San Diego, CA; July 12-15, 2014
Attendees will discuss emerging best practices and challenges in geographic information system (GIS) education, participate in hands-on training and technical workshops to improve GIS skills, and learn about Esri resources. Register 

International Conference of STEM in Education
Vancouver, BC Canada; July 12-15, 2014
This year's theme "STEM Education and Our Planet: Making Connections Across Contexts" is an opportunity for educators and researchers to share and discuss their innovative practices and research initiatives to advance STEM education. Register 

Computer Science Teachers Association (CSTA) Conference

St. Charles, IL; July 14-15, 2014

The CSTA conference is a professional development opportunity for computer science and information technology teachers who need practical, classroom-focused information to help prepare their students for the future. Register 

STELAR Webinar Professional Development in ITEST Projects: Models and Examples
July 16, 2014; 3:00 PM - 4:00 PM Eastern
ITEST projects incorporate various strategies in their educator professional development, such as intensive summer workshops, internships, out-of-school experiences with students, afterschool meetings, and online discussions. Additionally, some of these professional development projects focus on content, while others center on pedagogy. This STELAR webinar will explore these different strategies and effectiveness. Register 

Serious Play Conference

Los Angeles, CA; July 22-24, 2014

Conference sessions will help educators identify the types of games and simulations that work best for students at the pre-school, K-12, and higher education levels. Participants will also learn how to use games and simulations for messaging and professional development programs. Register 

Techbridge Summer Institute

Oakland, CA; July 30- August 1, 2014

Participants will explore inquiry-based activities and learn how to recruit and engage girls in STEM programs, implement Techbridge's hands-on curriculum for grades 5-12, plan field trips and visits with role models, expand family outreach, and integrate career exploration into existing programs. Register 

Astronomical Society of the Pacific Annual Meeting
Burlingame, CA; August 2-6, 2014
This year's theme "Celebrating Science: Putting Education Best Practices to Work" will explore the latest in formal and informal education best practices. Participants will engage and network via presentations, panels, and workshops. Register  

NGCP Champions Board members are selected to give the NGCP a balance of desirable expertise and regional representation. We are highlighting Champions Board members to inspire and inform your work to engage girls in STEM. This month we feature one of our newest Champions Board members Jennifer Stancil, Executive Director of Education Partnerships at WQED Multimedia.     

Jennifer Stancil

What excites you most about your work?  I am ecstatic about the opportunity media provides kids today, and especially girls. If you think about YouTube, social networks from Twitter to Vine, and the open-platform apps, girls have an unprecedented opportunity to do three things: 1) explore their identity with different channels, 2) create the media they want to see with positive images (see also Vi Hart and her YouTube math "doodles"), and 3) transform the conversation about how young women are perceived as scientists of the highest merit, inventors or astrono-hers (a.k.a. astronomers), computer coding geniuses, and engineers. It is a time of exciting disruption when girls don't have to consume, but rather get to curate and create a better narrative about their role in our collective STEM future.  

What do you most appreciate in a collaborator?  The dance of collaboration is difficult. The best collaborators know their own strengths and weaknesses and admit them up front. They know their lane and best practices of their field. And they know that passion matters. So, the secret sauce is in knowing both who you are and having vision of what you can become as part of a collective.

Who are your role models?  Right now, my lens is inspired by looking through my daughter's eyes about scientists she recognizes. We have a mom/daughter song and dance routine to the tune "I Wanna Be Like Madame Curie" that I must convince her to perform for her friends! She's so consumed by Jane Goodall right now - and given that I almost couldn't speak on the occasions that I met Dr. Goodall after working on an IMAX film about her contributions - I think my daughter has great taste in scientists!

What advice would you give to the NGCP community?  Don't be afraid to have a point-of-view. That's what thought-leadership is. And, even better, find a way to code, You-Tube, or tweet yourself and your girls into the future they WANT to have. Using the media as a friend, not a foe, is a way forward for equity, for seeing girls in every possible role in life.