IM STEM Network Meeting – May 02, 2018

Watch a recording of the meeting here.

Mission/Common Agenda

IM STEM’s mission is to broaden participation and close achievement gaps in 7-12 and undergraduate STEM education, by scaling effective practices that close these gaps at the critical junctures that currently limit participation of underrepresented students in STEM pathways.

Highlighted Presentations

New Mexico

Natives in STEM – (http://www.nativesinstem.org/)

Natives in STEM is a joint effort of the New Mexico Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (NM EPSCoR) and the American Indian Science and Engineering Society (AISES). Through a variety of channels, including posters, its website, and social media, this initiative highlights the stories of Native American STEM professionals to raise awareness of the role Native people play in the STEM workforce.

Presenter: Chelsea Chee,  Diversity and Inclusion Coordinator, New Mexico EPSCoR

Ms. Chee earned a B.S. in Environmental Science from the University of Arizona. Through her work with Tribal communities, community colleges, researchers, and educators, her passion and leadership skills have led to innovative programs that promote diversity, inclusion, and representation in STEM fields. Ms. Chee’s programs have directly impacted nearly 400 NM EPSCoR participants from across the state, and indirectly impacted thousands more. She also founded the Natives in STEM project, an initiative to inspire students of all backgrounds to pursue STEM careers by raising the visibility of Native STEM professionals. 

Wyoming

NAPE’s Program Improvement Process for Equity in STEM – (https://napequity.org/professional-development/institutions/)

NAPE and its partners use a five-step Program Improvement Process for Equity (PIPE; formerly the Five-Step Improvement Process) that is based on practical yet rigorous methods and tools to guide state and local efforts to improve access, equity, and diversity in nontraditional occupations and STEM fields. Through this 5-step process – Organize, Explore, Discover, Select, and Act – teams of administrators, teachers, and counselors engage in conducting a student data-based performance gap analysis, identifying root causes for the gaps, and developing an action plan based on research-based strategies proven to close the identified gaps.

Presenter: Mimi Lufkin, CEO Emerita at NAPE

Ms. Lufkin earned a B.S. in Animal Science from the University of California, Davis, an M.S. in Agricultural Sciences from California Polytechnic State University at San Luis Obispo, and an M.S. in Educational Administration from St. Mary’s College. Ms. Lufkin has more than 30 years of experience as an educator and as an administrator of local and state-level projects in California and Pennsylvania. In 1994, she became NAPE’s executive director where she reviewed and analyzed federal legislation, conducted professional development activities, and provided technical assistance to state and local education agencies focused on best practices for serving special population students. 

Nevada

Clark County School Girls in Tech Event – https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/e/2PACX-1vTxvmJLhpZXucLf8S7xxD6mkO1gU3P_1oZrQXDsyTRCqu16pNzPty9JC9mX64LbhZJD_OUbCT-4g1Jn/pub?start=false&loop=false&delayms=3000&slide=id.g2588f49a4b_0_3

Girls in Tech and Girls in STEM is an initiative supported by Career Tech Ed and Perkins funding to increase the number of female students pursuing technology and STEM-related, non-traditional careers. Over the past 3+ years, nearly 3,000+ middle school female students (6th thru 8th grade) were exposed to career exploration activities in technology and STEM careers.

Presenter: Snehal Bhakta, CTE Project Facilitator/Innovator Clark County School District

Snehal Bhakta worked in business and technology consulting for 15 years prior to entering the education space. When the opportunity presented itself for him to develop his own program at a Career & Technical Academy in Clark County School District(CCSD), he welcomed the opportunity to fuel his passion of helping others and working with tomorrow’s leaders.

Currently, he is employed within the Career & Technical Education Department of Clark County School District, the fifth largest school district in the country, focusing on Business & Marketing and Information & Media Technology Career Clusters as well as ensuring Nevada’s future workforce is prepared for success. He has worked on projects related to increasing student and community participation with National Job Shadow Day, promotion/growth of Career & Tech Student Organizations, leading the #GirlsinTech and #GirlsinSTEM initiative within CCSD and continues to bring innovative technology practices to students, teachers, and administrators.

In his free time, he enjoys watching movies, spending time with his daughter, and learning about anything related to technology. 

Utah

Girls Who Code – (https://stem.utah.gov/girls-who-code-clubs/)

Girls Who Code Clubs are free after-school programs for 6-12th-grade girls to use computer science to impact their community and join a sisterhood of supportive peers and role models across the U.S. Clubs are led by facilitators, who can be teachers, computer scientists, librarians, parents, or volunteers.

Presenter: Tamara Goetz, Ph.D., Executive Director, Utah STEM Action Center

Idaho

Providing Opportunities for Women in Energy Related (POWER) Careers – (https://isu.edu/estec/power-careers/)

POWER Careers aims to provide women of all ages a pathway to a high-tech, high-wage, & high-demand career. Through the program, women have access to female mentors, academic and social supports, internships, professional development opportunities, job placement assistance, and assistance in identifying and applying for scholarships. Idaho State University’s POWER career programs include Electrical Engineering Technology, Instrumentation Engineering Technology, Mechanical Engineering Technology, Nuclear Operations Technology, and a new Cyber Physical Security.

Presenter: Jodi Johnson, Project Coordinator, Energy Systems Technology and Education Center, Idaho State University

Ms. Johnson earned a B.S. in Human Resource Training and Development from Idaho State University. 

Colorado

Future You U. 

Future You U is a four-day technology camp for 20 seventh- and eighth-grade girls provided by a partnership between Southern Colorado Girls’ STEM Initiative and the University of Advancing Technologies in Tempe, Arizona. The cost of the camp equals the price of a plane ticket and 25% of participants are fully scholarshiped. During the camp, girls get exposure to computer science, artificial intelligence, robotics, app development, game design, virtual reality, and cybersecurity.

Presenter: Kathleen Fitzpatrick, Program Manager, Southern Colorado Girls STEM Initiative

Ms. Fitzpatrick earned a B.A. in Management Engineering from Claremont McKenna College and a B.S. and M.S. in Industrial Engineering from Stanford University. She is a Senior Program Manager with NAPE assisting a national team of equity professionals that build educator’s capacity to implement effective solutions for increasing student access, educational equity, and workforce diversity. Ms. Fitzpatrick also leads the Southern Colorado Girls’ STEM Initiative, a regional organization that supports more than 500 middle school girls in exploring careers in STEM. She sits on the leadership board for the statewide Colorado Collaborative for Girls in STEM as well as other statewide and local STEM initiatives. Ms. Fitzpatrick also is an instructor on Entrepreneurship for the Bachelor of Innovation program at the University of Colorado Colorado Springs. 

This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. 1744472. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.