STEM*

* Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics

In partnership with South Central College and the South Central Schools Cooperative, and funded with a Federal Perkins Grant, the Greater Mankato Diversity Council offers a STEM Equity Program that focuses on middle school and high school female (and male) students to explore their potential in STEM fields. 

The STEM Equity Program aims to

• Break gender stereotypes: STEM careers are not only for male students. Female and male students of all backgrounds can have STEM careers.
• Discover the fun of STEM and its significant effect on the society.
• Demonstrate that scientists and engineers help millions of people.
• Introduce female STEM professionals.
• Illustrate the USA's needs for female (and male and diverse!) STEM professionals​.

General Information

• We may visit each school for one or more days to determine an appropriate strategy for each class.
• Most school visits are scheduled during the second half of the school year (February - May).
• Workshops include presentations, short videos, and hands-on activities.
• Facilitators are provided with training for each grade's curriculum.

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Pre- and post-surveys by students, teachers, and facilitators are taken for each program. Statistical analysis of these surveys illustrates the effectiveness of the program, including female and male students' attitudes towards gender bias and STEM careers. The results have been consistently very positive!

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STEM Equity Curriculum

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7th grade:
Science is Fun for Everyone

• Address gender bias in general in a game of "whose job is it?"
• Discuss why specific jobs are predominantly occupied by one gender.
• Hands-on activity "science magic", using household items to illustrate science is fun (to both boys and girls).

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8th grade:
Myth Buster

• Address job-related gender bias by asking students what their future "dream" jobs are. Typically, there is a striking difference in job choices between genders.
• "Bust" stereotypes (or myths) regarding women, such as not being good at math, not liking to do dirty work, unfit for leadership, etc.
• Introduce what civil engineers and architects do - males dominate both fields currently.
• Build a tower in a hands-on architectural/civil engineering project: competition among small groups (gender, not mixed) to build the highest paper tower possible.
• Prove that boys and girls similarly can build impressive paper towers, and can both enjoy engineering-type activities like building paper towers.

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9th grade:
Math Doesn't Suck
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• Introduces topology as a math - with puzzles - to explain why topology is applied in science and technology.
• Teach the importance of logical thinking with a series of brain teasers.
• Visualize facts using math and lear the basics of statistics.

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10th grade:
Get Physical!

• Demonstrates how modern technology, such as smartphones, cannot exist without physics principles such as solid-state physics, electromagnetic waves, and optics.
• Understand how physics and inventing simple equipment can help millions of people. Examples of such technology include, using a salad spinner as a centrifugal machine (demonstration), a soccer ball that can be charged by kicking (demonstration), and 3D printing (video).
• Make the impossible possible with physics: high-end prosthetics (video) and invisible cloak (hands-on activity).

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