Tag: STEM

#WomenInSTEM

Image Source: Pixabay.com

 

Today we are celebrating the first ever International Day of Women and Girls in Science! This day has been created by the United Nations to empower women and young girls in order to push past the perceived masculine history of STEM, and go forth into amazing scientific fields. 

According to a UN study conducted across 14 countries, the probability for female students of graduating with a Bachelor’s degree, Master’s degree and Doctor’s degree in science-related fields are 18%, 8% and 2% respectively, while the percentages of male students are 37%, 18% and 6%. Now is the time to change those numbers!

Here at High Touch High Tech we pride ourselves with putting FUN, hands-on, science right into the hands of children across the globe!

We recently heard from Samantha Greenseid, a student that grew up having High Touch High Tech programs visit her classrooms while she was going to school.  Here is Samantha’s story: 

“Ever since I can remember I have been intrigued by science. That being said, High Touch High Tech was introduced in my life when I was about four years old. I remember being a toddler at Temple Beth Am and this eccentric “Dan the Science Man” entered the multi-purpose room. His daughter, Becca, was one of my friends so I was excited to see him. But the excitement only grew when he started teaching us about the wonders of science. Digging for fossils, making the infamous baking soda and vinegar volcanoes, and many more experiments were my first memories of science, and it all started with High Touch High Tech!

Fast forward about 19 years, I am now 23 years old and about to start my journey into medical school in Missouri in July 2015. A lot of other children were exposed to High Touch High Tech and obviously are not becoming scientists, doctors or nurses. My interest for science was probably deeply-rooted into my soul from the day I was born, but without having High Touch High Tech teach me so early on about the excitement for science, I don’t think I would’ve explored science so early in middle and high school and then went on to graduate with a Bachelors of Science degree in Biology from Florida State University. The future of science and medicine is in the hand of our youth, and that’s exactly where High Touch High Tech aims their focus. Without Dan and HTHT, who know where I would be. I know where I’m headed and it’s because of High Touch High Tech. Thank you Dan the Science Man for allowing me to pursue becoming a physician and helping others from such an early age.”

Please share your Women in Science stories with us! We’d love to hear how science has influenced your lives!

Would you buy a STEM Doll?

                                                                                                                                                                                                   Image Source: MGA Entertainment – Permission grated to use Image on  8-11-2015

Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics make up the acronym STEM. The integration of STEM has gained momentum in education in the United States. This is partly because of the increased emphasis on it by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and federal funding of legislation for STEM.

Recently the toy company MGA Entertainment launched a line of four dolls, each of which focuses on an aspect of STEM. Each doll comes with a working experiment kit, so kids can play and feel inspired to learn more about science, technology, engineering and mathematics. The line of dolls called Project Mc² comes with a matching experiment kit, to create working volcanoes, lava lights, glow stick necklaces or blueprint skateboards.  Customers can build and rebuild all of these projects using household ingredients.

 

Why dolls?

In response to a growing demand to get girls interested in STEM, MGA Entertainment released dolls that could act as smart, empowered role models.

In addition to incorporating STEM, MGA Entertainment didn’t want every doll to look exactly the same.

“We wanted the characters to reflect what a real life group of friends would look like,” Isaac Larian, CEO of MGA Entertainment said. “Each character is engineered to stand at a different height, has a unique face sculpt and represents a different cultural background.”

In addition to the release of the dolls, a Netflix Original series also titled Project Mc² will premiere on August 7, 2015. The show focuses on four girls inspired by the dolls who are recruited to join a top-secret spy organization.

Available NOW on Netflix!!

LEGO’s New Toys Celebrate STEM & Women in Science

Image Source: Pixabay.com

Good news for lovers of tiny, plastic science – female LEGO researchers will hit shelves this August. On Wednesday, the company announced a new collection titled “Research Institute,” an all-female line with characters pursuing three distinct fields: astronomy, paleontology and chemistry.

The project came about after Swedish geochemist Ellen Kooijman submitted it to Lego Ideas, a fan-based incubator that allows the Lego community to vote on potential collections. After earning the required 10,000 votes, “Research Institute” went on to be selected by the Lego board — beating popular franchises such as Sherlock, Adventure Time, Back to the Future and The Legend of Zelda.

The new set is a result of the LEGO Ideas project, which allows users to create and upload their own toy concepts. People then vote on the ideas and the winner is turned into a real product, as Geekosystem reports.

Previous winners have included a Mars Curiosity Rover and a DeLorien from Back to the Future, but we’re not sure that they’re as awesome as the winner of this Winter 2014 Review – which includes a female paleontologist, astronomer and chemist, AND a dinosaur skeleton.

The set will be titled the LEGO Research Institute and the idea was initially submitted by Alatariel Elensar, who wrote, “The motto of these scientists is clear: explore the world and beyond!”

LEGO joins the ranks alongside other toy makers that are realizing the importance of STEM & the growing need for women in science. Check out our archived blog post on Goldiblocks, a company reaching millions of little girls via their innovative engineering kits.

Fewer than 3 out of 10 graduates in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics fields are women. And barely 1 in 10 actual engineers are women. Early in a girl’s life, the toys marketed to her are usually things that don’t encourage her to enter those fields. 

In a world where men largely outnumber women in science, technology, engineering and math… and girls lose interest in these subjects as early as age 8. Toys that are geared toward STEM, such as the new LEGO & GoldieBlox are determined to change the equation. These toys develop an early interest in these subjects, but for over a hundred years, they’ve been considered “boys toys”. 

We can’t help but get excited to see toy companies & manufactures truly inspiring a whole new generation of future scientists! 

Company Aims to “Disrupt the Pink Aisle” with Fun Science!

Fewer than 3 in 10 graduates in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics are women. And barely 1 in 10 actual engineers are women. Early in a girl’s life, the toys marketed to her are usually things that don’t encourage her to enter those fields. 

In a world where men largely outnumber women in science, technology, engineering and math…and girls lose interest in these subjects as early as age 8, GoldieBlox is determined to change the equation. Construction toys develop an early interest in these subjects, but for over a hundred years, they’ve been considered “boys toys”. By designing a construction toy from the female perspective, GoldieBlox is “disrupting the pink aisle” & inspiring the future generation of female engineers.

This company is teaching young girls that these fields of science can be fun – and apparently, epic by the looks of this super-genius 2-minute video. Watch & Learn! 

If you like what GoldieBlox is doing to innovate for girls’ toys, you could Like them on Facebook. And if you want to see them win a chance at airing their commercial in the Super Bowl, make sure you go & vote here! 

GoldieBlox spent three weeks building a magical machine of toys with a crew of future inventors, present day engineers, and imagination specialists. Among the leaders was Sabrina, a 7 year old who walked the film crew through the garage portion of “The Princess Machine” of GoldieBlox. Check out all of the behind-the-scenes magic of this epic video! http://bit.ly/HWNb4S — check out the toys that made this possible. 

 

The inventor and CEO of GoldieBlox, Debbie Sterling, went to Stanford University to earn her engineering degree. Looking to make your own mark in the engineering world & STEM movement? Start here to see the list of the best schools for engineering! 

Want more STEM? Check out our monthly STEM Spotlight! 

 

Science for Christmas!

Science is fun for the whole family. It can span the ages and intrigue the whole family. It will surprise you how well science gifts can be received, even grandfather’s and mothers in-law will like a science gift if you try giving science gifts this holiday season. With so many divisions of science, you ought to be able to find something that suits each person on your list–and sometimes, that hard-to-buy-for person can be the easiest one to buy a science gift for.

 

 

 

Science is fun for the whole family.  It can span the ages and intrigue the whole family.  It will surprise you how well science gifts can be received, even grandfather’s and mothers in-law will like a science gift if you try giving science gifts this holiday season.  With so many divisions of science, you ought to be able to find something that suits each person on your list–and sometimes, that hard-to-buy-for person can be the easiest one to buy a science gift for.

 

Why Science?

Science is SO important, and too many people feel intimidated by it. I’ve made it a personal mission to promote sciences to homeschoolers, to encourage them to observe and question the natural world around them, to tell them that science is nothing to fear.

So why is science so important? Simple. Because it is all around us in the natural world we live in, and our technology, too, is becoming more and more complex, and in order for us, as adults, to make informed decisions, we need a solid understanding of science in order to interpret the scientific messages we received day-in and day-out..

Many of us have known for a very long time that our children, here in America, are being left behind by the other children of the world, due to an education deficit all across the board, but no subjects so significant as math and science. Thank goodness we’re waking up to the call for reform. President Obama announced recently the need for increased attention to math and science education, national organizations like STEM, have been promoting science education, as well as some celebrities like Adam Savage of the popular show, Mythbusters. Including science in your holiday gift-giving will help to get the ball rolling, but science is for every-day, and should be incorporated as a natural part of yours and your child’s lives.

Learn the many sub-divisions of Science & get great gift ideas for the science lover in your family in this great article Science For Christmas!  

ScienceMadeFunKids Announces the “Name That Site” Contest!

Hey Parents, Teachers & Kids – We need your help!

The NEW premier section of ScienceMadeFunKids is looking for an exciting & compelling name! The new section will debut in 2012 & offer amazing and engaging activities where science & imagination collide!

If your entry is chosen you could win one of these exciting prizes:

– a FREE 1-year subscription to the NEW premier section of ScienceMadeFunKids!
– a FREE in-school field trip for your entire class!
– a FREE Sizzlin’ Science Birthday Party!

Simply log on to ScienceMadeFunKids to submit your “Bright Idea” today!




Good Luck!

 

 

Unprecedented Scientific City To Be Built in New Mexico!

There are all kinds of ghost towns around the globe. There’s an abandoned city in Latvia that was up for auction.  There are multiple small former communities in Antarctica, which are present day ghost towns. At one point, there was even a ghost town amusement park, abandoned in the heart of New Orleans.  This past  Tuesday, a Washington based technilogical co mpany mad e the big announcement of a new, modern day ghost town that  sounds straight out of the movie- Back To The Future.

There is no doubt that this brand-spanking new “city of the future” would make Doc proud! New Mexico is already home to several of the nation’s premier scientific, nuclear and military institutions.

The 20-square-mile model of a small US city named “The Center,” will be  used to test everything from renewable energy innovations to intelligent traffic systems, next-generation wireless networks and smart-grid cyber security systems.  No one will live in The City but it will be modeled after a typical American town of 35,000 people, complete with highways, houses and commercial buildings, old and new.

The Center is an unprecedented science project that will allow private companies, not for profits, educational institutions and government agencies to test in a unique facility with real world infrastructure, allowing them to better understand the cost and potential limitations of new technologies. For instance, developers of solar technology will be able to assess exactly how their systems would best be delivered and used in one house where the thermostat is set at 78, and another where it’s set at 68. The center could also help show how efficient it might be in an old building versus a new one.

You can read more about the announcement of The Center on the Washington Post website by clicking here: