Get into STEM with the Girl Scouts

Know a girl who wants to get into STEM (science, technology, engineering, math)? If you’re looking for after-school activities, check out the Girl Scouts! There, girls can immerse themselves in STEM education and even earn spiffy new badges for “Naturalist,” “Digital Art,” “Science and Technology,” “Innovation” and “Financial Literacy.”

Girls push boundaries, test limits, and look at the world around them with inquisitive eyes. They're natural scientists!

Girl Scouts introduces girls of every age to science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) experiences relevant to everyday life. Whether they're discovering how a car's engine runs, how to manage finances, or exploring careers in STEM fields, girls are fast-forwarding into the future.


STEM and the National Program

Every girl needs a chance to explore the fascinating world of STEM. Girl Scouting encourages girls of all ages by offering "fun with purpose" through its K–12 national program. The Girl Scout program includes two curriculum resources: National Leadership Journeys and National Proficiency Badges.

Leadership Journeys are core to Girl Scouting because they lead girls to discover what they care about and change the world. Girls explore a variety of interests along a Journey, everything from the arts to the outdoors and, of course, STEM.


Girl Scouts' Unique Approach to STEM

Girl Scouts' approach to STEM is unique because:

• STEM experiences are framed within the context of leadership: As girls participate in Girl Scouting, they develop leadership skills to make the world a better place. Research shows girls are more interested in STEM careers when they know how their work can help others.
• The Girl Scout Leadership Experience engages girls through the three Girl Scout processes of: girl-led, learning by doing, and cooperative learning.

Here's how these processes provide quality STEM experiences for girls:

Girl-led: Even when a girl has an interest in STEM, she might find that boys take the lead in a school environment due to unspoken assumptions about gender roles. Girl Scouts offers a safe, supportive place for girls to seek challenges. The girl-led process encourages girls to decide which topics they want to explore and how they want to go about it.

Learning by doing: Research shows that, particularly with STEM, youth need to be hands-on, active learners. The learning-by-doing process encourages this approach. In addition, Girl Scouts' learning-by-doing process involves a reflection step that asks girls to think about how a given activity worked and what they would do differently in the future—a key skill in scientific testing and conducting experiments.

Cooperative learning: In general, girls prefer a collaborative leadership style, rather than the traditional, top-down, "command and control" approach. The cooperative learning process gives girls the opportunity to develop leadership and STEM skills in a way that might feel most comfortable.



Read more at girlscouts.org.

Girls Love Science Too: 5 Tech Toys to Inspire Your Daughter

It can be hard to overcome all the messaging that science is just for boys. If your daughter is more hesitant to try out the discipline, consider one of these STEM-friendly toys that are targeted just for girls!

Doc McStuffins

Wired reports kids in kindergarten can find science intimidating, characterizing it has "hard" or "only for adults." At the same time, girls in particular begin absorbing cultural messages that their intelligence isn’t necessarily an attractive trait. But Doc McStuffins acts as an antidote to those ideas.

A talking doll with her own animated show on Disney, the Doc character is a young African-American girl who loves science. She practices play-medicine on her dolls, using her glitter-encrusted medical tools to treat and diagnose them. Because Doc is a child, her approach to science-based themes feels friendly and accessible, not to mention, it actively changes the image kids usually conjure up when they think of the word "scientist."

Doc's positive influence has made her so popular even adults love her.

Roominate

Roominate was created by three Stanford-educated engineers who all credit their interest in science to early childhood exposure to it. Their self-designed toy got quite a bit of attention this year, and for good reason: It allows girls to design and build a customizable dollhouse, including designing the furniture and wiring the rooms for electricity. Because the wiring aspect is simple, and the dollhouse parts are made for small hands, there’s no intimidation factor involved. Even better, Roominate helps girls learn basic engineering concepts while they exercise their imaginations.

Creative Cosmetics

Thames & Kosmos is renowned for creating a variety of cool science-based kits for kids, but one in particular unites the concepts of chemistry and beauty. Creative Cosmetics is the kit that teaches kids how to mix ingredients to create particular chemical reactions, and then use those principles to formulate their own unique skin cleansers, shampoos and makeup products.

Thames & Kosmos also creates a similar kit called Perfume Science, which uses the same principles so that kids can create customizable fragrances.

GoldieBlox

Goldieblox is an engineering toy with a twist. Creator Debbie Sterling discovered that while boys naturally like building things, girls really love reading. And so she created an interactive story based around "Goldie, the kid inventor who loves to build." As girls read along, they construct whatever Goldie does. In the first installment, girls build a "belt drive," which Sterling cleverly names a "Spinning Machine." Later in the series, they design a vehicle and erect a pulley elevator.


SmartMax Magnetic Discovery

SmartMax is a series of building blocks originally sold in Europe. What makes them special is that they're loaded with heavy-duty magnets, allowing for easy connectivity and stability. Its "Flower Palace" series in particular is a refreshing change from the severe aesthetics of traditional building sets. And because these blocks are also made from larger pieces, small hands can handle them with ease.


Read more here.

Guy Kawasaki: Want to be enchanting? Get your smile right

Need more proof about the power of a smile? Guy Kawasaki, former chief evangelist for Apple, says that an “enchanting smile” can have a major effect on your career and success.

You’re smiling, but are you doing it right?


Guy Kawasaki, an author and former chief evangelist for Apple Inc., shared thoughts on Thursday ranging from big picture advice down to tips for giving a PowerPoint presentation – and how to light up a room with your smile.

Kawasaki was in town for Bold Fusion, the annual summit for young professionals. He spoke to a crowd of about 500 at Music Hall, delivered key ideas from his new book, "Enchantment: The Art of Changing Hearts, Minds and Actions."

Most of the ideas were pretty general: Try to be likable and trustworthy, for example, and make sure your products are functional and elegant.

But Kawasaki brought his points to life with examples and applications. People like you more when you smile – but only if you do it right. Lose the “Pan Am smile,” which involves only the lower part of the face, and go for the “Duchenne,” which takes hold in the eyes, too. Don’t be afraid of crow’s feet.

“You’re not getting older,” he said. “You’re getting more enchanting.”

One guy who wasn’t always enchanting was the late Apple CEO Steve Jobs, whom Kawasaki worked with. Jobs wasn’t shy about insulting, even humiliating, his employees.

“Everything you know about HR,” he said, “he did the opposite.”

Perhaps Kawasaki’s most practical lesson: When you give a slide presentation, keep it to 10 slides, and speak for no more than 20 minutes. This, even though Kawasaki admittedly went through 60 slides and used 40 minutes.

“You,” he reminded playfully, “are not me.”

Read more here.

Pittsburgh Miller Promotes Breast Cancer Awareness

Congrats to the students at Pittsburgh Miller Pre K-5, who raised $250 for breast cancer awareness! We’re always encouraged to read of Pittsburgh students taking initiative to make the world a better place. Read their story below.

The students at Pittsburgh Miller Pre K-5, An African Centered Academy, raised over $250 to support Breast Cancer Awareness during their THINK PINK Campaign by making and selling hand-made breast cancer awareness pins to the entire school community. All proceeds were donated to the Cancer Caring Center in a special school presentation on Thursday, November 1, 2012. The Cancer Caring Center is a local nonprofit whose mission is to help cancer survivors, their families, and concerned friends cope effectively with the emotional impact of cancer through a variety of free support services. You can learn more about this organization by directing your web browser to www.cancercaring.org.

Initially, four students wrote a proposal to raise money for the Cure for Cancer. From this proposal, a parent volunteer and fifth grade teacher, accompanied by eight students from the DREAMTEAM, led the initiative to create handmade pins to be sold for $1.00 per person. The fundraising efforts lasted throughout the month of October. To celebrate the success of the THINK PINK Campaign, everyone wore pink on Monday, October 29.

Congratulations to the students at Pittsburgh Miller for contributing to their community and to the staff for encouraging our young people to think beyond the walls of their school!

Read more here: http://php.pghboe.net/news/index.php/2012/11/16/pittsburgh-miller-dreamteam/

What Kind of First Impression Are You Making?

When you meet someone for the first time, they may be forming an opinion of you without even knowing it. However, some of the ways people come to those opinions aren’t what you may expect. Check out these five things people rate you by so you can make that first impression count!


1. Your Feet Do the Talking
You can never have too many shoes—and people judge you based on every single pair. In a study published in Journal of Research in Personality, researchers found that people could accurately guess a stranger’s age, gender, and income simply by looking at what was on their feet. They also associated certain personality traits with different shoes. More masculine-looking pairs were thought to be worn by less agreeable people, while stylish or attractive shoes were assumed to be donned by rich, conscientious folks. And people rocking those ankle boots that are so in right now came across as aggressive.


2. Cosmetic Powers
Brushing on a little shadow or blush can not only up your attractiveness factor, it can make you appear more confident. In a 2011 study funded by Proctor & Gamble and performed by Harvard University, people said women wearing a little makeup were more likeable, competent, and trustworthy than those with bare faces.

But don’t use a heavy hand with that eyeliner: Too much makeup still made women attractive, but they also seemed untrustworthy and dishonest, especially when participants only got a quick glimpse of the woman.


3. Grin and Bear It

Your dentist is about to become your most popular medical practitioner. Earlier this year, Kelton Research conducted a study funded by Invisalign where more than 1,000 people were shown pictures of men and women’s teeth. Those with straight smiles were perceived to be happier, smarter, and more successful and popular than those with crooked teeth.

Thirty-eight percent also said crooked choppers would kill the chances of a second date, and almost half said that when two job candidates had the same skills and experience, one with straight teeth would be hired over one with crooked teeth.


4. The Clothes Make the Woman
While Hillary Rodham Clinton rocks the pantsuit—and certainly nobody would doubt her confidence or competence—showing a little leg (tastefully, of course) may work better for you. Women in skirt suits were thought to earn more money and be more confident than those in pantsuits in a study conducted at the U.K.’s University of Hertfordshire. The researchers say the skirt balances professionalism with attractiveness without being provocative.

Wearing the right outfit can also change your self-perception, researchers at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management found. Students who wore white lab coats while doing a scientific experiment performed better than those in regular clothes.


5. Take Up Space
Simply standing tall can speak volumes. According to a 2011 study published in Psychological Science, so-called “posture expansiveness”—where you open up the body and occupy space—not only makes you appear more confident and authoritative, you actually think and act that way. Posture matters even more than your title: It gives you a sense of power, no matter where you line up on the totem pole, researchers say.

Read the full article on Shape.com.

Central Catholic Mothers’ Guild Annual Fashion Show and Luncheon This Weekend

The Central Catholic Mothers’ Guild Annual Fashion Show and Luncheon is this weekend! Mike Clark of WTAE will be serving as Master of Ceremonies and fashions will be by Talbots of Shadyside. Registration is now closed but it looks like it will be a fabulous event. Anyone planning to go?

Event information:


Each year, the Central Catholic Mothers’ Guild sponsors a fall fashion show and luncheon. This year’s event is entitled “Shades of Autumn” and will be held at the Churchill Valley Country Club on Sunday, November 18, 2012. Mike Clark will be serving as Master of Ceremonies with Fashions by Talbots.

We are starting something new this year that we hope will be a hit. You are now able to purchase bottles of wine for your table! You can pre‐order the bottle(s) of your choice on your registration form. Just an fyi‐one bottle of wine yields four glasses (depending on the size of your glass!) The bottles will be on your table when you arrive.

All profits benefit the Mother’s Guild. As in past years you will have the chance to win one of the beautiful baskets that many of you have helped create and our “Basket Queen”, Michelle Zammirella has helped organize. There are more than 47 of them!

Read more here.

Next Week is The University of Pittsburgh’s International Week

This Sunday marks the beginning of The University of Pittsburgh’s International Week! International Week works to further people's knowledge about the world. Students and the public are invited and encouraged to attend activities which educate participants about different countries and places around the world. Check out some of the events happening below!

Sunday, November 11 

Performance -- The Ugly Duckling and the Tortoise and the Hare
Presenter: Pittsburgh International Children Theater
Time: (All day)
Location: Pittsburgh's International Children's Theater
Announced by: International Week
Contact Person: Veronica Corpuz
Contact Phone: 412-417-6082
Event Web Site: http://trustarts.culturaldistrict.org/production/34512/the-ugly-duckling-the-tortoise-and-the-hare

In an age when television, computers and video games reign supreme, Lightwire Theater (in conjunction with Corbian Visual Arts and Dance) brings the use of cutting edge technology, moving sculpture, and dance to another unforgettable theatrical experience. Using electro luminescent (EL) wire attached to puppets, the show acts out the classictales of The Ugly Duckling written by Hans Christian Anderson and The Tortoise and the Hare an Aesop’s Fable. The Ugly Duckling offers hope and inspiration as the audience roots for the rejected, ugly duckling while he exemplifies resilience and heroism on his way to becoming a beautiful swan. The Tortoise and the Hare continues to illustrate the age old adage, “slow and steady wins the race.” Lightwire Theater, with its dazzling visuals, poignant choreography and creative use of music ranging from classical to jazz to pop, literally brings these beloved tales into a new and brilliant light. The production is 55 minutes and recommended for ages 3-adult.



Cultural Event -- Polish Festival
Time: 12:00 pm - 5:00 pm
Location: Cathedral of Learning: Commons Room
Announced by: International Week, Nationality Rooms
Cost: Free
Contact Phone: 412-231-1493

Stop by the Polish Committee's Polish Festival between 12-5 pm on November 11, in the Commons Room of the Cathedral of Learning on the 1st Floor. Experience traditional Polish folk dances and singers, ethnic foods, cultural displays, and crafts for a fun and unique cultural experience! There will be performances by the Lajkoniki folk dancers of McKeesport, and musician Radoslaw Fizek will perform traditional folk songs.

Monday, November 12

Cultural Event -- World Dance Showcase
Time: 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Location: WPU Ballroom
Announced by: Global Studies Center, International Week
Contact Person: Rob Mucklo or Eva Albertson
Contact Phone: 412-624-1053
Contact Email: rom17@pitt.edu

If you are looking to learn a little more about other cultures with some entertainment thrown in then come to the William Pitt Union Ballroom and watch the World Dance Showcase. Individuals and groups have been invited to perform traditional dances from their country and perhaps get some new participants to learn their dances as well!

Join us for an evening of dance performances from around the world. Past performances have included dances from Africa, Brazil, Chile, China, England, Greece, India, Ireland, Italy, the Middle East, Peru, and more! Refreshments will be served.

Wednesday, November 14

Reception -- African Lunch
Time: 11:00 am - 2:00 pm
Location: William Pitt Ballroom in the Union
Announced by: African Studies Program, International Week
Contact Email: africast@pitt.edu

Are you interested in African Studies and African Affairs? PANAF GSPU and African Studies are sponsoring a lunch for those interested in learning more about Africa and the Diaspora. The lunch will feature a guest panel for discussion on African Affairs, lunch, and an African Jewelry Sale. Stop by the Ballroom and check it out!

Check out the website and Facebook for other events and more info!