Organizations listed in the Program Guide are eligible to apply for a $1,000 mini-grant.
Video of keynote address.
SMU's School of Engineering/Texas Instruments PowerPoint.
How to provide services to rural areas.
Effective assessment of programs.
Dispelling myths about career fields.
ESL populations
Outreaching to families.
Cultural expectations and barriers, Lisa, La Vega School
Strategies for low SES
Encouraging girls to stay to take AP courses in STEM
Partnerships with business and industry
Agenda for the Kick-Off Conference
Monday, September 19, 2005 8:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Welcome & Overview of the project
Greetings from Jim Poirot, Executive Director of the Texas Center for Educational Technology and Karen Peterson, Director of the National Girls Collaborative. A video about the group that started it all, the Northwest Girls Collaborative, was shown.
Keynote — Dr. Mary Ellen Weber
Stellar Inspiration for Tomorrow's Explorers
Video of keynote address
The road is long, the path arduous... how do we effectively convince young people to take on the daunting fields of science, math, and discovery?
The answers lie in:
- the extraordinary experiences–such as space–that are made possible
- the intense personal satisfaction that only comes from reaching for–and reaching–the stars
- the catapult that science and math bring to almost any career or business
With unsurpassed passion, Dr. Weber shared very personal experiences from space and her own career to bring these perspectives vividly to life.
Collaborative Exchange
Participants browsed over 20 displays from organizations which serve girls in science, technology, engineering, and math. Participants reported that this was a great networking opportunity!
Showcase of model programs/activities
- SMU's School of Engineering/Texas Instruments (PowerPoint, 6 MB) Tammy Richards
- High Tech Kids/The Science Place — Paul Vinson, Diana Hueter, Ginger Williford and Nancy Larkin, and Peyton Walker
- UNT's College of Engineering's Robocamp — David Keathly
- Texas Transportation Institute — Deborah Jasek
Mini-grant announcement/instructions
Martha Peet gave instructions for applying for a mini-grant.
Identification of Issues and Barriers
Large group discussion of issues and barriers that lend themselves to being addressed through the work of the Girls Collaborative identified the following issues for discussion.
- How to provide services to rural areas
- Effective assessment of programs
- Dispelling myths about career fields
- ESL populations
- Outreaching to families
- Cultural expectations and barriers, Lisa, La Vega School
- Strategies for low SES
- Early childhood
- Encouraging girls to stay to take AP courses in STEM
- Partnerships with business and industry
Brainstorm strategies for addressing the issues and barriers to supporting girls in STEM
Participants engaged in discussion about possible strategies to address the identified issues. After the discussion each table reported possible actions that the collaborative could take to address the situation.
