May 2010
STEM EQUITY PIPELINE NEWS
Save the Date!
The next webinar is currently scheduled for Wednesday, June 2, 2010, at 2 p.m. ET
and will feature Lise Eliot, Ph.D., author of Pink Brain, Blue Brain, How Small Differences
Grow into Troublesome Gaps--and What We Can Do About It.
Dr. Eliot will present the latest science related to female brain development, including
the role of genes, hormones, and environmental influences, and how social factors
are proving to be far more powerful than previously realized. She will offer concrete
ways that educators can help females and rein in harmful stereotypes. As a parent
of two sons and one daughter, she understands the difficulty of confronting gender
expectations and the value of doing so. Dr. Eliot received her Ph.D. from Columbia
University and is an associate professor of neuroscience at the Chicago Medical
School of Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science.
(please register for this webinar before the event is supposed to
start - once you register, you will be sent an e-mail with a link to the webinar)
MN STEM Equity Pipeline and MN New Look Newsletter
The Minnesota State Team has shared its April 2010 issue of its newsletter. Read
about St. Paul's Career Pathways Academy and articles about an all-female car building
team, the demand for surgical techs, and why money is missing to support women in
high-tech leadership positions.
Read newsletter
ARTICLES
The 10 Best-Paying College Majors
(Chriss Morran, The Consumerist)
A new study lists the 10 college majors that will net the most income right away.
Seven of the top spots are taken up by engineering gigs, with economics, physics
and computer science filling the three remaining slots. Of the 10 majors listed,
Chemical Engineering has the biggest immediate payoff, with a starting median salary
of $65,700/year. But it's Aerospace Engineering that pays off better in the long
run, with a median mid-career salary of $109K/year.
Read More
National Lab Day Part of Larger Movement for Hands-On Learning
(Erik Robelen, Education Week, summary from 5/13/10 ACTE Career Tech Update)
Education Week reported on National Lab Day, a public-private initiative (but not
a one-day event, despite the name) launched this school year to bring more 'authentic,
hands-on, discovery-based lab experiences to students. As the movement for greater
STEM learning gains momentum, a number of recent efforts have emerged to address
what's seen as a critical component: helping students get access to high-quality
laboratory experiences. These efforts range from the advent of National Lab Day
to plans to rethink and enhance the lab component of Advanced Placement courses
as part of an ongoing AP science redesign.
Read More
White House to Host Science Fair
(Kate Phillips, New York Times)
At the National Science Bowl competition, First Lady Michelle Obama announced the
White House would host its first science fair to promote careers in math and science.
"When you win the N.C.A.A. championship, the winners come to the White House," Mrs.
Obama quoted the president as saying. "And we think that budding inventors, scientists
and mathematicians should be at the White House, too. So we're going to be excited
to host you there. " An official date for the fair has not yet been set.
Read More
National Labs-Now Free with Delivery
At the Department of Energy's National Laboratories, more than 30,000 scientists
and engineers perform cutting-edge research with up-to-date facilities and equipment.
Most offer some form of educational outreach, including workshops, lectures and
tours, and make materials available to teachers nationwide via the Web. Several
labs have also hit the road in order to bring free science and engineering education
directly to nearby schools.
Read More
Science Needs a Woman's Touch
(Mike Drummond, Investors Digest)
Inventors Digest reports on women in science and engineering, profiling several
prominent female educators and professionals, and reporting their views on how to
address current disparities.
Read More
New Web-based Science Game for Girls Gets $200,000 Boost
(Sally Kalson, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)
A Web-based science game being designed to interest more girls in science and gaming
technology won $200,000 in the MacArthur Digital Media and Learning Competition.
The Carnegie Science Center's Click!Online game will feature a fictional spy agency
where girls can solve real-world challenges in environmental protection, "expressive
technology" and biomedical science. "Senior agents" will act as online mentors and
provide support for the girls in the critical-thinking and problem-solving skills
needed to solve the mysteries.
Read More
PUBLICATIONS
Girls in Science
The authors of Girls in Science engaged in years of working under a grant funded
by the National Science Foundation on this all-too-real problem of gender-equitable
science teaching. What they found through working with students, teachers, and scientists-
the three elements of the Triad community in which their research started-can change
the way you teach and level the playing field of science education for girls.
Learn More
Educational Attainment in the United States, 2009
(U.S. Census Bureau)
These data tables provide information on degree attainment in the U.S. by age, gender,
and race/ethnicity. The tabulations show that among people in the 25-29 age group,
9% of women and 6% of men held either a master`s, professional (such as law or medical),
or doctoral degree. This holds true for White, Black, and Hispanic women. Among
Asian men and women of this age group, there was no statistical difference.
Learn More
RESOURCES
National Lab Day Video
Contest
USA Science Festival Kavli
Video Contest
NSF
"Green Revolution" Video Series features videos of scientists and engineers
who are improving the use of clean energy sources, new fuels and other energy-related
technologies.
National Weather
Association: Sol Hirsch Teacher Grants
NASA's Afterschool
Universe, an out-of-school astronomy program for MS children, is accepting
applications for a Train-the-Trainer workshop.
HS students are invited to participate in NASA's Interdisciplinary National Science Program Incorporating Research
Experience.
Verizon Thinkfinity is
a free educational website that contains 1000s of K-12 educational resources for
teachers, parents and students.
The American Association of Physics Teachers Frederick and Florence Bauder Endowment for the Support of Physics
Teaching was established to support special activities in the area of physics
teaching.
SAVE THE DATE
NGCP
June Webcast: The SciGirls Seven: Strategies to Engage Girls in STEM, June
1, 2010, 11:00 am Pacific.
2010 Annual International
Society for Technology in Education Conference Denver, CO, June 27-30, 2010
National
WomenTech Educators Train-the-Trainer Workshop, Emeryville, CA, June 28-29,
2010
Techbridge Summer Institute to provide curriculum and strategies
for engaging girls in STEM, Oakland, CA, August 2-4, 2010.
2010 National
Conference for Science and Technology Out-of-School Time Universal City,
CA, September 22-24, 2010
USA Science &
Engineering Festival: October 10-24, 2010, Washington, DC
DISCLAIMER
Any opinions, findings, and conclusions, or recommendations expressed in the material
published in the NAPE Update are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect
the views of NAPE. Furthermore, inclusion of a product, program, or practice in
the NAPE Update does not imply its endorsement by NAPE.
MATERIALS USE POLICY
Please note that material found on NAPE's website or distributed via any other means
and created by the NAPE and/or the NAPE Education Foundation is copyrighted.
Learn more about the materials use policy