The National Girls Collaborative Project (NGCP) is celebrating Women’s History Month and International Women’s Day (March 8) with a webinar highlighting gender equity in STEM. For nearly 20 years, NGCP has worked to advance the agenda in gender equity by encouraging girls to pursue careers in STEM. Participants will hear about up-to-date research regarding gender equity in STEM and how it impacts girls and women learning and working in STEM. Participants will engage in conversation around strategies and resources for continued progress in supporting girls and women in STEM.

Brite is an online, interdisciplinary STEM program built for girls ages 13-16. The Brite Pilot was offered in the summer of 2020. Brite 2021 will be held July 12-22, 2021, and will provide an online suite of activities centered on collaborative learning with female role models. Brite 2021 will consist of two courses: Art x Science, featuring role models and activities at the intersection of art and science, and Dream Big, Take Risks, featuring role models and activities that introduce girls to audacious careers in STEM. Informal STEM education programs serving girls are invited to apply.

Application closes on Monday, March 22, 2021. Applicants will be notified on March 31, 2021.

An informational application webinar will be held on March 17, 2021, at 9:00 AM Pacific to answer questions. This webinar will be recorded and posted on the Brite 2021 Application Webinar event page.

Teachers and afterschool educators are invited to take part in this free CryptoClub Educator Training. CryptoClub is funded by the National Science Foundation and uses games, treasure hunts, and other informal activities to engage students (grades 5-12), in both formal and informal settings. It applies topics typically found in a middle-school curriculum, such as decimals and percent, division with remainder, common factors, negative numbers, and pattern recognition. Includes cryptography games and activities from the CryptoClub website. Visit CryptoClub Educator Training to learn more.

Each month, this spotlight will highlight new programs, resources, events, 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.

Find Burçin’s photos, videos, and more in the Collection, and be sure to follow her Instagram and Twitter accounts for updates on her activities.

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:

Join the National Science Teaching Association (NSTA) for this special four-part, interactive, virtual miniseries. Scheduled throughout the month of March, this miniseries is a source for resources and strategies for motivating and enhancing the participation of traditionally underrepresented students in science through the lens of equity and social justice. 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!" Register.

The conference is a hub for individuals working across the system to transform STEM for an inclusive future. This year's theme is "Wahine: Culturally Responsive Collective Catalyst" and will focus on bridging research and practice to build understanding, identifing pathways, and guiding changes that broaden participation and inclusion of women and underrepresented populations in STEM fields. Register.

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

Join NGCP at the National Math Festival (NMF), with hands-on, interactive activities for youth of all ages, plenty of booths to visit and pick up resources for math play at home or in the classroom, and engaging films and lively math talks to round out the program. Stop by the NGCP booth to learn more about our resources and chat with some of our team. NMF is free and open to the public, with activities designed for all ages, from very young children to adults. Register.

This National Alliance for Partnerships in Equity conference brings together administrators, teachers/instructors, counselors, and educational leaders. It focuses on educational equity and social justice at the intersections of race, ethnicity, ability, gender identity and sexual orientation, and socioeconomics. Workshops concentrate on these strands: Equitable Learning Environments in a COVID-19 Reality, Access and Equity in CTE and STEM for Underrepresented Students, Foster a Diverse Workforce, and Public Policy. Register.

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

For Women’s History Month we’re turning the spotlight on Friendship and Female Power in the Lemurs of Madagascar, an archived Hot Science – Cool Talks webcast with additional online resources. Dr. Rebecca Lewis, Anthropology professor and Director of the Ankoatsifaka Research Station, showcases her fieldwork in Madagascar. She studies the “sifaka,” unusual primates with crazy-eyed stares, amazing leaping abilities, and societies where females are at the top of the hierarchy. Discover what Disney got wrong about these enigmatic primates and how they are like Wonder Woman.

Get Started and stay connected to The Connectory:

The newest edition of the Afterschool Alliance’s America After 3PM among Middle School Youth shows that parents recognize the critical supports and experiences afterschool programs provide, both for their academic learning and social and emotional growth. Read the blog about the findings from American After 3PM 2020. Learn more.

The Cognizant’s Pathways in Technology Scholarship aims to build an inclusive pipeline of tech talent by supporting students from underrepresented communities as they pursue a degree in computer science. 50 scholarships at $5,000 each will be awarded. Application deadline is March 31, 2021.

An EngineerGirl Ambassador is a female, U.S. high school student who designs, develops, and implements a project in her local community that will encourage younger girls to think about engineering and engineering careers and give them practical experience in engineering design. Ambassadors receive training and support from the National Academy of Engineering. In January 2021 NGCP hosted a webinar about EngineerGirl Ambassadors which featured an Ambassador and her sponsor sharing their experience. This webinar was recorded and is available in the NGCP Webinar Archive. The 2021-2022 cohort will be virtual. EngineerGirls has provided a letter for educators about the changes to the program and encourages educators to share the information and encourage girls to apply. Application deadline is April 1, 2021.

The NCWIT Counselors for Computing program provides information and resources that help counselors join the front line of the computing conversation. This booklet is filled with information and resources that educators can use to support ALL students as they explore computer science education and careers.

This research brief discusses eight evidence-based strategies to attract and retain girls and women in STEM-related academic fields and careers. The brief incorporates intersectional approaches to addressing inequalities specific to the experiences of girls and women of color, and features the perspective of NGCP.

This online hackathon, on March 13, 2021, is a free event is for high school students who want to learn how computer science and technology are used to solve complex social problems. All skill levels are welcome. Registration deadline is March 7, 2021.

Created by the Institute for Women's Policy Research, this report provides data that change agents can use to improve the status of women, which is integral to strengthening economic growth and prosperity for local communities and the nation as a whole. The data can be used to raise awareness, improve policies, and promote women's equality. Explore the data.

International Women's Day celebrates the social, political, and economic achievements of women while focusing world attention on areas requiring further action. This year's theme is “Women in leadership: Achieving an equal future in a COVID-19 world.” The theme celebrates the tremendous efforts by women and girls around the world in shaping a more equal future and recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.