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OC STEM Initiative's STEM Lab Report for March 2014.
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The Orange County STEM Initiative’s mission is to partner with community stakeholders invested in the improvement of the quality and outcome of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) teaching and learning in Orange County to develop the critical thinking, creative and innovative leaders of tomorrow.

 

Newsletter Highlights

Featured Stories
Spotlight on Community Members

STEM Community Events
STEM Reports

Featured Stories

March is National Women's History Month




Women’s History Month highlights the many achievements that women have made in our society, and supports the educational and vocational advancement of women across all sectors. Women's History Month began as Women's History Week, and was eventually expanded by Congress in 1987 to be celebrated nationally in the month of March. To honor the legacy that women have made in STEM, here are a few women who have leadership roles working at some of the top STEM companies in the nation. They give their take on increasing the number of women in STEM fields:

Linda Mills, Corporate Vice President/President at Northrop Grumman. Northrop Grumman is a top engineering company that supports bringing more girls into STEM by funding events like the Sally Ride Festival for Girls, Engineering Girl, and Early Childhood Stem Learning Through the Arts. Their company boasts one of the highest numbers of diversity among engineering companies. To get more women involved in STEM fields, Linda says "women in leadership roles must be visible to young people and proactive in helping cultivate female technical professionals with leadership potential."

Susan O Day, Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer at Disney. Susan O Day leads Disney's Technology Solutions & Services Department, which oversees their information management and global technology. She started at Disney in 2008. She states that, "We do not have enough girls and young women being trained or working in the field, and I want to change that. Many of us who have come up through technology organizations are working to raise the level of dialog on this topic and apply time, energy and resources to make a difference." 

Mina Stewart, Vice President of Services Delivery & Assurance National Operations at Verizon Wireless. Mina Stewart holds an M.S in Management Information systems and leads an organization of over 1,700 employees. She is responsible for Verizon’s wireless network infrastructure and circuit level provisioning. According to her, "the barriers and obstacles to women’s advancement are numerous and complex including gender bias and a lack of mentoring.  I think to gain additional traction; we need to get to young girls [in early education]."

To learn about more women in STEM, view the 100 Women Leaders in STEM by STEM Connector


 

Spotlight on Community Members

Kathy Johnson, CEO/Executive Director of Vital Link
 

Some children know from a very young age what they want to be when they grow up. For the vast majority, though, the road to a fulfilling and promising career is unclear. Vital Link is a non-profit organization dedicated to connecting students to a career path that provides them with a meaningful and economically sustainable career. Kathy Johnson has taken a small organization serving 200 youth, and expanded it to help over 4,500 students directly and 10,000 students indirectly. One of the services that Vital Link provides is  taking students on field trips to see the day-to-day happenings of someone in an exciting career. Vital Link supports and enhances STEM education because of its emphasis on experiential learning. Children are able to see someone in a STEM profession, and connect their interests to a tangible career. 
 

STEM Community Events

March-April 2014
 

Events Recap


Anaheim Ducks First Flight Event

On Feb 25, 2014 the Anaheim Ducks hosted more than 14,000 3-6 graders at the Honda Center for their First Flight Field Trip. The Theme for this year was "Cool Like Ice" as kids learned about and explored the science of ice!

 

Upcoming April Events

  • OC Science & Engineering Fair (April 8-10, 2014)
  • MAZDA Sport Century Event at Anaheim Union High School (April 8, 2014)
  • STEM & the Arts Career Fair and Showcase (April 11-13, 2014)
  • Youth Expo @ OC Fairgrounds (April 11-13, 2014)
  • STEM-Maker Photo Contest (April 15-May 15, 2014)
  • VEX Robotics World Championship (April 24-26, 2014)

If you have any events you would like to see added in future newsletters, email us at nakridge@ocstem.org.

 


 

STEM Reports:

-Defining Youth Outcomes for STEM-Learning in Afterschool
-Elements of a Quality STEM Program
-How Cross Sector Collaborations are Advancing STEM Learning
-STEM Integration of K-12 Education
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