NGCP Webcast on Enhancing STEM Education with SWE and 4-H Scheduled for June 16

The National Girls Collaborative Project is sponsoring a webcast slated for 16 June 2011 from 11:00 am to noon entitled "The Society of Women Engineers and 4-H: Resources and Partnerships to enhance girl-focused STEM programming."  Resources will be shared on the local and regional level to involve more young women in STEM education.  For registration information, visit http://www.ngcproject.org/events/events.cfm?eventid=193.

Project K-NECT Using Smartphones to Help Teach Math Concepts

A program initially funded by a grant from QualComm currently in operation in North Carolina, Virginia, and Ohio, Project K-NECT uses HTC smartphones as teaching tools in math classes, accompanied by teacher and student training in project-based learning and technology use issues.  Students are able to access the Internet for math resources, connect to a school math blog, view videos, and are even creating video and movie math tools on school-issued smartphones.  Teachers participating in the project cite increased confidence and deeper understanding of math concepts by students, who are generally socio-economically disadvantaged.  Students are awarded incentive points for active participation, which is tracked by teachers.  Follow-up studies have shown that students participating in the project are more likely to test proficient in Algebra I and II than others in their districts or state.  http://www.edweek.org/tsb/articles/2011/04/04/02smartphones.h04.html

Study Finds Limited Impact of Teacher Professional Development on Student Learning

A recent federally-funded study conducted by the American Institutes of Research and MDRC found little impact on student learning from a two-year sustained professional development math series.  Despite well-planned and executed summer institutes, one-day workshops, and follow-up coaching sessions with teachers over two years, the professional development "failed to discern a measurable impact on either teacher knowledge or student achievement."  Researchers cautioned that not all teachers were able to participate in all sessions (114 hours), but there was still not the expected beneficial result.  Similar results have been found in other studies.  http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/curriculum/2011/05/new_study_shows_little_benefit.html

Women Engineers Likely to be Drawn to CleanTech Jobs

Sonitah Lontoh, women's issues columnist for Forbes Magazine, believes that cleantech jobs may be appealing for women engineers, unlike other disciplines.  While still a male-dominated field with leaders coming from the oil and gas industry, Lontoh opines that women will be drawn to the effective social issue represented by cleantech; this view is substantiated by NSF research reports on women in engineering.  In order to boost this trend, young women need to be encouraged to excel in math and science, and see female role models within the field.  http://blogs.forbes.com/85broads/2011/05/26/green-tech-finally-a-female-friendly-engineering-tech-energy-field/?partner=yahootix

Interview with IEEE President Moshe Kam

Campus Technology magazine recently interviewed Institute for Electrical and Electronics Engineers president Moshe Kam (also department head of electrical and computer engineering at Drexel University).  Among the topics discussed was how engineering education had changed in the last 30 years.  Kam outlined the new inter-disciplinary nature of engineering education, systems engineering approaches, and computer-assisted design.  He compared US engineering education with that in India and China, while addressing the dwindling numbers of STEM students in the US, as well as their depleted entry skill level, which could result in importing large numbers of engineers to the US and/or the loss of engineering jobs to other countries.  Kam noted that the low percentage of women in engineering fields is a hugely untapped potential.  For access to the article, visit http://campustechnology.com/Articles/2011/05/24/Saving-Engineering-Education-An-Interview-with-IEEE-President-Moshe-Kam-Part-1.aspx?Page=1

Tips for High School Students Interested in Pursuing Engineering Degrees

Columnist Purvi Mody of the San Jose Mercury News provides 8 tips for high school students who believe they want to pursue engineering degrees in college, including:  take rigorous courses and do well in math and science; find an internship experience allowing practical applications; research potential colleges and their admissions requirements; and look at all career options.  http://www.mercurynews.com/peninsula/ci_18126477

Science Student Winners Primarily Children of Recent Immigrants

The San Jose Mercury News recently reported that the National Foundation for American Policy documents that two-thirds of the finalists at May's Intel Science Fair and talent search are children of recent immigrants from China or India.  Only 12 of the 40 finalists had parents who were born in America (the winner was a home-schooled youth of American parents from Danville, CA).  "The benefit America derives from the children of immigrants in science and math is an additional advantage the country reaps from being open to talent from around the world," said author Stuart Anderson, director of the organization and a former head of policy at the Immigration and Naturalization Service.  http://www.mercurynews.com/health/ci_18124146?nclick_check=1

Engineering Degrees A Predictor of Future Earnings

In a study released by Georgetown University's Center on Education and the Workforce on 23 May 2011, of the top 10 majors with graduates attaining the top median salaries, 8 were held by engineering disciplines.  "As a group, engineering majors of all disciplines reported the highest median earnings at $75,000, the study showed."  The study also showed that race and gender still play a part in parity of earnings, with under-represented ethnicities and women earning less than others, even with high-paying majors.  http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-05-24/engineering-undergrads-reap-top-salaries-among-college-majors.html

Lunar and Meteorite Disk Certification Workshop for Teachers Set for July 26th

NASA Dryden ERC will be hosting a lunar and meteorite disk certification workshop for formal K-12 teachers on 26 July 2011 from 9:00 am to 12:30pm at the AERO Institute in Palmdale.   Space is limited.  Please contact Sara Cutts at sara.cutts@nasa.gov or call at 661-276-3992 if you are interested in getting further information and applying.

SOFIA Teacher Ambassador Blog

Kathleen Fredette from Desert Willow MS in Palmdale is taking part in an airborne astronomy project aboard SOFIA this summer.  Follow her blog at http://web.me.com/kathdette/SOFIA_teach_ambassador/Hi_Guys%21.html.  There are pictures and video, as well as answers to student questions.