2008-09 Mini-Grant Awards
- Calvin’s Story
Collaborating Organizations: The CALVIN Project, Afterschool Exploration in Science (AXIS)
Target Age Groups/Sub Groups: Students ages 11-14/Females
This project consists of a Powerpoint presentation by fifteen middle school students titled “The Plight of the North Atlantic Right Whale.” These students were mentored by scientists while conducting research in the efforts by scientists, government officials and conservations groups to save the right whale. The presentation is about the life of a 17-year-old right whale named Calvin. The major goal of this project is to get students involved in an ongoing scientific research project. - Defying Stereotypes Through STEM
Collaborating Organizations: Girl Scouts of Maine, Adventure Girls
Target Age Groups/Sub Groups: Students ages 6-10, 11-14/Females, Others
This project consists of Hardy Girls Healthy Women (HGHW) working with the Girls Scouts of Maine (GSM) to offer four low-cost sessions called Adventure Girl (AG). This program introduces girls in 2nd-6th grade to non-traditional jobs and career fields such as Chemistry, Forestry, Igloo Building and Welding. The goal of this project is to grow interest in STEM fields and allow girls in 2nd-6th grade to gain a female role model in a non-traditional field. - Engineering Your Future
Collaborating Organizations: TRiO Upward Bound-UMaine-Presque Isle, Maine School of Science and Mathematics, Aroostook Coalition for Women in Trades and Tech
Target Age Groups/Sub Groups: Students ages 15-18/Females, Minorities, Other
This project consists of giving high school students a day to interact with women currently studying engineering or working professionals in a wide variety of engineering professions. The goal of this project is to open high school girls’ minds to the possibility of becoming an engineer. - Girls ‘Get’ Tech
Collaborating Organizations: Exploration in the Science of Communication, Girls and their Robots
Location: Greater Bangor Area
Target Age Groups/Sub Groups: Students ages 11-14/Females
This project consists of getting Middle School girls a chance to explore how technology is used in the medical and health-related fields. The participants will engage in hands-on activities that show how robotics and other software is used in diagnosing and treating medical conditions. - Girls Science and Engineering Mentored Program
Collaborating Organizations: Machias Robotics Camp, Maine Robotics
Target Age Groups/Sub Groups: Students ages 6-10, 11-14/Females
This project consists of attracting more girls to the Maine Robotics Summer Camp and having adult science professionals mentor the girls at the camp. The goal of this project is to show girls that there are science, engineering and computer technology careers open to them with hopes that more girls will enter those fields. - Girls Scouts of Maine STEM Project
Collaborating Organizations: Mission Possible, Challenger Learning Center of Maine
Target Age Groups/Sub Groups: Students ages 11-14, 15-18/Females, Minorities
The project consists of getting 96 girls ages 9-17 the chance to explore the hands-on learning experiments in science in technology focusing on Space. The girls will be put into a realistic Mission Control and Space Station where they will learn about Space, Earth Science, and Engineering. The goal of this project is to get more girls involved in STEM fields. - Strategies for Preventing, Combating and Transforming Cyberbullying
Collaborating Organizations: Girl’s Identifying Cyberbullying Tactics, Zoey’s Room
Location: Esparanza School of Hope in Boston, Medomak High School in Warren, Maine, and the Portalnd High School population.
Target Age Groups/Sub Groups: Students ages 11-14, 15-18/ Females and Minorities, Teachers, Staff
This project consists of a 3-4 day intensive focus group work with about 100 students consisting of mostly females. These focus groups will begin to teach 5th – 10th graders how to recognize and prevent cyberbullying on the Internet. The participants in these focus groups will be victims of cyberbullying and those who have perpetrated cyberbullying. - Watershed Restoration Research
Collaborating Organizations: Lower Penobscot Watershed Coalition, Upward Bound Math/Science Target Age Groups/Sub Groups: Students ages 15-18/Females/Minorities
The project consists of students taking part in a Group Research Project where this summer’s focus is river and water quality. The students will take part in real scientific research and get involved with helping further the research on their own. The goal of this project is to teach students how to do real scientific reach with an experimental design, real-world context and directly contributing to the goals of a local organization. -
Cyberbullying Evaluation Plan
Collaborating Organizations: Platform Shoes Forum, Youthlight, Inc.
Target Age Groups/Sub Groups:Teachers; Students Age 11-14, 15-18
Location: Warren and Portland with statewide potential
Phase 1: Collaborate with Chuck Nguyen, martial artist/bullying expert)\ from Medomak High School in Warren, ME, to translate eastern philosophies of self-defense into lessons for cyberbullying victims, including how to avoid the cycle of revenge. Phase 2: Collaborate with Michael McCarthy, principle of Portland’s King Middle School to develop a school-wide cyberbullying prevention policy into a manual that could be adapted to schools all over the State of Maine. -
Defying STEM Stereotypes
Collaborating Organizations: Hardy Girls Healthy Women, HGHW Bangor Planning Committee
Target Age Groups/Sub Groups: Students Age 6-10, 11-14
Location: Greater Bangor Area
To expose 2nd-6th grade girls in the greater Bangor area to female role models in STEM careers. Teaching girls how to explore career options, develop skills, how to deal with gender stereotypes, and where to find support. -
Defying Stereotypes through STEM Expanded
Collaborating Organizations: Girls Scouts of Maine, Hardy Girls Healthy Women
Target Age Groups/Sub Groups: Students Age 6-10, 11-14
Location: Waterville Area
To expose 2nd-6th grade girls to female role models in STEM careers. Teaching girls how to explore career options, develop skills, how to deal with gender stereotypes, and where to find support. -
Helping Girls Dream Big in Math & Science
Collaborating Organizations: Cornerstones of Science, Coastal Studies for Girls
Target Age Groups/Sub Groups: Students Age 11-14, 15-18
Location: Freeport
COS and CSG will provide presentations on their program’s STEM opportunities. Girls will learn about science writing and opportunities at the Maine Sea Grant amongst other guest lecturers. -
LEAF-STEM
Collaborating Organizations: University of Maine, Troy Howard Middle School
Target Age Groups/Sub Groups: Students Age 11-14
Location: Belfast Area
This would include a weekly after-school club for about 15-20 girls. The girls would work in teams to perform activities along with themes such as engineering.
