March 2010: AITES E-Update
RE: AITES (NSF) Funded GSE/EXT Project (0832913)
Hello:
This note is intended to give you an update on what is happening with the AITES Project.
The AITES County Community Cohort Team (CCT) members are well on their way to providing their local professional peers and parents with the information they need to support VA, KY and TN girls entry into local IT-jobs. Currently, the AITES project is underway in Virginia, Kentucky, and Tennessee. In year 3 the project will also be in West Virginia and North Carolina.
Provided below are spring updates of AITES activities and events.
Our Year 2 Tennessee Workshop (Sullivan and Carter Counties) is slated for September 2010, dates TBA.
Upcoming AITES Mini-grant activities:
Some dates are TBA due to weather-related rescheduling
Virginia –
The Chair of the AITES VA Partners Board is Rachel D. Fowlkes, Ph.D. Rachel is the Executive Director/Agency Head of the Southwest Virginia Higher Education Center in Abingdon, VA.
Washington County:
CCT members: Sarah Helton and Pat Farmer
School: Patrick Henry High
Activity: Let's Get With IT
Dates: March – 2010
CCT members: Amy Caywood and Stacey Kestner
School: Damascus Middle
Activity: Girls Get IT
Dates: March and April - 2010.
Russell County:
CCT members: Pat Huff, Donna Meade, and Cornelia Estep
School: Castlewood Elementary
Activity: Imagine-Believe-Achieve Club
Dates: March – 2010
Kentucky-
The Chair of the AITES KY Partners Board is Ann Vail, Ph.D. Ann is Director of the School of Human Environmental Sciences and Director of Family and Consumer Sciences Extension at the University of Kentucky.
Knott County:
CCT members: Sandra Slone, Debra Slone, and Linda R. Combs
Schools: Hindman Elementary, Carr Creek Elementary, Cordia School
Activity: "GIRLS r IT"
Audience: Educators and Parents
Pike County:
CCT members: Connie Tackett, Eugenia Tackett, Haridas Chandran, Kathi Fletcher, and Krista Bell
Activity: Making IT Click! IT is for Girls, too!
Audience: Elementary, Middle, and High School Counselors, School Library Media Specialists (SLMS), Belfry Middle and High School Math & Science Teachers
Tennessee –
The AITES TN Partners Board is chaired by Shirley W. Hastings, Ph.D. Shirley is Associate Dean and Professor of UT Extension at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.
Carter County
CCT members: Beth B. Street, Camille Jessee, Janet Dugger, Jennifer Ellis
Schools: Happy Valley High School & Happy Valley High School Library
Activity: Empowering Parents
Dates: 03/10, 08/10, 09/10
Carter County
CCT members: Jennifer Ellis, Janet Dugger, Beth Street, Camille Jessee
School: Happy Valley High School
Activity: Career Directions in IT
Dates: 03/10, 08/10, 08/10 (two dates in August)
Carter County
CCT members: Jason Elliott, Shanne Goines
Schools: Happy Valley Middle School, Happy Valley High School
Activity: "G.I.T. Focused" : Girls In IT.....Focused!
Dates: Two dates in August
Sullivan County
CCT members: Elizabeth Brown, Margaret Cloninger, Amy Keesling, Jennifer Hutson, Walter Malone, Vickie Clark, and Shirlene Booker
Schools: Holston Valley Middle School, Mary Hughes Middle School, Bluff City Middle School, Sullivan South High School
Activity: CATCH IT (Counselors and Teachers Changing HERizons in Information Technology)
Dates: 03/09/10, 04/26
Recent CCT Events:
AITES State Trainer/Consultants activities:
VA & KY Trainer/Consultant Judy Compton and TN Trainer/Consultant Jennifer I. Nelson are:
- Working on gathering biographies of local KY, VA, and TN women in IT fields for our AITES Portal IT-Women profiles
- Working on gathering local/regional KY, VA and TN companies that have IT jobs for CCT members mini-grant activities and for AITES Portal Database
- Judy is also presenting AITES to the local Chamber of Commerce groups in Washington County VA, Russell County VA, Pike County KY and Knott County KY to keep them apprised of the AITES project in their local area.
- Conducting mini-grant activity planning meetings and Portal Chats with all Russell Co. CCTs, Washington Co. CCTs, Knott Co. CCTs, and Pike County CCTs.
- Attending mini-grant activities in Washington Co. and Russell Co. VA and Knott Co. and Pike Co. KY.
Recent AITES Press:
09/09: News2Note – College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences, Monthly communication.
Wallace Hall, VT.
07/09: Inside Outreach: International Affairs Newsletter “Appalachian Information Technology Extension Services.” 263 Burruss Hall, VT.
AITES News & Announcements:
03/2: Women In Computing Association: Dr. Peggy Meszaros, AITES PI was invited to speak to the Women In Computing Association at Virginia Tech. It was a lively meeting with lots of interaction and reflections from college women who have “made it” to computer sciences.
03/19: Economic Development Group of Vice-Presidents at Virginia Tech: Dr Peggy Meszaros, AITES PI has been invited to address the Economic Development Group of Vice-Presidents at Virginia Tech. They are interested in hearing about AITES and its contributions to economic development.
11/09: VA Governor’s STEM Conference: Dr. Barbara Lockee, Technology Education Professor at Virginia Tech and IT content specialist for the AITES project presented a poster session at the November Governor’s STEM Conference. Dr. Lockee’s poster session "Preparing Girls for IT Jobs in Southwest Virginia: Building Awareness and Changing Perceptions" highlighted the AITES project. The poster session was featured in the conference's "Marketplace of Ideas", a showcase of exemplars reflecting STEM education initiatives in the Commonwealth. Approximately 250 conference participants attended the session, representing a wide array of stakeholders (K-12 and higher education STEM educators, administrators, VA Department of Education personnel, and nonprofit organizations, to name a few).
Check out our Twitter site: AITESTweets
Cheers,
Peggy S. Meszaros, PI
Elizabeth Creamer, Co-PI