Month: March 2014

Girlstart Executive Director Tamara Hudgins part of the keynote lineup

NEWS RELEASE

March 21, 2014

Girlstart commits support to U.S. News STEM Solutions

Austin, TX—Girlstart is proud to announce its support of U.S. News STEM

Solutions 2014—The National Leadership Conference, taking place in

Washington, D.C. from April 23-25. For the third year, leaders in education,

policy and workforce development will convene to advance the national STEM

agenda.

Girlstart has a history of creating and providing STEM education for elementary

and middle-school-aged girls. Founded in Austin in 1997, Girlstart is the only

community-based informal STEM education nonprofit in the nation specifically

dedicated to empowering and equipping girls in STEM, though a year-round

curriculum (including summer camps, after-school camps, and online STEM

education programs) designed to engage girls and inspire them to pursue STEM

careers.

This year’s theme, Where Employers and Educators Meet, exemplifies the

mission of the U.S. News STEM Solutions conference – to engage a broad

community of educators, policymakers and business leaders in finding solutions

to a problem that is at the heart of America’s economic recovery.

As a recognized leader in STEM and supporting partner of the conference,

Girlstart plays an important role, helping to shed light on STEM issues, including

gender inequity in STEM fields, and the need to encourage more girls to pursue

STEM education. The involvement of Girlstart ensures that each aspect of the

national STEM problem remains top-of-mind. Girlstart’s Executive Director

Tamara Hudgins will participate in the conference keynote line-up on Thursday,

April 24th.

U.S. News & World Report has enthusiastically welcomed the organization’s

involvement. “We are proud to have the support of organizations who recognize

the urgency of making progress on STEM,” says Brian Kelly, editor and chief

content officer. “We look forward to their valuable insights and involvement at

U.S. News STEM Solutions.”

Girlstart invites you to help shape our nation’s future and has negotiated a

special program rate for its network of contacts who register using code: GS14.

To learn more about how you can help shape our nation’s future by participating

in U.S. News STEM Solutions 2014, visit www.USNewsSTEMSolutions.com.

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Girlstart, founded in Austin in 1997, is the only community-based informal STEM

education nonprofit in the nation specifically dedicated to empowering and

equipping girls in STEM, through year-round programming that promotes girls’

early engagement and academic success in STEM, encourages girls’ aspirations

and persistence in STEM education and careers, and incubates a talented and

diverse STEM workforce. Its innovative, nationally-recognized programs include

after-school and summer camps for students, professional development for

teachers, and community and online STEM education outreach programs.

Girlstart cultivates a culture where risk is rewarded, curiosity is encouraged,

and creativity is expected. As a result, Girlstart girls are connected, brave, and

resilient. Girlstart makes girls more successful, and inspires them to take on the

world’s greatest challenges.

U.S. News STEM Solutions—The National Leadership Conference is a mission-critical

event focused on the shortage of science, technology, engineering and math skills in

the American workforce. Produced by U.S. News & World Report, it brings the issue

onto the national stage and assembles major corporations, leading educators, top

policymakers and education technology companies in order to create the collective

impact needed to fill jobs now and advance the future STEM workforce. In 2014, the

conference is held April 23 – 25, 2014 at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in

Washington, D.C. in conjunction with the USA Science and Engineering Festival.

U.S. News & World Report—a multi-platform publisher of news and analysis,

which includes the digital-only U.S. News Weekly magazine, www.usnews.com, and

www.rankingsandreviews.com. Focusing on Health, Personal Finance, Education,

Travel, Cars, and Public Service/Opinion, U.S. News has earned a reputation as the

leading provider of service news and information that improves the quality of life of its

readers. U.S. News & World Report’s signature franchise includes its News You Can

Use® brand of journalism and its annual “Best” series of consumer web guides and

publications that include rankings of colleges, graduate schools, hospitals, mutual funds,

health plans, and more.

US News STEM Solutions Media Contact:

Alyssa Amand | Public Relations Coordinator | Marketing Design Group

Phone: 202.304.1956

Email: alyssa@marketingdesigngroup.com

ALLOWING MORE THAN 500 GIRLS TO ENGAGE WITH WOMEN WORKING IN STEM CAREERS

GIRLSTART ANNOUNCES LINEUP FOR 9TH ANNUAL GIRLS IN STEMCONFERENCE ON APRIL 12, ALLOWING MORE THAN 500 GIRLS TO ENGAGE WITH WOMEN WORKING IN STEM CAREERS

(AUSTIN) – Imagine you’re a fifth-grade girl who loves math and science, wondering if there’s a way to use those skills when you grow up. Then, imagine over the source of a single day, you can perform DNA isolation on strawberries, create an adhesive similar to what’s used in tape, and build a city out of candy – with the guidance of Austin-area women who get to do these sorts of things for a living.

Thanks to the Girls in STEM conference, a great number of Austin-area girls can get glimpses of what STEM careers to pursue from professionals who do so on a daily basis.

Now in its 9th year, the Girls in STEM Conference – coming to Travis High School (1211 E. Oltorf) on Saturday, April 12 – will show more than 500 Austin-area girls how they can utilize STEM education in a range of professional settings. The conference, hosted by Girlstart, is one on the non-profit organization’s longest- running programs, specifically geared toward Girlstart’s mission of inspiring girls to pursue STEM careers.

The Girls in STEM Conference involves 20 presenters who work professionally in STEM careers, leading hands-on workshops that teach STEM precepts and showcase what kinds of careers are available for college students completing STEM studies.

“The Girls In STEM Conference gives us the opportunity to allow girls to see first- hand what careers are possible through STEM,” said Tamara Hudgins, executive director of Girlstart. “The workshops are fun and engaging in the moment, and yet they help girls to think about what they’ll be what they grow up, and how to prepare for those possibilities at a time when it’s crucial that girls keep engaged with STEM.”

The 9th edition of the conference is one of Girlstart’s first major educational projects for 2014; Girlstart is also planning an expanded slate of summer camps this year (including making its debuts in several cities), and continued growth of its DeSTEMber program, a month-long series of daily online activities designed to keep students engaged with STEM education leading up and during the winter holiday.

Girlstart highlights from last year include the launch of its inaugural Women in STEM Awards, honoring the contributions of STEM professionals in Texas; the opening of its STEM Studio and Mini-Planetarium, expanding its programming capacity for STEM education at Austin’s Girlstart STEM Center; and being named one of four exemplary STEM programs ready for nationwide implementation by Change the Equation, a nonprofit, nonpartisan, CEO-led initiative that is mobilizing the business community to improve the quality of STEM learning in the United States.