Build a Bot with Curious George

(from NSTA Quick Bites) Spark K–5 students’ mechanical thinking and creativity with Build a Bot with Curious George, an engineering-themed game from PBS Kids. Students click and drag robot parts to make robots that can complete certain tasks, like catching a ball, sticking to metal, and riding a skateboard. As the game progresses, students are challenged to design their own robots that can do multiple tasks.

Learn more here: (Link)

Free Book! How to Train Your Robot

(from NSTA Quick Bites) Use this illustrated 15-page e-book written by the curriculum design team at University of California Berkeley's Lawrence Hall of Science to integrate science and literacy by introducing elementary students to cutting-edge robotics. The e-book’s content models authentic engineering practices such as iterative design, testing, and learning through failure. The diverse cast of characters in the Razzle-Dazzle Robot Club can inspire girls and members of other underrepresented groups to explore engineering, robotics, and coding.

Learn more here: (Link)

Kahoot! EDU Site License

(from NSTA Quick Bites) To help elementary teachers worldwide keep students connected and engaged during ongoing learning disruptions caused by the pandemic, Kahoot! is offering a free 60-day site license to the learning platform. A Kahoot! license gives teachers access to ready-to-use content created by Kahoot-verified educators and partners, which can be useful in creating lessons for both in-person and virtual settings. Other benefits include providing an online workspace for teachers to share content libraries and lesson plans and offering teachers opportunities to connect with Kahoot! experts during weekly live office hours. To participate, school administrators must register their school.

Eastern Kansas

Discoveries in Geoscience Field School (DIG School

This professional learning opportunity, next to national board certification, was the hardest and most rewarding experience of my life. Over the course of four days I crawled for microfossils and helped to excavate a triceratops horn. Every year this program allowed my students to participate in authentic data collection while sifting through samples from the site with their Burke Box. Please let me know if you have any questions about this program and I'm happy to share.

The Discoveries in Geoscience (DIG) Field School, taking place July 18–22, offers K–12 teachers the opportunity to do real geological and paleontological research in Hell Creek, Montana. Every summer, 30–35 teachers go to an active field research site and experience the rigors and joys of field work while learning new techniques and strategies to bring back to their classrooms. Those classrooms then become part of the DIG community, where they have access to DIG’s educational resources.

Accepted applicants will pay a $100 course fee. Continuing education credits are available for an additional fee. (Deadline April 6)

Learn more here (Link)

NOAA Ocean Exploration Education

(from NSTA Quick Bites)
NOAA Ocean Exploration’s Education Team and NOAA Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary (NMS) will present a live online professional development workshop and follow-up event about deep-sea corals and the deep-sea ecosystems they support. This three-part event for teachers of grades 6–12 will consist of the following:

1. A viewing of a short video with experts in deep-sea coral research;

2. A 90-minute online event hosted by NOAA Ocean Exploration featuring a live, interactive question-and-answer session with a deep-sea coral expert and an introduction and demonstration of relevant educational activities and resources. This event will take place on April 5 at 5 p.m. Pacific Time (PT); and

3. A 90-minute follow-up event hosted by NOAA Olympic Coast NMS that will give participants an opportunity to cooperatively discuss content shared during the April 5 event and explore additional resources. This event will happen on April 19 at 4:30 p.m. PT.

Advance registration is required. Educators who participate in all three parts will receive a NOAA Ocean Exploration Certificate of Participation and a $75 stipend.

Learn more here (Link)

DNA Day

(From Skype a Scientists) Each year, April 25th marks National DNA Day! It's a celebration of the successful completion of the Human Genome Project in 2003 and the discovery of DNA's double helix in 1953. April seems far away, but we wanted to make sure you were all aware of a FREE program through Illumina!

You can register to receive a free Strawberry DNA Extraction kit for your classroom! (Click here)

• Option A: Contains materials for 32 experiments that can be done in a classroom or sent home for a distance learning environment

• Option B: A single demo kit to do the experiment in front of your students

Supplies are limited, and we suggest teachers register as early as possible.

You can always request a geneticist (Link) to speak with your classroom through the "skype a scientist" matching program, or join in on the DNA day Livestream (Link).

EdReports- High School Science Reviews

EdReports is a non-profit organization with a mission to empower educators with independent, credible, evidence-rich information about instructional materials to ensure students have what they need to be college and career-ready. They are accepting applications for reviewers for inaugural high school science review beginning in early April 2022.

Who is EdReports looking for? EdReports is a by educator, for educator organization. Currently, classroom educators, district specialists, state specialists, non-formal educators, retired educators, and those pursuing advanced science education degrees participate in reviews. The profile of a science reviewer includes expertise in the Next Generation Science Standards and a commitment to quality instructional materials.

What can I expect if selected to be a reviewer? EdReports plans to review five biology NGSS programs in the inaugural review. If selected, you will sit on a team of five reviewers who will be examining one set of materials with the support of EdReports’ science team. Reviewers can expect the following:

• New teams will begin with an in-depth training in April

• Each reviewer spends about 5-10 hours per week throughout the process, including attending a one-hour virtual call with their team

• A second event may be scheduled approximately halfway through the review to continue calibration and to provide cross-review team support for the inaugural high school reviews

• Reviews are expected to be completed late 2022

• Reviewers receive a host of benefits including more than 25 hours of professional development, a stipend per series reviewed ranging from $1,750 - $2,500 depending on the role you play on a review team, opportunities to learn with national experts in the field, and much more.

How do I apply? Visit EdReports’ website to learn more about becoming a reviewer and complete an application. Once you apply, an application task will be sent requesting demonstration of your NGSS knowledge. Following receipt of the application task, EdReports will schedule a 30-minute interview to learn more about you and share more about the upcoming review.

EdReports is a non-profit organization with a mission to empower educators with independent, credible, evidence-rich information about instructional materials to ensure students have what they need to be college and career-ready. They are accepting applications for reviewers for inaugural high school science review beginning in early April 2022.

Who is EdReports looking for? EdReports is a by educator, for educator organization. Currently, classroom educators, district specialists, state specialists, non-formal educators, retired educators, and those pursuing advanced science education degrees participate in reviews. The profile of a science reviewer includes expertise in the Next Generation Science Standards and a commitment to quality instructional materials.

What can I expect if selected to be a reviewer? EdReports plans to review five biology NGSS programs in the inaugural review. If selected, you will sit on a team of five reviewers who will be examining one set of materials with the support of EdReports’ science team. Reviewers can expect the following:

• New teams will begin with an in-depth training in April

• Each reviewer spends about 5-10 hours per week throughout the process, including attending a one-hour virtual call with their team

• A second event may be scheduled approximately halfway through the review to continue calibration and to provide cross-review team support for the inaugural high school reviews

• Reviews are expected to be completed late 2022

• Reviewers receive a host of benefits including more than 25 hours of professional development, a stipend per series reviewed ranging from $1,750 - $2,500 depending on the role you play on a review team, opportunities to learn with national experts in the field, and much more.

How do I apply? Visit EdReports’ website to learn more about becoming a reviewer and complete an application or apply now [HERE]. Once you apply, an application task will be sent requesting demonstration of your NGSS knowledge. Following receipt of the application task, EdReports will schedule a 30-minute interview to learn more about you and share more about the upcoming review.

Teachers, even if you are too far to bring students on a field trip to Yellowstone, we can help you use the world’s first national park to bring science, math, and social studies to life!

Classrooms can connect with a Yellowstone National Park ranger to learn more about geology (geysers, hot springs, volcanoes), ecology (wildlife, predator/prey, fire, habitats, adaptations), or cultural history, and the National Park Service mission of preservation. Your class can learn about careers by interviewing a park ranger or solve a geography challenge to determine where the park ranger works by participating in a “Mystery” meeting. We work with teachers to offer a 20-40 minute live program that meets your needs.

If you have a group of ten or more youth and want to participate, you will need a computer, tablet, or device with webcam, internet connection, and access to a video conference platform.

To schedule a Yellowstone distance learning program, contact us with information about your group and a proposed date and time (converted to MOUNTAIN Time). MOUNTAIN Time is two hours behind Eastern, one hour behind Central, and one hour ahead of Pacific.

Yellowstone rangers have much to share with students around the U.S. and world and look forward to connecting with your class.

Learn more here: (Link)

• Mar 28 - Apr 15 Leopold Education Project eeCourse $50 ~ approximately 4 hrs per week ~ receive LEP

• Mar 28 - Apr 15 Growing Up WILD & PLT Early Childhood eeCourse $50 ~ approximately 4 hrs per week ~ receive GUW & PLT Early Childhood

Questions? Contact Ashlyn Kite-Hartwich at akite@kacee.org 785-889-4384

Click HERE to register and for more details on each eeCourse and eeCredential

• Apr 11 - Jun 24 eeDoubleCourse $100 ~ 1 graduate credit hour available (additional $85) ~ approximately 4 hrs per week ~ receive PLT, WILD, WET, WILD Aquatic, and either LEP or GUW & PLT Early Childhood

• Apr 11 - Jun 24 Kansas Green School Leader eeCredential $125 ~ 1 graduate credit hour available (additional $85) ~ receive PLT, WILD, WET, WILD Aquatic, and either LEP or GUW & PLT Early Childhood

• Apr 11 - Apr 29 Project Learning Tree & Project WILD eeCourse $50 ~ approximately 4 hrs per week~ receive PLT and WILD

• May 2 - May 27 Project WET & Project WILD Aquatic eeCourse $50 ~ approximately 3 hrs per week ~ receive WET and WILD Aquatic

• Jun 6 - Jun 24 Leopold Education Project eeCourse $50 ~ approximately 4 hrs per week ~ receive LEP

• Jun 6 - Jun 24 Growing Up WILD & PLT Early Childhood eeCourse $50 ~ approximately 4 hrs per week ~ receive GUW & PLT Early Childhood

Questions? Contact Ashlyn Kite-Hartwich at akite@kacee.org 785-889-4384

Click HERE to register and for more details on each eeCourse and eeCredential

The National STEM Scholar Program is Seeking middle school science teachers who:

• enjoy the creativity in teaching

• are eager to share ideas with colleagues

• are excited about networking with peers from across the U.S.

• would like financial and academic support for great ideas

The National STEM Scholar Program works to inspire the creativity and passion of middle school science teachers, ten of whom will be selected for this prestigious program. The next set of Scholars will be hosted by The Gatton Academy of Mathematics and Science and The Center for Gifted Studies from May 29 - June 4, 2022 at Western Kentucky University in Bowling Green, Kentucky.

Scholars will engage in hands-on, minds-on science activities; connect with speakers and thought leaders in STEM education; learn with skilled science educators; and develop a creative Challenge Project for classroom implementation. Each Scholar will receive a Chromebook and funding for Challenge Project supplies and materials.

National STEM Scholars will share midpoint progress with their colleagues while attending the National Science Teachers Association annual meeting in April 2023. Mentoring will be provided throughout the year by Western Kentucky University faculty.

All expenses, including travel costs, materials, mentoring and Challenge Project supplies will be covered by a grant from the National Stem Cell Foundation.

If you have questions, please call 270-745-6323 or email gifted@wku.edu.

Learn more and apply at: wku.edu/gifted/nss

The Prophet Aquatic Research and Outreach Center (PAROC) is built on the shores of ESU's King Lake. With three laboratories, a large flexible-use outreach classroom and live animal exhibits featuring aquatic species native to our region, this facility allows you to get hands-on research experience at the undergraduate level. In addition, the Neosho River and a variety of outdoor learning spaces can be easily accessed via the Dale Griener Nature Trail that winds through the ESU Campus Woods.

Learn more and apply at: https://www.esuvirtualtour.com/paroc

The Stockholm Junior Water Prize (SJWP) is the most prestigious youth award in the world for a water-related science project. The prize taps into the unlimited potential of today’s high school students as they seek to address our water challenges. The competition is open to any high school student in grades 9-12 who are 15 years of age by August 1st of the competition year. All research papers must be uploaded online no later than April 15th of each year to compete in their state’s competition. All state winners will receive an all-expenses paid trip to the SJWP National Competition. The national winner will receive $10,000 and an all-expenses paid trip to Stockholm, Sweden to participate in the SJWP International Competition

The U.S. Stockholm Junior Water Prize competition, which is celebrating its 25th year in 2022, is made possible through a collaborative effort between the Water Environment Federation and its local Member Associations (MAs) across the country. Each state competition is sponsored by an MA and has a designated state organizer. Each state identifies and sends a winner (or winning team) to the U.S. national competition which is currently held the second week of June at the University of North Carolina in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Do you have a high school student that would like to participate in this competition and have a chance to win a trip to North Carolina next summer? Please have them contact Becky Lewis for paper ideas and more information. For more information about the Stockholm Junior Water Prize, go the website: http://www.wef.org/SJWP/ or contact Becky Lewis – 316-303-8702 or rlewis@wichita.gov.

6th-12th Grade Rural Educators

Check out this opportunity for your STEMM classes and students! Add to your STEMM curriculum by bringing a group of STEMM professionals out to your school or class to speak and interact with your students. They will get to listen to a “day in the life” of Science, Technology, Engineering, Math & Medical professionals, hear about their educational paths, get hands on with objects from those fields and be able to get individualized education/career advice from the speakers. Mentoring & job shadowing opportunities are also available through our group along with other STEMM resources.

This is a completely free resource provided by STEMM FIRE! STEMM FIRE is an organization made up of STEMM professionals from all over Kansas, volunteering their time to support and encourage rural and small town students. Special effort is made to highlight local STEMM job opportunities and encourage students to consider future work in rural areas. Please reach out with any questions or to see how your school or organization can get involved at director@stemmfire.org. Learn more at www.stemmfire.org.