Behind the Scenes | SciGirls en Español in Albuquerque

This past weekend SciGirls staffer Margaret Duden traveled to Albuquerque to attend the Expanding Informal Science Education for Latinos conference, which was organized by the Self Reliance Foundation. The fabulous SRF, our partners on the SciGirls en Español project, brought 100+ representatives from informal science institutions and science research organizations together with leaders from Hispanic organizations, media, and educational projects.

Margaret says the conference was invigorating! "It was so exciting to network with people passionate about enhancing STEM learning opportunities among Latino-Hispanic Americans." Conference topics included best practices in designing culturally effective STEM programming, opportunities for collaboration, and a poster session, during which Margaret shared the hot-off-the-presses SciGirls en Español DVD and Activity Guide.

Latinos are the fastest growing ethnic/racial minority group in the United States. Yet the group is significantly under-represented in STEM. It's important to encourage more Latino youth to realize their full potential in STEM so that they can become innovators, engineers, researchers, and problem-solvers in our future workforce.

Hang tight to learn more about SciGirl en Español; information to follow in our next post!

SciGirls Supporters | Techbridge

Techbridge is another great STEM opportunity for girls! Run by the Chabot Space & Science Center in Oakland, California, Techbridge encourages girls in technology, science and engineering through multi-faceted programs. They offer after-school and summer programs with hands-on projects, career exploration opportunities, and academic and career guidance.

Like SciGirls, Techbridge also works to build a strong network of support for girls, reaching educators, role models, families, and partners through professional development, trainings, publications, and other dissemination activities across the country. You go, girls!

For more information on their programs, visit techbridgegirls.org. Know another great program like Techbridge? We'd love to hear about it.

Behind the Scenes | SciGirls at NSTA

Last week SciGirls staffers attended the National Science Teachers Association conference in the beguiling Big Easy. Booth traffic was impressive, in spite of recent economic realities. And SciGirls was a big hit! Educators--formal and informal--were excited to hear about our plans for the show. But even better was chatting with people who already have girl-serving programs.

Teachers spoke with great pride about their "awesome girls." In addition, many groups are working on projects that include a dose of kid empowerment. That means kids are in the driver's seat, deciding what STEM topics they care about and how the want to investigate them.

This approach is thrilling for SciGirls because it dovetails with our own philosophy. We're excited to begin featuring these programs, and you'll be hearing more about them as show development continues. In the meantime, please give us a shout out if you know of a program we should consider. And as they say in NOLA: "Laissez Les Bon Temps Rouler" or "Let the good times roll!"

SciGirls Extraordinaire | The Shem Group

No doubt about it, SciGirls around the world are up to some serious science!

In Qinghai, China, The Shem Group is training young women to test for bacteria contamination in their water using petrifilm, which identifies coliform, an indicator for bacteria that may make you sick. In this image, girls place a 1ml sample of water onto the center red circle of petrifilm, under the plastic cover, using a pipetter. They are careful not to not touch the red circle or the bottom side of the protective film, as this could contaminate their sample and give the wrong results.

The Shem Group empowers Tibetan women and their communities through grassroots development to provide people with access to basic needs such as water, fuel, electricity, health care, and basic education. They train educated Tibetan women to design, implement, and manage sustainable grassroots development projects that will successfully alleviate the problems their communities face.

SciGirls Supporters | Engineer Your Life

Dream Big. Love what you do. These messages might not be what you'd expect from the engineering field. But while numbers of women in some areas of science are healthy, the engineering field (that tricky "E" in STEM!) continues to struggle recruiting young women for its ranks.

Engineer Your Life (EYL) is a national messaging campaign designed to reposition engineering as an exciting, rewarding career choice for young women. EYL's messages—creativity has its rewards, explore the possibilities, and make a world of difference—are all part of a national campaign designed to encourage college bound girls to explore engineering.

The Engineer Your Life Web site anchors the national campaign, and is meant for high school girls and the adults in their lives (parents, counselors, teachers, and other educators) who want to learn more about what life and work are like for engineers. Be sure to check out the ten great reasons why you'll love engineering!

Know another great engineering encouragement program for girls? Tell us about it!