Golden Gate ASHRAE, I’m disappointed. Last month, I tried a new format for the President’s Message. I posted a short video and asked for comments. I provided my own sample comment. And all I got in response was silence. 1000 members and not a single person commented. Does anybody read the Fog anymore? Does anyone read the front page of the website? If you do, please send me a quick response to annie.foster-courtney@wspgroup.com (or comment below, if you’re reading this on the website). Our board and committee members give up their personal time to help develop our newsletter, but if nobody is reading it, perhaps we should be devoting our time to other endeavors.
Speaking of committees, I’d like to use this month’s President’s Message to highlight Student Activities. We’re getting into the time of the year when Student Activities really picks up. Anna Osborne is fearlessly leading a committee of one, and we’d love to find some help for her. Here’s a little bit of what’s going on. If anything sounds interesting, please reach out to me or Anna...we’d love your help!
- Bay Area Science Fair – Anyone who has joined us at a May meeting probably remembers the awesome student presentations from the winners of the Bay Area Science Fair. Every year, representatives from Golden Gate ASHRAE attend the Bay Area Science Fair (http://www.sfbasf.org/ - a competition for 7th-12th graders) and select a winner – a student whose presentation is related to the field of Building Sciences. The PG&E Pacific Energy Center also selects a couple winners, and all the winners are invited to present at the May meeting. It’s my favorite meeting of the year! If you’re interested in helping us judge, please let us know before March 20th)
- MathCounts – By the time the newsletter goes out, it may be too late for this, but for anyone reading this online before 2/28… For the past few years, I have been volunteering at an annual MathCounts event where middle school kids complete in a math competition. This year’s competition is a week away (2/28), and they’re short on volunteers. As a volunteer, you can either proctor the exam (read instructions to the kids, keep time, pass out/collect tests) or help with grading (there’s an answer sheet, and it’s pretty mindless!). I always have a great time getting to spend a couple hours with these smart kids who love math! The San Francisco coordinator is Julia Gee, whose info can be found here: http://www.mathcounts.org/users/jgee
- EnCorps – If you have ever considered becoming a math or science teacher, or if you are interested in helping middle or high school students with math and science, EnCorps is offering a great opportunity to explore that path. EnCorps places STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) professionals and military veterans in local high needs schools and after school programs. The EnCorps STEM Teachers Program is a nonprofit organization that helps support skilled STEM professionals and military veterans make a career transition into teaching in high needs middle and high schools. They are dedicated to increasing the number of science and math teachers throughout California, and currently support the Bay Area, Sacramento, Los Angeles, and San Diego regions. Their mission is directed towards working with individuals who are interested in becoming full time teachers, but also work with people who want to simply explore teaching and education by volunteering to tutor or help out in science or math classrooms. For more information, please contact David Taus at david@encorps.org, or join the upcoming informational webinar on March 12: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/1852657666009402882
That’s it for now. I look forward to seeing you at the events listed above, or our joint meeting with Redwood Empire in San Rafael!
-Annie Foster Courtney
2014-15 Golden Gate ASHRAE President
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