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Science Literacy ~ Sisterhood ~ Self-Confidence
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Fall Newsletter
September 2008
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Dear friends,
I hope you had a wonderful summer and
explored some new habitats, or got
reacquainted with some memorable ones. Almost
200 children in Cambridge and 30 girls at our
pilot Chinatown site explored the science of
food, motion and the insect world. Many of
them have expressed an interest in a career
in science.
I just returned from the first National
Conference on Science in Out of School
Time and am rejuvenated by the many
thoughtful, dedicated colleagues in each part
of the country, including those who will be
honored on Sept 30th at our Galaxy Breakfast,
who seek to create equity in STEM
attainment. At the same time, I am gripped by
the urgency of the task.
There are too many children and youth out
there who have yet to experience those aha
moments that no-one can take away, and to
discover a connection with the world in which
they live, with each other and with a
mentor that would ground them. The past
few months and weeks have been unsettling and
unpredictable for us adults. I'm not sure if
knowing that the laws of nature are
unchanging necessarily brings comfort to all
at these times. Yet I do know that many
children continue to be shut out from those
educational and economic opportunities (60%
of new jobs will be STEM related), that would
lead them and their families to an acceptable
sense of security when they grow up.
Science Club for Girls have just entered our
15th year in providing enrichment programs to
those who continue to be underrepresented in
STEM. We have ambitions to bring our programs
to many more girls, in many more cities. But
we cannot do it without you. Every hour and
dollar
count. But every hour and dollar count.
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9/30 Galaxy Networking and Community Breakfast
Tuesday, 7:30 - 9:30 am. Newton Marriott
Please join us in celebrating our Newton's
site 5th anniversary! We will be honoring
Dr. Susan McGee Bailey, , Executive
Director of the Wellesley
Centers for Women; Ms. Berinda
Malden, science teacher at the Martin
Luther King Jr. School in Boston; and Dr.
Karen Panetta, professor of electrical
and computer engineering at Tufts
University.
Dr. Yvonne Spicer, associate director
of the National
Center for Technology Literacy at the
Museum of Science in Boston will be the
keynote speaker.
Tickets are $45 each, or $350 for a table of
8. Deadline to purchase tickets online is
Friday, Sept 26th. Follow this link
to purchase tickets online and to view silent
auction items. Tickets may be purchased at
the door.
Thanks to our GALAXY SPONSORS: Myrtle
Baptist Church and the Rebecca Pomroy
Foundation; and to our SOLAR SYSTEM
SPONSORS:
Wellesley College, Boston College, and Mr.
and Mrs. John E. Jones, Jr.
Additional event details
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June Catalyst Award and Ceremony: Report
Honoring Judy Ozbun and Lydia Villa-Komaroff
June 26, 2008 was a special day for Science
Club for Girls as it was the day of our first
Catalyst Award and Ceremony. Thanks to our
sponsors, advertisers and attendess; as well
as the raffle sponsors and those who
enthusiastically bought tickets, we raised
more than $30,000 to support our programs.
THANK YOU to all who made the event a
success, especially the fundraising committee
members. If you'd like to join our event
planning committee for our 2009 event, please
contact us at scfg@scienceclubforgirls.org!
Read more about the evening and view a slide show of the event
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Events For Parents and Kids
MIT Lincoln Laboratory's next Science on
Saturday event will be on October
4, with two identical shows: 9:00-10:30
a.m. and 10:45 a.m.-12:15 p.m. The topic will
be Rockets and Flight, with lots of
demonstrations on stage and suggestions for
activities to try at home. All K-12 students,
their parents, and their teachers are invited
to attend. This event is free, but our
seating capacity is limited, so we ask
everyone to preregister at
http://www.ll.mit.edu/outreach/ScienceOnSaturday.html
What is early college planning?
Monday, October 6 from 6-8:30 p.m.
Somerville HS Auditorium
For parents of children in grades 5-10
Mini sessions covering various subjects such
as academic planning, career
cruising, saving for college.
So Sexy So Soon: The New Sexualized
Childhood,
and What Parents Can Do to Protect Their
Kids
Jean Kilbourne and Diane Levin
Thursday, November 20, 2008 at 7:00 p.m.
Linda K. Paresky Conference Center, Simmons
College
Free and open to the public.
For more information e-mail
diane.hammer@simmons.edu.
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Where's the Science?
9/13 event rejuvenates girls and volunteers
Tornadoes, food science, nanoscale fibres,
optical illusions, DNA extraction were
amongst the topics explored by the girls (and
a few boys) who joined us at the Newton Boys
and Girls Club this past Saturday.
Scientists and engineers from UMass Lowell,
MIT, BU, Brandeis, EPA, Olin College of
Engineering and Harvard, as well as Terry
Murray the
Inventor spent an afternoon showing the
participants (and their curious parents) the
science behind a wide range of settings.
Thank YOU!! Not only were the girls turned on
to science, the experience reminded many of
the adults how they came to love science!
Much thanks goes to Anita Lin, our volunteer
extraordinaire who helped plan this event
during the summer before and after she had
her wisdom tooth taken out;
Stephanie Lemnios our program manager and the
indefatigable and always cheerful steering
committee at Newton site for making this
great event possible.
See more pictures here. (Thanks, Zach!)
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Share your passion for science
Could you spare two hours a week?
Imagine all the excitement and wonder you can
bring to a child as you explore
the world together. There's still time to
join us this semester as a
mentor-scientist. A 1:5 ratio of
volunteer to kids creates a much more
reflective environment for learning science.
So we continue to welcome you to make
science fun for our participants in Cambridge
(T-F),
Boston (T/Th), and Lawrence (W); Framingham
and Newton (Saturdays). Yes, we also need
a few good men for our in-school clubs!
Clubs start next week at most sites so don't
delay! And it's more fun for you to bring a
friend!
We are also looking for mentors for our High
School Rocket Team that meets on Saturdays.
Contact scfg@scienceclubforgirls.org if
you're interested in finding out more!
Details for clubs here.
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Election Matters: Strong Schools, Vibrant After Schools
Science
Debate 2008 is a coalition of over 38,000
scientists, engineers, and professional
organizations that seeks to "restore science
and innovation to America's political
dialogue". On their site are the answers
from the two presidential candidates to 14
questions covering a range of topics from
climate change, stem cell research, health,
water and ocean health and scientific
integrity and education.
The discussion and movement to remove the
achievement gaps in education in general, and
in science and engineering in particular,
relies on continued advocacy beyond Novermber
4. You may consider joining the voices of
those urging educational reform, such as this
nonpartisan group, calling for Strong American
Schools, and supporting the unique
environment that after school provides for
exploring science. See the Coalition
for Science After School website.
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Comings and Goings
We welcome our new Massachusetts Promise
Fellow, Debbie Gordon-Messer who will
serve
as the program manager for our Boston sites
this year. Erika O'Bannon joins us as the
new Youth Development Coordinator and will
work with our middle and high school girls to
develop a Youth Council this year.
Our best to our outgoing Mass Promise Fellow
Liz Pelletier who just started as a high
school science teacher, and to Brianne
Studer
who followed her heart to become the Boston
Children's Museum's first Green and
Environment Fellow. We know you're thrive in
your positions and hope we'll have many
opportunities to collaborate. Thanks for all
you've done for us!
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Our goal is to increase the number of donors
and sponsor by 1,500 this year. Please help
us by
a) forwarding this email to two of your
friends/colleagues. (See link below my
signature).
b) making a donation via Google
Checkout (no
fee).
c) making a recurring donation of $10 or
more per month via
Network for Good!
d) send a check to
Science Club for Girls
PO Box 390544
Cambridge, MA 02139
e) hosting a dinner, joining our
fundraising
committee or championing other great
initiatives. Please contact me directly at
the address below.
Thank you so much!
Sincerely,
Connie Chow
Science Club for Girls
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