STEM Ed Announcement: Help Girls in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math

[Morton Sternheim <mort@k12s.phast.umass.edu>]

Help Girls in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math
On Nov. 23, President Barack Obama announced the establishment of National
Lab Day, an effort supported by the National Girls Collaborative Project,
AAUW, and more than 200 other organizations representing over 6.5 million
science, technology, engineering and math professionals and teachers. Now
is the time to get involved!
National Lab Day, tentatively scheduled for early May 2010, is more than
just a day. It's a great opportunity for educators and professionals to
show young girls how exciting science and math can be and provide them
with female role models in critical career fields. Although women make up
half of the workforce, they only comprise 25 percent of the labor force in
science, engineering and technology careers. If women and other
underrepresented groups joined the workforce in these fields in proportion
to their representation in the overall labor force, the shortage of these
professionals would disappear. National Lab Day offers educators and
experts a way to work together to provide high-quality, hands-on lab
experiences for students.

Are you a math, science, or engineering teacher? Are you a professional
scientist, engineer, college student, or professor? If so, National Lab
Day is for you. Visit the National Lab Day website at
http://www.nationallabday.org/groups/ngcp to join in this exciting new
initiative.
At the National Lab Day website, teachers will be partnered with outside
experts to assess current labs, update or refurbish lab equipment, conduct
equipment and materials inventory, or clean and repair equipment. Or
teachers can elect to have STEM professionals work with them to:

*        implement hands-on projects
*        start a fundraising effort to buy needed supplies
*        help with science fairs
*        mentor a student
*        coordinate and host field trips
*        provide internship opportunities
*        donate materials
*        assist with lesson plans
Projects can also center on computer or outdoor labs-anywhere where
hands-on lessons in these subjects can come alive. These are just a few of
the suggestions, and many more can be found at
http://www.nationallabday.org/projects/all.

Take Action!
To participate, simply visit http://www.nationallabday.org/groups/ngcp and
click on "teachers" or "scientists and engineers." Then fill out the form.
You can also see what projects have already been entered at
http://www.nationallabday.org/projects/all.  If you are a volunteer, 
this is a great way to sign up for already existing projects.  If you 
are a teacher, click on projects to get ideas about the types of 
projects teachers are doing.
For more information on women and girls in these fields or to share
resources with girl-serving programs in your area, please visit the
National Girls Collaborative Project, a partnership between AAUW, EdLab
Group, and others to bring together organizations that are committed to
informing and encouraging girls to pursue careers in science, technology,
engineering, and mathematics.