Archive for the ‘STEM for girls’ Category

Girls explore Non-traditional careers at Sierra College

Friday, October 17th, 2014

On Oct. 17, 2014 nearly 100 girls visited Sierra College, were inspired by entrepreneurial women in tech fields, made hands-on projects in labs and met for round table discussions with mentors from local companies.

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Sacramento Hacker Lab Hosts Sac Hackapalooza June 14 & 15

Monday, May 19th, 2014

Sac Hackapalooza, a youth hackathon will be held at Hacker Lab in Sacramento on June 14 & 15, 2014.  This weekend long hackathon and makeathon is limited to 100 young people, ages 12 to 18 years old.

The event is being offered in partnership with Girls Who Code, a national non-profit working to close the gender gap in the technology and engineering sectors.

Hacker Lab’s goal is “inspiring a generation of youth who are excited about coding brings limitless innovation to our economy, creates better thinkers, and allows development of entities that will improve the human condition.”

Sierra College CACT is a Hacker Lab partner and contributed a 3D printer and soldering equipment.


Sierra College Arts & Innovation Day is Sept. 26, 2013

Thursday, September 12th, 2013

Sierra College hosts “Arts and Innovation” day on Thursday, September 26th, 2013. This new, all-day event is free, open to the public and features lectures, workshops and fun activities for all ages. Presentations will emphasize the critical link between the arts and science, technology, engineering and math. The organizers believe that the arts and innovation are critical to science and engineering, and that science and engineering are critical to artistic expression.

The event will offer a project based Creativity Fair from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm, at which a wide variety of student clubs, faculty, vendors and sponsors will provide hands on projects designed to promote creativity and innovation. Additional activities include musical performances and workshops, as well as a Creativity Salon, Art Installation Tour and Scavenger Hunt, Nature and Art Tour, welding demos, and much more.

Sculptor, Anthony Maki-Gill, Carr Wilkerson, System Administrator at Stanford’s Center for Computer Research in Music and Acoustics (CCRMA), Larry Ortiz, director of Nevada Placer Arts Council, The California Arts Project (TCAP) and guest Comedy Improv artist, Brian Crall, join an impressive roster of faculty and guest speakers. The series of thought provoking lectures planned throughout the day will explore the role arts education plays in developing creativity and fostering innovation across discipline, especially in math, science and engineering.

Keynote speakers are Maryanna Rogers Ph.D, Executive Education Workshop Facilitator for the Hasso Plattner Institute of Design (d.school) at Stanford University and Director of Innovation for The Tech Museum of Innovation in San Jose, CA.; Kathleen Taylor, Ph.D, professor of psychology at Sierra College in Rocklin and a specialist in Social-Cultural psychology; and Angela Tahti, Executive Director of the Arts Council of Placer County DBA PlacerArts.

In the spirit of “Arts and Innovation” day, the Ridley Gallery will also be presenting “Kinetic Conveyance”, art invented, engineered, designed, fabricated and powered by humans. This photographic and video documentary-image driven exhibition makes visible the thinking, innovation, and collaboration between disciplines of Engineering, Art, Welding, Music, Drama and more. The Ridley Gallery show runs from September 9 through October 3, 2013.

This exhibition focuses on creations for entry into the Kinetic Grand Championship in Humboldt County, California, also called the “Triathlon of the Art World” because art and engineering are combined with physical endurance during a three day cross country race that includes sand, mud, pavement, a bay crossing, a river crossing and major hills. The Ridley Gallery will showcase images from the 2013 race, the prize winning entry from Colfax High School, and the planning stages of Sierra College entry for 2014!

A reception for this exhibition will be held on Tuesday, September 10 from 4-7pm. Ridley Galley is located on the first floor of the Library/LR 102, on the Rocklin campus, 5000 Rocklin Rd, Rocklin. Regular hours for Ridley Gallery are 11am -6:00 pm Monday through Thursday. Admission to Ridley Gallery is free and open to the public.

There is a $3 parking fee on campus. Parking permits are available at dispensers located on the campus parking lot. For more information, Call (916) 660-7242 or check out our website at www.sierracollege.edu . Click on events


Super-Awesome Sylvia Shares Her Projects

Tuesday, September 10th, 2013

Check out some fun STEM projects that might intrigue your students at Sylvia’s Super Awesome Maker Show.

Pre-teen Sylvia demonstrates in short movies “everything cool and worth making.” Find rockets, sewing circuitry, pendants that display your heart beat and many more electronic projects.

At this year’s White House Science Fair, President Obama invited her to exhibit her water color robot as a representative of the Maker community. She was also featured on the front cover of Maker magazine.

Keep those great movies and projects coming!


Colfax Student InventTeam takes invention to MIT EurekaFest

Friday, June 28th, 2013

Colfax EurekaFest 015 (1)Colfax High School students, lead by teacher Jonathan Schwartz demonstrated the construction tool they invented at the MIT EurekaFest in June 2013. Carol Pepper-Kittredge of Sierra College serves as a mentor to the team.

Read more about the event at Time – Kiddovation: 6 Cool Inventions from High-Schoolers at MIT’s EurekaFest

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Girls inspired to consider nontraditional STEM Careers at Sierra College

Wednesday, April 24th, 2013

Sierra College faculty inspired high school girls, instilled new confidence and invited them to pursue technical careers at the first Nontraditional Employment for Women (NEW) event held on Friday, April 19.

Small groups, hands-on on projects, female role models, encouraging professors and a warm welcome to Sierra College were all part of the strategy to inspire girls at the NEW event according to Carol Pepper-Kittredge, Director, Center for Applied Competitive Technology Center (CACT), Sierra College. Held at the Rocklin campus, girls from Roseville, Nevada City, Truckee and communities in between were introduced to Science, Technology, Engineering & Math (STEM) education and careers paths.

“We wanted these girls to know that they can succeed in nontraditional careers and make a difference for their families, community and the world,” said Pepper-Kittredge. “The event was designed to engage girls, and help them see themselves attending Sierra College and taking computer, design, welding, Mechatronics and other Career Technical Education (CTE) classes.”

 


KNCO interviews Carol Pepper-Kittredge on attracting girls to nontraditional STEM Careers

Thursday, April 18th, 2013

On Friday, April 19, girls from Placer and Nevada county high schools will experience what it might be like to study Mechatronics, Welding, Drafting & Engineering Support and other Career Technical Education programs that are nontraditional for women. Listen to the April 18 (10:25am) KNCO interview with Carol Pepper-Kittredge, CACT Director, Sierra College to learn more about this event aimed at attracting young women to STEM careers — Nontraditional Employment for Women Workshop.

NEW Flyer Sierra College STEM Event to allow girls to experience nontraditional education paths

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Girls Explore Nontraditional Employment for Women (NEW) at Sierra College

Tuesday, April 16th, 2013

On Friday, April 19, at the NEW Event, high school girls, in groups of less than 10, will meet Sierra College faculty, create a project and learn about careers that are nontraditional for women such as welding, mechatronics, automotive and drafting.

This intimate NEW event will give girls a welcoming introduction to a technical education path at Sierra College. They will see labs, use tools, build projects, meet female college students and learn about careers. The event is designed to connect with girls and inspire their career plans.

At the Sierra College Nontraditional Employment for Women (NEW) Event expect:

  • Girls doing hands-on projects using power and hand-tools in college labs.
  • Students using diagnostic equipment to troubleshoot basic mechanical issues on a car.
  • Women designing with 3D software and seeing 3D printing or additive manufacturing.
  • Females learning basic fabrication skills to make their own metal flower vase.
  • Girls interacting with faculty and college students at six different labs on campus.

Businesses seek more employees in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM). Women are underrepresented in these fields. Attracting female students to technical careers will help supply workers needed to maintain a global competitiveness and provide living wage employment to women.

 


Sierra College Auto Student wins Soroptimist Award

Tuesday, March 12th, 2013

Congratualtions to Sierra College students, Kathryn Potts who won the Women’s Opportunity Award from Soroptimist International Loomis Basin.

Potts plans to become an automotive technician or an automotive service writer. “I have always liked fixing thing and seeing how they work,” said Potts. “By working in this traditionally male field, I will be able to make a great life for my kids.”

Several Loomis Basin School District teachers also won grants at the ceremony in Loomis on February 27 to enhance thier mathematics programs:

Susan McQueen, 6th grade math and science teacher at Loomis Grammar School, received a grant to buy a supplemental math program that uses visual and kinesthetic approaches to provide students with a foundation for success with algebra.

Top LtoR: Patricia Sleizer; Susan McQueen; Tracey Curry; Dana Swain; Bobbi Nelson; Bottom LtoR Jennifer Ameigeiras; Amanda Tibbitts; Angela Smith

Tracey Curry, 1st grade teacher at Ophir Elementary School, was given an award to purchase tactile manipulative kits that can be used by students to reinforce and practice key first grade math concepts.

Dana Swain, 4th grade teacher at Placer School, received a grant for a banking project to enhance both math and history curricula. This program will reinforce the concept of decimals while working with money, and teach students about banking services, financial institutions and how money impacts us every day as a cornerstone of our economy.

Learn more at the Loomis News Soroptimist awards make a difference — Teachers, community members receive grants and awards.


Colfax Project Amplifies Interest in STEM Careers

Wednesday, January 23rd, 2013

Colfax students display their team's amplifiers in Tech Essentials for Freshmen

Christian Kinsey, Terry O’Keefe and Wade Wolff, Colfax High School Tech Essentials Instructors, developed a new student project this year – an amplifier –that appeals to both boys and girls. The Freshmen Design Tech students can easily plug in their ipods in to the amplifier and listen to music.

The amplifier was designed in 3D software and made with hand tools, a vacuum former and a soldering iron. Students then customized the design of their ‘skin’ using design software and a vinyl printer/cutter.

Students also used Career Cruising to assess their interests, and researched two colleges where they might apply to pursue education after high school. For instance, they might be intersted in Welding, Mechatronics, Engineering, Energy Technology or Drafting & Engineering Support at Sierra College. The Sierra College STEM Collaborative grant provided access to Career Cruising and some of the design and fabrication tools. In addition, the students took the Kiersey Temperament test to discover their personality strengths and challenges, and learning style preferences.

Students also developed their own digital portfolios, which will follow them after they graduate.Working in teams, students developed a marketing video and branding materials, and prepared a seven-minute presentation that was delivered three times to ‘judges’ attending the event on Friday, December 21. Students used digital technology (the ipad) to demonstrate their portfolios which include their four-year plans, examples of their coursework, resumes, and the amplifier fabrication process. Judges filled out a plus/delta evaluation following each team presentation, and voted on overall best table design, best video and best ‘skin’ design.

The team presentations were really outstanding! All of the ninth grade students were excited – and proud – of their projects,” said Carol Pepper-Kittredge, Director, Center for Applied Competitive Technologies, Sierra College and one of the community judges who listened to the students’ presentations. Colfax students display their team’s amplifiers in Tech Essentials for Freshmen