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AUGUST UPDATE
The InterMountain Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Launch Pilot (IM STEM)
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Mark your calendars for the next IM STEM quarterly virtual network meeting
September 18, 2019
3:00pm - 4:30pm MDT
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Learning about programs and initiatives around the network is a key benefit to being part of the IM STEM community. If you would like to have your program highlighted in a future IM STEM newsletter or potentially showcased at a network meeting, please click here to enter your information.
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IM STEM Steering Committee Seeking
Additional Members
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The IM STEM Steering Committee is looking for a few dedicated leaders, like you, interested in making a difference in broadening participation in STEM in the six IM STEM states (CO, ID, NM, NV, UT, WY). The Steering Committee sets direction for the activities of the network and provides leadership within their state and nationally representing the network. To learn more about this opportunity send an email of interest to Mimi Lufkin, NAPE CEO Emerita and IM STEM Project Director at
mimilufkin@napequity.org
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What's going on In the network?
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Communications and Resource Sharing
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The Communication and Resource Sharing group asks that you get the most out of network membership by engaging in conversation with each other on our social media channels, including our LinkedIn group (IM STEM Network) and Twitter (@imstemequity). We have also created a form on the IMSTEM website where you can enter information about your program, so we can share it across the network in future IM STEM newsletters.
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In partnership with Idaho, this workgroup has developed a pilot data dashboard to display data from Idaho’s career and technical education programs to test the feasibility of using a dashboard to conduct a more comprehensive equity gap analysis. Perkins V requires data to be disaggregated by gender, race/ethnicity and each of the 9 special population groups. This pilot dashboard can inform states as they are working on data collection and accountability in their State Plans for Perkins V. To learn more about Perkins V and to view the national data dashboards go to NAPE’s resource page at
https://www.napequity.org/public-policy/frontline-legislation/strengthening-career-and-technical-education-for-the-21st-century-act/
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Our asset mapping team is currently working with Nevada to develop an asset map that shows where STEM programming exists. Some states already have maps, including
Idaho
and
Wyoming,
and you can view them by clicking on the state name.
New Mexico
has just launched their “crowd sourced” STEM asset map (for NM STEM programs only). Contact Jeff McConaughy
jmcconaughy@explora.us
with any questions. Any other questions about the IMSTEM Asset map initiative, please contact
kfitzpatrick@napequity.org
.
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Effective Practice Scaling
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The Rubric for Evaluating Programs to Broaden Participation in STEM has undergone a review and is in the final stages of production. We will be highlighting the rubric at our September network meeting.
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This workgroup continues to monitor NAPE’s professional development efforts in the six states. Since the fall of 2017 (the beginning of the NSF INCLUDES DDLP: IM STEM grant) NAPE has conducted professional development (PD) in five states at twelve sites with over 1200 educators. The Pilot Monitoring workgroup will be conducting a follow-up survey with participants to learn more about the impact of this PD. For more information about NAPE’s PD contact Kathleen Fitzpatrick at
kfitzpatrick@napequity.org
.
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What's going on Around the network?
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Colorado
TECHNOLOchicas
is a national initiative of the National Center for Women & Information Technology (NCWIT) and Televisa Foundation designed to raise awareness among young Latinas and their families about opportunities and careers in technology. TECHNOLOchicas uses the powerful stories of Latinas from diverse backgrounds who are in technology fields in order to allow girls to see and relate to real-life role models. TECHNOLOchicas Ambassadors speak at events, volunteer at workshops, participate in interviews, and organize outreach activities in their community to inspire Latina youth. Explore the Web site below to see what TECHNOLOchicas has to offer young Latinas and their families in Colorado!
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Idaho
Each spring, the IDAHO STEM Action Center and its partners proudly host three regional high school science and engineering fairs for students across Idaho. These fairs offer students the opportunity to engage in original STEM research projects aligned with their interests. Students present their findings at the Northern, Western, or Eastern Idaho Science and Engineering Fair. Each fair offers students the opportunity to meet and learn with other motivated students in their area. Representative teams from each region are selected to attend and compete in the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair. Click on the following link for registration and information for students and teachers, as well as fair dates and locations.
Idaho STEM Action Center
(208) 332-1729
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Nevada
Summer didn’t mean learning was over for Nevada’s middle and high school girls. The Clark County School District’s female students were invited to be part of Akamai Technologies’ annual
Edge World Conference
held June 10-13, 2019, at the Aria Resort and Casino Las Vegas. Diversity, Inclusion and Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) played a leading role at this year’s conference. This opportunity showed how girls from the greater Las Vegas area are being exposed to careers in technology, and Akamai was happy to host as part of the company’s D&I efforts.
Onsite activities the girls participated in included:
Team building activities with Akamai employees and other organizations.
A session with Reshma Saujani, founder & CEO of Girls Who Code, discussing her mission to increase the number of women in tech, promote mentorship and enable young girls to chart their own course personally and professionally.
An “Inspiration” lunch-hour session led by Akamai CMO Monique Bonner, featuring signs of inspiration, as well as other Akamai leaders discussing their journey in an industry where women are underrepresented. Lunch also included a candid Q&A session.
Opportunities like this highlight the importance of STEM education when it comes to diversifying the workforce and tech industry.
Snehal Bhakta
CTE Administrator
Clark County School District
(702) 799-0059 ext. 5610
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New Mexico
New Mexico MESA State Champions from Chaparral Middle School and Nex+Gen Academy High School, competed against teams from eight other states in the 2019 MESA USA National Engineering Design Competition hosted this year by Arizona MESA located on the University of Arizona campus. The competition centered around human centered design, entrepreneurial education, and microprocessors. Students created products that would better serve human needs incorporating the use of microprocessors and Arduino programming. They then pitched their product to “potential investors.” Chaparral Middle School NM MESA took first place in the overall competition at the middle school level with their affordable products to enhance independence in eating for the visually impaired. This is the second year in a row that Chaparral Middle School has won the competition. nex+Gen Academy placed forth overall in the high school division.
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Utah
The Utah Women & Leadership Project at Utah Valley University recently prepared a research & policy brief to update Utah leaders and other stakeholders about the gender status of STEM education and attainment in Utah. The brief,
Utah Women in STEM Education: A 2019 Update
, highlights progress made since the publication of the 2013 research and policy brief on the same topic. This updated research and policy brief focuses on the status of STEM education and attainment for girls and women in Utah. Data about the K-12 STEM system and postsecondary STEM degrees within public colleges and universities are provided. National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) comparisons are included as well. These findings provide an indication of the educational fitness of students who are filling the STEM pipeline. In summary, a diverse labor pool of both men and women is required to meet the hiring needs of Utah’s high-tech businesses. Click on the link below to access the 2019 research & policy brief.
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Wyoming
The University of Wyoming (UW) boasts that it is now home to North America’s largest, most technologically advanced center to train the petroleum engineers of the future with a new multimillion-dollar simulator suite. Drilling Systems has worked with UW’s College of Engineering and Applied Science to build the Drilling and Completions Simulation Laboratory, part of the new $105 million Engineering Education and Research Building, which will officially open in September. The new laboratory will be used to train future talent for the oil and gas industry using cutting-edge simulator technology and immersive training techniques such as virtual reality. It also will develop new innovative solutions for the global energy sector and industry through simulation, visualization, modeling, consulting and training.
University of Wyoming
Institutional Communications
(307) 766-2929
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STEM Equity News, Events, & Resources
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ASEE Diversity Recognition Program (ADRP) and Deans Diversity Pledge
Seventy-four colleges and universities received the bronze award from the American Society for Engineering Education’s (ASEE) Diversity Recognition Program. ASEE recognizes engineering and engineering technology colleges that have made headway in increasing diversity, inclusion and degree attainment within their programs. Bronze Award status is valid for three years. Additionally, 220 universities signed the ASEE Deans Diversity Pledge which aims to help change diversity and inclusivity issues within engineering schools. Click on the links below to learn more and to view a list of college and university bronze award recipients.
Where Do Families Go for STEM?
Not every community has a science center, tech museum, or zoo, but just about every town has a library. So how do libraries give families access to quality STEM programs? There are plenty of ways. Local public libraries help reduce the opportunity gap in STEM by offering books along with access to computers and STEM programs for families that help reach underserved and underrepresented people and regions. Across the country you can find preschoolers and their parents engaging in hands-on science and math activities, girls and mothers tinkering with tools and technology, and families learning to code at summer lunch programs all at their local public library. These experiences spark new interests in kids, build confidence in parents, and can even have a lasting impact on career interests. This article offers four strategies to help inspire and deepen engagement with families at libraries: 1) Be humble and be aspirational, 2) Be creative in helping families continue STEM learning at home, 3) Be intentional to include youth with disabilities and their parents, and 4) Reduce the gender gap in STEM. May 13, 2019.
Set a Place at the STEM Table for Youth with Disabilities and their Families
Kids who are deaf, visually impaired, or physically disabled need the chance to imagine and create a bright future with STEM. Youth with disabilities have the potential to be productive and creative adults, yet they are less likely to go to college and less likely to live independently than their peers without disabilities. It’s not because of their disability, but often because of the expectations and opportunities afforded to them. STEM can provide the means to master skills and develop confidence and perseverance that make possible a fulfilling life. This article describes STEM opportunities for youth with disabilities and their families that can make a difference, and provides information about the program Deaf Kids Code which was created especially for youth with disabilities, and Techbridge Girls which has adapted their STEM curriculum for youth who are blind and visually impaired. The article also proposes steps in a call to action for the inclusion of youth with disabilities and their families in STEM programs.
Changing the Game in STEM with Family Engagement
STEM Next Opportunity Fund is committed to ensuring that every child – especially girls, youth of color, kids in low-income communities, and youth with disabilities – has access to STEM experiences and the social capital that lead to greater opportunities in academics and careers. STEM Next Opportunity Fund believes that parents are vital players in raising youth’s awareness of the value of STEM and in brokering their participation in activities that build STEM competencies. This article offers promising practices for promoting family engagement that empower parents to support their children’s participation and persistence in STEM, and also highlights case studies of organizations that are putting these practices into action. April 2019.
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Help grow the network!
Please forward this newsletter to colleagues and contacts.
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IM STEM is a network of STEM educators and leaders across six states (CO, ID, NM, NV, UT, and WY) working to support STEM equity at key transition points (middle school to high school and high school to college).
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This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. 1744472. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.
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