Inquiry First.

In 65 countries, 15-year-old girls performed better than their male peers on a science test given by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.  In the United States, however, boys outperformed girls.  What's the disconnect in America?  Researchers think that stereotypes may have something to do with it.

“We see that very early in childhood — around age 4 — gender roles in occupations appear to be formed,” said Christianne Corbett, co-author of the 2010 report, Why So Few? Women in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math. “Women are less likely to go into science careers, although they are clearly capable of succeeding.” Countries like Asia and the Middle East, where a higher percentage of women go into the sciences, don't seem to have the same cultural forces at play.

Read on nytimes.com

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From The Foundation Center's Philanthropy News Digest:

Created by the Lemelson-MIT Program, the InvenTeam initiative provides opportunities for high school students to cultivate their creativity, curiosity, and problem-solving abilities and apply lessons from science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) subjects to invent technological solutions to real-world problems.

InvenTeams comprised of high school students, teachers, and mentors receive grants of up to $10,000 to invent technological solutions to a problem of their choice. Projects can range from assistive devices to environmental technologies and consumer goods. Applicants are encouraged to consider the needs of the world's poorest people (those earning $2 or less a day) when brainstorming ideas.

STEM educators at high schools and nonprofit educational organizations who have not received an InvenTeam grant within the past three years are eligible to apply. Funds may be allocated for project-related research, materials, and learning... Read More

The editors of Science News selected their top 25 science stories of 2012 based in part on which kept them up at night. Among the stories that made the cut: The evolution of bionic people from fantasy to near-reality; a study that calls into question the protective effects of "good" cholesterol; and June's once-in-a-lifetime journey of Venus across the surface of the sun.  Check out the whole list on... Read More

Thanks to longtime sponsor Genzyme, MSSEF is grateful to be one of the organizations profiled in Boston Business Journal's 2013 Giving Guide. All of the organizations profiled in the guide were sponsored by a company with a complementary mission.  Since 1999, Genzyme has provided the top prize awarded at MSSEF's High School Fair.  The award is now $10,000 plus a paid internship (valued at about $2500) to the winning student plus $15,000 to the student's teacher and school.  Thank you Genzyme!