The monthly TxGCP eNewsletter is designed for advocates and educators to learn about STEM resources, educational opportunities and more across Texas!  View eNewsletter as Webpage

April 2024

Hello Kathy,

Happy Citizen Science Month!

We're excited for the eclipse crossing Texas on Monday, April 8th. Below are some of our favorite resources, activities, and opportunities for educators and advocates. What a great time to engage girls (and all students, adults, everyone!) in STEM!

And don't miss out on our FREE Million Girls Moonshot - SciGirls, STEM Role Models & Messaging Workshop for Educators and Advocates workshops in Lubbock on Monday, April 15, and Houston on Monday, May 6. Participants will engage in hands-on STEM learning, walk away with resources to lead TEKs-aligned hands-on STEM activities, get connected to an online educator community with 9 themed SciGirls activity facilitator guides (each with 5 or more hands-on STEM activities) and a bank of STEM role model videos and SciGirls episodes, and more! Learn more and sign up at https://www.txgcp.org/workshops.

Have you ever wondered how to track an eclipse down to the exact second? NASA has you covered! NASA presents the Eclipse Explorer – an interactive map designed to enhance your eclipse-viewing experience. Crafted to complement our existing static eclipse maps, this tool enables users to dive into this amazing celestial event like never before. The 2023 Eclipse Explorer demonstrates that celestial events are predictable down to the second. Unlike traditional static maps, this interactive version is feature-rich, offering layers upon layers of details that space enthusiasts can toggle on or off to explore each facet at their own pace. (copied from NASA's website)

Scientists need help collecting data during the eclipse on Monday, April 8. The projects highlighted below are great for library users. For more information, check out SciStarter.org/eclipse.

Eclipse Safari

Watch the eclipse while observing and reporting on the behavior of animals anywhere in North America.

Eclipse Soundscapes: Observer Role

Report what you see, hear, and experience during the eclipse across the path of totality.

GLOBE Observer: Eclipse

Observe clouds and make air temperature measurements anywhere on the eclipse path.

Engage in #OneMillionActsOfScience during #CitizenScienceMonth throughout April: https://scistarter.org/citizensciencemonth.

There are thousands of eclipse resources, websites, activity and event listings, and more. Below are a few of our TxGCP favorites:

• Hill Country Alliance Eclipse Portal with Resources, Activities, and Event Listings
• Autism Society of Texas 2024 Solar Eclipse Resources
• McDonald Observatory, The University of Texas at Austin Resources, Activities and Guides
• NASA Eclipse Resources, Videos, Stories
• National Science Teachers Association Eclipse Observer Guides and Handouts, Webinars and more
• PBS Kids Eclipse Resources

Get inspired AND learn about Women in STEM connections to eclipses and the history of women chasing eclipses! Check out this featured session from the TxGCP Texas Women and Girls in STEM Summit this past December: "Totality Over Texas, April 8, 2024 - Sparking STEM Curiosity During the Total Eclipse" presented by Dawn Davies, Night Sky Program Manager, Hill Country Alliance.

The Joyful Learning Collaborative convened by Thinkery is a transformative initiative that redefines learning and collaboration through joy, curiosity, and community relationships. The Joyful Learning Collaborative will host viewing parties and pre-eclipse events across the region for the community to experience this incredible moment in time. This work was supported by the Simons Foundation and is part of its ‘In the Path of Totality’ initiative.

Join Texas Girls Collaborative Project (TxGCP) at the Four Points Artisan Market on Sunday, April 7 for an "Anticipating the Eclipse" event in collaboration with the Four Points Area YMCA and Kale Me Crazy Austin. Learn what to expect at the next day’s total solar eclipse, grab a pair of free eclipse glasses (while supplies last), and explore the sun with a solar filter-fitted telescope and hands-on, solar eclipse-related activities for kids. The Citizen and Community Science Library Network led by SciStarter, Arizona State University, and the National Girls Collaborative Project will also be there to help you learn how you can contribute to scientific research on eclipse day! Shout out to the Thinkery Joyful Learning Collaborative and all collaborators for supporting this event.

The Texas Partnership for Out of School Time (TXPOST) is a proud supporter of Texas Girls in STEM Day. TXPOST is a statewide intermediary whose mission is to convene, educate, and advocate to improve the quality and increase the availability of out-of-school time (OST) opportunities for Texas youth. Sign up for the TXPOST newsletter for STEM resources from the Million Girls Moonshot initiative and other partners as well as a variety of general OST information and tools. 

TXPOST is committed to fostering and facilitating strategic collaboration and public investment to grow our network to better support OST programs; drive continuous quality improvement in OST programs; and promote sustainable access to high-quality OST programs for all Texas children.

Interested in supporting TxGCP, collaborating on programs or disseminations, or advertising in the TxGCP newsletter or other programming? Contact stem@txgcp.org.

The Texas Girls Collaborative Project (TxGCP) is a statewide network of advocates and educators from non-profits, K-12 schools, universities and colleges, and companies across Texas and beyond who are committed to motivating and supporting women and girls to pursue and thrive in careers in STEM. TxGCP leads the annual Texas Women & Girls in STEM Summit, disseminates curriculum and effective practices, and supports a network of collaborators, resource sharing and STEM communications throughout the state. TxGCP is a state collaborative of the National Girls Collaborative Project powered by STEMwise Connections.

The vision of the National Girls Collaborative Project (NGCP) is to bring together organizations throughout the US and Puerto Rico that are committed to informing and encouraging girls to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).