Texas Women and Girls in STEM Summit
Concurrent Sessions #2
11:45 a.m. - 12:30 p.m

Hosted in Zoom - See all presentations on the YouTube Playlist for Concurrent Sessions (adding as received from presenters)
 

Seeing in the Dark:  Preserving Dark Skies

The dark night sky is a dwindling natural resource most people don’t ever think much about.  This session will explore the value of darkness at night to some of the women who are part of the McDonald Observatory staff (engineers, astronomers, and educators) as well as its value for communities and nature.  Participants will also learn simple demonstrations and activities to promote dark sky preservation in their classrooms and communities.

  • Martinique Pautzke, Program Facilitator, University of Texas at Austin McDonald Observatory

  • Dr. Judy Meyer, University of Texas at Austin

 

Teach them Young: Empowering Young Girls in STEM

In this session participants will learn about our program efforts at 1ST-Gen Scholars to empower young women in STEM/ Tech beginning at the Elementary School level and through Middle School.  We will showcase our STEM programs, camps, and virtual programs that have engaged hundreds of young girls in STEM across Texas and the country.  We will feature parent and student anecdotes that affirm our programs have inspired their children to continue the pursuit of STEM education.  We will share best practices by providing interdisciplinary and differentiation strategies for diverse learners that can increase student self-efficacy in STEM alongside STEM knowledge.

  • Dr. Carmen Cruz, CPO, K20 STEM Education & Co-Founder, 1ST-Gen Scholars

 

Strengthening STEM Success through Sustaining Systems and Collaboration
Session Recording

This session will outline the components needed to strengthen access to and success in STEM careers for underrepresented students including females.  Research shows the representation of female students in the areas of STEM remains low globally despite ongoing efforts of organizations to provide access and support in this area.  As an K-12 instructional administrator with a focus in STEM, I have analyzed efforts and outcomes for underrepresented groups to provide concrete steps to support growth among female and underrepresented students in this area.

  • Danielle Moore, Instructional Design Leader K-12 Science, DeSoto ISD

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