Wednesday, September 26, 2007

Science Club for Girls Expands

Coalition member Science Club for Girls was featured in the Boston Globe this week. This 13-year-old program reached over 600 girls last year in Cambridge, MA. Now it will reach girls in other Boston-area cities as well. The program serves girls in grades K-12, encouraging older girls to work with the younger ones.

Science Club for Girls is also part of the National Girls Collaborative, which connects the numerous programs that exist to support girls in STEM learning.

Link to Boston Globe article, Sept 23, 2007

Monday, September 10, 2007

Learning Science on the Bus

Spending three hours on a bus may not be an ideal before- and after-school activity, but it is a reality for some children in rural areas. Handheld technology offers a good way to use this ride time, according to a program in rural Arkansas. Students are given laptops or video iPods loaded with educational videos, such as National Geographic Society's Wild Chronicles.

Hopefully the next step will make this an interactive experience for the kids - perhaps a hands-on activity to do once they get home?

Link to MSNBC story

Tuesday, September 04, 2007

Citizen Science: Count the Stars

"Citizen science" is a great way to engage students in real science in an out-of-school setting. There are many projects in which everyday citizens help scientists by observing the world around them and sharing the data.

One project that starts soon is "Count the Stars," managed by the folks at the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (a member of the Coalition). From Oct. 1-15, everyone is invited count the stars that they can see and complete a simple form online. This will help scientists better understand light pollution around the world.

Other citizen science projects that are widely used in after-school programs include the Cornell University Urban Bird Studies projects (Consumers Guide review) and the very large and effective GLOBE program.