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- STEM Programs Expand in the Tri-Valley
- Climate and Cyber: Two Focus Areas for Industry Panels
- Contra Costa Science Fair Goes Virtual in March
- Summer STEM Camps Registration Opens in April
- Program Unleashes Girls' Creative Imaginations
- Redefining Mobility Summit to Support STEM Programming
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U.S. scientific world leadership is no longer; is it a "defining moment?"
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Career Programs Expand to the Tri-Valley Area |
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Bay Area LEEDS was awarded a multi-year grant by Tri-Valley Regional Occupational Program (TVROP) to expand the number of business partners in high-priority sectors that support Work Experience Education programs, provide Work-Based Learning opportunities, and mentor staff and students in Dublin, Pleasanton and Livermore. This work commences in 2022 and runs through 2024.
The Strong Workforce Program grant will allow Bay Area LEEDS to create, plan and implement four high school summer camps including Drone Coding & Flight; Girls Who Design & Construct; Robotics & Manufacturing; and Food Innovation in Culinary Arts. It also allows the organization to provide one-day and over-the-summer teacher externships in industry strengthening Career Technical classrooms.
Julie Duncan, TVROP Superintendent says of the grant, "it brings Bay Area LEEDS' innovative programs and intermediary services to the Tri-Valley to help us strengthen the bridge of opportunity connecting schools to careers and continuing education, and to the development of life and career skills valued by industry."
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Climate Change and Cyber Security Focus of Fall 2021 Dinner & Dialogue with East Bay Teachers |
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Almost 100 teachers benefited from two Dinner & Dialogue evening events on November 10 and December 8 featuring hour-long discussions with industry experts in the fields of Climate Change and Cyber Security.
The Climate Change November dinner featured Bill Kelly, Climate Action Pathways in Schools; Dr. Sarah Saltzer, Stanford Center for Carbon Storage; and Christina Toms, California Water Quality Board. The December event on Cyber Security featured Christopher Lukas, Chevron; Sarah Kaleel, Comcast; Matthew Myrick, Lawrence Livermore National Lab; and Hector Rodriguez, Amazon Web Services.
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In addition to the career panel discussions, each event offered a teacher showcase and small group teacher discussions along with a personalized dinner for each participant. Dinner & Dialogue events have been held yearly since 2011 and are sponsored by Chevron in support of East Bay Project Lead The Way career pathway efforts in Engineering, Computer Science and BioMedical.
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Contra Costa Science Fair Virtual in 2022 |
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Event to be held March 11 |
Contra Costa County Science & Engineering Fair, held since 2006, is the regional gateway to state, national and international competitions for up to 250 student competitors ranging from grades 7 through 12. The event will be virtual again this year and held on Friday, March 11. "We always want to be mindful of the health and safety of our young people," says George Odongo, one of eight Science Fair Chief Judges and a chief scientist for the Department of Homeland Security in San Francisco.
With over 100 industry judge volunteers, the event provides young people a venue to showcase their science, engineering, math and computer science prowess with industry partners who come away being amazed at what these competitors know and are able to do.
"These young people are the best of the best in Contra Costa County," Odongo continues. He also sits on the Bay Area LEEDS board of directors, and is "proud to be a part of an organization that makes so many STEM opportunities available to young people in the East Bay. Being engaged makes for more informed citizens, because science is the backbone of our society."
Volunteer judges are needed for eight hours on March 11 from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. You are encouraged to get involved today! (Learn more)
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Summer STEM Camps Registration Opens in April |
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One of Bay Area LEEDS’ goals is to provide summer enrichment opportunities for high school students and teachers aligned with STEM Career Pathways. The Contra Costa 2022 series of summer camps, in partnership with Diablo Valley College and Cal State East Bay, offer the opportunity to explore theory and practice in one- or two-week experiences that blend hands-on exploration, problem-solving, and presentations by experts, combined with college credit in most cases.
We offer unique summer camps providing fascinating lectures from industry professionals, high-quality lab experiences, exciting field trips, and inspiring project-based learning.
Camp registration for current 9-11 graders begins in early April. If you'd like to be notified when registration opens, please sign up here.
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Increasing Girls' Pursuit of STEM--Femineers™
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Cal Poly Pomona Program Piloted at Ygnacio Valley
Engineering Pathway in Concord
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To unleash girls' creative imaginations while enrolled in Ygnacio Valley High School's Project Lead The Way four-year Engineering Pathway, the Femineer™ program was started in October last year--the first of its kind in Contra Costa County.
“Having the opportunity to work side-by-side with students is inspiring, and we’re honored to support the next generation of female engineers," says Tina Moschetti, vice president in Stantec’s Transportation group. Stantec is among a number of partners who have Adopted A Femineer™ to make possible this innovative 15-week after-school program available to 25 girls at the school. Because of sponsors like Stantec and IBEW Local 302, another major sponsor, our girls are armed with their own tool kits and creative robotics materials to design, build, and program a personally meaningful robot using multiple programming languages to be showcased at May 18th's culminating celebration.
More sponsors and 'Women in STEM' volunteers are needed through May 11th. If the program is successful, it may be expanded to other schools in 2022-23. Learn how you can help.
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Redefining Mobility Summit to Benefit
STEM Programming
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Join the Contra Costa Transportation Authority (CCTA) and its partners for the seventh annual Redefining Mobility Summit in San Ramon on April 5 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. At the Summit, you will have the opportunity to hear from government, industry, and international leaders about how innovative research and cutting-edge technology is revolutionizing transportation.
CCTA is offering an opportunity to support STEM education in our communities for those sponsoring the Redefining Mobility Summit. CCTA is partnering with Bay Area LEEDS with net proceeds of the event being dedicated to strategic programming to benefit students and schools.
"We have already created the annual Girls Lead The Way Education Summit in the East Bay, and helped to start Cal Poly Pomona's Femineer™ program at a Contra Costa high school which, if successful, can be expanded. Cultivating a creative workforce that is ready to step into STEM-related fields is vital to our industry and other sectors as well," says CCTA Executive Director Timothy Haile. "Our region needs a strong STEM ecosystem," he continues. CCTA hopes that encouraging other business partners to get engaged ensures a ready workforce and global competitiveness.
"It's also an important means to support diversity, equity, and inclusion in a thriving STEM workforce," Haile concludes.
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NSF Calls STEM Talent Shortage a "Defining Moment" for the U.S. |
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A new report from the National Science Foundation (NSF) finds that the U.S. is no longer the world leader in key measures of scientific accomplishment such as awarded patents and published papers.
Science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) workers currently make up almost a quarter of America’s labor force, says the 2022 edition of The State of U.S. Science and Engineering. Women and minorities continue to be underrepresented in this segment of the labor force. According to the National Science Board (NSB), the number of women and Black workers in it must double, and the number of Latinos triple, for it to reflect the true demographics of the country. (Read More)
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There are myriad ways that businesses can get involved in the STEM effort. More schools may also want to take advantage of some of the high-quality programming Bay Area LEEDS provides.
Let us help you prepare the region’s youth for tomorrow’s STEM careers. Contact us to get engaged today. (More details here.)
April Treece | Chief Executive Officer
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