White House Council on Women and Girls Hosts Panel on Females in STEM

Last week, the White House Council on Women and Girls hosted a panel discussion event in the Eisenhower Office Building which was attended by Girl Scouts, college students, mentors, teachers and parents.  Panelists included EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson, astronaut Dr. Cady Coleman, Facebook Director of Engineering Jocelyn Goldfein, Edmonds Community College President Jean Hernandez, and Howard University Chapter President of Engineers Without Borders Bianca Bailey.  The panelists encouraged the young ladies attending not only to cultivate mentors and extra-curricular activities such as internships to gain experience, but also to stick with math and science studies, consider post-secondary certificate programs if four-year colleges were not their first choice, and to be themselves.  Videos about girls who were successful in the White House Science Fair were released. http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/innovations/post/more-than-cheers-girls-in-stem-fields-need-mentors-and-sponsors/2012/04/25/gIQAnvn0gT_blog.html

Feminine Role Models in STEM

A study recently released by the University of Michigan, surveying the views of 144 sixth and seventh grade girls, found that the girls were less motivated by exposure to women in STEM fields who exhibited feminine attributes (including wearing pink clothing) than by successful female scientists who were portrayed as more gender-neutral, wearing dark clothing, and reading.  There was some speculation that the girls felt that being competent in STEM subjects and being feminine was too unattainable and goal, and thus was threatening.  http://www.annarbor.com/news/university-of-michigan-study-finds-feminine-scientists-face-preteen-bias/

Studies Indicate Middle School Algebra Exposure May Hamper Later Math Efforts for Some Students

Results of two separate studies recently released, one in California and one in North Carolina, tend to show that some middle school students may not benefit from taking algebra courses, and, in fact, may be less likely as a consequence to take more advanced math courses in high school.  As reported in Education Week, a California study presented by Don Taylor, a CDE consultant, Michael Kurlaender and Heather Rose of UC Davis, found that while middle school algebra course-taking nearly tripled from 1990 to 2007, for the lowest-performing students in in high-stakes testing in 7th grade in a large urban district, taking algebra in 8th grade did not help, and lowered their GPA's by an average 7%.  In the North Carolina study, Duke University researchers Charles Clotfelter, Helen Ladd, and Jacob Vigdor found that 8th grade algebra students did worse on high-stakes testing and were less likely to take more advanced math classes in high school; Charlotte-Mecklenburg schools changed its policy on early algebra as a result.  Similar to Japanese schools, there was some thought that more preparation for the courses in the early grades might assist the students to do better.  http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2012/04/20/29aera.h31.html?tkn=PUPFkkNmIXDw4XHXTCYuVSrcMTgViaL53lSO&cmp=clp-edweek

"8+1" Science Methods

In addition to the upcoming Next Generation Science Standards expected to be released later this year http://www.nextgenscience.org/ , some professors, under the auspices of the National Science Foundation, are working on new ways to deliver science content.  The "8+1" Science Framework seeks to marry eight fundamental science principles/laws to the practice of inquiry (+1).  It is theorized that use of the framework will lead to curricular coherence and a greater degree of understanding beginning in the early years of study.  For more information on the framework, visit http://8plus1science.org/

AVUHSD To Host Two 2012 Summer Gateway Academy Sessions

The Antelope Valley Union High School District will host SME/PLTW (c) Summer Gateway Academy sessions for middle schoolers for the fourth consecutive year.  One week-long day camp focusing on pre-engineering and robotics will be held from 18-22 June 2012 at Lancaster High School from 7:30am to 1:00pm, and a second with pre-engineering and "green" projects will be held from 9-13 July 2012 at Knight High School in Palmdale.  There is no cost to attend, however, students must have their own transportation to and from the site and provide their own lunch.

Completed, signed application forms are due by 23 May 2012.  To download the application materials, please visit http://www.avrop.avhsd.org/ at the "Events" tab or call Rosalinda Garcia at 661.575.1035.

Lancaster School District 2012 Summer of Innovation Day Camp Applications Due 6/11/12

Students in 6th through 8th grades in the Lancaster School District are invited to apply to participate in summer STEM day camps sponsored by NASA.  The activities will be held from 13-17 August 2012 at Amargosa Creek and Piute Middle Schools from 8:00am to 2:00pm.  Applications are due by 11 June 2012.  For more information, please contact your child's school office or the district's Special Programs office at 661.948.4661 x 241.

NASA Seeking Hosts for Interactive ISS Education Events

NASA has announced that it is seeking hosts for 20-30 minute interactive student discussions with International Space Station astronauts Sunita Williams, Kevin Ford, and Thomas Marshburn sometime between September 2012 and March 2013 (date and time flexibility is required).  Discussions will be broadcast live on NASA TV and streamed on the NASA website; there is no cost to participate.  Proposals must be received before 1 June 2012.

To participate in informational webinars about the program and to receive proposal guidelines, send an e-mail to JSC-Teaching-From-Space@mail.nasa.gov or call 281-244-7608.  For more information about the In-Flight Education initiative, visit http://www.nasa.gov/audience/foreducators/teachingfromspace/students/downlinks.html.

Knight HS DD&E Students Attend HerWorld

Thirty-seven young ladies from Palmdale's Knight High School Digital Design & Engineering Academy  attended a DeVry-sponsored field trip to "HerWorld" at the LA Convention Center on 28 March.  After a continental breakfast, the students heard from Shaun Robinson of "Access Hollywood" and Monica Garcia, President of the LA Unified School Board; they then participated in breakout sessions with Lauren Huss (nurse), Tammy Tubling (SoCal Edison Director of Philanthropy and Community Involvement), Joen Garnica (Garnica Interiors), and closed with remarks from actress Tamera Mowery.  All of the speakers stressed to the students that they could accomplish anything they set their minds to.

DeVry's annual "HerWorld" workshops are designed to introduce junior and high school girls to STEM career opportunities through live speakers, games and other hands-on projects, and to prepare them for college admissions.  http://www.high-school.devry.edu/students/get-ready/her-world-workshop.jsp  For a related blog entry from a speaker, visit http://blogs.msdn.com/b/alicerp/archive/2012/03/14/devry-herworld-barbie-s-been-introduced-to-careers-in-stem-science-technology-engineering-amp-math-next-stop-high-school-juniors-and-seniors-in-las-vegas-los-angeles-and-colton.aspx. 

Making Math Merrier

Many apparently feel that math is taking a back seat to "sexier" science in the STEM revolution, as it is considered more boring.  As a result, there is an effort to make math more fun through the use of games, competitions, and otherwise broadening its appeal.  Examples include MIT's "Lure of the Labyrinth" competition, "DU the Math" from DimensionU, the NY Museum of Math opening this fall, and actress/author (and summa cum laude math grad from UCLA) Danica McKellar's soon-to-be-released fourth math book "Girls Get Curves."  The hope is that by making math less imposing, as well as using the more problem-solving approach of the Common Core State Standards, more Americans will reduce their math anxiety.  http://www.chicagotribune.com/sns-rt-usa-educationmath-feature-pixl2e8fa9pu-20120411,0,3919532,full.story

White House Calls for More Females In STEM Careers

Jason Koebler blogs in STEM Education of the US News regarding a recent White House Council on Women and Girls report noting that women who work in STEM fields earn approximately one-third more than those in non-STEM fields.  Despite this, fewer than 25% of the STEM workforce is comprised of women.  This is attributed to fewer females in STEM college majors, and those with STEM degrees working in non-STEM fields after graduation.  The administration wants to boost the number of ethnic minority females studying STEM, and doctorates in the fields doing more original research.  http://www.usnews.com/news/blogs/stem-education/2012/04/11/white-house-report-more-women-need-to-study-stem