It seems like everyone is trying to figure out how to get kids in STEM and how to keep them there. There is a particular interest in increasing the number of women in STEM professions–Ed. feel free to hit the comment sections to talk about what a horrible idea that is, but try to be more creative, I’ve seen them all–because the numbers, particularly in certain sectors of STEM are astonishingly low. But, sometimes these programs come from the most unexpected of places.
READ MORE: Engineering Live: How Do We Get More Kids Into STEM? (On Demand)
Cards Against Humanity, arguably one of the most offensively hilarious games out there, is a card game where users answer questions (black cards) with options from their own hand (white cards.) Generally, the answer that’s the funniest or most on-point wins. It’s a pretty simplistic concept, but what makes it a great (or horrible) game is that the cards are so over-the-top and completely not safe for work. The tagline is literally, “A party game for horrible people.” You have to have a somewhat not easily offended sense of humor for this one.
The game first arrived on the scene in 2011, the product of a very successful Kickstarter, and has released several expansion packs since then. The most recent pack comes with a bit of community spirit in mind. The new cards are called, the “Science Pack” and they’re co-authored with Phil Plait from Bad Astronomy and Zach Weinersmith from Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal, who recently raised over $300,000 on Kickstarter about girls who are smart, scientific, and risk-taking. Sales from the pack will be used to fund the Cards Against Humanity Science Ambassador Scholarship. This will be a full ride scholarship for women seeking undergraduate degrees in science, technology, mathematics, or engineering.
The creators of Cards Against Humanity, one of whom will be defending his astrophysics thesis at MIT next month, believe passionately that the opportunity to attend college and find something they love should be available to more people. They chose women in STEM particularly because women are underrepresented in the STEM fields.
READ MORE: Engineering Live: How Do We Keep Students in STEM? (On Demand)
One of the cool things is that the scholarships will be judged by a board of expert women in the field with higher education on their resumes. This includes over 40 women from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lab, Harvard Med School, the Smithsonian, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, TED, the National Science Foundation, Hubble fellows, and the list goes on. It’s quite an impressive board and a great visual representation for girls that a successful career in STEM can be accomplished. The board will be looking for a “smart kid who is bursting at the seams with passion for the thing that they love.”
“We desperately need diversity in science because the alternative makes no sense. So often girls are told in both overt and subtle ways that they aren’t able to be good at math and science. With this scholarship, I’m excited to get to tell a passionate girl out there, ‘Yes! What you are doing and dreaming is really great, and here’s some help to get you where you want to go,” says board member Veronica Berns, PhD in a press release from the company.
This isn’t the company’s first foray into the world of good causes, they’ve raised nearly $2 million for various other charities and funded thousands of teacher projects in underfunded schools. It’s not surprising from a company that offers a free download of their product (though you can also purchase the cards) on their website.
The scholarships will be available starting in Fall of 2016, and the expansion pack, obviously science themed, is currently available for $10.