Fall Webcast Preview
NGCP webcasts return this fall with an exciting line-up of presentations, program models, and resources. Featured topics include NGCP Regional Collaboratives, DO-IT (Disabilities, Opportunities, Internetworking, and Technology), and Design Squad.

NGCP Regional Collaboratives will share examples of how collaboration is benefitting girl-serving STEM organizations across the country. DO-IT will share expertise and resources to increase the successful participation of individuals with disabilities in challenging academic programs. Design Squad, the popular PBS program and accompanying Web site, will describe how to increase girls' knowledge of engineering and the design process.

More information and dates will be posted on the NGCP Events Web site soon.

Girls Raised in Tennessee Science Collaborative Hosts Successful Forum
On June 15, 2009, the Girls Raised in Tennessee Science (GRITS) Collaborative, with the Northeast Tennessee Local Section of the American Chemical Society, the Tennessee Government Affairs Committee, and the Tennessee State Collaborative on Reforming Education hosted the first of the GRITS Collaborative Forums in East Tennessee. Held at the Eastman Lodge on Bays Mountain in Kingsport, over forty attendees learned about programs that help broaden STEM education for young women in Tennessee. Speakers emphasized the need for educational reform and role models to encourage girls in STEM. GRITS also announced mini-grant funding opportunities for girl-serving Tennessee programs.

Michigan Hands-On Math and Science Workshop, Ann Arbor, MI
August 14, 2009
The successful career transition of students and the economic future of Michigan are tied to increased participation of all students in careers that rely on STEM skills. Attendees will receive a collection of resource materials to implement hands-on math and science. Participants will also learn about the Great Lakes Girls Collaborative, which offers opportunities to share best practices and resources, develop new collaborations, and apply for mini-grant funding.
Register: http://www.ngcproject.org/events/events.cfm?eventid=146

MAGiC Kick-Off Conference, Rockville, MD
September 26, 2009
The Mid-Atlantic Girls Collaborative (MAGiC) Kick-Off Conference is designed to bring together individuals and organizations that serve girls in formal and informal STEM education. Attendees will learn about resources to support STEM educational activities and how to gain funding to create STEM partnerships. The keynote speaker will be Catherine Didion, Senior Program Officer at the National Academy of Engineering.
Register: http://www.ngcproject.org/events/events.cfm?eventid=143

Michigan Lower Peninsula Kick-Off, Flint, MI
September 26, 2009
The Upper and Lower Peninsula Kick-Off Conferences, hosted by the Great Lakes Girls Collaborative, will offer the chance for schools and organizations committed to motivating girls to pursue careers in STEM to come together, share best practices, develop new collaborations, and share resources. Along with an introduction to the Great Lakes Girls Collaborative, participants will learn how to apply for a mini-grant and have time for networking.
Register: http://www.ngcproject.org/events/events.cfm?eventid=145

Michigan Upper Peninsula Kick-Off, Marquette, MI
October 3, 2009
Register: http://www.ngcproject.org/events/events.cfm?eventid=144

Take Flight for Kids, San Jose, CA
August 8, 2009
Take Flight for Kids is a flying festival series at Northern California airports that emphasizes accessible STEM activities and provides free flights for 750-1,000 young people with disabilities, at risk youth, homeless kids, and foster kids. The event and vendor space is free.
http://www.takeflightforki ds.com

Lights On Afterschool, Nationwide
October 22, 009
Lights On Afterschool is celebrated nationwide to call attention to the importance of afterschool programs for children, families, and communities. More than 7,500 communities and one million Americans celebrate Lights On Afterschool every year. Lights On Afterschool is a project of the Afterschool Alliance, a nonprofit organization dedicated to ensuring that all children have access to quality, affordable afterschool programs.
Register your afterschool event: http://www.afte rschoolalliance.org/loa.cfm

2009 ASTC Annual Conference, Fort Worth, TX
The Art of Science: Creating a Better Future
October 31-November 3, 2009
The Association of Science - Technology Centers Annual Conference will provide practical advice and first-person success stories to help attendees engage people of all cultures, provide powerful learning experiences, and become essential partners in addressing local, national, and global issues through the blending of art and science.
http:// www.astc.org/conference/index.htm

NMSA 36th Annual Conference and Exhibit, Indianapolis, IN
Making a World of Difference
November 5-7, 2009
The National Middle School Association will host over 8,000 attendees for middle level professional development. The conference will allow educators and attendees the opportunity to learn, share, and connect.
http://www.nmsa.org/annual/

New Spanish Resource from Design Squad
Design Squad and Lemelson-MIT InvenTeams have teamed up to create Invent It, Build It/Invéntalo, Constrúyelo, an activity guide for youth leaders that delivers five hands-on challenges designed to spark the inventive spirit of kids aged 9-12. Limited copies of the guide are available for free in English AND Spanish. To request a copy, contact designsquad_feedback@wgbh.org. Indicate if you would like English and/or Spanish versions. Please include your name, organization, mailing address (indicate work or home), and e-mail. Invent It, Build It/Invéntalo, Constrúyelo is also available in pdf format. http://pbs.org/designsquad/parentseducators/

No Boundaries Project Web Site
The No Boundaries project and Web site, developed by NASA and USA TODAY Education, introduces students to opportunities at NASA and encourages them to work toward careers in STEM. No Boundaries shows students that working in STEM fields is an achievable goal if you are educated, curious, creative, and resourceful. The Web site is designed for educators and students in grade levels 7 to 12. Teacher and student toolkits with fact sheets, webinars, and complete project downloads are available online.

STEM Research and Modeling Network
The STEM Research and Modeling Network (SRMN) is an innovative partnership, founded by the Business-Higher Education Forum, Raytheon, and Ohio State University. With significant involvement from national partners, the SRMN brings together researchers, policymakers, practitioners, and funders who share the goal of using predictive modeling to strengthen student interest, participation, and achievement in the STEM fields. The STEM Network Web site provides relevant research on K-12, higher education, and other STEM-related areas. The Network will develop a common set of STEM education and research priorities in foster collaborative and improve practice and policy.

NGCP Program Directory - Register your Program Today!
The online Program Directory lists organizations and programs that focus on motivating girls to pursue STEM careers. The purpose of the directory is to help organizations and individuals network, share resources, and collaborate on STEM-related projects for girls. When you sign up for the Program Directory you will enter your program description, resources available within your organization, program and/or organizational needs, and contact information.
http://www.ngcproject.org/directory/

American Association of University Women (AAUW) members across the country are serving as Regional Liaisons for the National Girls Collaborative Project. These Regional Liaisons help the people involved in the NGCP to make connections - to one another, to resources on gender equity, and to AAUW.

AWE is the Assessing Women and Men in Engineering Project, which provides exportable assessment instruments, literature resources, and methodologies for Women in Engineering and similar programs. AWE is developing resources for use by K-12 STEM programs as part of NGCP services.