US Dept. of Labor Awards Grants to National STEM Consortium for Community College Certificates

On Monday, 9/26/11, the US Department of Labor awarded nearly $20 million in grant funding to 10 community colleges in Arkansas, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Ohio, Tennessee, and Washington state, as part of a National STEM Consortium, to develop and implement one-year certificate programs in cybersecurity and other STEM fields.  The certificate programs are to be replicable at other community colleges nation-wide.  This is part of a $500 million grant package for training and workforce development along with the American Jobs Act.  http://www.hometownannapolis.com/news/sch/2011/09/28-11/AACC-to-lead-20M-tech-jobs-project.html

Teacher/Counselor Tour at Rio Tinto Mining 10/19/11

Antelope Valley teachers, counselors, administrators, and board members are invited to attend a tour of Rio Tinto Mining in Boron sponsored by the AVCPC/MSET and EKERN on Wednesday, 19 October 2011, to garner career preparation information for their industry; the three-hour tour will begin promptly at 9:00am from the Rio Tinto Visitor Center (approximately 45 minute drive from Lancaster).  Participants should wear pants and sturdy walking shoes (steel-toed, if possible).  Hard hats, eye protection, water, and lunch will be provided.

Sign-ups are on a first-come, first-served basis, with a deadline of no later than 10 October 2011.  Please provide your first and last name and school affiliation to Bob Johnstone at either bjohnstone@cityoflancasterca.org or 661.723.6103.

Free Wind Energy Science & Engineering Workshop 10/13/11

The State Center Consortium is hosting a free Wind Energy Science & Engineering workshop for science and CTE teachers of 6th to 12th grade students in Clovis on Thursday, 13 October 2011.  Participants will learn the basic principles of wind energy and how to teach it in the classroom, plus receive free wind turbine kits.  Registration is open until 10 October 2011 at http://goo.gl/fNe4m.

New Policy to Promote Career-Life Balance for Scientists

On 26 September 2011, the White House Council on Women and Girls Executive Director Tina Tchen, joined by Office of Science and Technology Policy Director John P. Holdren and NSF Director Subra Suresh, announced the NSF ten-year "NSF Career-Life Balance" initiative to support research scientists and their families.  Included among the policy proposal for targeted flexibility is to allow grant funding to be delayed for up to a year for a new child or other family obligations.  First Lady Michelle Obama supports the initiative as a way to clear hurdles for women to enter and stay in STEM careers.  http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/helping-women-reach-their-economic-potential/2011/09/25/gIQA1dODxK_story.html

*CANCELED* - NASA/AERO Institute Offers Earth Science Workshop 10/3/11

DUE TO LOW RESPONSE - THIS WORKSHOP WAS CANCELED ON 9/29.  PLEASE SIGN UP FOR THE HYDROPONICS WORKSHOP ON 11/8.  The Educator Resource Center at the Palmdale NASA/AERO Institute is hosting a workshop on earth science for teachers of grades 2-8 on Monday, 3 October 2011, from 4:30 to 6:00pm.  Participants will receive a free earth science educator's kit, along with a variety of techniques to use in classrooms.  Sign-ups are on a first-come, first-served basis; to register, go to http://www.aeroinstitute.org/ under the "enroll" tab.  For more information, contact Sara Cutts at sara.cutts@nasa.gov .

YELC Application Deadline 11/30/11

The Antelope Valley region Youth Environmental Leadership Conference (YELC), hosted by the Mojave Environmental Education Consortium (MEEC), for AV student teams in grades 3 through 12, will be held on Saturday, 21 January 2012 at Mariposa Elementary in Lancaster (Victor Valley region event on 4 February 2012), from 9:00am to 3:00pm.  The keynote presenter will be Joel Greene, host of the national television program, "Curiosity Quest."  Applications and additional information about the event are available at http://www.meeconline.com/students/yelc/.  Applications are due to Cindi Wray by no later than 30 November 2011.

Tech Trek Nominations Due 12/2/11

Science and math teachers of 7th grade young women in Antelope Valley public schools have the opportunity to nominate them to attend Tech Trek camps during the summer of 2012.  At camp, the girls attend STEM classes, go on field trips, meet professional female role models, and more, all on a college campus.  The American Association of University Women's AV Chapter selects students from nominees based upon the nomination, an application essay, and an interview.  Each school may nominate up to three students.  Nominations are due by 2 December 2011 to avtechtrek@gmail.com.  For more information, contact AV Tech Trek Coordinator Connie Harney at the above e-mail or at 661-943-4231 or 661-400-1787.

"Understanding Gender Equity in STEM Education" On-line Course Available Beginning 10/5/11

The New Hampshire e-Learning for Educators Project and the STEM Equity Pipeline are partnering to offer a graduate-level on-line course entitled "Understanding Gender Equity in STEM Education" beginning 5 October 2011 and continuing through 22 November 2011.  The course costs $130, with graduate credit available for an additional $520 fee.  To obtain further information and to register, go to http://www.regonline.com/builder/site/Default.aspx?EventID=996020 (Course BP-16; other offerings are available).

Free Webinar on Retaining Underrepresented Genders/Ethnicities in Undergraduate Engineering Programs on 10/6/11

STEM Equity Pipeline is sponsoring a free webinar to publish the results of a PACE study on recruiting and retaining more female and minority undergraduate engineering students on Thursday, 6 October 2011, from 9:00 to 10:00am PST, with Dr. Elizabeth Litzler from the University of Washington.  "Join the webinar to learn about student experiences in engineering, understand how experiences could impact educational outcomes, and hear about some targeted interventions that can help retain underrepresented women. "  To register for the webinar, go to https://www106.livemeeting.com/lrs/8001043798/Registration.aspx?pageName=gbh1bw8wd25sqgwv 

STEM Service Learning Workshop on 10/11 or 10/25/11

The Mojave Environmental Education Consortium (MEEC), with generous sponsorship from Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman, is hosting its first-ever, free STEM Service Learning Workshop for teachers in grades 3-12 from 4:30 to 7:30pm on 11 October 2011 (RSVP by 5 October) at Mariposa Elementary in Lancaster and 25 October 2011 (RSVP by 17 October) at the MDAQMD in Victorville.  Attendees will be provided with tips and tools to organizing service learning projects to engage and extend the learning of their students, as well as environmental education curriculum, the opportunity to obtain a grant for their project, and free dinner!  Participants will also be prepared to attend the Youth Environmental Leadership Conference in spring, with keynote Joel Greene of Curiosity Quest.  A refundable $10 deposit is required to attend, along with the application.  http://www.meeconline.com/science-technology-engineering-mathematics/.  For additional info, contact Cindi Wray at MEEC (760) 245-1661.

As an example of such a project, consider the 2011 California K-12 Schools Recycling Challenge running between 17 October and 12 November 2011, sponsored by "Keep California Beautiful."  For more information on this project, contact Christine Flowers at 916-368-9301.  Register at http://greencaschools.org/ .