Overview

The Maine Girls Collaborative Project will create a statewide network of girl-serving organizations that encourages participation in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). By identifying and coordinating programs participating in this work, and providing a mechanism for active collaboration, we will be better able to bring accurate, up-to-date information to Maine educators about the challenges and opportunities for women in the STEM fields based on best practices and research. This process will increase opportunities for girls in Maine and connect Maine’s STEM initiatives for girls with programs throughout the country.

The Women’s Resource Center (WRC) at the University of Maine provides leadership to the University of Maine and the State of Maine in issues that have an impact on the lives of women and girls and their equitable participation in society. A program in the Division of Lifelong Learning at UM, WRC provides advocacy, resources, programming, and networking opportunities in a safe, supportive place that helps women and girls realize their full personal and professional potential. The work of the WRC focuses on economic and educational equity, cross generational work with girls, reproductive rights, and violence prevention.

WRC is engaged in a number of initiatives that encourage and support women and girls’ participation in the STEM fields. One example is the annual Expanding Your Horizons Conference for middle school girls, which has been offered at UM for more than two decades. The conference includes a gender equity workshop for the girls and for the adult chaperones. Great attention is paid to ensuring that networking activities and opportunities are provided for the adult workshop presenters who include STEM faculty and graduate students at the University of Maine, as well as professional women in STEM fields from all over the state. This conference attracts an average of 500 middle school girls who attend from throughout Maine. College students who serve as guides and workshop facilitators are trained in information about gender equity in education.

There are many notable STEM initiatives in Maine that will support the Maine Girls Collaborative Project. Maine was the first state in the country to provide laptop computers to all seventh graders. Several Leadership Team members direct innovative STEM programs. The Platform Shoes Forum created Zoey's Room, one of the nation’s first character-based online communities that connects isolated rural girls interested in STEM to each other and to professional women in STEM careers. Coastal Studies for Girls, a partner in this project, is a new, 16-week residential school on the coast of Maine that offers Fall and Spring semester sessions for girls who are high school sophomores. The school is the only residential science school in the country that offers a single-gender setting. Students interact with resident scholars and guest lecturers in a Maine coastal setting. The school features a rigorous, marine science-based curriculum that focuses on leadership and environmental science.

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Collaborative Updates

• Collaborative Lead Featured on Public Broadcasting Network

  Sharon Barker, Director of the UMaine Women's Resource Center and Collaborative Lead for MGCP, was recently interviewed by Jennifer Rooks for a segment on the Maine Public Broadcasting Network titled, "STEM Fields and Girls/Voyages." The 26-minute video can be accessed online at: http://video.mpbn.net/video/1988954512/. Also featured in this segment were two programs for girls affiliated with MGCP - Zoey's Room and Adventure Girls.

  • Zoey's Room, co-founded and directed by MGCP leadership team member Vinitha Nair, is a digital learning platform that encourages females in STEM careers.
  • Adventure Girls is an interactive program for girls in grades 2-6 that gives girls the opportunity to meet once a month with women who are defying gender stereotypes and challenging notions of what a girl or woman "should" do or be.
  • Both programs have been able to improve their outreach and services to girls in Maine with the help of mini-grant funding made available through MGCP.

• AAUW Representative Changes Roles

  Anja Whittington, Assistant Professor of Recreation/Leisure Services at UMPI and AAUW Representative for MGCP, is leaving the State of Maine for a job position in another state. Anja's collaboration with the leadership team for MGCP has been very successful, and she will be greatly missed by those affiliated with the project as well as several others around the state. Darylen Cote, Director of Upward Bound at UMPI, will assume the role of AAUW Representative in her place.

• Scholarships Available

  The Challenger Learning Center of Maine has received a Summer of Innovation grant that will allow CLC to provide scholarships for several local girls. The scholarship funds are for students entering grades 6-8 who are interested in attending a Challenger camp program this summer.

  Interested families should inquire by calling 990-2900 x3 or requesting information online at www.astronaut.org.

• Position Available at Hardy Girls Healthy Women

  Hardy Girls Healthy Women is currently looking to hire a full-time Director of Development.

  This is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the health and well being of girls and women. Their vision is that all girls and women experience equality, independence, and safety in their everyday lives. They aim to create opportunities, develop programs, and provide services that empower girls and women. Please feel free to inform others of this job opportunity. More information about the position can be found at: http://hghw.org/node/181. More information about HGHW in general can also be found on their website at: http://hghw.org/content/about-us.

• University of Maine Women's Resource Center Celebrates Anniversary

  This fall the University of Maine Women's Resource Center will be holding a celebration to note the anniversary of their 20th year on campus! More information regarding the specific date, time, and location will be made available at a later date. To learn more about the University of Maine Women's Resource Center, their programming, or for frequent updates, feel free to visit their Facebook page at: www.facebook.com/pages/University-of-Maine-Womens-Resource-Center/.

"Maine is a small state and relationships are essential to creating networks and collaborations. The Maine Girls Collaborative Project has provided opportunities and resources to encourage and support collaboration. The meetings, grants, and educational forums have all provided me with personal opportunities to connect with people I would not have met otherwise."