Design Your Future with STEM

Two hundred seventh-grade girls from Ballston Spa and Niskayuna school districts are invited to “Design Your Future with STEM” at the 8th Annual Girls’ Summit STEM-focused (science, technology, engineering, and math) event at Hudson Valley Community College’s TEC-SMART (Training and Education Center for Semiconductor Manufacturing and Alternative and Renewable Technologies) campus in Malta on December 16 from 9:30am to 2:00pm. Attendance is FREE.

About 100 girls from Ballston Spa and Niskayuna school districts attended last year. Attendance this year is expected to double.
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As part of its Connect a Million Minds initiative, Time Warner Cable jointly hosts this Summit each year with STEM education partner Girls Incorporated of the Greater Capital Region. The Summit helps to expose middle school-aged girls to positive and engaging STEM-skill experiences and helps stimulate curiosity and interest in STEM careers.

This year’s event will consist of a total of thirteen 45-minute, hands-on STEM-based workshops, including Build Your Own Flashlight with Time Warner Cable, and Chromatography and Exploring Circuits. At the state-of-the-art TEC-SMART facility, girls get a taste of the Capital Region college experience, and will find information that may be helpful to them in their career decision-making process.

The Summit is a collaborative effort among Time Warner Cable, Girls Inc. of the Greater Capital Region, and several community partners. This year’s partners are Adirondack Trust Company Community Fund, Niskayuna Community Foundation, CMOST CNSE (Children’s Museum of Science and Technology operated by the College of Nanoscale Science and Technology), MiSci (Museum of Innovation and Science), Turner Construction, Red Door Beauty Studio LLC, Plaine and Son, Casa Visco, and Codester App.

The Summit gives girls the opportunity to explore, ask questions, and start building the skills necessary for a career in a STEM-related field.
Stephanie Salanger, Manager of Community Investment at Time Warner Cable, says the Summit addresses the STEM gender gap, and much more. “Time Warner Cable’s Connect a Million Minds initiative is focused on creating fun and exciting ways for girls to experience science, technology, engineering, and math. It’s critical that we invest now to encourage and prepare the next generation of problem solvers.”

The Girls’ Summit creates awareness around the importance of STEM education, Salanger added, and allows girls to explore academic and career paths in these fields through a variety of fun, activity-based workshops.

“Too many girls are still getting the message that math and science are not career fields for women,” said Ashley Jeffrey Bouck, Executive Director of Girls Incorporated of the Greater Capital Region. “The Summit is designed to get more girls excited about STEM. We want to develop their enthusiasm and inform them that STEM careers are a realistic option, especially in the Capital Region.”

The day kicks off at 9:45am; the first workshop begins at 10:25. Following a debriefing session to reinforce the messages delivered throughout the day, the Summit will conclude at 2:00pm.

About Connect a Million Minds
Time Warner Cable’s (TWC) Connect a Million Minds (CAMM) is a five-year, $100 million philanthropic initiative to address America’s declining proficiency in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). Using its media assets, TWC creates awareness of the issue and inspires students to develop the STEM skills they need to become the problem solvers of tomorrow. Program highlights include: original PSAs that challenge public perceptions of STEM; a unique website where the public can pledge to connect young people with the wonders of science; “The Connectory,” an online resource for parents to find informal STEM learning opportunities in their communities; grants to non-profit organizations that bring after-school STEM learning to students; and more than 50,000 TWC employees who volunteer at events like science fairs and robotics competitions. National partners include CSAS (Coalition for Science After School) and FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology). Local TWC markets are activating CAMM across the country with community-specific programs and partnerships. To find out more and to take the CAMM pledge, visit www.connectamillionminds.com

About Time Warner Cable
Time Warner Cable Inc. (NYSE: TWC) is among the largest providers of video, high-speed data, and voice services in the United States, connecting more than 15 million customers to entertainment, information, and each other. Time Warner Cable Business Class offers data, video, and voice services to businesses of all sizes, cell tower backhaul services to wireless carriers, and enterprise-class, cloud-enabled hosting, managed applications, and services. Time Warner Cable Media, the advertising arm of Time Warner Cable, offers innovative advertising solutions to national, regional, and local businesses. More information about the services of Time Warner Cable is available at www.twc.com, www.twcbc.com and www.twcmedia.com.