Mini-Grant Awards

• 2011 Futures Unlimited 
  Collaborating Organizations: Northwestern Office of STEM Education Partnerships, University of Illinois at Chicago, Center for Promoting STEM
  Girls Served: Ages 11-14
  
  The goals of Futures Unlimited are to: 1) Introduce eighth grade girls to women who work in non-traditional careers so that the girls may begin to consider careers for themselves which they may not have previously imagined. 2) Introduce girls to a college environment where they can meet college faculty and students in STEM classrooms and participate in hands-on workshops. 3) Introduce girls to high school faculty and students in STEM curricula so that the girls may understand what courses and extra-curricular activities they may participate in when they move to high school.
  
• Women Changing the Face of Agriculture
  Collaborating Organizations: Illinois AgriWomen, Postsecondary Agriculture Students (PAS)
  Girls Served: Ages15-18, over 18
  
  Professional Women currently employed by agri-businesses or women owners of small businesses that serve the agricultural industry present their background, education, experiences (including internships and mentoring) and income potential (starting and long-term) with young women in high school agriculture programs and FFA and college women in 4-year and community colleges studying agriculture to encourage them to continue the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics classes that they need to create career paths in agriculture that has been traditionally male dominated.
  
• Science Sessions with Female Scientists
  Collaborating Organizations: Project Exploration, Perspectives Charter Schools - Rodney D. Joslin Campus
  Girls Served: Ages 11-14
  
  During Science Sessions with Female Scientists, minority middle school girls in the Sisters4Science (S4S) program explore science topics of interest to them after school with women scientists who lead hands-on activities, providing girls with science mentorship and positive female role models in STEM careers. In S4S sessions, girls learn about STEM careers from women who are working in the field. The S4S program employs research-based strategies for STEM engagement with girls from populations least likely to pursue endeavors in science, engineering, and math. Consistency in participation, motivation, and growth in science skills by girls in S4S suggests that girls traditionally overlooked by science will stick with it when afforded personalized opportunities. The girls-only, after-school learning environment of S4S provides girls a safe space to explore science and build self-confidence.
• GEMS-Girls Empowering Math & Science
  Collaborating Organizations: Niles West High School, Center for Promoting STEM
  Girls Served: Ages 11-14
  
  The Niles West High School Chemistry Club and the American Chemical Society Chicago Section High School Committe will host a conference for girls interested in engineering, math, and science. The objective of the conference will be to build productive relationships between interested girls, women scientists, high school girl club members, and the high school science department. The participatnts will attend a four hour conference with hands-on workshops and speakers.
  
• Science Spooktacular
  Collaborating Organizations: Naperville Area Illinois AAUW branch, American Association of University Women, Aurora Area and Naperville Area Branches, Northern Illinois University
  Girls Served: Ages 6-10, 11-14
  
  This annual Halloween-themed event will feature over 50 interactive science displays manned by female role models. By bringing an existing successful program, created by a university physics department outreach program, to our community, we will provide girls and their families with an exciting hands-on experience with Science. We hope to engender a new interest in STEM studies, and to help girls to see STEM careers as appropriate and achievable for females. It will be enhanced by holding it at the Illinois Math & Science Academy, having female exhibitors from businesses and organizations, and information about STEM careers and other STEM opportunities in our community, such as after school science clubs and camps. Because Aurora has a high minority population, we are making special efforts to attract Hispanic and Black girls to this event.
• Passport to My Future
  Collaborating Organizations: NIU STEM Outreach, Girl Scouts of Northern Illinois
  Girls Served: Ages 11-14
  
  

  NIU STEM Outreach and Girl Scouts of Northern Illinois will bring groups of girls to NIU’s Northern Illinois Science and Engineering Festival and encourage them to explore many of the STEM exhibits and activities guided by a document titled "Passport-to-My-Future". The Festival will offer more than 100 interactive displays from STEM departments in each of the colleges at NIU as well as from regional community colleges, national laboratories, and regional STEM-intensive businesses designed to celebrate STEM innovations in northern Illinois. Girls will receive an embroidered patch celebrating their STEM journey through the festival. Girls will also tour campus; for many of them it will be their first visit to a college campus.

• Career Exploration
  Collaborating Organizations: Big Brothers Big Sisters of Vermilion County, Orpheum Children's Science Museum
  Girls Served: Ages 11-14, 15-18
  
  The Career Exploration division of our program will be focused on bringing in STEM professionals based on the female participant's individual career goals. The professionals will speak to our group as a whole about their career and do an interactive activity with the group pertaining to their career. After the group participation, the individual females interested in the presented career will meet with the business professional for one-on-one guidance of stepping stones in obtaining their desired career such as internships, education, similar job fields, etc.
• Elmhurst College STEM Workshop/Dare to Dream
  Collaborating Organizations: Elmhurst College, Dare to Dream
  Girls Served: Ages 11-14, 15-18
  
  The proposed project is to develop and carry out a one day STEM workshop, designed to give Latina high school aged girls an opportunity to explore the excitement of computer science, mathematics, chemistry and geographical information systems through demonstrations, classroom presentations, and hands-on activities. The workshop would give girls that positive STEM experience at an early age.
• SciGals Science and Engineering Day
  Collaborating Organizations: Exploration Place, Sociey for Women Engineers
  Girls Served: Ages 10-14
  
  SciGals Science and Engineering Day will be a full day of science and engineering activities and career presentations specifically for girls ages 10-14. Exploration Place will provide science activities and work with the Sociey for Women Engineers to schedule presenters as well as advertise and promote the event. WSU K-12 Engineering Education will provide engineering activities and assit with promotion on the campus of the college. This project is structured to introduce girsl to STEM careers, to encourage involvement in STEM curriculum, and to provide an opportunity for girls to interact with peers that are also interested in science and engineering.