NASA and the U.S. Department of Labor
Back to School Satellite and WebcastTeleconference

Wednesday, September 27, 2000

The DOL Women's Bureau believes that by increasing girls' and women's interest in - and preparedness for - high-tech nontraditional fields, we can improve their pay, expand their career opportunities and strengthen our nation's prosperity. DOL envisions this initiative as an important means of bridging the wage gap and ensuring that America's workforce has the high-tech skills necessary to keep our economy strong.

To achieve its ambitious, innovative and high-tech goals, NASA recruits "the best and brightest" talent. In this process, NASA has discovered that an alarmingly low number of women and minorities are pursuing degrees in science and technology. To ensure that NASA and America continue to be trailblazers in science and technology, NASA seeks to encourage more women and minorities to pursue degrees - and careers - in math, science, engineering and technology. To help prepare for the opportunities of the 21st Century, NASA is dedicated to inspiring students to aspire to these careers by serving as a role model, providing education tools, and encouraging women and minorities to seek aerospace careers.

Overview

The DOL Women's Bureau and NASA are engaging in a coordinated effort to encourage girls across the country to consider promising non-traditional fields and are providing girls with the opportunity to interact with role models - women who are currently succeeding in high-tech careers. In collaboration with women's groups, women's technical associations, girls' organizations and workforce development professionals, DOL and NASA seek to facilitate communication and cooperation - and make a greater difference in improving the lives and opportunities of America's women and girls.

September, 2000 National Initiatives

Brave New World Satellite Conference and Webcast
On September 27th , the Women's Bureau's Mid-Atlantic Office joins NASA in a unique national/regional event. The Bureau, in conjunction with national, state and local organizations, will host a series of panel discussions (from 10 - 11am E.S.T.) for young women in high school and college at sites in all five Mid-Atlantic states and the District of Columbia. The conference, titled "Brave New World: Preparing Girls and Women for the Emerging Technologies," will feature different high-tech fields, ranging from robotics to biomedical engineering to marine science. At each of the events, the Bureau will kick off a mentoring program linking young women interested in high-tech fields with others who are further along in their high-tech studies. (For site locations, visit the Women's Bureau Region III web site at: DOLWB or call Lucia Bruce at 800 379-9042.

NASA's panel presentation, (from 11am - 12 noon E.S.T.), featuring women scientists, engineers and astronauts, will be broadcast via satellite to the designated mid-Atlantic sites. The broadcasts will orginate from 6 sites with nearly 800 sites registered (university and school districts) and there are 34 site coordinators continuing to promote the project. DOL regions across the country are informing their education communities about the opportunity to participate. Those with access to a satellite can downlink the presentation via satellite coordinates GE-2, transponder 9C, C-Band, located at 85 degrees West longitude, frequency 3880.0 MHZ., polarization is vertical and audio is monaural at 6.8 MHZ. For more info: NASA TV Viewers will have the opportunity to interact with featured women during the event and participate a in live webcast preceeding the panel discussion. See DOL / NASA Teleconference and Webcast

Women's Shuttle Launch Conference
Kennedy Space Center (September 7-8, 2000)
NASA, in conjunction with the Department of Labor, is hosting a special 2-day program around the September 8th Shuttle launch to celebrate and build on the Department of Labor/NASA effort. The leaders of national women's groups, women's technical associations and girls' organizations are joining NASA and the Labor Department to share new and priority initiatives related to encouraging girls (and ensuring the recruitment, retention, equal pay and advancement of women) in information technology, math, science and engineering. Participants will brainstorm about ways to continue the dialog and leverage each organization's unique strengths. See Young Women of NASA Advisory Council Adventure Journals for peer perspectives of this event.

Women of NASA and Girls Scouts Across the Country Celebrate the 100th Shuttle Flight
Four representatives from the Young Women of NASA Advisory Council will attend the September Women's Shuttle Launch Conference building on the Department of Labor/NASA collaboration and Shuttle launch itself. They will video record and journal their experiences and interview and "shadow" women in various aerospace careers. These experiences will be posted on the Women of NASA webpage and shared with other girls nationwide via their Adventure Journals. To celebrate the 100th Shuttle flight, NASA will convene a day-long series of live webchats in October with the girl reporters and with female scientists and engineers involved in spaceflight. Videoclips chronicling the girls' experiences at the September Shuttle launch will be webcast; and the 100th Shuttle launch will also be webcast and the girls will provide commentary.

Website Linkages

The Agencies are linking websites to facilitate greater communication between our agencies, throughout the women's community and with girls across the nation.
The U.S. Department of Labor Women's Bureau web address is: DOLWB
The Women of NASA online mentoring project website is: WON
The NASA Women's Outreach Initiative is: WOI

Recent Initiatives Around the Country
to Encourage Girls' and Women's Participation in High-Tech Fields

Since Spring 2000, the U.S. Department of Labor Women's Bureau's regional offices in conjunction with NASA and area women's and girls' organizations, have sponsored and/or convened a series of activities to foster girls' and women's interest in high-tech fields. For example:

• JETT*CON 2000 Workforce Technology Conference/Astronaut Meeting with Local Girls (Albuquerque, NM) - Women's Bureau Director Irasema T. Garza and NASA Astronaut Janice Voss appeared together at the JETT*CON 2000 plenary on "Powerful Public Private Partnership." They urged this national audience of workforce development specialists to raise the awareness of the girls and women they serve of high-opportunity high-tech careers. Director Garza then introduced Astronaut Voss, a veteran of five space flights, to a group of approximately 30 area girls for an informal Q&A session.
• The Scoop on Cool Careers Forum (Seattle, WA) - The Women's Bureau cosponsored this event, at which 175 pairs of parents and daughters traveled through 16 interactive exhibits - each one featuring a high wage job and hosted by a professional woman in the field. The girls got to sign up for an Internet chat with a hometown female NASA astronaut; check out a veterinary clinic and a DNA screening lab; and meet an FBI officer, a State Trooper and a bomb-sniffing dog.
• Illinois and Colorado Coalitions for Girls and Women in High Tech - The Women's Bureau and NASA have joined with leaders of Illinois' women's, girls' and technical organizations statewide to form a steering committee dedicated to promoting opportunities for women and girls in technology fields. The Women's Bureau has joined a similar coalition in Colorado.
• "Women Can Do!" (Montpelier, VT) -- The Women's Bureau cosponsored this day of trades and technological exploration, in which 150 high school girls from across the state of Vermont participated. The conference included a workshop on careers in flight entitled "Ever Dreamed About Flying?"