GSE/EXT: Girls RISE (Raising Interest in Science and Engineering) Museum Network

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Intellectual Merit: Based on nearly two decades of museum programming for low-income Hispanic and African American girls at the Miami Science Museum, this extension service project employs a train-the-trainers approach to build a network of museum-based Extension Agents dedicated to helping informal science educators attract the interest and support the persistence of minority girls, grades 6-12, currently underrepresented in STEM studies. Led by the Miami Science Museum, the collaboration brings together an experienced group of institutions with representation from the informal science, gender research, and engineering communities.In addition to the Museum, the Expert Project Team consists of key staff from the Association of Science-Technology Centers (ASTC), and SECME Inc. (formerly the Southeastern Consortium of Minorities in Engineering), who serve as the conduit for the participation of minority engineering professional organizations. An advisory/research panel of researchers in gender in STEM, whose work complements those of the project investigators, works closely with the Expert Project Team to prepare Extension Agents from ten geographically dispersed museums, who in turn provide a range of training and peer mentoring services to the practitioner community of informal science educators in science-rich institutions nationwide. Participating museums include: Connecticut Science Center (Hartford, CT), New York Hall of Science (New York, NY), Maryland Science Center (Baltimore, MD), Miami Science Museum (Miami, FL), COSI (Columbus, OH), St. Louis Science Center (St. Louis, MO), Louisville Science Center (Louisville, KY), Sci-Port (Shreveport, LA), Explora (Albuquerque, NM), and California Academy of Sciences (San Francisco, CA).Specific objectives of the project are to:- Utilize the national network of science centers and museums to raise awareness and broaden access for girls underrepresented in STEM.- Develop linkages among organizations with the common purpose of increasing the pipeline of minority female engineers.- Facilitate the translation of gender and diversity research into practice through a unified training program.- Provide ongoing services, access to program materials, and tools to broaden the ability of science centers and museum practitioners to provide relevant and engaging programming for girls.The Girls Rise Network's program of change is tightly focused on increasing the capacity of science centers and museums to interest girls from underrepresented populations in the engineering sciences. It consists of three major processes:1. Assessing organizational climate with respect to gender, race and ethnicity.2. Identifying and building community resources related to recruiting, serving and retaining girls in the engineering pipeline.3. Optimizing the informal science learning environment to engage minority girls in engineering precollege competitions and related programming.Broader Impacts: The extension services provided through the Girls RISE Museum Network enable museum practitioners to reach a more diverse population, potentially impacting hundreds of girls; and contribute to broader efforts to reduce barriers to minority girls? participation in STEM activities, courses, and majors. In addition, the informal science educators participating in the project benefit from increased awareness and knowledge of cultural differences, resulting in a network of culturally competent educational leaders within the informal science learning community. The project draws from Expert Project Team resources to provide a central repository of high-quality resources for engaging girls, particularly Hispanic and African American girls, in engineering.