Representation Matters: Girls in STEM

Women make up only 28% of the workforce in STEM fields, with particularly high gender gaps in some of the fastest-growing and highest-paid jobs like computer science and engineering. (AAUW: The STEM Gap)

Kicking off Computer Science Education Week in December 2021, Idaho Lieutenant Governor Scott Bedke proclaimed to students “We live in the fastest-growing state in the nation, which often requires innovative solutions to meet a growing demand. Placing an emphasis on STEM curricula will help our students become the problem solvers we need in the long run and, most importantly, allow them the opportunity to find a good paying Idaho job.”

Nationally, in 2021 nearly 10 million workers were employed in STEM occupations.  This number is projected to grow by almost 11% by 2031, almost two times faster than the total for all occupations. STEM jobs also pay considerably more: the median annual salary for STEM occupations was $95,420 as of May 2021 compared to $40,120 for non-STEM occupations (Bureau of Labor Statistics).

In Idaho, 7,633 STEM jobs went unfilled in 2019 according to the Idaho Department of Labor; that number is predicted to grow to 36,000 by 2026 – leaving more than $500 million in employee wages and revenues for the state on the table. The question is, will Idaho’s students, and in particular females and those who identify as female or nonbinary, be ready to fill these jobs?

The state’s education landscape faces poverty, with seven in ten students attending schools that receive Title 1 funds. In many Idaho communities, access to quality STEM education opportunities is limited, and in some cases, may be non-existent. Recent rankings show that Idaho ranked 51st among states and the District of Columbia in per-pupil spending - dead last in the nation. Fifty-nine percent (59%) of Idaho students are not proficient in science, and 57% are not proficient in math. In 2021, only 37% of Idaho students pursued continuing education after graduating high school; this rate has been steadily dropping since 2017 (www.idahoednews.org).

STEM education is vital to our youth and our community, not only in terms of economic development but also because STEM literacy helps people make more informed decisions around everyday life issues such as healthcare, the environment, personal finance, and engagement with technology tools. STEM literacy empowers people with a baseline understanding of how to read and interpret data and how to evaluate the validity of scientific claims so that they can accomplish things from speaking confidently with their doctor to affecting public policy responsibly.

Increasing Idaho's middle school and high school girls', interest, participation, and achievement in STEM and ensuring they are ready to enter tomorrow’s workforce requires cooperation and collaboration between K-12 schools, institutions of higher education, parents, and community-based education resources such as the Discovery Center.

Within this context, the Discovery Center is a critical resource for Idaho’s students, families, teachers, and employers and takes seriously its commitment to ensuring that all Idahoans have access to high-quality STEM programming.

The Representation Matters: Girls in STEM Program of the Discovery Center of Idaho is a new program which presents a unique model to combine STEM activities with mentorship to inspire female, nonbinary and gender-fluid students in grades 8-12 to pursue further STEM study and ultimately pursue STEM careers. This is a proven intervention which is being more widely adopted which presents STEM concepts in an accessible and inclusive way and is designed so that students will learn how to use STEM principles to solve real world problems and make a difference in their communities. The program will provide a safe space for girls and those who identify as female or non-binary to build STEM awareness, confidence, public speaking skills, and workforce development skills (careers that require a college degree as well as technical jobs and skilled trades that are more accessible to those without a 4-year degree).

In this program, the girls selected to participate will receive free tuition for a year-long program which will include bi-monthly Saturday sessions plus other opportunities throughout the year to hear from female role models working in STEM careers or pursuing STEM degrees. Working in partnership with the Boise State University College of Engineering along with local tech company Micron (a leading manufacturer of semi conductors headquartered in Boise, ID), the Discovery Center of Idaho will offer guest speakers, mentorship, and job shadow opportunities. These program components will be led by females working in STEM fields at Micron, who will also present to students participating in this program during one Saturday session per year. Represented fields will include finance, marketing and sales, material sciences, chemistry, physics, law, and engineering . Each phase of this program will incorporate a reflection component, where the participants will relate what they have learned or observed to their current lives. Micron has committed to provide transportation for participants for whom getting to/from the Discovery Center would be a barrier; this includes girls from rural/agricultural areas such as Caldwell, Nampa, and Mountain Home,and opens the program up to migrants, refugees, and Native Americans. Childcare will be provided if necessary to ensure that nobody wishing to participate will be excluded. This program is designed specifically for students who would not otherwise have the opportunity to explore STEM in a free, safe space with inspirational female role models. 

Micron is interested in this program because of their expansion (due to the CHIPS Act) in Boise and other areas of the country and the world. Here in Idaho, their headquarters and where Micron was founded, their focus is currently on workforce development and DEI initiatives. Partnerships with the Boise School District and the College of Western Idaho provide links to the Refugee Programs offered by both organizations, while partnerships with the Caldwell District in Canyon County provides a link to the Migrant Programs offered there. 

As part of the Representation Matters: Girls in STEM Program, participating students will also receive technical training in coding, provided by Kode with Klossy (https://www.kodewithklossy.com).

"Representation Matters: Girls in STEM" is designed specifically for students for whom STEM is not a common concept nor a household word: migrant students, refugees, Native Americans, and other students furthest from educational equity. Through the Educational Advisory Committee, the Discovery Center is already connected to districts serving these populations and has in place a great outreach network through which to promote this free program. 

A large majority of refugees arriving in Idaho are women and children.  Some refugees are highly educated while others have never had the opportunity to attend school.  Some were freedom fighters or political activists forced into exile from their home countries; others were violently driven away because they were the “wrong” ethnicity or held religious beliefs that threatened those in power; and others have been targeted and subjected to horrific acts because of their ties to the U.S. government.  Every refugee resettled in Idaho has a personal story of persecution, escape and survival. 

Idaho has resettled individuals from  different countries between 2000 and 2017. While arrivals from these countries has grown and shrunk, recent arrivals include a large number of individuals from Iraq, Congo, Burma, Bhutan, Afghanistan, and Somalia. Working in partnership with Jannus, a not-for-profit health and human services organization that successfully helps individuals, families and communities in transition — from infancy to healthy childhood, from illness to health, from refugee to working citizens, and from isolation to community - we will identify prospective refugee participants for this program. The Discovery Center was recently the recipient of a two year grant through Jannus that addresses out of school learning loss which students experience during the summer months. Jannus is providing support for our popular STEM summer camps in 2023 and 2024, but these camps largely serve elementary and early middle school students. "Representation Matters: Girls in STEM" targets upper middle school and high school girls, those who identify as female, and non-binary students. 

Nearby Canyon County (home of both the Caldwell and Nampa School Districts, both Title 1 Districts), has highest number of identified migrant students in the state. Partnerships with both of these districts ensure that we will be able to target migrant students from these districts for this program.

The Discovery Center of Idaho formed an Education Advisory Committee in 2021 which has grown to include 15 members who come from Title 1 school districts, Title 1 schools, the Idaho State Department of Education, and the Department of Indian Affairs at the Department of Education. We also have representatives from higher education; Boise State University and Northwest Nazarene University are both represented on the Advisory Committee, as is Idaho Business for Education. Board member Cathy Ammirati, who manages STEM programs in the community for Micron (a local technology company headquartered here in Boise) also sits on the Advisory Committee and works extensively with marginalized communities around the state, including for a program called "Girls Going Tech" that Micron offers annually. Through this committee, we are connected to both the Caldwell and Nampa school districts (rural, agricultural, and Title 1 districts). Our Education Director, Erin Seymour, has deep relationships with people who can identify, recommend, and encourage girls to attend this free program. Erin is a certified teacher in the State of Idaho and worked as a teacher in a Title 1 school for 5 years before joining the team at the Discovery Center. Prior to working as a teacher, she served for two years as an AmeriCorps member in a Title 1 school, and is very familiar with the education landscape in Idaho. Up until 2020, the Discovery Center offered a similar program, an all-girls coding camp, which was geared towards the same population (underserved girls in Idah0) that "Representation Matters: Girls in STEM" is targeting. The all-girls coding camp was offered to 20 girls annually for free, with grant funding from AT&T. This program was very popular and filled a need in Idaho for free, quality STEM education geared towards girls, but AT&T changed funding priorities after the pandemic and no longer granted us funds for the camp, which took place on Saturdays in November and December and culminated in a showcase. Certain elements of that popular program have been kept (free tuition, guest speakers from STEM fields, a focus on those furthest from educational equity) but the program has been built out to incorporate much more than just coding, and expanded to take place over the course of the school year. 

The Discovery Center of Idaho (“Center”) is a hands-on science center located in Boise, sharing participatory science experiences with Idaho residents and visitors. Our mission is to inspire lifelong interest and learning in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). We believe learning is fun and expands minds and lives. Because of the opportunities we provide, our community is more scientifically literate, curious, and empowered to explore.

The Center began as a philanthropic project of the Junior League of Boise in 1988 and has grown into Idaho's premier science center, serving over 85,000 visitors annually through world-class interactive science exhibitions (both permanent and rotating touring exhibitions), demonstrations, field trips, summer and school-break camps, classes, a STEM Kit lending program, and adult lectures and activities. Programming is offered both onsite and virtually, enabling the Center to reach rural and underserved populations that may be unable to experience the Center in person. Exhibitions, programs, and events guide visitors of all ages in understanding the connection between scientific principles and their everyday lives. By stimulating visitors' imaginations with open-ended exploration, the Center inspires lifelong learning and prepares today’s students for possible futures in the ever-expanding STEM workforce. Through the Center's STEM Field Trip Program, over 10,000 kids annually visit the Discovery Center and receive subsidized admission. Over half of the students who participate in STEM Field Trips come from Title 1 schools in Idaho, and receive the highest level of support.

The Representation Matters: Girls in STEM Program will serve 20 girls in year 1, beginning in October 2023 and running through May 2024 with twice monthly sessions. Additionally, the program will rely on partners from local tech companies, local universities, and school districts from where we will draw participants. 

The opportunity to provide a much needed program, plus receive professional development and access a network of peers and resource partners doing similar work, is tremendous. Our small staff tries to leverage these opportunities whenever we can; for example, we are currently partnering with a local marketing agency which is providing pro bono consulting on our messaging, how to best raise our visibility, make people aware of our impact, and promote our programs. In the past, we have partnered with the Boise State University College of Engineering to design, fabricate and install exhibit components of our in-house exhibition, Matter Splatter. Our partnerships and networks help our staff learn, help us determine what the community needs, and how to best deliver quality programming and exhibitions that meet these needs. Gaining access to the experts provided by Solve and Tiger Global Impact Ventures would help us refine our business model while providing valuable learning opportunities for our team. 

With a background in museum exhibition design and fabrication, Eric Miller is a visionary leader who specializes in conceptualizing and building highly interactive and experiential exhibitions for science centers, designing programming and ensuring that the offerings the Discovery Center provides are meeting the needs of the community we serve.

An Idahoan since 2014 when he joined the Discovery Center, he previously led the planning, development and construction of two interactive science centers as Director of Exhibitions at the Imaginarium Discovery Center in Anchorage, Alaska, and at the Mobius Science Center in Spokane, Washington.  Prior to these positions, he worked as an exhibit designer and fabricator for the Museum of Natural History in Eugene, Oregon.

Eric is responsible for overall strategic and operational administration of the Discovery Center, development of institutional vision, experiences, resource development and team building. Eric oversees the Education team at the Discovery Center, led by Erin Seymour, Education Director, and Sage Alexander, Volunteer Coordinator. Erin joined the Discovery Center in 2021 following five years of teaching middle school in a Title 1 District. She served for two years with AmeriCorps and is passionate about inspiring young women to pursue STEM learning and careers. Sage is a graduate of Idaho State University with extensive experience working to create inclusive programming and diversify the volunteer corps at the Discovery Center. 

Guided by a 14 member board of directors and advised by an Educational Advisory Committee, the professional staff at the Discovery Center of Idaho has years of experience designing programs, curating exhibitions, and fabricating our own hands-on STEM exhibits in our workshop. Our staff reflects the community we serve and increasingly, we have focused on making STEM learning accessible to historically underserved communities in Idaho, which include refugees, immigrants, English language learners, economically disadvantaged families, and Title 1 schools (which comprise over 75% of field trip participants). For the purpose of this grant, our focus will be on young women and those who identify as female or nonbinary in grades 8-12. 

This solution is innovative because it targets females and those who identify as female or non binary, provides free tuition for the program, and incorporates a corporate partner (Micron) from where we will recruit mentors, guest speakers, and job shadowing opportunities. Our hope is that through the partnership of Micron, we will be able to attract additional corporate partners in future years and potentially offer two cohorts this program in the future. Boise, ID is a hotbed of tech startups (Clearwater Analytics, Kount, Cradlepoint), as well as having well established tech companies such as HP, Ericsson, Intuit, and Microsoft. The Discovery Center of Idaho is located next to Boise State University, the largest 4-year university in the state of Idaho. Partnerships with the Boise State College of Engineering, the Department of World Languages, and the School of Education ensure that we have a pipeline of student volunteers eager to work with visitors to the Discovery Center and participants in Discovery Center programs like "Representation Matters: Girls in STEM." Dr. Diana Garza, who serves on the Discovery Center board, is the Assistant Dean of Student Affairs for the College of Engineering. She is passionate about equity in STEM and eager to involve students in the College of Engineering in the pilot "Representation Matters" program. Dr. Garza is a champion of first generation college students, and helps minority and underserved students navigate the 4-year college experience so that they have the necessary supports they need to succeed.

While there are many programs that target high school age students with STEM programs, there are few that focus specifically on girls, and fewer still that offer free tuition, transportation, and childcare to ensure that nobody wishing to participate is left out for reasons beyond their control. Additionally, our proposed program is a continuous one that runs throughout the entire school year, rather than a stand alone event or isolated class.

Because the Discovery Center has an Education Advisory Committee with representatives from many different Title 1 school districts, we will be able to recruit the students who can most benefit from this type of program.  

1. The girls that participate in this program will gain increased confidence in STEM topics, public speaking, and themselves.

2. Girls that participate in this program will learn about careers in STEM fields and demonstrate interest in pursuing studies that will lead to these careers. Careers in STEM involve engineering, technology, healthcare, math (finance), and skilled trades. 

3. Girls who participate in this program will be more likely to want to explore continuing education after high school; this could include a 4-year college, a community college, or a trade school.

4. Girls who participate in this program will return to their schools with renewed interest and confidence in STEM fields.

By utilizing existing community partnerships, the Discovery Center will have a network of women working in STEM to draw from. These women will show the participating girls that representation DOES matter, and show them that they can see themselves in STEM. Drawing on the exhibitions and exhibits at the Discovery Center, the girls will participate in a program that is inspiring and fun, and removes the scary stigma from STEM. They will see a future for themselves in STEM instead of perceiving STEM as "hard," "threatening," or not for them.  

The Discovery Center of Idaho utilized pre and post surveys that measure girls' confidence level and affinity for STEM fields. We already use pre and post surveys for our popular school break and summer STEM camps and classes. This has proven to be an efficient way to measure progress.

We will also have periodic check ins with the participants of this program monthly to ensure that we are providing a valuable experience for the girls who enroll in "Representation Matters: Girls in STEM." Our trained instructors will report whether or not the girls are engaged and enthusiastic about their experience. Instructors will also have 1:1 meetings with the participants of the program before, during, and after the program to ensure that their needs are met and that they are getting something out of the program. 

The Discovery Center will conduct targeted outreach to recruit 20 females (or those whom identify as female or non binary) in grades 8-12 to participate in a free program called "Representation Matters: Girls in STEM" from October 2023 through May 2024 (the school year). The selected candidates will be young women who would not otherwise have a chance to participate in a program of this type. Low income females, minority females, migrant and refugee females, and rural females will be prioritized over those who have more resources.

The 20 participants will kick off this program with a day long retreat held on a Saturday to outline program goals and expectations, set personal goals, and establish a baseline for where to begin this exploration of STEM. Pre-surveys will be administered at this time which measure the girls' confidence and skill levels in the following topics: public speaking, STEM disciplines, technology, teamwork, and leadership.

Throughout the course of the 8-month program, the participants will gather twice monthly on Saturdays at the Discovery Center or at Micron (our corporate technology partner, headquartered in Boise). Guest speakers (all women or those who identify as female or non binary) from local tech companies will come in to talk about their STEM careers. Girls will be taught coding and will receive coaching in public speaking, and they will learn about how far STEM can take them in their future education and career. 

At the conclusion of the program, the girls will participate in a showcase where they will present projects they worked on in small groups or in pairs. 

Output 1: 75% or more of the participants will report increased confidence and interest in STEM disciplines as a result of this program.

Output 2: 75% or more of the participants will indicate interest in pursuing STEM disciplines in post secondary education and career.

Output 3: 75% or more of the participants will indicate increased confidence in their leadership abilities, public speaking, and teamwork.

Outcome 1: The girls who participate in this program will pursue college degrees or certifications in STEM disciplines

Outcome 2: The girls who participate in this program will be motivated to get jobs that incorporate STEM disciplines.

Outcome 3: This program will be a component of the workforce development goals of our corporate partner, Micron, which focuses on providing resources to underserved populations, including women.   

Our solution is not confined to tech, but rather incorporates all aspects of STEM: Science, technology, engineering, and math. However, as part of this program, the girls will learn basic coding, work with robotics, and learn about AI.

The Discovery Center has a full time staff of 15 and part time staff of about 8 people. Additional help will be provided by guest speakers and job shadows from Micron and the Boise State University College of Engineering. 

While this is a new solution, we have offered an All-Girls Coding Camp for several years which has been very successful and well attended and uses the same model as "Representation Matters: Girls in STEM." Tuition was provided for free, and sessions took place on Saturdays in November and December. The All-Girls Coding Camps culminated in a showcase, similar to the model for our proposed program. Micron, our corporate partner, offers a program called Tech Girlz which has also provided a model that we can follow with help from our Micron Board Member, Cathy Ammirati, who runs the Tech Girlz program along with other educational STEM programs for kids offered by Micron. 

The Discovery Center of Idaho prioritizes inclusion, diversity, equity and access to strengthen our organization and to help us better understand, connect with, and serve our community.

The Discovery Center also launched its new ACCESS (All Communities Can Engage Successfully with STEM) Program in 2022. 

The ACCESS Program of the Discovery Center of Idaho ensures that our facility, programs, experiences, and events are accessible to all visitors, including persons with disabilities, multiple language visitors, and low-income visitors. 

The ACCESS Program seeks to explore and provide support tools and resources for the disabilities listed below, defined by the Association of Science and Technology Centers in their “Accessibility Toolkit”,  in addition to the cultural, language and equity access needs of our broader community. 

1. Visual - Blindness, low vision, color blindness, diabetes-related eye conditions, scratched cornea, dilated eyes

2. Auditory - Deafness, hardness of hearing, auditory processing disorder

3. Speech - Nonspeaking, stuttering, Tourette Syndrome (TS)

4. Cognitive/Neurodiversity - Autism, dyslexia, traumatic brain injury ( TBI), post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD), dementia, seizure disorder, anxiety, dyscalculia and low numeracy

5. Mobility - Weakness or limitation of muscle control for the arms, hands, fingers or other body parts that impact mobility, dexterity, or stamina. 

Priorities 1 & 2

# 1 The ACCESS program at the Discovery Center of Idaho will work to ensure all students from PreK to higher education can excel at rigorous, relevant, and joyful STEM learning by offering a variety of educational programming in partnership with a growing number of community partners, school districts and university partnerships. 

Programming we will focus on will enhance student literacy and college and career readiness in science, technology, engineering and math and includes: 

• Inclusive STEM focused teen programming that promotes college and career readiness and equips a diverse population with skills for success, reaching over 50 teens from underrepresented populations in Idaho by 2025. 

• Field trip experiences for up to 20,000 students by 2025, that align with grade-level standards-based content and amplify student understanding in STEM

• School Break Camps for up to 1,500 students by 2025, that provide 2nd through 6th graders access to fun, hands-on STEM educational experiences to counteract classroom learning loss during school breaks

• Invest in family and early exposure to STEM literacy at home by providing over 1,000 children by 2025, access to our Pre-K, Young Discoverers program and other guided material  lending programs such as the STEAM kit lending program of hands-on STEM activities. 

# 2 The ACCESS (All Communities Can Engage Successfully with STEM) program at the Discovery Center of Idaho will work with community partners, school districts and schools, state-wide, to develop and support over 200 Idaho STEM educators with high quality STEM professional development and classroom teaching resources by 2025. Teachers from rural and underserved communities and those working at Title 1 schools, will receive priority and low cost access to training both in person and online by highly skilled professionals in STEM integration in the classroom. 

While the Discovery Center currently provides an array of programs, classes, camps and experiences for K-8 audiences, we don't currently have a program geared specifically to teens. This program fills that gap, and as it focuses specifically on females, provides something that no other organization in our area is currently offering. By providing a free program to young women furthest from educational equity and from the most marginalized communities, we are adding an important resource to the myriad educational enrichment programs offered locally.

We know that this is something our community will welcome because of feedback we have received from our Educational Advisory Committee. Our business model for 33 years has been to solicit feedback from the communities we serve and seek to provide STEM experiences, exhibitions, programs and classes that fill a gap in local offerings. By partnering with other non profits (the Idaho Botanical Garden, the Boise Zoo, the History Museum and the Black History Museum), schools and school districts, government agencies (the City of Boise and the Idaho STEM Action Center) and corporations (Micron), we are better able to meet the needs of our community. 

The Discovery Center of Idaho relies on admissions revenue for 30.3% of our annual budget; memberships make up 8.4%. Grants and other contributions account for 13.6%; capital campaign contributions 13.6%. Program revenue provides 9.8%. We have many long term relationships with our funders: Micron has supported us since our inception in 1988; the Idaho STEM Action Center provides both grant funding for programs and resources. Laura Moore Cunningham Foundation is another long term funder that recently granted us $250K to expand and modernize our 80 year old facility which was never designed to be a science center. Micron has pledged their support and partnership for the "Representation Matters: Girls in STEM" program, and we anticipate that other funders will also support this important program, especially as it incorporates workforce development for an underserved population. 

The Discovery Center of Idaho is currently conducting a capital campaign to modernize and expand the center to better meet the needs of our rapidly growing and diversifying community. Because of our successful business model, the Center has been able to contribute $25k per quarter, annually, to the campaign out of our earned revenue while still maintaining all normal business expenses and payroll. Additionally, we have raised in excess of $1M from foundations and individual donors towards our $6M goal. We are able to subsidize all of our STEM Field Trips, camps and classes by raising grant funds to cover the costs of these subsidies, which enable everyone who wishes to visit the Center to do so regardless of their economic circumstance. 

We conduct two major fundraising campaigns per year, in May and at year end. Additionally, we hold an annual "Science with Style" fundraising gala which netted $240K in March, 2023 and over $250K in March, 2024. This is a large amount of money to raise in one day in Boise, ID. Our community knows and loves the Discovery Center and has continued to step up to support our mission. Grants, in-kind contributions, earned revenue, and individual donations provide critical support for all of our endeavors.