to 10 grant winners (3 each to the top 2 winners).  Grant recipients must propose innovative and educationally-sound uses for the handheld video microscopes in teaching about agriculture.  Deadline for the applications is 31 March 2011.  http://schooltr.com/Teacher_Resources/realize_science_grant.html

Mojave Desert Supplemental Environmental Project Scholarship Application Due 4/5/11

The Mojave Desert Supplemental Environmental Project provides $1,000 scholarships to high school seniors planning to attend any accredited institution of higher learning and who have demonstrated "a serious interest in or commitment to the environmental issues during the course of his/her high school education."  For more information or to download an application, please click on this link: http://www.thecommunityfoundation.net/downloads/scholarships/2011/MDSEP.doc

MEEC Student of the Year and Teacher of the Year Nominations Due by 4/15/11

MEEC (Mojave Environmental Education Consortium) is sponsoring its annual Student of the Year and Teacher of the Year awards.  Nominations from each school site are due by no later than 15 April 2011.  The awards will be made at MEEC's annual High Desert banquet on 5 May 2011 at Spring Valley Lake Country Club.  For details on the nomination processes and applications, visit http://www.meeconline.com/2010-environmental-student-of-the-year-nominations/ and http://www.meeconline.com/20102011-teacher-of-the-year-nominations-now-being-accepted/. 

MEEC Scholarship Available for Engineering Students - Application Due 4/15/11

The Mojave Environmental Education Consortium (MEEC) is once again offering five $1,000 scholarships for the 2011-2012 academic year for High Desert students who declare a major in environmental science, environmental engineering, or other STEM-related field.  Applications, including transcripts, SAT/ACT scores, and 500-word essay on the topic "My Career Goals and Why I would like a Career in the Environment, Science, or Engineering field"  are due to MEEC by no later than 15 April 2011.  For more details and the application, visit http://www.meeconline.com/20102011-hs-environmental-science-scholarship-announcement/.

GM and Buick Offer Scholarships to College-Bound STEM Students - Applications Due by 3/31/11

The General Motors Foundation and Buick are offering scholarships for up to 1,100 college-bound students nation-wide who excel in the classroom and the community.  Renewable scholarships of up to $25,000 per year will "target students pursuing careers in science, technology, math and engineering, and give special preference to children of military families and students who are the first to attend college in their family,"  according to a piece in the Detroit News citing GM CEO Daniel Akerson.  An additional 1,000 renewable scholarships of up to $2,000 per year will be available to students with academic majors in science, technology, engineering, mathematics, design, marketing and business administration.  http://www.detnews.com/article/20110210/AUTO01/102100446/1361/Ford-plans-to-cut-debt-by-$3B/$4.5M-GM-scholarship-program-to-reward-1-100-students

Scholarship applications are due by 31 March 2011 for the 2011-2012 year.  See http://www.buickachievers.com/ for more information and applications.

Transportation Sector and Technology Grants Available - Grant Application Due by 2/22/11

The U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration, has let a request for grant proposals related to improving curriculum and participation by girls and minorities in STEM skills in transportation sector programs at the elementary and high school levels.  Grant proposals are due by no later than 22 February 2011.  For more information on the grant requirements, view http://www07.grants.gov/search/search.do?&mode=VIEW&oppId=60553 

Lancaster School District STEM Academies Parent Information Meeting 3/16/11

Lancaster School District will be hosting a parent information meeting regarding their two new STEM Academies planned for Endeavour and Discovery Middle Schools.  It is anticipated that the Academies will feature Project Lead the Way's Gateway to Technology curriculum beginning in fall of 2011.  The information night will occur on Wednesday, 16 March 2011, at 5:30 p.m., at Endeavour Middle School, 43755 45th St. West, Lancaster, CA 93536.  For more information, send an e-mail inquiry to stemacademy@lancsd.org or look for upcoming links at the district website at http://www.lancaster.k12.ca.us/ .

ITEST Grant Letter of Intent Due by 3/11/11

The Innovative Technology Experiences for Students and Teachers (ITEST) grant application through the National Science Foundation has been released.  Letters of intent to apply are due by 11 March 2011 and full proposals by 13 May 2011.  Approximately twenty awards, ranging from $300,000 to $2.1 million, may be given to qualifying proposals. 

"The ITEST program is interested in addressing such questions as:  What does it take to effectively interest and prepare students to participate in the STEM workforce of the future?  How do students acquire the knowledge, skills, and dispositions they need in order to participate productively in the changing STEM workforce?  How can we assess and predict students' inclination to participate in the STEM fields, and how can we measure the impact of various models that encourage that participation?"  For full details regarding the grant, visit http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2011/nsf11525/nsf11525.htm

Engineering Academy at Oakland Technical High School Boasts Closing Gender Gap

A story by Laura Flynn of KALW-FM shows how one Bay Area school has been successful in increasing the number of young women completing STEM-related courses in its Engineering Academy.  Focusing on spatial reasoning skills and aligning physics assignments to local college requirements has assisted students to become more proficient.  Noting that the number of women engineering undergraduates at MIT has increased to 35%, the school has added seven of its students to that number in recent years, attributing it to innovative educational techniques used.  http://kalwnews.org/audio/2011/02/09/closing-engineering-gender-gap-oakland-tech_834543.html

Cyber-Security Forum Cites Future Workforce Needs

Daniel Sernovitz of the Baltimore Business Journal reports that, at a cyber-security workforce development forum held in Laurel, Maryland on 8 February 2011, government and industry representatives noted that 1,800 new hires would be made before the end of this year.  However, concerns exist as to the availability of sufficient numbers of future workers versed in appropriate math, science, and technology skills who can also obtain security clearances necessary to fill jobs vacated by retiring Baby Boomers.  Steps taken locally to prepare future workers included a financial literacy program, as well as a security clearance overview.  http://www.bizjournals.com/baltimore/blog/2011/02/government-private-industry-convenes.html