The awards recognize individuals and organizations in Texas advancing women and girls in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM)
AUSTIN, TX, December 7, 2018 | Today, the Texas Girls Collaborative Project, which connects and supports Texas-based organizations that empower women to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), presented its Million Women Mentors® Stand Up for STEM Awards at the Texas Women & Girls in STEM Summit.
The Stand Up for STEM Awards recognize and elevate the work of incredible individuals and organizations in Texas advancing women and girls in STEM.
PepsiCo, Inc. was awarded the Corporate Stand Up for STEM Award for its outstanding efforts to support STEM mentorship to girls and women pursuing careers in STEM, increasing the diversity of those pursuing STEM careers, and retaining women and girls who enter the STEM education pipeline. Its Frito-Lay division partners with the Girl Scouts of North Texas to bring middle school and high school girls into its Research and Development building for a day of discovery and learning at least once per year since 2008, and it has established ongoing partnerships with local schools to foster an awareness of relevant STEM studies and how they apply to the workplace. Through Million Women Mentors and its Women’s Initiative Network, hundreds of partnerships have been created to align young women with PepsiCo mentors.
In 2018, PepsiCo launched the virtual Global Coaching Circle for Women, a strategic effort to keep women in STEM engaged in their current roles, targeting non-entry-level women through webinars and discussion forums. Additionally, PepsiCo and the PepsiCo Foundation are investing $100 million by 2025 as part of their Performance with Purpose Agenda toward women’s economic success, with a focus on education and workforce training, with $14.3 million invested to date.
Dawn Hunter, Senior Outreach Program Coordinator at the Texas Advanced Computing Center (TACC) received the Educator Stand Up for STEM Award for her leadership in broadening awareness of computer science and STEM to traditionally underrepresented students. Dawn leads the outreach, recruitment and mentoring of students attending quarterly and summer programs, and under her leadership and intentional recruitment, she increased female representation and participation in TACC Summer Camp by 92% from 2017 – 2018.
.@TACC’s very own @DHuntexas recognized for @MillionWMentors Stand Up For STEM Mentor Award! @TXGCP 2018 #TXGCPSummit pic.twitter.com/yfZNRV1HkR
— Edgar Garza (@edgargarza7) December 7, 2018
The Frontiers of Flight Museum received the Education Organization Stand Up for STEM Award for its successful efforts in broadening the awareness of STEM through the introduction to aviation and space. The Museum’s Young Women’s STEM Leadership Initiative (YWSLI) has reached over two thousand young women in middle and high school since its inception in late 2015, providing educational opportunities that stimulate interest in STEM studies and lead to careers in STEM fields.
Thx @txgcp We are the recipient of The Million Women Mentors – Texas 2018 Education Stand Up for STEM Award for our Young Women’s STEM Leadership Initiative. Our School Programs Manager Rosalie Wade is at the University of Texas at Austin accepting the honor. #STEMsummit #FOFM pic.twitter.com/yJayz20EyW
— Frontiers of Flight Museum (@FrontofFlight) December 7, 2018
Amy Jackson, Founder & Director at Starry Sky Austin, has been awarded the Individual Mentor Stand Up for STEM Award for her mentorship in STEM fields at museums, community colleges, local observatories and classrooms in Texas and beyond. “(With Amy) every encounter, is hands-on and in-depth,” said Dawn Davies, fellow astronomer and founder at Earthbound Astronomer. “Amy teaches the individual and the group; engaging them, educating them and ensuring that they leave the encounter with resources to pursue their passion.”
The awards were presented at the second annual Texas Women and Girls in STEM Summit hosted by the Texas Girls Collaborative Project at The University of Texas at Austin campus.
About Million Women Mentors – Texas (MWM-TX) and the Texas Girls Collaborative Project (TxGCP): The Million Women Mentors® (MWM) movement supports the engagement of millions of Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) mentors (male and female) to increase the interest and confidence of girls and women to persist and succeed in STEM programs and careers by 2020. MWM is the movement that aims to change the face of women and girls, their career choices and advancement. Texas is one of 43 states with pledges with the Texas Girls Collaborative Project (TxGCP) leading the MWM-TX steering committee. www.txgcp.org/million-women-mentors/
TxGCP connects nonprofits, K-12 schools, higher education institutions, companies, organizations and individuals across the state of Texas committed to informing and motivating girls to pursue careers in STEM. Led by the Women in Engineering Program (WEP) at The University of Texas at Austin, TxGCP provides forums, curriculum, best practices, and resources to foster collaborations, build the capacity of participating organizations, and create a statewide network of informed and connected informal and formal STEM educators and advocates. www.txgcp.org