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Google.org Grants $100,000 for Tech Choices!
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Google.org Grants $100,000 for Tech Choices!

We are thrilled to announce that Google.org has awarded Girl Scouts of Northern California a $100,000 grant in support of Tech Choices, a STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) program that provides engineering and robotics hands-on learning experiences to girls in grades K-8.

Girl Scouts of Northern California is one of several dozen organizations receiving grants from Google.org at the end of 2011. Our grant is part of over $100 million in total charitable giving from Google in 2011.

The Google.org grant is a wonderful example of “scaling” excellence. We have developed the TechChoices curriculum over the past three years, with funding from private foundations and corporations, and have worked with outside experts in girls’ STEM education to develop and improve the curriculum based on girls’ input and experiences, as measured by outside evaluators. Now we are ready to “scale” this excellent program to more girls in more areas.

We are delighted that Google has recognized the quality of our Tech Choices program and will support GSNorCal in delivering Tech Choices to 352 girls in grades K-3 and 288 girls in grades 4-8 at eighteen different school sites, serving diverse, low income communities in Santa Clara, San Mateo, and San Francisco counties. 

Girls in grades K-3 will participate in three 90 minute sessions that introduce them to concepts in chemical, civil and electrical engineering. Girls in grades 4-8 will have opportunities to interact with female STEM professionals and attend field trips to local tech companies, science museums or universities, and they will participate in the following six 90 minutes sessions. Each session also includes closing with the Girl Scout sharing circle, where girls are encouraged to give feedback about the day’s activity:

• Design Time:  Girls customize pencil bags and bubble wands and bubble solution using the engineering design process. They work together to brainstorm and sketch toy ideas, and build prototypes of their toys.
  
  
• Engineers to the Rescue:  Girls apply the engineering process as they design water filters, wind-powered cranks, a message-carrying car, and a safe shelter to survive a camping trip after a fictional earthquake at Yellowstone National Park.
  
  
• Make it Green:  Girls explore the green design process as they construct a green studio from brainstorming an idea, to creating a floor plan, to building with recycled materials.
  
  
• Power it Up:  Girls learn about electronics and circuitry as they explore basic electronic components, and build different kinds of circuits. Girls may learn how to solder and make circuits that they can take home.
  
  
• Thrill Builders:  Girls explore simple machines as they use levers, pulleys, screws, and gears to build a merry-go-round, a bean-bag toss, and a race car.
  
  
• Lego Robotics:  Girls are introduced to the designing, building, and programming of Lego NXT robots to meet specific challenges.

Thanks to the support of many funders during the past three years, our Tech Choices program is now also available for volunteers to use with their troops. You can learn more here:

• Volunteer training for K-5 Tech Choices
  
  
• Techbridge Program Boxes for grades 4-12 (and how to check them out for your girls)

We all are reading about the shortage of engineers and of women in engineering. Girl Scouts of Northern California is taking action to change that!

Click here to read more about Google Gives Back.

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