Inspiring Girls in STEM

The Huffington Post article, “This Is What Inspires Girls in STEM”, includes answers to the question, “What inspires you?”, which was asked of over 1000 who were interested, aspiring to, or engaged in STEM careers.  Their answers included the ability to: make a positive impact on people’s lives, be involved in research to find a cure for diseases, move society away from “misunderstanding and ignorance”, learn how to sustain life, give students memorable scientific experiences, discover what we do not know, make the most of my abilities, protect the natural surroundings I love, explore all things “bizarre”, learn about the power of the human mind—the list goes on.  The answers are enough to inspire, aren’t they? A 19-year-old biology researcher and scientific writer answered with this phrase, “The sensation of beginning to understand something which cannot be comprehended, like the size of the universe.”

Map of Gender Gap In Science

A UNESCO Gender Gap in Science map from the UNESCO Institute for Statistics, October 2012, is called a rough picture, because data from the United States, Canada, China, and some other countries are missing. The reason given was “lack of data.” Even so, the map is quite interesting. It shows that South America is doing a good job of including women in science careers, while most European, African, and Asian countries aren’t. According to Eileen Pollack of the New York Times, the problem of gender inequality in science isn’t due to differences in gender, but rather differences in culture. 

As for how the United States would do on this map, Pollack writes, “Only one-fifth of physics Ph.D’s in this country are awarded to women, and only about half of those women are American; of all the physics professors in the united States, only 14% are women.” That’s only physics, but . . . .

Roominate—Girls in STEM Fields

Using the Roominate kit, girls can create their own dollhouse building rooms and complete circuits as they wire their own house and create their own gadgets. According to Wired, “Instead of dumbing down, Roominate is smartening up.”  Some of the objects that can be made are: an elevator, a circular saw, a rotating fireplace, and a washing machine. The Deluxe Kit sells for $49.99 and other kits, such as Flight Engineer, Electrical Engineer, Architect Pack, and Design Engineer Pack, are priced from $9.99 to $24.99.

Attracting Girls to the STEM Careers

The Scientific American piece, To Attract More Girls to STEM, Bring More Storytelling to Science, by teachers Jonathan Olsen and Sarah Gross, says that integration of the arts and sciences is the key to getting girls into STEM careers. The authors suggest that teachers of STEM courses include fiction books like Vonnegut’s Player Piano, artwork such as that by M. C. Escher, and information about the story behind the HeLa cells in their courses. As storytelling activates brain cells, enjoying real-life stories such as that of Henrietta Lacks (see photo) and those called “polymaths” such as Benjamin Franklin and Leonardo da Vinci, will do more to motivate girls toward STEM careers than will, according to Olsen and Gross, “a pink microscope.”

Engineer Girl Essay Competition

Girls in Grades 3-5, 6-8, and 9-12 may enter the 2013 Engineer Girl Essay Competition. This year, the topic centers on advances in medicine brought about through engineering. Students entering the competition should focus on one of the following medical problems: heart disease, stroke, influenza and other respiratory infections, Emphysema (or COPD), and Diarrhea.  Exact topics and word lengths for essays vary according to grade level.  Entries must be received by 6:00 p.m. (EST) on March 1, 2013. Cash awards are given to first, second, and third place winners in each category.

Make Your Mark Poster

Looking to encourage girls to take off in mathematics, science, technology, and engineering? Or to make their mark in whatever they do? Download the beautiful motivational poster, “Make Your Mark,” from the FableVision site. It’s available until November 30, 2012.  You’ll find lots of other motivational materials, free and for pay, on the site.

Calling Digital Divas

Girls who are interested in computing can win $500 in cash; a laptop computer; a trip to Charlotte, NC for the Bank of American Technology Showcase and Awards Ceremony; and an engraved award for the student and her school. The NCWIT Award for Aspirations in Computing requires that girls who enter be in Grades 9-12, are citizens of the United States, have a good academic history, show aptitude and leadership in IT/computing, and have plans for post-secondary education. Applications are due by October 31, 2012, with endorsements by parents and school officials by November 9, 2012. The sponsors of this award are the National Center for Women and Information Technology and the Bank of America.

What Encourages Girls to Pursue STEM Careers?

How to get girls interested in STEM subjects has been debated for some time. Now, it seems that after school activities are turning more girls on to the advantages of careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. "Out of School Time Drawing Girls into STEM” (Education Week, 01/05/12) discusses the success of Techbridge, an afterschool program for girls that offers challenges in the STEM subjects through innovative teaching. Linda Kekelis, Executive Director of Techbridge, says that girls often don’t have the experiences boys do that create interest in the STEM subjects. “Techbridge is providing the expectations and the experiences to level the playing field for girls, particularly in STEM.”  The question remains, “Why can’t such programs be integrated into regular school studies?

Kids & Technologies: How Student Learn

A fourth grade teacher, knowing of my interest in kids and technologies, advised, “You’ve got to read Rewired by Larry D. Rosen. It explains so much about what those of us in education need to know.” She was right. This book and other resources by Rosen give us a glimpse into the “psychology of technology” so that we will be better able to understand how our students learn. According to Rosen, the iGeneration, those students born in the 90s, expect “instant access” to information and people.  These are kids who are constantly connected through digital devices and believe that anything is possible. Additional Information about Rosen’s books is available on his site and at Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

Welcome Back to SchoolTube

To welcome everyone back to the 2010-2011 school year, SchoolTube offers a video tutorial designed to help teachers with moderating videos on the service. You can get a list of all videos uploaded for your school, and when videos are uploaded by students, you’ll receive an email. All uploaded videos will be placed in a “pending” section. You log in and check the videos that haven’t been moderated. It’s your choice whether videos are approved or denied. Students who have created videos that are unacceptable will receive an email explaining why the video has been denied. While you are on the SchoolTube site, take a look at the video on the SchoolTube Hippo Program, which will help you to convert video files and rip DVD files that you can use in SchoolTube videos.