The Discovery Center announced its new role as the convening agency for the Tennessee Girls Collaborative Project.

The program's kick-off event was held Friday, March 22 at Tech Hill Commons, 500 Interstate Blvd S, Suite 210, Nashville.

The event featured Karen Peterson, Executive Director of the National Girls Collaborative, who spoke about the potential of statewide collaboratives, and helping to shape the future of TnGCP network along with colleagues from education, STEM fields, corporations, and programs committed to supporting girls in STEM.

Peterson has more than 25 years of experience in education as a classroom teacher, university instructor, educator, program administrator, and researcher.

Through NGCP, she seeks to maximize access to shared resources for public and private sector organizations interested in expanding girls’ participation in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), and to create the tipping point for gender equity in STEM.

More information is available at www.explorethedc.org/tngirlscollab or facebook.com/TNGirlsCollab. 

The National Girls Collaborative Project maximizes access to shared resources and disseminates research-based promising practices that advance the work of existing and evolving girl-serving projects. National goals include:

• Strengthening the capacity of girl-serving STEM programs to effectively reach and serve underrepresented girlsin STEM by sharing promising practice research and program models, outcomes, and products.
• Increasing the effectiveness of Collaboratives by providing professional development focused on sustainability, organizational effectiveness, and shared leadership to more effectively deliver services to girl-serving STEM organizations.
• Maximizing K-12 school counselors’ access to and use of relevant, high-quality resources that increase awareness of barriers to girls’ interest and engagement in STEM.

As the convening agency for the Tennessee Girls Collaborative Project, Discovery Center in Murfreesboro will bring together organizations and individuals that are committed to informing and motivating girls to pursue careers in STEM, encouraging greater collaboration and improved inter-program communication.

Discovery Center’s goal will be to strengthen capacity, increase continuation of girl-serving STEM programs, and create a wider audience for gender-related STEM issues.

This project—made available by the National Girls Collaborative Project and administered by the Tennessee Girls Collaborative Project—offers the chance for schools, informal educators, expanded learning programs, and businesses to come together to share best practices, develop new collaborations, and share resources.

The Tennessee Girls Collaborative Project is an inclusive assembly for all stakeholders committed to informing and motivating girls to pursue classes and careers in STEM.

The successful career transition of students and the economic future of Tennessee are tied to increased participation by all students in careers that rely on STEM skills and competencies.

The Tennessee Girls Collaborative Project will be reaching out to girl-serving organizations in the coming months. We also welcome any indications of interest from similarly focused organizations. Please look forward as well to newsletters, program resources, and professional forums in 2019. 

About the Discovery Center

The Discovery Center at Murfree Spring is a hands-on, environmental, cultural and educational museum located in the heart of Middle Tennessee. More than 120,000 children and families visit annually, exploring exhibits and participating in programs that promote STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts & math) education. Adjacent to the Center is the protected Murfree Spring wetlands, a natural habitat for a variety of fish, amphibians and birds. Located at 502 S.E. Broad Street in Murfreesboro, TN, the Center is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 1 to 5 p.m. on Sunday. For more information, visit www.explorethedc.org or call (615) 890-2300.