True to our mission, NGCP is celebrating National Mentoring Month by maximizing access to resources. We’ll be sharing curated picks on our social media channels that you can use to expand girls’ access to mentoring and their participation in STEM. We’ve also updated our NGCP Role Models and Mentoring page. Additionally, every Friday in January on our FabFems Facebook page, we’ll be promoting a STEAM Dreamers panel video. Watching these Q&A panels hosted by Reinvented Magazine is like being at a speed mentoring session, packed full of great tips and career advice.

Participants will learn about the EngineerGirl Ambassadors program and hear from Ambassador, Faye Liu, and her sponsor, Crista Riccio, as they share their experiences.

An EngineerGirl Ambassador is a female, U.S. high school student who designs, develops, and implements a project in her local community to encourage younger girls to think about engineering and engineering careers. Ambassadors receive training and support from the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) through the EngineerGirl program, and they become part of a community of like-minded young women who support each other while making a positive change in their communities.

Virtually "meet" women who have blazed trails in space and related science fields in this webinar celebrating National Mentoring Month. Participants will hear from a panel of STEM professionals and scientists who are featured in a free augmented reality (AR) app designed to allow users to explore the universe and unlock the often-overlooked stories of women and their contributions to space exploration and science.

The project, "Reach Across the Stars: A Universe of Explorers," was created through a collaboration between the Smithsonian’s Because of Her Story Initiative and NASA. During the webinar, and in further exploration in the app, participants will hear about the challenges, motivations, and hobbies of these scientists and STEM professionals, while getting a behind the scenes glimpse at their work.

Led by young women on the NGCP Girls Advisory Board, this December 2020 Town Hall focused on hearing the voices of women and girls as they explore exciting careers in cutting edge fields of environmental sustainability, engineering, and renewable energy, that require creativity and imagination. Role model experts from CS Energy shared their stories of nurturing their interest in STEM into rewarding careers. The recording has been uploaded to the NGCP YouTube channel.

Each month, this spotlight will highlight new programs, resources, and role models that are part of the IF/THEN® Initiative, an initiative from Lyda Hill Philanthropies designed to activate a culture shift among young girls and introduce them to STEM careers.

Meet AAAS IF/THEN Ambassador Aisha Lawrey. STEM advocate, Aisha, has 20 years of experience on her journey and is an Electrical Engineer by training. Knowing how to engage many different stakeholders, at all levels has been her focus as well as increasing the number of women and minorities in engineering. Aisha currently works for the National Action Council for Minorities in Engineering (NACME), Inc. as the Senior Director, Programs and Scholarships.

Solutions are needed for problems every day, so the world will always need engineers. Engineers are problem solvers! In her rewarding career, Aisha has conducted research, analyzed data, and developed products. She has experience in the industry, government, nonprofits, and education teaching at multiple universities. Her passion is being a mentor/role model for girls, especially girls of color to show them there is no one mold of an engineer.

Girls need mentors to help them see and realize that what they want to do is a possibility. Having a mentor means that one can not only bounce ideas off their mentor but that the mentor can also help them streamline ideas and work towards a singular goal or multiple visions. There is NO LIMIT to what engineers can do! Give it a try, girls are engineers too!

Learn more about Aisha through her Instagram, Twitter, and see her photos, videos, and more in the IF/THEN Collection.

The IF/THEN® Collection includes thousands of images, videos, posters, and materials available for FREE to educators across the U.S. to use in classrooms, social media, camps, museum exhibits, and more. Stay connected to IF/THEN:

For professionals interested in learning about innovative mathematical research, advancing mathematical achievement, providing the communication and tools to progress in the field, encouraging mathematical research, and connecting with the mathematical community. The 2021 Virtual JMM will be a somewhat scaled-back version of the traditional meeting. It will remain devoted to mathematics research, teaching, advancement, and achievement, as well as time for conversation with friends and colleagues. Register.

The AAAS is dedicated to advancing science for the benefit of all people. The 2021 theme, "Understanding Dynamic Ecosystems" seeks to feature diverse ways of understanding the complexities and dynamics of biological, physical, social, and economic systems across scales, as well as strengthening and activating new connections to address underlying problems in various spheres. Register.

The annual AMTE conference provides inclusive opportunities for a diverse community to engage with current research and practice, and to promote the improvement of mathematics teacher education. Register.

Educators and leaders serving K-12 students in afterschool, summertime, and beyond will have the opportunity to engage in professional development and capacity building. The four workshop strands are: Preparing Children for Success, Program Fundamentals, Supporting the Support System, and Youth Engagement. Register.

Participants in the WAI Conference will have the opportunity to participate in education sessions, inspiring keynote speakers, virtual exhibit hall, personal and professional development seminars and workshops, as well as 2021 scholarship awards, Pioneer Hall of Fame induction celebration, and networking opportunities. Register.

ITEEA is a professional association focused on the professional development needs of classroom teachers, supervisors, curriculum writers, and teacher educators interested in developing technological literacy. This year's theme is "Where Technology and Engineering Education Come to Life!" Early bird registration deadline is March 1, 2021. Register.

Connect with a community of professional science communicators via workshops, panel discussions, presentations, and networking opportunities. Register.

The Connectory is a free online collaboration tool for program providers that helps them find partners based on interests, and showcases STEAM opportunities for youth to families.

January is a good time to use kids’ interest in technology to get them exploring the wide range of STEAM careers. Here is a sampling of what you can find in The Connectory:

Get Started and stay connected to The Connectory:

National Mentoring Month focuses national attention on the need for mentors to guide our youth. Research shows girls benefit from relationships with role models and mentors who can provide valuable information about STEM careers. Below is a selection mentoring resources:

This report provides a detailed account of children during afterschool time: identifying trends in participation, unmet demand for afterschool programs, the experiences and opportunities programs provide, and details on which children and families are missing out, and why. Key findings in the 2020 America After 3PM report indicate that the opportunity to participate in afterschool programs is shrinking, as cost and lack of affordable afterschool opportunities are denying a significant number of low-income youth access to afterschool programs.

Girls STEAM Ahead with NASA (GSAWN) empowers public libraries and community-based organizations to engage girls and their families in exploring the wonders of the universe and celebrating the contributions of women to STEM. The new Program Cookbook is a guidebook to assist facilitators in planning their own GSAWN events using carefully selected and curated resources from NASA’s Universe of Learning. Follow pre-set, scaffolded scenarios that explore light, data and image processing, or create your own scenario using an event-planning sheet. Tips on leading virtual events, working with diverse learners, and low-tech adaptations are included as well.

MathWorks Math Modeling (M3) Challenge is a free, internet-based applied math competition for high school juniors and seniors in the U.S. and sixth form students in England and Wales. Working in teams, participants have 14 hours to solve an open-ended math-modeling problem focused on a relevant issue. The contest, a program of the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics (SIAM) and sponsored by leading software developer MathWorks, awards 37 prizes annually. The challenge weekend is from February 26 to March 1, 2021. Registration deadline is February 19, 2021.

MuseumExpert.org is a new, free to use, online platform designed to connect unemployed or under-employed museum professionals with prospective employers and freelance opportunities. The initiative was created by a volunteer team of former museum staff in response to unprecedented museum closures and subsequent staff layoffs due to the COVID-19 crisis. Anyone with one or more years of experience in museum work who is currently unemployed or under-employed due to the pandemic is invited to create an expert profile. Any entity with current or future employment opportunities is welcome to create an employer profile and search a database of museum professionals with tremendous expertise to contribute to formal and informal learning organizations.

Join educators, researchers, advocates, authors, practitioners, and related-industry leaders from across the globe dedicated to working with girls and young women. Proposal deadline is January 22, 2021, This is a valuable opportunity to contribute to the expanding portfolio of best practices about teaching a diverse population of girls in an inclusive manner and to help facilitate conversations among peers and colleagues. More information.