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GRITS Collaborative Mini-Grants Are Still Available!
Until November 15th, the GRITS Collaborative Project is proud to offer mini-grants (up tp $1000) to
organizations and institutions interested in creating new partnerships
or expanding an already existing program to increase girls' involvement
in STEM activities. To be eligible, you must:
1. Partner with another organization or institution.
We
will be pleased to help you at any step during this process. For
assistance or more information, please email Lacey Fleming at lfleming@mtsu.edu.
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NGCP Webcasts
Are you still wondering what it is that the GRITS Collaborative and the NGCP do?
Do you want to learn more about Mini-Grants before you apply for one?
Would you like to learn about programs that have helped to inpsire girls in STEM?
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| Issue # 3 |
October/November 2008 |
| We made it!
With
our Kick-Off Conference, as well as two Expanding Your Horizons
Conferences, September and October were very busy months for the
GRITS staff! Please take a moment to read about the things we've
done over the past month or so and what we will be doing in the
near future.
The GRITS Collaborative Project Kick-Off Conference
September 26, 2008
Middle Tennessee State University
Our
Kick-Off was attended by eighty guests from all areas of the state,and
teachers, businesspeople, and government officials/representatives were
in attendance. A few technical difficulties got our morning off to a
rough start, but we forged ahead!
After
a brief welcome, a panel of women scientists answered questions about
their education, careers, and personal lives. Then, Dr. Kaylene Gebert,
Vice President and Provost of MTSU, introduced our keynote speaker, Dr.
Leslie Wisner-Lynch, a co-founder of BioMimetic Therapeutics, Inc. Dr.
Wisner-Lynch shared with guests her personal journeys in STEM.
After the keynote address, Margaret Horn of the Governor's Office
delivered a special message from Governor Phil Bredesen.
After lunch, we had a networking scavenger hunt (attendees
had to speak to other attendees to get the information they needed!)
and opened up exhibits. We wrapped up the afternoon with presentations
on the National Girls Collaborative Project online Program Directory,
as well as the Mini-Grant Program.
The GRITS staff would like to thank everyone who attended, and also the many people who helped to make the Kick-Off happen!
West Tennessee Expanding Your Horizons in Science and Mathematics Conference
October 18, 2008
The University of Memphis
GRITS is pleased to announce the inception of
another EYH Conference in Tennessee! Memphis Girls
Experiencing Math and Science (Memphis GEMS), based at the University
of Memphis, held their very first EYH Conference at the Herff College
of Engineering on October 18th. Over 120 7th and 8th grade girls
participated in the day-long STEM event. GRITS was in attendance, and
we were amazed by what we observed. We applaud the many efforts of Memphis
GEMS in getting their EYH Conference off to a great start, and we are
pleased that "girls in STEM" fever is spreading across the state!
MTSU Expanding Your Horizons (EYH) in Science and Mathematics Conference
October 25, 2008
Middle Tennessee State University
MTSU's 12th Annual
EYH Conference was attended by over 300 Tennessee girls in grades 5-8.
For the second year, we also offered the GRITS EYH conference to
60 young women in grades 9-12. It was an awesome day filled with
science, math, and fun, and we had a stellar list of workshop topics
this year: math, genetics, geology, robotics, microbiology, marine
biology, chemistry, nursing, aerospace, psychology, engineering, snake
biology, veterinary medicine, optometry, physics, astronomy, computer
science, forensics (CSI), and archaeology!
The morning began with an address from Dr. Karen
Habucky, President of the American Association of
Pharmaceutical Scientists, as well as the Director of Regulatory
Affairs Drug Development at Johnson and Johnson.
Before lunch, the middle school participants went to
their first workshop as the high school participants listened
to MTSU WISE (Women In Science and Engineering) discuss what it's
like to be female, a college student, and majoring in STEM disciplines.
After
our traditional pizza lunch, all partcipants attended two more
workshops. The afternoon ended with some amazing door prizes and the
completion of EYH surveys.
Once again, we'd like to thank the MANY people who ensured the 12th MTSU EYH was a success!
The Harpeth Hall School Career Day
November 6, 2008
Nashville, Tennessee
Dr. Judith Iriarte-Gross, director of the GRITS and
GRITS Collaborative Projects, was invited to take part in a panel
discussion as part of the Harpeth Hall School's
Career Day. Upper school (9th through 12th grade) students listened
with rapt attention as Judith, along with two other female STEM
professionals, shared information about their education and careers, as
well as advice. Judith and GRITS would like to thank the
organizers of Harpeth Hall's Career Day for the invitation to speak. We
were delighted to speak with so many girls interested in pursuing STEM
in college!
Asessing Women and Men in Engineering (AWE) Workshop at the Society for Women Engineers (SWE) National Conference
November 6-8, 2008
Baltimore, Maryland
Judith and Lacey traveled to Baltimore at the
invitation of the NGCP and the SWE to attend a data collection/analysis
workshop. In addition to encouraging more girls in STEM, GRITS
also gathers and interprets data about the ways in
which girls feel about and take part in STEM activities. This
workshop introduced us to a number of excellent methods to use in our
research. |
| Organization of the Month:
American Association of University Women, Murfreesboro Branch |
National
AAUW has been an advocate for STEM education for girls for many years
and most recently is a sponsor of the National Girls Collaborative
Project. At the local level, AAUW-Murfreesboro (established in
1913 to promote the education of girls and women) has been a supporter
of Expanding Your Horizons (EYH): A Math and Science Conference for
Middle School and High School Girls at Middle Tennessee State
University since its beginning twelve years ago. The branch supports
the EYH conference by serving on the planning committee, donating door
prizes, and providing volunteers to check-in girls on the morning of
the conference and to monitor their pick up at the end of the
day.
More
recently, the branch has become a member of the GRITS Collaborative
Project Leadership Team, naming AAUW member Dr. Myra Norman as the
branch representative. Several branch members participated in the GRITS
Collaborative Project Kick-Off Conference at MTSU on September 26,
2008.
EYH
and GRITS are high priority projects for AAUW-Murfreesboro because
girls' interest in STEM subjects must be stimulated and
encouraged. Branch president, Dr. Ayne Cantrell, notes, "A lack
of promotion of STEM among girls-even an insidious prejudice that girls
are not good at math and science-is one reason that the United States
is falling behind among the world in the number of scientists,
mathematicians, technicians, and engineers we produce. Indeed,
our nation's survival depends on the education of girls in these
areas."
Murfreesboro-AAUW
is proud of its long association with EYH/GRITS and looks forward to a
continued successful partnership. For more information about
AAUW-Murfreesboro visit http://www.mtsu.edu/~aauw or contact Ayne
Cantrell at 615-893-1786 (acantrell@comcast.net).
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