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FOR GIRLS ENTERING 3RD GRADE THROUGH GIRLS ENTERING 10TH GRADE, WITH REGISTRATION STARTING JAN. 3

(AUSTIN) – Girlstart, the award-winning Austin-based non-profit organization dedicated to empowering girls in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM), has announced an expanded summer camp lineup reaching a wider age range of girls than ever before, in what is to be a newly-expanded Girlstart headquarters come this summer. Registration for the STEM-inspiring camps will begin on Jan. 3.

“We’re excited to expand our summer programs to include more age groups,” said Katelyn Wamsted, program director. “We strive to make the camps entertaining and fun places for girls to spend part of the summer, as well as ignite excitement and spark interest in a variety of STEM subjects and careers.”

The camps also come in a year in which Girlstart will extend education offerings to teachers as well as students – continuing education programs for elementary and middle school teachers. Offered onsite at Girlstart as well as several Regional Education Service Centers in 2011, Girlstart’s professional development showing educators how to integrate STEM education through the Girlstart approach.

Camps this year will include:

Designer Girl
For Girls Entering 6th-8th Grades
(June 6-10, June 13-17)
Explore how engineering is all around us, from skyscrapers to runways. Uncover the world of high-tech fashion, solar energy, robotics and more. Campers will also construct a thrilling amusement park ride and draft a 3D design model.

Tropical Paradise
For Girls Entering 4th-5th Grades
(June 20-25, June 27-July 1)
Jaguars, manatees, gorillas, creepy crawlers and more! Over 15,000 animals and plants inhabit a bustling rainforest. Campers will journey through the colorful layers of this mystifying environment.

Water Works
For Girls Entering 9th -10th Grades
(July 11-15)
You’re the engineer as you program your robot to save the day. Discover how robotics are changing the world. Girls will work together to design the ultimate underwater vessel.

Camp Hermione
For Girls Entering 6th-8th Grades
(July 18-22, July 25-29)
For Girls Entering 4th-5th Grades
(Aug 1-5, Aug 8-12)
Calling all muggles! Channel your inner Hermione Granger as you unlock Hogwarts’ science secrets. Campers will create their own online TriWizard Tournament game and design a virtual Gryffindor dorm room.

Motion in the Ocean
For Girls Entering 3rd Grade
(July 25-29, Aug 1-5)
Dive in to uncover the wonders of the sea! Penguins, dolphins, starfish and more underwater secrets revealed. Explore the exciting world of a marine biologist and create an online game featuring your favorite sea animal.

For more information on the summer camps, or to register online, visit Girlstart’s website at www.girlstart.org.

FOR FIRST-EVER GIRLSTART ANNUAL LUNCHEON TOMORROW IN DOWNTOWN AUSTIN

WHAT:
As part of Girlstart’s ongoing efforts to inspire girls toward STEM education and careers in STEM, the Austin-based non-profit will be holding its first-ever Annual Luncheon event on Tuesday. Dr. Sally Ride, whose long and dedicated career in science includes her being the first American woman in space, will be the keynote speaker for the event.

Approximately 50 girls from Austin-area elementary schools – participants in Girlstart’s current after-school camp program – will be attending the luncheon, joining a number of local supporters of Girlstart’s STEM education efforts. The latest developments at Girlstart including the organization receiving a grant from NASA to develop a summer camp program for as early as Summer 2011, and its first-ever partnership with the Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum for its Starry Extravaganza program on Dec. 4.

WHEN:
Tuesday, November 16, 2010, 11:30 a.m.-1:15 p.m.
(Keynote scheduled for 12:20-12:45 p.m., with 5-10 minute Q&A session to follow, and VIP photos from 1-1:15 p.m.)

WHERE:
Omni Hotel, 700 San Jacinto Boulevard

SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS:
Dr. Ride’s representatives have requested that no portion of her keynote speech (including the Q&A) be recorded for broadcast. We will work to set up an interview opportunity for broadcast media with Dr. Ride either before or after the keynote address/Q&A, and will have Girlstart representatives available for interview.

ON-SITE CONTACT:
Phil West, 512.769.3838 (cell)

The event, with a $35 registration fee including lunch and a T-shirt, is one of Girlstart’s most popular annual events. The all-day event (from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.), includes three breakout workshop sessions, as well as opening and closing sessions that all the girls attend together.
For girls who want to register with up to three of their best friends, group registration is presently available.

Girls interested in registering or looking for more information about the conference should go to Girlstart’s official Girls In Stem website, www.girlsinstem.org.

ELIZABETH SERIFF JOINS GIRLSTART BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Girlstart is pleased to announce that Elizabeth Seriff, Project Manager, American Association of Nurse Practitioners, has joined the Girlstart Board of Directors.

“We are so excited that Elizabeth has joined the Girlstart Board of Directors, and I personally am thrilled,” said Tamara Hudgins, Executive Director of Girlstart. “Elizabeth has been a long-standing volunteer, advocate, and supporter of our work. She was involved in helping us think strategically even before we developed our 2012 strategic plan. She was gracious enough to chair our annual luncheon, Game Changers in 2013. Elizabeth has continually supported Girlstart over the years, and I look forward to amazing progress under her leadership.”

“Without exploration, we don’t know what opportunities can be available to us,” said Seriff. “In turn, we are limited in our understanding, confidence and ability to experience. If we never explore what we might be interested in, then we never know how to cultivate ‘that’ skill. Girlstart offers opportunity and skilled programming that specifically engages girls and of which girls react to. It opens a world of opportunity up that most girls would never know. This is why I’m involved.”

Elizabeth joins a board that has been actively involved in sustaining and expanding Girlstart’s innovative, nationally-scalable STEM education programs for girls, which have received awards by the likes of the Afterschool Alliance, Change the Equation, SXSW Interactive, and, most recently, the Atlantic Media/Allstate Renewal Awards.

Seriff is a former board member of the Thinkery and has served on its capital campaign committee and resource development committee. She has also been involved in Greenlight’s 501 Council and served on the executive committee of the Seton Forum.

ABOUT GIRLSTART

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 innovatic, 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.