1. Mission: To connect & support organizations and individuals across Texas committed to informing and motivating girls to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM)
TRICIA
The Texas Girls Collaborative Project connects organizations across the state that are interested in getting more girls in particular, but really all kids engaged in STEM. It’s part of the National Girls Collaborative Project which consists of 31 Collaboratives, serving 39 states, facilitating collaboration between 12,800 organizations that serve 8.35 million girls and 4.5 million boys.

2. Fostering Connections and Collaborations throughout Texas ✽
Fostering Connections and Collaborations throughout Texas
Disseminating Best Practices, Resources & Curriculum to Engage Girls in STEM
TRICIA
The Texas Girls Collaborative Project (or TxGCP) has 2 main goals:
To provide opportunities for organizations and individuals to connect and collaborate through regional forums, workshops and regional Google Groups.
To disseminate research-based best practices and resources to support organizations and individuals working to get more girls interested in and engaged in STEM.
When funding is available, TxGCP also offers mini-grants to support outreach to girls and collaboration across organizations.

3. Curriculum Dissemination✽
SciGirls / Latina SciGirls / SciGirls Code
Role Models Matter
Effective STEM Messaging and Strategies to Engage Girls (and All Kids in STEM)
From Hoop Gliders to Earthquake Towers - Where to Find TEKS-aligned Hands-on Activities
Texas STEM Connections: Engage with Industry & STEM Role Models
Science Action Clubs (Citizen Science)
Resourcefulness: An Introduction to the Energy-Water Nexus
WaterBotics
The 6 core dissemination efforts include:
SciGirls, a hands-on STEM curriculum and video content targeting elementary and middle school girls from Twin Cities Public Television – Additional SciGirls content such as Spanish Language resources are being disseminated for Latina SciGirls and SciGirls Code
Role Models Matter, the focus of this workshop, which comes from Techbridge, a non-profit in California focused on providing opportunities for girls in STEM
Effective STEM Messaging and Strategies to Engage Girls (and All Kids in STEM) is based on research from the National Academy of Engineering and the American Association of University Women as well as some of the resources from SciGirls – Role Models Matter and SciGirls workshops include some of this content
From Hoop Gliders to Earthquake Towers - Where to Find TEKS-aligned Hands-on Activities is a showcase of easy hands-on activities, where to find them, and how to use them
Texas STEM Connections: Engage with Industry & STEM Role Models provides an introduction to the Texas STEM Connections online volunteer connection system and how to effectively engage and find STEM volunteers (or be a volunteer)
Science Action Clubs is for out-of-school programs to engage students in facilitated citizen science activities created by the California Academy of Sciences.
Resourcefulness is an app designed as an introduction to the energy-water nexus. The curriculum covers topics including energy and water basics, integrated and interdependent systems, and future-minded solutions such as smart cities.
WaterBotics, an underwater LEGO robotics camp curriculum for high schoolers or advanced middle schoolers from Stevens Institute of Technology
Learn more on the TxGCP website or to request a workshop or find out about upcoming workshops.

4. www.txgcp.org/stemresources Effective STEM Messaging Resources
STEM Role Model Resources
STEM Program Directories
K-12 STEM Outreach Hands-on Activity Resources
K-12 STEM Program Assessment Resources
National STEM Days/Weeks/Months
TxGCP has many resources compiled and available for free on the website. Under the Resources menu, you can find resources such as:
Effective STEM Messaging Resources: Toolkits, talking points, and the research behind messages that excite girls (and all kids) about STEM
STEM Role Model Resources: Texas STEM Connections Role Model/Volunteer matching system, FabFems STEM Role Model Database, Techbridge Role Models Matter Online Training Toolkit, SciGirls Role Model Strategies
STEM Program Directory: The Connectory as well as other camp, student opportunity and STEM organization listings
K-12 STEM Outreach Hands-on Activity Resources: a catalog of what we believe to be some of the best free hands-on STEM activity resources available catalogued by what is available through the resource (career prep info, TV/DVD/Radio content, activities and lesson plans, printable materials/handouts, games)
K-12 STEM Program Assessment Resources: free tested and validated survey instruments from the Assessing Women and Men in Engineering project, presentations on effective assessment
National STEM Days/Weeks/Months: listing of all things STEM throughout the year with links to the celebration websites

5. Connecting STEM Professionals to every student through in-person and real-time, virtual connections requested by educators
Texas STEM Connections is a web-based tool that makes it easy for STEM professionals to connect with K-20 educators, classrooms, out of school time programs, and other volunteer opportunities. Professionals can share their skills and expertise to bring real-world, authentic learning opportunities to all our students helping to create the next generation of innovators. Through in-person matches and virtual sessions, professionals can help educators and program providers connect their students to the world of STEM. Together we can make a difference.
Texas STEM Connections is a collaboration led by the Texas Girls Collaborative Project and supported by many organizations interested in creating meaningful STEM connections and role model interactions for students including: Texas Partnership for Out of School Time, Informal Science Education Association of Texas, Greater Austin STEM Ecosystem, Central Texas Discover Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin K12 STEM Collaborative, and The University of Texas at Austin Women in Engineering Program
This project was made possible with support from Intel.

6. Texas STEM Connections is a web-based tool that makes it easy for STEM professionals to connect with K-20 educators, classrooms, out of school time programs, and other volunteer opportunities. Professionals can share their skills and expertise to bring real-world, authentic learning opportunities to all our students helping to create the next generation of innovators. Through in-person matches and virtual sessions, professionals can help educators and program providers connect their students to the world of STEM. Together we can make a difference.
Texas STEM Connections is a collaboration led by the Texas Girls Collaborative Project and supported by many organizations interested in creating meaningful STEM connections and role model interactions for students including: Texas Partnership for Out of School Time, Informal Science Education Association of Texas, Greater Austin STEM Ecosystem, Central Texas Discover Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin K12 STEM Collaborative, and The University of Texas at Austin Women in Engineering Program
This project was made possible with support from Intel.

7. Finding & Being Role Models
Million Women Mentors is a place to pledge to be a role model and to also find role model opportunities in the community. Texas has pledged to engage 20,000 mentors and we are doing that through Texas STEM Connections and FabFems.
The FabFems directory is a national database of women in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) professions who are inspiring role models for young women. The FabFems directory is accessible to young women, girl-serving STEM programs, and other organizations that are working to increase career awareness and interest in STEM. Role models can create a FabFem profile and indicate how you want to be connected – either just serving as a role model with your profile online so kids can read about your experiences or volunteering to be contacted via or volunteering to host tours at your worksite. There are lots of options!

8. Our aim in Texas is to make The Connectory the one-stop-shop for all STEM events and opportunities. Wouldn’t it be nice to have ONE place to find STEM events and opportunities in your area? Wouldn’t parents love ONE place to search for events and opportunities for their kids? Wouldn’t program providers love ONE place to find other programs they might want to collaborate with…or learn from?
Help us make this the ONE place for all STEM events and opportunities in Texas! Add your event(s) in today.
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The Connectory is the largest and most comprehensive directory of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) opportunities and programs in the country
More than 5,000 STEM programs included in the online database
Represent a full range of topics in STEM – including coding for girls, robotics competitions and science summer camps
Programs in all 50 states

9. The Connectory Overview
Largest and most comprehensive directory of STEM opportunities and programs
Online collaboration tool for STEM programs
Showcase STEM opportunities to families
The free, go-to resource for families to connect the children in their lives to STEM learning opportunities
Simple, easy to use
Automatically suggests opportunities based on your location
Search-able database of STEM events, programs and activities by zip code, area of interest and time period
A portal for STEM providers to promote their programs, find partners with which to collaborate, and serve their communities more effectively
Program providers can register for free to showcase their work and connect to families and partners
A place for STEM practitioners, educators, counselors and researchers to share information, ideas and resources
Developed to promote local opportunities that build STEM skills that support positive youth development and prepare them for jobs in the 21st Century
High-quality STEM opportunities help youth learn skills like critical thinking, collaboration, creativity and communication
It’s estimated that by 2018 there will be 350,000 unfilled computer science jobs in the country. (Microsoft Research)
Salaries for STEM jobs are 71% higher than the national average (US Bureau of Labor Statistics)
Made possible by support from Time Warner Cable
Now managed by the team behind the National Girls Collaborative, in collaboration with Association of Science Technology Centers, Afterschool Alliance, Educational Development Center, Inc., Maker Education, the National Afterschool Association, and Zozude.
Visit The Connectory at

10. Promote your STEM opportunities and events with The Connectory!
The Connectory makes it easy to promote your STEM programs and opportunities to a broader audience, including families. Through The Connecotry, you have the ability to create time bound STEM opportunities, such as summer camps, one-day events, workshops, career fairs, and competitions. By adding your opportunities, families visiting The Connectory will be able to easily find your upcoming events and activities!  

11. You can also search through the Provider Portal to find other programs doing similar work, find possible collaborators, and learn about others to connect with in the STEM space.

12. Regional K12 STEM Outreach Google Groups
Regional K12 STEM Outreach Google Groups provide connections, resources and a sense of community across all engaged in K-12 STEM outreach in the region. You can find out about volunteer opportunities or post information about needing volunteers to the group. The following groups exist:
Central Texas K-12 STEM Outreach
DFW K-12 STEM Outreach
East Texas K-12 STEM Outreach
El Paso K-12 STEM Outreach
Houston K-12 STEM Outreach
Laredo K-12 STEM Outreach
Rio Grande Valley K-12 STEM Outreach
San Antonio K-12 STEM Outreach
Waco K-12 STEM Outreach
West Texas K-12 STEM Outreach

13. TxGCP has a monthly eNewsletter that contains resources such as grant opportunities, hands-on activity resources, professional development opportunities, competitions and more for educators, organizations and individuals engaging girls (and any student) in STEM. s are never shared with others and you can unsubscribe at any time.
Message and data rates may apply
The UT Austin Women in Engineering Program manages the TxGCP Mailing List.