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SPIN Girls Monthly Newsletter | April 2021
Happy Spring!
I hope you all are staying safe and feeling hopeful about the future. The SPIN team is almost fully vaccinated and so excited to see you all in person as soon as we can!
In this month's newsletter, you'll find a recap of our activities in March and what your students can look forward to in April. Let me know if you have any questions or concerns. - Nell
MONTHLY RECAP
Lab Day: Luminous Cohort started working on their Capstone project - designing a bio-inspired backpack for a client that fits in a specific environment. Stellar Cohort dove deeper into designing their apps and started putting things in their Lucidchart projects. Epic Cohort identified their post-HS hopes and concerns and continued working on their climate change projects. One group even met up in person and did their experiment!
RESOURCES
Getting vaccinated in King County: Visit King County’s website for information on who is eligible for the vaccine, how to get vaccinated, and more. If you need any assistance navigating the vaccine process, please let us know.
Support the Asian American / Pacific Islander (AAPI) Community: Check out these resources we’ve compiled to provide guidance on supporting the AAPI community. If you’d like any support from us or if you have any questions, don’t hesitate to reach out.
Supporting Students’ Mental Health as We Return to School: While this article is written for teachers, I still recommend that everyone read it. It provides valuable guidance on how to support students as the world opens up again.
Back to School Resources for Families & Educators: For more resources on supporting students as they go back to school, visit Child Mind’s Back to School page.
LOOKING FORWARD
Field Day on April 24th from 10AM-12PM.
Summer Retreat will be held the week of July 12-16. Timing is TBD but assume an all day retreat schedule for now. Retreat will be held in a hybrid model - two days in person, three days virtual.
Support the Asian American / Pacific Islander (AAPI) Community
Between March 19, 2020 and February 28, 2021, the Stop AAPI Hate reporting center received 3,795 reports of hate incidents (source). That number only represents a fraction of total incidents since not all incidents get reported. And according to a report by the Center for the Study of Hate & Extremism, anti-Asian hate crimes across 16 large US cities increased by nearly 150% in 2020 despite an overall decline in hate crimes. In Seattle specifically, there’s been a 55% increase since the pandemic began. In light of these numbers and the recent shooting in Atlanta, SPIN has compiled the following resources to help folks support the AAPI community and to #StopAsianHate. For a comprehensive national Google Doc, visit here.
EDUCATE YOURSELF
Understand what’s happening & why it’s not new by checking out some of these resources.
Read Stop AAPI Hate’s reports, Asian Americans Advancing Justice’s stories of hate incidents, Yellow: Race in American Beyond Black and White, The Making of Asian America: A History, or “What This Wave of Anti-Asian Violence Reveals About America.”
Learn how to help if you witness hate or if you’re experiencing hate in English and many other languages.
Take a bystander intervention course.
Listen to the “Self Evident” podcast.
Watch Asian Americans the PBS docuseries or the “Asian American Stories in the Time of Coronavirus” YouTube docuseries.
Visit the Wing Luke Museum in Seattle’s International District.
Follow @stopaapihate, @advancingjustice_aajc, and @nextshark on Instagram.
SUPPORT
Shop and eat at AAPI owned businesses & restaurants near you. Intentionalist has a database you can use to search for some near you.
Donate to or volunteer at an organization supporting the AAPI community. In addition to the organizations referenced above and the AAPI Community Fund, other local organizations include but are not limited to: Asian Counseling and Referral Service, Densho, API Chaya, the Seattle Chinatown International District Preservation and Development Authority, UTOPIA Seattle, and Filipino Community of Seattle.
REPORT
If you or someone you know experiences or witnesses hate, report it to Stop AAPI Hate, Asian Americans Advancing Justice, and if you are comfortable, the local police & the FBI.
To support the Black Lives Matter movement, click here.
SPIN Girls Monthly Newsletter | March 2021
It's Women's History Month!
Make sure to check out our resources section where you can find a link to watch free videos and documentaries that highlight important contributions by women in history to celebrate this month's theme.
In this month's newsletter, you'll find a recap of our activities in February and what your students can look forward to in March. Let me know if you have any questions or concerns. - Nell
Stellar Cohort with 343 Industries
MONTHLY RECAP
Lab Day: Luminous Cohort learned about Bioluminescence by designing a switch that a spy could use to turn on a light from two feet away. Stellar Cohort continued to learn about app development and started to explore Lucidchart. Epic Cohort dove deeper into their climate change projects, finalizing designs and experiment protocols.
Field Day: Luminous Cohort learned about Blue Origin, created a lunar lander prototype, and heard from some of the amazing aerospace employees there. Stellar Cohort heard from an inspiring panel of women at 343 Industries - the video game studio that brings us Halo. Epic Cohort learned about Facebook Reality Labs, listened to an incredible panel of engineers, and created their own optics pyramid.
Facebook Reality Labs panelist, Sahar Karimi, with Epic Cohort students and mentors above.
RESOURCES
What to Watch: Women's History Month: Free documentaries and videos spotlighting important contributions by women in history
TechConnect WA: The TechConnect Community Helpdesk provides the diverse and multilingual Seattle-area community with access to FREE technical support to better engage in a virtual environment. The Community Helpdesk will be able to provide the technical guidance and navigation support, while ensuring that other needs can be met via established channels.
Med-o-vate Hackathon: Register here to join a biotech centered hackathon, organized to target problems prevalent in our healthcare industry.
Fred Hutch High School Explorers Program: The Pathways Research Explorers Program, funded by the National Cancer Institute at the National Institutes of Health, supports rising 10th and 11th grade students (especially those from backgrounds traditionally underrepresented in science) in a two-week introductory summer program at Fred Hutch. We run two sessions in August of approximately 16 students each. Students must have completed a high school biology course to participate. Apply by March 17, 2021.
LOOKING FORWARD
Lab Day on March 27th. 10AM-12PM for Luminous & Stellar Cohorts. 1PM-3PM for Epic Cohort.
Summer Retreat will be held the week of July 12-16. Timing is TBD depending on whether or not we are able to meet safely in person, but assume an all day retreat schedule for now.
Looking for awesome Board Members!
SPIN is looking for 3-4 new board members to plan our strategic direction for the next 3-5 years!
SKILLS AND COMMITMENT
SPIN is looking for board members who are focused on equity and education. 2021 brings renewed opportunity and we are looking for board members who are inspired to lead us as we explode into the future alongside our community.
We are looking for board members who:
Help us understand community dreams and rise to meet them;
Assist with budgeting and fundraising to fulfill those dreams; and
Imagine what the future could look like with no barriers to STEM.
Board members are expected to meet every other month and:
Be visionaries for our community’s future
Understand and fulfill board Fiduciary responsibilities
Champion SPIN’s work to external organizations
Raise operating funds
If you are interested in learning more, contact our Director, Katherine Barr, at 206.271.2872 or katb[at]stempaths[dot]org
SPIN Girls Monthly Newsletter | February 2021
It's Black History Month!
Today marks the start of Black History Month. The theme for 2021 is Black Family: Representation, Identity and Diversity, which explores the African diaspora, and the spread of Black families across the United States. If you're interested in being inspired, check out this reading list that highlights 13 trailblazing Black women.
In this month's newsletter, you'll find a recap of our activities in January and what your students can look forward to in February. Let me know if you have any questions or concerns. - Nell
MONTHLY RECAP
Field Day: All cohorts got to see inside a lab at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and heard from an amazing and inspiring panel of women who work there. From the panel, they learned about different educational and career paths available to them if they are interested in scientific research.
RESOURCES
Kick Off Black History Month With Ibram X. Kendi and Keisha N. Blain and a Host of Other Events: Week-long free virtual programming at the National Museum of African American History & Culture to celebrate Black History Month.
Picture Books Representing Black voices - A list of picture books by (majority) Black authors exploring topics related to Black Lives Matter movement values. Support a local Black-owned bookstore, by purchasing from Estelita’s Library or L.E.M.S Bookstore.
Washington State Dept. of Health “Phase Finder” - online resource to find out when you can get the vaccine and sign up for notifications when you’re eligible for it in Washington State.
Seattle Dept. of Transportation “Winter Weather” Planning - tips for staying safe during snowy, rainy, and icy conditions. Translations available in Spanish, Vietnamese, Somali, Amharic, and more.
LOOKING FORWARD
Field Day on February 27th from 10AM-12PM.
Summer Retreat will be held the week of July 12-16. Timing is TBD depending on whether or not we are able to meet safely in person, but assume an all day retreat schedule for now.