tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15191458030929284702024-03-14T03:25:38.788-05:00SciGirlsUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger65125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1519145803092928470.post-47751075066651016442010-02-08T15:05:00.002-06:002010-02-08T15:16:29.567-06:00SciGirls coming soonAs you may have noticed, we've been on a bit of a hiatus from posting as we prepare the show and official SciGirls website for launch. Well the time has come! Later this week SciGirls will premiere on PBS stations nationwide. (Check your local listings.) And here's the schedule for when the episodes will be available on the web at <a href="http://pbskids.org/scigirls">pbskidsgo.org/scigirls</a>.<br /><br />101 | Turtle Mania | 2/12<br />102 | Puppet Power | 2/19<br />103 | Dolphin Dive | 2/26<br />104 | Digging Archeology | 3/5<br />105 | Horsing Around | 3/12<br />106 | Blowin’ in the Wind | 3/19<br />107 | High Tech Fashion | 3/26<br />108 | Science Cooks! | 4/2<br />109 | Underwater Eco-Adventure | 4/9<br />110 | Robots to the Rescue | 4/16<br />111 | Going Green | 4/23<br />112 | Star Power | 4/30<br /><br />SciGirls use ordinary science to do the extraordinary. Be a SciGirl! Log on at to <a href="http://pbskids.org/scigirls">share your STEM projects</a> with the world!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1519145803092928470.post-13617939927901208862009-12-17T15:09:00.003-06:002009-12-17T15:30:12.864-06:00SciGirls Extraordinaire | Jennifer Ouellette<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Z2qNOM4qR0o/SyqeaWXS-eI/AAAAAAAAADo/XaEnZnbN_ME/s1600-h/jennifer_ouellette.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 130px; height: 180px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Z2qNOM4qR0o/SyqeaWXS-eI/AAAAAAAAADo/XaEnZnbN_ME/s200/jennifer_ouellette.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5416315677383522786" border="0" /></a><a href="http://www.jenniferouellette-writes.com/#">Jennifer Ouelette</a> helps others learn about science in a way that's fun and entertaining. Although she's not a scientist herself (she was an English major), she is passionate about, and well versed, in science and science education. Among many things, she writes for the American Institute of Physics' TV project, Discoveries and Breakthroughs in Science. She's published articles including "Bubble, Bubble: Physics of Foam," "Talking Turkey and Tryptophan," "Soap Suds and Cosmic Secrets," as well as two books: "Black Bodies and Quatum Cats," and "The Physics of the Buffyverse."<br /><br />Thanks, Jennifer, for putting the "phun" in physics!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1519145803092928470.post-84803225310419130622009-12-17T14:40:00.015-06:002009-12-17T17:44:43.309-06:00SciGirls Extraordinaire | Space Food ScientistNASA food scientist, Vickie Kloeris, has a task that's out of this world: managing the food system for the International Space Station! This week she happens to be teaming up with Astronaut Sandy Magnus in press interviews about holiday feasts in space. Just part of the job!<br /><br />Space food has improved a lot over the years... And Vickie is making sure the space station has a wide variety of tasty, nutritious meals. Check out some space food recipes at <a href="http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/living/spacefood/index.html">http://spaceflight1.nasa.gov/living/spacefood/</a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NjjBiDQsDJw"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dyI3JAdXtJ_druAED4jV4p5xZW3zzMM_3FcIPhNufR_NbtYXIfxW69chNyhaAb0azFACFLZUPv6r91OCtekbw' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></a><br />See Vickie in another video about space food at: <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NjjBiDQsDJw">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NjjBiDQsDJw </a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1519145803092928470.post-66370145381023063892009-12-17T14:09:00.006-06:002009-12-17T14:25:10.413-06:00Behind the Scenes | SciGirls Ed ResourcesSciGirls is busy this winter developing companion educational resources for our first season! We are producing: a set of Activity Guides; a booklet outlining research-based strategies for sparking girls' interest in STEM; a poster that doubles as a board game; and a SciGirls "club kit." <br /><br />Our Activity Guides will include fun, inquiry-based science investigations, engineering projects, and short science experiments for kids ages 8-12. Keep them in mind for SciGirls fun this spring!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1519145803092928470.post-5769294561682451682009-12-17T12:46:00.005-06:002009-12-17T12:52:19.194-06:00SciGirls Museum Affliates Program WebinarIt's today! Learn how to apply for the SciGirls Museum Affiliates Program in a webinar at 1:00 pm CST (2:00 pm EST):<br /><a href="http://ngcproject.org/events/events.cfm?eventid=159"><br />http://ngcproject.org/events/events.cfm?eventid=159</a>.<br /><br />The program's RFP and application also can be downloaded on the right.<br /><br /><span>SciGirls use ordinary science to do the extraordinary. Join the SciGirls revolution!</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1519145803092928470.post-57090811547649606982009-12-15T16:11:00.010-06:002009-12-15T16:50:56.175-06:00I Am What I LearnDr. Lodge McCammon (<a href="http://www.iamlodge.com/">http://www.iamlodge.com</a>) is one talented scientist and no stranger to TPT. He contributed some great nano songs to DFTV Nano. (See <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Td7Fa03QsBY">Scale</a> and <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LKbeQKQO4iU&feature=related">Nanotechnology</a>.)<br /><br />Earlier this year, Lodge worked with North Carolina middle school teacher Jamie Hall and a group of his students to answer: Why is education important to my future? They looked at President Obama’s “<a href="http://www.whitehouse.gov/mediaresources/PreparedSchoolRemarks/">Back to School Event</a>” speech and created an original song. <p>“I Will Contribute” was recorded and performed by Dr. Lodge and four middle school students (Elena, Hannah R., Caroline, and Hannah J.). The music video was created and performed by two North Carolina 8th graders (Keturah and Megan).<br /></p><p>SciGirls applauds their efforts! (See more videos from the <a href="http://www.ed.gov/iamwhatilearn/index.html">I Am What I Learn contest</a>.)</p><br /><object width="360" height="295"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/u3vRghsEtjg&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/u3vRghsEtjg&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="360" height="295"></embed></object>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1519145803092928470.post-41874852837434152692009-12-09T11:09:00.009-06:002009-12-09T11:23:19.071-06:00Spice up STEM with SciGirls | Calling Museums and Science Centers!Do you want to spice up your girl-focused science programs?<br /><br />SciGirls is seeking museums and science centers for the pilot year of our Museum Affiliates Program! Our Affiliates Program will help science centers and museums enhance their existing girl-focused programs by providing multimedia educational resources, professional development training, and ongoing support.<br /><br />Learn more about the SciGirls Museum Affiliates Program – and how to apply -- in a webinar on December 17, 2009, at 1:00 pm CST (2:00 pm EST): <u><span style="color: blue;"><a href="http://ngcproject.org/events/events.cfm?eventid=159" title="blocked::http://ngcproject.org/events/events.cfm?eventid=159">http://ngcproject.org/events/events.cfm?eventid=159</a></span></u>. The RFP and application can also be found at this site.<br /><br />Sign up now!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1519145803092928470.post-91406219519456504782009-12-08T14:26:00.005-06:002009-12-08T14:49:40.879-06:00SciGirls Extrodinaire | Javiera Guedes, Astronomer<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Z2qNOM4qR0o/Sx63A_mNC7I/AAAAAAAAADg/n5raSpeeh1w/s1600-h/javiera.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 120px; height: 180px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Z2qNOM4qR0o/Sx63A_mNC7I/AAAAAAAAADg/n5raSpeeh1w/s200/javiera.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5412965029845470130" border="0" /></a>Javiera Guedes, a grad student at the University of California Santa Cruz, is star-gazing with a mission! She is heading up a project exploring potential Earthlike planets near Alpha Centauri, the closest star system to Earth.<br /><br />Guedes is part of a team using a telescope in Chile to investigate whether habitable planets are out there. Guedes is optimistic: "It's so close to us, and the position of the other stars is such that it should be very possible to find a small planet." But close is a relative term in the universe... in this case, more than 4 million light years away!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1519145803092928470.post-24721998579203260652009-12-07T13:48:00.013-06:002009-12-07T18:59:41.163-06:00SciGirl Extraordinaire | More on Nobel Prize winner Dr. Carol Greider<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_yyQQQY0wO1k/Sx1eCV72r1I/AAAAAAAAAM8/0gdXPfZZyrQ/s1600-h/greider.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 112px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_yyQQQY0wO1k/Sx1eCV72r1I/AAAAAAAAAM8/0gdXPfZZyrQ/s200/greider.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5412585721510145874" border="0" /></a>One of the things that can be important for young girls considering a life in science is seeing women mentors who are balancing a career and family. After all, girls want to know that science doesn't mean a life spent alone in labs!<br /><br />CNN's recent coverage of Nobel Prize winner Carol Greider offers a great example of a life lived fully. This <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/12/07/nobel.prize.mom.telomeres/index.html">CNN story</a> gives a great overview of Greider's background, including how she told her kids she won the Nobel Prize and if they went to school that morning. (Nope!)<br /><br />Women have won the Nobel Prize a total of 41 times in the history of the award, so Greider is in some rare company. But it's important to note that the scientists girls are introduced to don't need to be stars in their fields. Everyday working scientists can show girls that finding fulfilling work in STEM fields is an obtainable goal.<br /><br />In fact, SciGirls incorporates this kind of mentoring into each of its episodes. When our shows air in 2010, you'll meet engineers, designers, biologists, and robot whizzes. Each has unique insights to share with girls about how they found their life's work. And soon enough their stories will be seen by millions of viewers across the country. You go, SciGirls!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1519145803092928470.post-34768540349891227872009-12-03T16:16:00.010-06:002009-12-03T16:41:32.613-06:00Thinking pink?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_yyQQQY0wO1k/Sxg8UdZioCI/AAAAAAAAAM0/WtRNVhc0ZQQ/s1600-h/izzie_web.gif"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 96px; height: 200px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_yyQQQY0wO1k/Sxg8UdZioCI/AAAAAAAAAM0/WtRNVhc0ZQQ/s200/izzie_web.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5411141274472456226" border="0" /></a>SciGirls was interested to see this post on <a href="http://www.startribune.com/blogs/78433852.html?elr=KArksLckD8EQDUoaEyqyP4O:DW3ckUiD3aPc:_Yyc:aULPQL7PQLanchO7DiUsX">pink tools</a>. We've had out own design discussions about pink. In a nutshell: Should Izzie embrace the pink?<br /><br />Ultimately, we decided to open the SciGirls palette beyond the pink-purple haze. We wanted to fight the "pinkware" stereotype found in many girl products and let SciGirls identify with whatever colors strike their fancy.<br /><br />But it's crazy that the pink discussion follows on up the ranks to products for women. Perhaps that's because the grown up audience is so completely split on the topic. In the blogger's informal survey, she found half the women liked the idea of pink tools and half said, "No go." <span style="color: rgb(204, 51, 204);">Go figure!</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1519145803092928470.post-40179044681096030012009-11-20T08:34:00.003-06:002009-11-20T08:45:57.307-06:00SciGirls Extraordinaire | Jacquelyn Gill<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_yyQQQY0wO1k/SwarZqiDpgI/AAAAAAAAAMs/4NYCBqDmDyY/s1600/JacquelynG.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 170px; height: 128px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_yyQQQY0wO1k/SwarZqiDpgI/AAAAAAAAAMs/4NYCBqDmDyY/s200/JacquelynG.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5406196860107073026" /></a>Jacquelyn Gill, a Ph.D. candidate in Geography at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, has analyzed lake deposits in Wisconsin and New York to come up with some new data and thinking on large-animal extinction in North America.<br /><br />Her research is pretty complex, but a recent <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/24/science/24fauna.html?_r=1&ref=science">New York Times article</a> gives a great synopsis.<br /><br />Kudos to Gill and her research mates at UW Madison. We expect a long and distinguished career from this SciGirl!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1519145803092928470.post-17984742432402446712009-11-13T12:25:00.007-06:002009-11-13T12:33:41.892-06:00Smart Pet InvestigationsOK, this is a silly post, but it's Friday, so here goes!<br /><br />Years ago DragonflyTV shot a segment in which 3 girls tried to determine if their cats were left of right-pawed. (It's still a pretty cute episode: <a href="http://pbskids.org/dragonflytv/show/pethandedness.html">Pick a Paw by Cleo, Brittany, and Molly</a>)<br /><br />Meanwhile, SciGirls thinks they might have been asking the wrong research question. Perhaps a better inquiry might be: "Is your cat an ambidextrous piano player?"<br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/TZ860P4iTaM&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/TZ860P4iTaM&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1519145803092928470.post-35963419706301131332009-10-31T20:10:00.006-05:002009-10-31T20:14:08.802-05:00Zombie Cockroaches!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_yyQQQY0wO1k/SuzgWEUPTKI/AAAAAAAAAMk/ssuqtbptvZM/s1600-h/parasite.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 161px; height: 200px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_yyQQQY0wO1k/SuzgWEUPTKI/AAAAAAAAAMk/ssuqtbptvZM/s200/parasite.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5398936723030756514" /></a><br />Happy Halloween from<br /><a href="http://blogs.wnyc.org/radiolab/2009/09/07/parasites/">Radiolab!</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1519145803092928470.post-24524746143748804872009-10-29T20:39:00.002-05:002009-10-29T20:46:21.125-05:00Gever Tulley's Bay Area Tinkering SchoolThe Tinkering School, a sleepover summer camp, offers an exploratory curriculum designed to help kids – ages 8 to 17 – learn how to build things.<br /><br /><object width="446" height="326"><param name="movie" value="http://video.ted.com/assets/player/swf/EmbedPlayer.swf"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><param name="bgColor" value="#ffffff"></param> <param name="flashvars" value="vu=http://video.ted.com/talks/dynamic/GeverTulley_2009-medium.flv&su=http://images.ted.com/images/ted/tedindex/embed-posters/GeverTulley-2009.embed_thumbnail.jpg&vw=432&vh=240&ap=0&ti=588&introDuration=16500&adDuration=4000&postAdDuration=2000&adKeys=talk=gever_tulley_s_tinkering_school_in_action;year=2009;theme=the_creative_spark;theme=how_we_learn;theme=ted_in_3_minutes;theme=tales_of_invention;theme=art_unusual;theme=new_on_ted_com;theme=speaking_at_ted2009;theme=design_like_you_give_a_damn;event=TED2009;&preAdTag=tconf.ted/embed;tile=1;sz=512x288;" /><embed src="http://video.ted.com/assets/player/swf/EmbedPlayer.swf" pluginspace="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" bgColor="#ffffff" width="446" height="326" allowFullScreen="true" flashvars="vu=http://video.ted.com/talks/dynamic/GeverTulley_2009-medium.flv&su=http://images.ted.com/images/ted/tedindex/embed-posters/GeverTulley-2009.embed_thumbnail.jpg&vw=432&vh=240&ap=0&ti=588&introDuration=16500&adDuration=4000&postAdDuration=2000&adKeys=talk=gever_tulley_s_tinkering_school_in_action;year=2009;theme=the_creative_spark;theme=how_we_learn;theme=ted_in_3_minutes;theme=tales_of_invention;theme=art_unusual;theme=new_on_ted_com;theme=speaking_at_ted2009;theme=design_like_you_give_a_damn;event=TED2009;"></embed></object>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1519145803092928470.post-56080453968182093002009-10-23T17:31:00.005-05:002009-11-06T09:47:00.061-06:00Summer Stock | SciGirls in Albuquerque<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Z2qNOM4qR0o/SvREzVnZVAI/AAAAAAAAADY/OG2N67Vdm_A/s1600-h/ABQ+SciGirls+shirts.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Z2qNOM4qR0o/SvREzVnZVAI/AAAAAAAAADY/OG2N67Vdm_A/s200/ABQ+SciGirls+shirts.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5401017501890466818" border="0" /></a>Itzel, Karina, Kayla, Esmeralda, Karla, Gabriela, Paulina, Diana, Daisy, Jasmine, Jesenia and Alondra are part of Niñas explorando la ciencia, Explora's latest after school science club exclusively for Latina girls. Every week they get to design experiments and explore a variety of topics... from microgravity to forensics to sound and robotics!<br /><br />These SciGirls also get to meet Latina scientist mentors. Their first guest speaker, Eliana, is a Seismic Scientist originally from Columbia working at New Mexico Tech. She was so enthusiastic about her visit to the SciGirls club, she even designed a book to share with the Niñas!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1519145803092928470.post-22093440257536066672009-10-20T15:02:00.008-05:002009-10-20T15:21:32.272-05:00SciGirl Extraordinaire | Alexis McAdams<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Z2qNOM4qR0o/St4bbYUvecI/AAAAAAAAADQ/iTknv_Weqao/s1600-h/Alexis+McAdams+Diorama.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Z2qNOM4qR0o/St4bbYUvecI/AAAAAAAAADQ/iTknv_Weqao/s200/Alexis+McAdams+Diorama.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5394779560836299202" border="0"></a>This summer, Alexis McAdams entered the Digital Open contest (DigitalOpen.org), which encouraged youth ages 17 and younger to submit projects demonstrating the transformative power of open technology. All projects submitted--including text, photos, and videos--were created from free and open software licenses.<br /><br />Alexis' project was the "Dioractive," which raises awareness of global issues through the creation of physical dioramas that can be shared, reproduced, and remixed. Alexis said: "I was inspired to create this because I want people to reach out into their community and make a difference! If someone can pass by my diorama and continue to think about that issue for the rest of their day and decide to take action, then my job is done."<br /><br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=icZVS8-KIU4">Watch Alexis explain the "Dioractive"</a> on youtube!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1519145803092928470.post-39908855956685320852009-10-16T13:23:00.009-05:002009-10-16T13:34:01.658-05:00Summer Stock | SciGirls in Chicago<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Z2qNOM4qR0o/Sti7Ry7d0ZI/AAAAAAAAADI/laoID7xjc50/s1600-h/MSI+SciGirls.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 147px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Z2qNOM4qR0o/Sti7Ry7d0ZI/AAAAAAAAADI/laoID7xjc50/s200/MSI+SciGirls.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5393266468179530130" border="0" /></a>The Museum of Science and Industry, in collaboration with the SciGirls en Español program, launched an outreach initiative called “Brilla La Ciencia” this summer. A group of Latina teenagers from the Museum’s Science Minors teen volunteer program led science workshops for youth participants at five community organizations.<br /><br />The teenage SciGirls (Antonia, Amelia, Beth, Noemi, and Tere), accompanied and supervised by a college intern, traveled all around the city of Chicago visiting organizations and schools in predominantly Hispanic neighborhoods. The students were excited to learn that the teenagers came from similar communities and that they spoke Spanish. They were not afraid to ask lots of questions about high school, working at the museum, and life as a teenager. As for the SciGirls, they really enjoyed being role models and teachers!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1519145803092928470.post-80831261325515461192009-10-16T13:07:00.007-05:002009-10-16T13:27:06.514-05:00SciGirls Behind the Scenes | Starry Nights<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Z2qNOM4qR0o/Sti5e6gXNCI/AAAAAAAAAC4/CjwHs3Ey7qg/s1600-h/Astronomy+girls.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Z2qNOM4qR0o/Sti5e6gXNCI/AAAAAAAAAC4/CjwHs3Ey7qg/s320/Astronomy+girls.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5393264494528377890" border="0" /></a>Road trip anyone? When two SciGirls from <st1:state st="on"><st1:place st="on">Massachusetts</st1:place></st1:state> couldn't find a starry sky in their neighborhood, they decided to find out why! They sought out Gurtina, an astronomy student at Harvard, to learn about light pollution. Gurtina guided the girls as they went on a quest for starry skies and helped with a world wide star count. Their success truly shined at a roof top star party, where they shared their discoveries with friends.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1519145803092928470.post-76153572576814562552009-10-13T19:53:00.004-05:002009-10-13T19:59:25.084-05:00A Horse, of Course!When SciGirls started production on its first season, we knew we needed a good horse story because so many girls are horse crazy. Here's another great horse tale, this one from Compton, California.<br /><br /><div><iframe height="339" width="425" src="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22425001/vp/33300453#33300453" frameborder="0" scrolling="no"></iframe><p style="font-size:11px; font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: #999; margin-top: 5px; background: transparent; text-align: center; width: 425px;">Visit msnbc.com for <a style="text-decoration:none !important; border-bottom: 1px dotted #999 !important; font-weight:normal !important; height: 13px; color:#5799DB !important;" href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com">Breaking News</a>, <a href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3032507" style="text-decoration:none !important; border-bottom: 1px dotted #999 !important; font-weight:normal !important; height: 13px; color:#5799DB !important;">World News</a>, and <a href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3032072" style="text-decoration:none !important; border-bottom: 1px dotted #999 !important; font-weight:normal !important; height: 13px; color:#5799DB !important;">News about the Economy</a></p></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1519145803092928470.post-88481941718630416602009-10-05T10:00:00.007-05:002009-10-05T13:56:51.982-05:00American biologists win 2009 Nobel Prize for Medicine<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_yyQQQY0wO1k/SspAQNxtLaI/AAAAAAAAAL8/hoHOC6Aao6M/s1600-h/greider_blackburn_photo.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 98px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_yyQQQY0wO1k/SspAQNxtLaI/AAAAAAAAAL8/hoHOC6Aao6M/s200/greider_blackburn_photo.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5389190551422447010" /></a>Three cheers for biologists Carol Greider (shown on left), Elizabeth Blackburn (shown on right), and Jack Szostak, who share this year's Nobel prize for medicine. The trio was awarded "for the discovery of how chromosomes are protected by telomeres and the enzyme telomerase."<br /><br />Hats off to the three scientists--but especially the SciGirls in the group! <a href="http://www.star-telegram.com/news/photos/gallery/1661367.html">See more images.</a><br /><br />Photo: Gerbil, licensed by Creative Commons Attribution Share Alike 3.0Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1519145803092928470.post-24638491880836785522009-09-23T11:22:00.007-05:002009-09-23T11:47:51.416-05:00Summer Stock '09 | USF Sarasota-Manatee Girls Stem Summit<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_yyQQQY0wO1k/SrpNM_JThqI/AAAAAAAAALc/2I_WrOdZv3Y/s1600-h/Three+girls+engineering+their+puff+mobiles.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 145px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_yyQQQY0wO1k/SrpNM_JThqI/AAAAAAAAALc/2I_WrOdZv3Y/s200/Three+girls+engineering+their+puff+mobiles.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5384701189979080354" /></a>School is back in session and it's that time of year we all look back and ask "where did the summer go?" For groups working in STEM encouragement, that sentiment can be especially profound because they were so busy, running great summer programs.<br /><br />Over the next couple weeks, SciGirls will post a round up of fabulous summer programs we've heard about from across the country. We're calling the feature "Summer Stock." And here's the first installment--news from our friends at University of South Florida Sarasota-Manatee.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_yyQQQY0wO1k/SrpPfECE1DI/AAAAAAAAALs/GVTgSzO9rOQ/s1600-h/Check+this+sea+critter+out.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 142px; height: 200px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_yyQQQY0wO1k/SrpPfECE1DI/AAAAAAAAALs/GVTgSzO9rOQ/s200/Check+this+sea+critter+out.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5384703699551835186" /></a>On June 20, the university, working with the American Association of University Women, held their first Girls STEM Summit. The full-day program featured a keynote by marine scientist and author, Dr. Ellen Prager. Discussion workshops included: Careers in Marine Science (a perennial favorite girl topic!); Research and Research Process; Are You Smarter Than a Fourth-Grade Boy?; New Faces of Engineering; and Math is Cool. After a lunch break, girls participated in hands-on activity sessions and then wound up the day with a salsa dance lesson. <br /><br />Sounds like fun! And who wouldn't consider a career in STEM after that kind of introduction to the field!<br /><br />Valerie Connors, who helped organize the event, says feedback from girls has been positive. One young woman wrote: "Thank you so so so so so so so so so so so so much for putting the summit for girls together!! I had a ton of fun, and learned a lot! Now I am seriously considering taking up a career in marine biology, and its all thanks to u!!"Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1519145803092928470.post-16955500659097400222009-09-16T10:30:00.010-05:002009-09-16T10:57:04.466-05:00Flatland: The MovieHere's an inspired project that helps kids think about geometry, while being thoroughly entertained. <span style="font-style:italic;">Flatland: The Movie </span>is an animated film based on Edwin A. Abbott's classic novel, <span style="font-style:italic;">Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions</span>. One of the main characters is a charming little hexagon called Hex, so the movie is likely to engage the SciGirl in your life! <br /><br />Set in a world of only two dimensions inhabited by sentient geometrical shapes, the story follows Arthur Square (Martin Sheen) and his ever-curious granddaughter Hex (Kristen Bell). When a mysterious visitor arrives from Spaceland, Arthur and Hex must come to terms with the truth of the third dimension, risking dire consequences from the evil Circles that have ruled Flatland for a thousand years.<br /><br />Check out the trailer:<br /><object width="400" height="295"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/C8oiwnNlyE4&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0xe1600f&color2=0xfebd01"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/C8oiwnNlyE4&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0xe1600f&color2=0xfebd01" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="400" height="295"></embed></object><br /><br />Want to see more? The producers sell DVDs for home viewing and for use in educational settings on their website <a href="http://www.flatlandthemovie.com/">Flatland: The Movie</a>.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1519145803092928470.post-63596913967675964662009-09-09T14:14:00.004-05:002009-09-09T14:24:05.999-05:00SciGirls Extraordinaire | Kim Ursetta, educator<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_yyQQQY0wO1k/SqgATIYXJsI/AAAAAAAAALU/SfIe997bcyI/s1600-h/art.school.ursetta.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_yyQQQY0wO1k/SqgATIYXJsI/AAAAAAAAALU/SfIe997bcyI/s200/art.school.ursetta.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5379550083561236162" /></a>With school back in session this week all over the country, SciGirls thought it would be a great time to recognize an educator who's making a difference in her approach to STEM education. <br /><br />Under teacher Kim Ursetta's leadership, the new Mathematics and Science Leadership Academy opened to 142 kindergartners and first- and second-grade students in Denver's Athmar Park, a largely low-income, Hispanic neighborhood. Here's how Ursetta describes her vision for the school:<br /><br />"I started talking about 21st century skills and wanting to prepare our kids in math and science, especially our low-income and ethnic minority students," Ursetta said. "We've been doing schools the same way in this nation for 150 years, so if we don't step up, then nothing is going to change."<br /><br />Congratulations to Ursetta and her colleagues for making her visionary school a reality. Read more about the <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/09/08/education.overview/index.html">Mathematics and Science Leadership Academy</a>.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1519145803092928470.post-66951381515371612682009-09-04T08:44:00.006-05:002009-09-04T08:58:32.454-05:00Girl on a Mission--Meet Alanna Koppen!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_yyQQQY0wO1k/SqEbdaQXVHI/AAAAAAAAALE/YPjVFpVrlFY/s1600-h/IMG_2369_2.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 133px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_yyQQQY0wO1k/SqEbdaQXVHI/AAAAAAAAALE/YPjVFpVrlFY/s200/IMG_2369_2.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5377609622135198834" /></a>Alanna Koppen, a Minnesota seventh grader, is the state’s winner of the Igniting Creative Energy Challenge, an educational competition sponsored by Johnson Controls that encourages North American students to develop ingenious ways to save energy today and protect the environment. <a href="http://oakland.stillwater.k12.mn.us/Igniting_Creative_Energy_Challenge.html">Watch her winning movie</a>.<br /><br />No doubt Alanna has mastered the green message in a really direct and creative way. Here's an excerpt from her statement of purpose:<br /><br />Why do people who have the knowledge that they can save the world fail to do the least they can do? I made this movie to show the simplicity of the least people can do. That was my motivation for this project. <br /><br />There are three things I want people to do from this project. I want them to know how easy doing their part can be. I picked three easy things: turning off the lights before leaving a room, switching from incandescent to compact fluorescent and recycle recycle recycle! Recycling just one can saves enough electricity to light a 100-watt bulb for 3 1/2 hours. Fluorescent light bulbs save over 2,000 times in its own weight in green house gases. Lighting makes up about 11% of our electricity and it's a huge waste of energy to leave them on when not in use. So these actions will not only save the planet, they can save people a lot of money. <br /><br />The impact this will have on my own life will be minimal, I consider myself very green. I am hoping that whoever sees this video will think about it and perhaps do something about it. I don't care if one person or ten people see this movie, if at least one person walks away and says "You know what? That got to me. I'm going to recycle my bottles instead of throw them in the garbage" I will consider that a success. Every little thing matters when it comes to saving the planet.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1519145803092928470.post-24018474148119594222009-08-23T11:21:00.009-05:002009-08-23T11:49:51.925-05:00Superhero Fairy<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_yyQQQY0wO1k/SpFtc0SLalI/AAAAAAAAAKg/mi78TB5H2oM/s1600-h/AprilJen-Inflates_use.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_yyQQQY0wO1k/SpFtc0SLalI/AAAAAAAAAKg/mi78TB5H2oM/s200/AprilJen-Inflates_use.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5373196172268366418" /></a>It's a bird, it's a plane, no it's a SciGirl!<br /><br />Live from New York, it's the SciGirls fashion-tech show, featuring some really creative SciGirls and a superstar mentor, <a href="http://www.dianaeng.com/">Diana Eng</a>. You might recognize Diana from <a href="http://www.bravotv.com/project-runway">Project Runway</a> fame! <br /><br />Diana was a great example of an accomplished STEM pro helping SciGirls realize their project vision. Turns out the experience was a learning one for Diana, as well! She'll be working with teens in an upcoming project this fall!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0