This week in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) news, reading about the 42 all-girl robotics team from New York City will serve as your inspiration for the week. 

All-Girl Robotics Team Serves As Inspiration

The narrative says that girls have a hard time getting and staying interested in STEM subjects/activities. But at the Bronx High School of Science, 42 girls on its robotics team The Fe Maidens (Iron Maidens--get it!) say otherwise.

"The only male members of the team are coaches and mentors. (The high school’s other team is coed, and it’s neck-and-neck with the Fe Maidens when it comes to competitive wins,)” said Forbes.com.

The team has been around since 2006, and has done a fantastic job ever since encouraging girls to get into STEM.

Just reading about the all-girl team is enough to make others want to try and mimic whatever Bronx High School of Science is doing to make similar accomplishments across the country.

"In addition to competing, the Fe Maidens do a lot of outreach, letting groups from other schools tour their workshop and doing programs at community centers, getting little girls started in Lego robotics and teaching them the basics of programming,” the article said.

Read the full post.

Students Studying to Teach STEM Speak Out

“My parents support me in my pursuit in the math field, but they don’t want me to be a teacher because it doesn’t pay a lot...They heard from other people who keep telling them it’s really tough and most teachers quit within a few years,” said Thao Nguyen, a freshman at the University of Georgia to RedandBlack.com.

But that doesn’t stop her from pursuing her dreams.

A recent Harris Poll revealed that a majority of parents want their children to go into STEM fields--but not teaching STEM for fear of low compensation despite challenging work.

Read the full story.

NCSE Team Member Gives Advice for Getting Ahold of Scientific Papers

For science teachers looking to have access to pricey scientific papers without banking the bank, National Center for Science Education Josh Rosenau offered some advice.

He recommended reaching out to scientists, who are usually happy to share their work for educational purposes, turning to open educational resources, or reaching out to local university and college libraries.

Read the full post.

Bill Introduced Into Senate Would Set Aside $15 Million in Yearly Funding for Women

New legislation is being introduced that would set aside $15 million-a-year to fund K-12 STEM education for women and minorities.

The funding would start in 2017 and continue into 2021, and will help create and fund programs selected by the National Science Foundation.

The legislation is backed by Sen. Patty Murray.

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