Holiday Mixer WITI & Powerhouse Dec 18th
Women4Science…
California’s technology community will be gathering on Dec. 18 in Sacramento for a holiday mixer aimed to benefit the PowerHouse Science Center-the expansion project helping to make the new center a reality.
“The networking event is being hosted by theSacramento Network of Women in Technology International (WITI) as part of its 3rd annual Charitable Holiday Wine and Unwind celebration.” – Techwire.net for full article and to register.
- When: Thursday, December 18th from 5:00 to 7:30 pm.
- Where: Tequila Museo Mayahuel, 1200 K Street in Sacramento
Or visit the new Powerhouse expansion project website.
2015 STEM Fair Announced plus TEDxSacramento’s Emily Graslie
First a thank you for being a woman standing up for STEM in the Capital region!
We haven’t set formalized 2015 activities beyond our launch meetings this year (and wish we did, but we also all got pretty busy with the year-end wrap up). However, we’re hoping to organize a first quarter 2015 networking event around discussions of emerging education and outreach opportunities that could use the power of our network to further. Will you host?
Please let us know if you have any ideas or specific new efforts to put on our watch/support list for 2015. We do know the Powerhouse Science Center is making progress, and got their new, interim website up and running. They report the bond sale should happen in the first quarter of 2015. They also just announced their new annual STEM Golf Classic, a fundraising event they hope to make a permanent part of their annual activities. Please sign up at the new Powerhouse site to receive all event dates and news updates.
In the meantime, 2015 will bring many significant advancements in the STEM arena to our region. Here’s some highlights from the past year and a reminder about the STEM fair in March 2015:
Next-Ed 2014
Next-Ed has maintained a robust STEM education initiative. One of their programs – Project Lead the Way – is supported by many regional companies committed to finding qualified STEM workforce graduates.
Goals of the Capital Region Project Lead The Way Network
- Increase the number of young people, without regard to gender or ethnic origin, who pursue science, engineering and technology-related careers.
- Increase females and underrepresented groups entering science, technology, engineering and math-related careers (STEM).
- Provide relevant programs that help prepare students for a highly skilled working environment.
- Develop assessment tools to evaluate the success of PLTW in the Sacramento region.
- Support the development of all teachers, counselors, and administrators.
- Increase the value of PLTW in the Sacramento region by enhancing the image and visibility by our effectiveness and results.
- Continue to foster and expand partnerships with regional Higher Education Colleges and Universities.
- Support Career Pathway programs within the Sacramento Capital Region.
TEDxSacramento Women’s Salon Event 2014: Introducing Emily Graslie
Emily Graslie spoke at TEDxSacramento Dec 12th: Curiosity Exploring
In all the world, there is only one person who holds the title Chief Curiosity Correspondent, and she holds it for the Field Museum in Chicago. She was on the TEDxSacramento stage Friday, December 12th for the region’s annual women’s salon event (sold out/half are STEM women speakers), where she shared the recipe for creating ecosystems of curiosity in every day lives.
Emily Graslie has over half a million followers on her YouTube STEM channel Brain Scoop and other social media channels combined. She admittedly (women4science founder Tracy Saville spent after-party time talking STEM and her next moves) believes because she doesn’t have a STEM degree formally (is an art major) that her knowledge and experience may not qualify her as STEM mentor or influencer. We couldn’t disagree more.
Did we mention she just got back from the Amazon rain forest, an area of it that has never been explored? Did we mention she’s 25?
California STEM Summit 2014
If you missed February’s CA STEM Summit, visit their website for highlights.
2015 STEM Fair
The Symposium Sac STEM Fair will be held March 14 and 15th at Folsom Cordova high school. See the event website for details. Visit their 2014 winner page to see all of the amazing innovation by our young STEM women from this past year’s fair.
2014 Expanding Your Horizons conference at Sac State – visit the event website for more info.
2014 was indeed a year of getting our arms around what needs to be done in the STEM sectors, and we became a high ranking city in terms of STEM grads, although emphasis still needs to be made in recruiting more boys and girls into STEM programs and fields. Barbara Hayes of SACTO shared this news in July of 2014:
“The Sacramento Region ranks 15th on the list of top 20 places for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) graduates, according to a recent report published by NerdWallet, a personal finance website. Topping San Diego, the Sacramento Region is one of four California metros to make the list, which further establishes the state’s dominance as an innovation economy.” Visit the full SACTO article.
AT&T Women’s Expanding Your Horizons Conference 2014 & Women’s Start-Up Weekend
This year more than 500 young girls and mentors attended a sold out Expanding Your Horizons conference at Sac State on October 11th. Keynote speakers included Cary Vinci, who is starting her own STEM mentoring website platform this year. Cari won a seat the Velocity Venture Capital’s 2014 Entrepreneurs Showcase. Keep your eyes out for her new start-up in 2015, too.
Do you have news, a program, an idea to share? Send us your thoughts to tksaville@me.com.
Happy Holidays!
Local Entrepreneur Wins Entrepreneur Showcase With STEM Start-Up
The world is full of social networks and mobile apps. And when it comes to connecting young people with mentors in the STEM fields (or as we’re learning STEAM, since the creative class is all about disruptors), the space is wide open. That means there is room for more social networks, especially when you understand that networks are local, even when they’re global. Especially today the sharing economy spawned by the Generation Z and millennials delivers us a massive opportunity to fill a need for innovation in the connecting space of STEM.
Sarah Leary, co-founder and vice president of marketing at Nextdoor, which lets neighbors and local agencies post about neighborhood crime, recommend babysitters or invite people to a barbecue, knows all about making connections. What does that have to do with STEM (or STEAM) you ask?
Sara Leary – read the full bizwomen.com article
Sarah is a great example of someone who understood her neighbors, who have now become users of a technology she helped imagine, a technology that is disrupting how we think about creating and sustaining safe and vibrant neighborhoods. In a recent article by bizwomen.com, the new news platform by The Business Journals, Sarah clearly comes across as insightful, bold, as a women unafraid to solve a problem that needs to be solved. She remembered why the technology she built was needed in the first place. Sara Leary gets who the most important person in that value chain is: the human being at the end of the technology.
In STEAM, that end user is young girls and boys all over the world, desperately needing to connect with mentors willing and able to become part of the village that sees to it they achieve their dreams.
Right here in Sacramento, Cari Vinci, of Invincible Enterprises, has just won an Entrepreneurial Showcase and is about to unleash a new mobile and web platform and tool that will do just that and more. We’re so proud of Cari and of all the women in Northern California who are full STE@M ahead! Watch the recent CBS Inventures series episode about Cari and her adventure.
Watch CBS for more news about Cari.
It’s time to get connected to start planning for our 2015 efforts! We will be in touch!
In October in Sacramento
Sacramento Area Women’s Chamber of Commerce hosts a New Economy mixer on October 30th. Have you joined? Take a look at their new website and get involved. For details…
Sacramento State University and Women & ATT will host Expanding Your Horizons conference Oct 11th.
This event is a one-day science and math conference for 6th-9th grade girls, designed to encourage and empower young women to pursue education and careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
Learning experiences include
- Fun Hands-On Workshops
- Exhibits (Career Demonstration and more)
- Discussion and Interaction with Industry Leaders, University Faculty, and College Students
- Parent/Guardian Activities
View Sac State Future Scientist video
The Expanding Your Horizons conference fee is $30 per attendee and includes a full day of activities, a lunch with beverage and a conference keepsake. Registration will open on Tuesday, September 2 and will close at 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, September 30. Please note: No Registrations will be accepted on-site.
Sept 18th Power Networking Event NAWBO/SAWCC/Women4Science
A rare opportunity for the Sacramento Chapter of NAWBO, the Sacramento Area Women’s Chamber of Commerce, and Women4Science to network under one roof. As a collaborative, Women4Science does need to schedule a specific “effort planning” meeting before the end of the year, and we will, but to keep the momentum and ideation going, let’s talk STEM and influence over margaritas!
We know it is the same evening as the Farm to Fork Legends of Wine event at the State Capitol, but the price tag for this 5th Annual Margarita Mixer means you can do both!
Sip your favorite margarita, enjoy delectable appetizers and network with other women influencers from our regional business community. Announcements of the nominees for the NAWBO 2014 Outstanding Women Leader Awards will be a special attraction. Event partners include the Sacramento Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and Sacramento Women’s Chamber of Commerce.
Location: 4515 N Park Drive, Sacramento, CA 95821.
This is an outdoor backyard event. The home is near Marconi between Eastern and Mission.
$5.00 NAWBO Member
$10.00 Member Guest or Affiliate Partner Guest
$5.00 Affiliate Partner Member
$15.00 Non-Member
Register today!
There are 100 tickets, so act fast.
CA STEM Symposium in San Diego September 21-23
The Californians Dedicated to Education Foundation, in cooperation with State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson and the Commission on the Status of Women and Girls, is proud to bring you the 2nd Annual California STEM Symposium on September 22 and 23, 2014 at the San Diego Convention Center.
This Symposium will bring together 3000 teachers, administrators, students, higher education representatives, program providers, philanthropic representatives and industry representatives to engage them in STEM education by providing strategies and resources for program implementation.
The Symposium will have a special focus on increasing and supporting the participation of women and girls—as well as other underrepresented groups—in STEM fields. It will also highlight leaders in classroom innovation from across the state and attract student teams to showcase critical thinking, problem solving, and teamwork.
To register, follow this link.
Pre-Symposium Intensive Workshops
To learn more about sponsorship opportunities contact Jordan Wente at Jordan@cdefoundation.org
Sacramento is Mad About Science
We’re gearing up for a September W4S meeting (details coming soon), but in the meantime we found this for-profit STEM source in our own backyard: Mad Science.
Mad Science of Sacramento Valley is one of over 100 Mad Science franchises in over 20 countries that entertain and educate millions of children every year with exciting, hands-on science! They have been serving Sacramento and 7 surrounding counties (Placer, El Dorado, San Joaquin, Yolo, Sutter, Solano and Amador) since 1995.
Their mission is to give children the experience of science in a fun, engaging way, so that they will get excited about science and more likely consider pursuing STEM careers (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math).
We’d love to know if you’ve ever heard of any experiences with their programming!
West Point Has Progressive STEM Education Outreach Program
From time time, we’ll share STEM education initiatives that seem to be working or are interesting to note.
Did you know West Point has an entire center for STEM education? They have a long standing tradition of delivering a world-class leadership program for cadets and bi-annually have held global leadership conferences, bringing the world’s great minds and practitioners, CEOs, military leaders, and academic scholars together to focus on global topics of leadership. In 2011, West Point focused on the millennial generation as a global leadership topic. (That conference is on hold until spending sequestration has ended, and is expected to be scheduled again in 2015/106 time frame).
Speakers in 2011 included:
- Jim Collins, Author of Good to Great, How the Mighty Fall and co-author of Built to Last
- Noel Tichy, Professor of Management and Organizations and Director, Global Business Partnership, Ross School of Business
- Tom Sander, Executive Director of Harvard’s Saguaro Seminar: Civic Engagement in America
- Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Yale University Senior Associate Dean for Executive Programs & Lester Crown Professor in the Practice of Management
- Frances Hesselbein, President and CEO of the Leader to Leader Institute and Presidential Medal of Freedom awardee
- Michael Peterson, Grammy award winning artist and Bob Hope “Spirit of Hope” winner
In tackling STEM, aligned with their tradition of providing leading education opportunities, the mission of the West Point Center for STEM Education is to design and implement programs that inspire, attract, and develop the STEM talent essential for meeting the Nation’s current and future challenges. Clearly developing the science, technology, math and engineering abilities of our youth is in the interest of of our nation’s highest centers of leadership. This is an example of how programs ta this level foster a connection to communities and help bring youth into the fold of STEM.
The goals of the West Point Center for STEM Education are to:
- Design, implement, and assess high-quality national, regional, and local outreach projects that:
- Inform K-12 students about the role of STEM in our world.
- Inspire K-12 students to pursue STEM careers.
- Prepare K-12 students’ to study STEM at the college level.
- Support West Point Admissions through STEM outreach.
- Facilitate and conduct cadet and faculty research on K-12 and undergraduate STEM education.
- Develop and maintain strategic partnerships with the Army Educational Outreach Program, the National Defense Education Program, and the National Science Center.
Fore more about their program, please visit their website.
STEM Education Matters to National Security…
Among innovation and world leadership impacts, STEM education matters to national security. One our new W4S Champions, Cari Lyn Vinci, has a new program in development through her organization, Invincible Enterprises, ME, Inc., which is an online and mobile app that provides Role Models, a Game Plan and Mentoring options to encourage teens to create a life of fulfilling rewards by entering thriving careers in STE@M industries.
According to Michele Nash-Hoff in her HuffPost article of July 23rd,
Stem Education Matters to Our National Security, Innovation and World Leadership,
“Science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) are widely regarded as critical to be competitive in the global economy. A growing shortage of science-based talent in our work places and universities represents a serious problem for our nation. Expanding and developing the STEM workforce is a critical issue for government, industry leaders, and educators. However, comparatively few American students are pursuing educational majors in STEM career paths.
I
n the PLAYBOOK, girls can meet fascinating women in STE@M (the “@” stands for “art”) and follow the “plays” of successful young women to help them create their own “Dream Career.”
The PLAYBOOK is dedicated to the smart, talented teenage girls who will become the future business owners and leaders in STE@M industries. It will also provide a tool for organization and corporate partners to use to solve their future talent pool problems.”
As you consider this “from the entrepreneurial trenches” STEM education tool, how can products and/or resources like this help increase our numbers for boys and girls in entering STEM careers?
Tell us what you think!
Last Meeting Results & August 2nd Event Invite
Firstly, thank you to all who attended our July 23rd action plan meeting at Plates Cafe! We had 26 registered, and 20 in attendance, giving us a total roster of an official 60 coalition participants. A full listing will be published soon.
Next Actions
We’ll be sending you an email shortly with a link to the new Women4Science video channel to view the wonderful video message from our honorary Chair Doris Matsui (our thanks to her staff member Chris Flores for being with us!).
Please complete your STEM survey.
Please don’t forget to take time to create your about.me profile and send the link to tracy.saville@cleanworld.com to have it activated here at the site.
An outline from the working group’s session at our action plan meeting is coming, along with a proposed set of mission and action focus statements to comment on. We discussed narrowing our “active” focus to one or two key “purposes” for the next 12 months, so that alignment with coalition member skills and networks can be most effective, as well as defining our mission and scope.
Plates Cafe, an important program in or city that gives women careers and hope. Our gathering place.
We also are in need of volunteer help with completing the regional assessment of our STEM landscape to help us focus our efforts for resource development, advocacy, and outreach.
We hope to set the next date for a facilitated working session (strictly getting down to the planning business for the coalition broadly) sometime in September. We will set that date asap!
Thanks to each and every one of you for being so dynamic, so passionate, and so committed to relevant, effective, and out-of-the-box solutions.
Next Gathering
Get your tickets here.
Our next official gathering is August 2nd for the Wine and Dine event in partnership with the Powerhouse and Junior League of Sacramento.
August 2nd Tickets: Get your tickets to wine and dine here/use the page link to invite your network.
Program Information for why people should come August 2: Information link to forward to your networks about the Powerhouse founding member campaign.
Your Bright Ideas
Please tell us what you think our region needs for STEM as a priority and where you think Women4Science should focus their efforts!
August 2nd Wine and Dine – Pavers for Powerhouse
WHAT
Please join Women4Science, the Junior League of Sacramento (JLS), and the board and staff of the current Discovery Museum Science & Space Center/Powerhouse Science Center August 2nd for Wine & Dine 2014.
Sample some of the region’s best local food and wine, and enjoy live music in support of the Capital Region’s leading youth STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) and health education programming.
Wine & Dine has been a staple fundraiser for JLS programs for 15 years. This year, for the first time, JLS who is an original founder of the Discovery Museum in its current form, partners together with Powerhouse project supporters and members to celebrate the new Founding Member Periodic Table of Elements exhibit and program.
WHY
Powerhouse is in a last push to raise $2 million toward its new project through this new exhibit and STEM-emphasized community education effort. The August 2nd event will hopefully be an annual event, raising funds for both JLS and the new “soon-to-be-built” Powerhouse Science Center, raising awareness for STEM and health education programming, as well as creating a regional, annual opportunity to focus our regional resources collaboratively.
The Powerhouse Science Center is in the last leg of its capital campaign efforts toward breaking ground on the world-class new museum and science center along the American River, capping off the new downtown corridor district of entertainment, housing, and business between the state-of-the-art new King’s arena complex, which is also bringing in the new theatre district and enhanced dining and shopping experiences as part of the new arena complex, and the visionary gem that will be the new Powerhouse Science Center and expanded Matsui Park.
The Powerhouse Science center project site is located across the river and adjacent from West Sacramento’s exploding “Bridge District,” which is drawing investor and developer attention to both sides of the riverfront, and truly creating a walkable destination sports, entertainment, learning, innovation, and cultural “spine” or heart of the region.
THE VISION
In two years this corridor will be a totally transformed destination experience, showcasing the Capital region’s best and most exciting resources – what some have called the Emerald Valley – showcasing sustainable, smart, innovating communities, businesses, cultural experiences, and entertainment. Be a part of helping to realize this world-class vision. Help make the Powerhouse Science Center the world-class, destination icon it has the potential to become.
Get Your Tickets HERE!
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