We Got a Cummings Foundation Grant!
Science Club for Girls is proud to be a recipient of a 2021 Cummings Grant from the Cummings Foundation! Through their $25 Million Grant Program, the Cummings Foundation supports local Massachusetts nonprofits in education among other areas. Thank you to the Cummings Foundation for supporting young women and girls in STEM! Bonnie Bertolaet, Executive Director of Science Club for Girls, spoke to the importance of this funding and what it means as SCFG works to increase diversity and inclusivity in STEM.
“With the achievement and opportunity gaps for girls of color and girls from lower income backgrounds widening in STEM due to the pandemic, Science Club for Girls is thrilled to receive a Cummings Grant from the Cummings Foundation. With this grant, we can make STEM learning, mentorship, and community accessible for more girls from underrepresented communities, inspiring and empowering them to pursue and succeed in STEM education and careers.
SCFG creates the pipeline of future skilled STEM workers, and this support could not be more relevant given the need to increase the STEM workforce and diversify its perspectives and approaches to solve the most pressing issues of today and tomorrow.”
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Congrats to Our Class of 2021 Junior Mentors!
Here at Science Club for Girls, we are celebrating the graduation of five of our Junior Mentors: Lavanya, Angell, Nicole, Tsion, and Kate. Our Junior Mentors are capable and influential high school students who help mentor during our clubs, serving as role models for Science Club participants. During their time with us, these JMs have had a tremendous impact, together spending over 80 hours with our young scientists during the pandemic alone. All together they mentored over 210 Science Club participants for 26 semesters. Get to know a little bit more about our graduating Junior Mentors on our blog post!
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We are thrilled to congratulate our very own Hannah Weinstock for being a finalist for the Massachusetts Nonprofit Network (MNN)’s Excellence by a Young Professional Award! This award recognizes emerging nonprofit professionals who have made a significant contribution to their organization through their vision, innovation, interpersonal skills, and hard work.
This couldn’t be a more apt description of Hannah! She is the creator and host of SCFGLive, our live weekly science show which is aired on 9 platforms in 6 cities and has garnered over 47,000 views and counting. Hannah also created the Week in Review program, a digital literacy program for our high school-aged Junior Mentors in which they produce videos and tap into their creativity to showcase activities our young scientists complete in Clubs. She led SCFG’s expansion into Boston and Somerville in the fall of 2019, in addition to developing our Virtual Summer Rocketry Program that will be expanding this summer.
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#SCFGLive Sponsored by National Grid
We have had an exciting month in the world of #SCFGLive! We are thrilled to announce a new partnership with National Grid in which they will be sponsoring eight episodes of #SCFGLive. In the first of many exciting episodes to come, Shalaya, a Senior Technical Inspector within National Grid’s Gas Pipeline Safety Group, brought us into her kitchen to show us some fun, at-home science experiments. Along with her science sidekick and daughter, Malaya, Shalaya helped us explore the topics of conduction and radiation.
The second season of SCFGLive is coming to an end, with our final two episodes airing on May 28th and June 4th, both sponsored by National Grid. Make sure to tune in to Facebook.com/SCFGFan at 4pm this Friday to meet our friends at Boston University’s Engineers Without Borders, and next Friday to celebrate our Season 2 finale with Hannah, Nimisha, and Dr. Marbles!
National Grid supports Science Club for Girls’ mission in making STEM exciting and accessible to all. Both National Grid and Science Club for Girls support girls and women in STEM and are working towards making STEM more diverse, equitable and inclusive.
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A Peek Into Our Programming |
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The Science Club for Girls’ Curriculum Committee, made up of Junior Mentors, Mentors, and staff, has been hard at work planning and developing an engaging Fall 2021 semester. This fall, clubs will focus on ‘The Human Body’ curriculum, and our young scientists will explore the different organ systems and how they work together. These plans will be delivered in a dual-format, with clubs running both in-person and in virtual formats. Stay tuned over the next couple of months for more information about our upcoming clubs and club registration!
Last month, we wrapped up our Career Empowerment Series with guest speaker and 2021 Virtual Catalyst Awardee, Rana el Kaliouby. At the event, moderated by Junior Mentors Ali and Kayla, Rana spoke about her experience as a pioneer and woman in STEM. She also emphasized to our Junior Mentors and mentors the importance of “being able to communicate strongly with [their] team, speaking up when [they] are unsure of something, and speaking up when [they] have accomplished something and showing that pride.”
3...2...1...BLAST OFF into STEM learning with Science Club for Girls this summer! Join us for a free, 2-week VIRTUAL Rocket Program for rising 6 - 8th grade girls and those who identify with girlhood. Participants will build, design, and launch their own rockets—during in-person, socially-distant field trips—as well as gain leadership skills, and build confidence in STEM in preparation for our Junior Mentor Program. Thank you to Estes Rockets for sponsoring this program! Check out our website for more information!
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Supporter Spotlight
This month we are excited to highlight our recent partnership with Alnylam! At the beginning of 2021, through various initiatives at the company, members of the Alnylam community came together to support SCFG. This culminated in Alnylam becoming a corporate sponsor at the 2021 Virtual Catalyst Awards in April. All told, through individual donations, a company donation and the Catalyst sponsorship, the Alnylam community raised $25,000 for Science Club for Girls in the first quarter of 2021!
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We may not be together—but we can still be social! Join us on: |
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About Science Club for Girls
SCFG fosters excitement, confidence and literacy in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics for girls from underrepresented communities by providing free, experiential programs. With women making up less than 24 percent of the STEM workforce—and Black and Hispanic women at less than four percent—SCFG addresses a critical need, offering a continuum of engaging activities in STEM for K-8 girls, leadership experiences for high school girls, and adult mentoring by committed women in STEM.
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