Awarded Mini-Grants

Mythical Machines

Awarded:
$1000
Collaborating Partners:
Mythical Machines
EDGE Program

Austin Children’s Museum (ACM) and Girl Scouts of Central Texas (GSCTX) will present a one-week summer robotics camp program for 20 Girl Scouts who have completed grades 4-6. Girls will work individually and in teams to design, build and program LEGO® Mindstorms® NXT robots to undertake playful challenges in the high-interest context of designing contraptions inspired by Greek mythology. During five six-hour sessions, engaging activities will build girls’ skills in hands-on design and programming.

Tech Savvy Latinitas Workshops

Collaborating Partners:
Girl Scouts of the Rio Grande
Latinitas
Project ACE—Action for Equity

Latinitas Tech Savvy workshops are a series of interactive presentations geared toward encouraging Latina youth to explore career opportunities in the technology field. During the summer of 2008, Latinitas will initiate a series of 12 hour long workshops in partnership with El Paso area nonprofits focused on serving girls. Latinitas has trained this guest speaker bureau on strategies to engage, motivate and encourage girls to build confidence through technology projects. At the end of the Tech Savvy program, the girls will create multimedia projects promoting the importance of technology among girls. The girls will create video public service announcements, audio recordings and webpages to share the lessons they’ve learned throughout the project, such as shattering myths that girls aren’t good at technology, promoting the importance of technology coursework, exploring career opportunities in STEM and encouraging girls to pursue higher education.

Taking the NXT Step: Robotics and Programming Camp

Awarded:
$1000
Collaborating Partners:
Academy for Science & Health-Conroe ISD
Alliance of Technology and Women
Academy for Science & Health-Conroe ISD
Botball Educational Robotics Program

This grant will provide NXT units, lesson plans, lab activities, and mentors focused on engineering, life science, and earth science concepts found in the 5th and 8th grade TAKS. Three three-day sessions will be run at the high school campus, and a daily camp will run from 8AM to noon. NXT lessons will be utilized as the basis for programming and robotic lessons, while Vernier Earth Science and Biology lab manuals will form the basis for other lab activities. Participating students will be asked to perform several lab activities during the first two hours, then during the second two hour period they will be asked to “design, construct, and execute” several lab activities.

Engineering the Leander Way

Awarded:
$1000
Collaborating Partners:
IBM Austin WIT Chapter
Leander ISD

Elementary science specialists will present the research-based STEM curriculum, Engineering is Elementary, with help from IBM volunteers. Our goal is to recruit those volunteers who are members of underrepresented populations. In a meeting with parents, we will outline the goals of the program in order to encourage them to enroll their daughters. The project is an after-school program held once a week for interested girls in grades 3-5 from our four bilingual campuses in Leander ISD. This after-school learning opportunity will be held for 4 weeks during the fall of the 2008-2009 school year at participating campuses.

Learn to LEED The Future with Engineering

Awarded:
$1000
Collaborating Partners:
Annual Society of Women Engineers Girl Scout Event
Girlscouts Lonestar Council

Learn to LEED the future with Green Engineering! Our national rating system, known as LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Green Building Rating System, promotes buildings that are environmentally responsible, profitable and healthy places to live and work. The girls will connect with local Women Engineers to build their own Green structure, and all Scouts will earn a bar when theirs is LEED certified. This event will tie in several different kinds of engineering and demonstrate how their valuable contributions can have a long-term positive impact to our environment—on both a local and a global scale. The 4th–8th grade girls will team up and build different rooms for a complete doll house, the 9th–10th grade girls will be given advanced-level Green projects for the “house”, such as rainwater collection and other renewable energy resources, and the 11th and 12th grade girls will be challenged with creating their own Green Dorm Rooms, in preparation for college.

2009 Discover Engineering Day at the ACM

Awarded:
$1000
Collaborating Partners:
IBM Austin WIT Chapter
Discover Engineering Day

Continuing our focus on encouraging minorities and under-represented groups to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), we are co-hosting an event at the Austin Children’s Museum with hands-on activities led primarily by local women engineers and engineering students.

Girls Count

Awarded:
$1000
Collaborating Partners:
Girls Count
Girls Count in Collaboration with FEMaS

Girls Count is a program designed to motivate elementary aged girls to consider traditional and non-traditional occupations or careers in the fields of math and science. A specific goal of ours is to provide academic support to ensure high achievement in the areas of math and science. In collaboration with teachers and administrators at Ituarte Elementary School in Socorro Independent School District, FEMaS members and Ituarte teachers will use innovative, inquiry-based materials to teach math and science to girls in grades 3 to 5.

High School STEM Mentoring

Awarded:
$1000
Collaborating Partners:
Fem STEM
TecH2O Water Resource Learning Center

The University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) and the Education Service Center at Region 19 will collaborate to train 15 sophomore girl mentors. The math and science specialists at Region 19 and UTEP will prepare the tenth grade mentors to then guide 15 entering freshmen girls in the direction of STEM opportunities at the University and in the surrounding El Paso area. We will conduct a two day “Girls in Science Institute” at the end of the summer. A one day follow-up training and regrouping will occur in August in order to plan for future mentoring activities in STEM.

Computer Science STEM Club

Awarded:
$400
Collaborating Partners:
GTECH
Computer Science for K-5
G.R.A.D.E Camp
IEEE STAR

I will facilitate the implementation of after-school and/or Saturday STEM programs at HISD elementary schools with a focus on computer science. My partner at the Rice School will shadow what I am doing at my school. The population is primarily low-income and Hispanic. I will implement lessons I have researched as a TAR fellow with Houston A+ Challenge to improve mathematical thinking. The activities include field trips to the University of Houston, Rice University and/or Houston Community College to tour their computing and engineering facilities. Also, trips to businesses such as Western Geco or BP to see their 3-D imaging program. Speakers can be arranged with the help of IEEE Women in Engineering. Students will apply the problem solving process using online resources, programming software applications and photographic communication.

The GirlZone Math & Technology Initiative

Awarded:
$500
Collaborating Partners:
Texas Media Empowerment Project
Studio4FM Girls Empowerment Program

The GirlZone Math and Technology initiative will increase girls’ interest in technology and increase girls’ future entry into media technology education programs available in their high school. In collaboration with the Texas Media Empowerment Project (TX MEP), girls will have intimate and meaningful career visits with women in math and technology occupations.

EYH

Awarded:
$750
Collaborating Partners:
Expanding Your Horizons in STEM
East Texas STEM Center - U.Texas at Tyler

Middle school girls will spend a morning on the campus of the University of Texas (Tyler) meeting women who use math, science, and technology in their careers. The role models will present hands-on workshops to demonstrate aspects of their STEM-focused careers, encouraging the girls to consider STEM careers and to take the necessary middle school courses to prepare them for higher level math and science in high school.

Expanding Your Horizons

Awarded:
$750
Collaborating Partners:
Girlstart - Expanding Your Horizons
Women in Natural Sciences

2010’s 5th Annual Expanding Your Horizons is a conference at the University of Texas, designed to encourage girls to consider and pursue STEM careers. Women working in STEM-related fields conduct hands-on workshops based on their careers. Each year, 400+ 4th through 8th grade girls participate. Responding to community demand, Girlstart also offers a Junior Explorers Track for 4th and 5th graders, designed to specifically engage girls in late elementary school.

Girls Count at Sgt. Roberto Ituarte Elementary

Awarded:
$750
Collaborating Partners:
Girls Count
Girls Count in Collaboration with FEMaS

Girls Count is a program designed to motivate 5th grade girls to consider traditional and non-traditional occupations or careers in the fields of math and science. Specific goals are to improve student achievement and teacher understanding of math and science through experiential project-based instruction and professional development of the 5th grade science teachers.

The GEMS Camp

Awarded:
$1000
Collaborating Partners:
Girl S.M.A.R.T. Summer Learning Program
The GEMS Camp

The GEMS Camp, a collaborative community partnership between The GEMS Camp, Circle of Support and the Dallas Public Library, isn’t your ordinary academic camp! It’s a 6-week interactive, summer experience that builds math and science confidence in inner-city, low-income girls in grades 8-12, while introducing them to STEM careers. Girls participate in small subject-based groups and explore rigorous real-world investigations, preview next school year’s math content, receive mentoring from STEM professionals and college majors, take relevant STEM field trips, learn business etiquette and leadership skills, and complete six hours of community service.

STEM week Girl Days

Awarded:
$1000
Collaborating Partners:
STEM week - Girl Days
Brownie and Daisy troop

We have Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics weeks throughout 2010. This program will allow one day each week to be a “Girl Day” (e.g., Introduce a Girl to Technology Day) with special activities created to appeal to girls. Local women professionals will be invited to come and be role models for the girls.

Girl Scout STEM Fest

Awarded:
$500
Collaborating Partners:
EDGE Program
Science in the Movies

Girl Scouts of Central Texas EDGE is hosting STEM Fest during the fall of 2010 in celebration of the program’s tenth anniversary. The festival in Austin, Texas will bring together 150-200 girls (ages 5-17) and collaborating organizations/programs, such as Science in the Movies and Austin Children’s Museum. Girls will be engaged in a range of hands-on, collaborative STEM activities with an emphasis on practical applications and related STEM career and educational paths.

Trailblazer Tours for Austin S&E Festival

Awarded:
$850
Collaborating Partners:
TAME Trailblazer
Women in Engineering Program (WEP)

The TAME Trailblazer, a 40-foot exhibit trailer that houses a variety of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) exhibits and travels across the state, has been invited to participate in the inaugural festival. TAME wishes to offer its unique mobile program to festival participants to encourage an interest in science and math and increase awareness of and motivation to pursue STEM careers.

Klein Forest - Cypress Falls Summits

Awarded:
$1000
Collaborating Partners:
STEM Committee-GSSJC
Klein Forest Sophomore Summit

The Sophomore class is taken out of class, provided a day of workshops with motivational speakers, demonstrations on STEM and personal development topics ranging from personal relationships, “never give up”, success of a 21st century individual, and college-career choices. Students are provided with lunch from an outside source and can win door prizes at the end of the day. Most speakers are successful graduates of the high school, which adds to their credibility and instills pride in the students. The Summit always opens with a prominent, keynote speaker. One year, it was the first African-American Astronaut in space.