Block 1: 8:00 to 8:55 AM

Room H306

Artificial Intelligence: The Gift of Fire

Dr Timothy Henry, Professor, RI College

Grade levels PK - 12

This presentation offers a comprehensive, accessible introduction to artificial intelligence for educators and administrators, tracing the technical foundations of AI — from machine learning and deep learning to large language models and generative AI — before examining the practical risks and limitations that users must understand, including confabulation, bias, unpredictability, and opacity. Using current examples, this talk explores how generative AI behaves like an "untrained intern" — capable yet unreliable — and what that means for responsible use. Attendees will leave with a clearer framework for evaluating AI tools and supporting student AI literacy.

Room H307

Fly Into Engineering: Programming Drones to Solve Real-World Problems Exploring GEMS-Net & Navy STEM Classroom Resources

Rachele Limberakis, Teacher in Residence, GEMS Net /Navy STEM, URI;

Valerie Maier Speredelozzi, Associate Professor, Industrial and Systems Engineering, URI

Grade levels 6 - 12

Participants will explore a classroom-ready video and engineering task inspired by real work from the University of Rhode Island Robotics Lab, where drones are programmed to monitor algae blooms in local ponds. Educators will engage in hands-on algorithm design, pattern recognition, and optimization challenges that mirror authentic engineering practices.  This session provides additional classroom-ready videos, tasks, and facilitation strategies to foster an engineering mindset while introducing students to STEAM careers in robotics, environmental science, and computer science.  Attendees will leave with ready-to-use materials that promote problem-solving, collaboration, and real-world community connections.

Room H308

Ensuring Access to Mathematics Curricula for Multilingual Learners

Meg Levy, Instructional Support Leader, Providence Public Schools

Michelle Stockwell, Assistant Principal, Providence Public Schools

Grade levels 6 - 12

This session, aimed at middle and high school educators, is focused on ensuring access to mathematics curricula to better support multilingual learners. Participants will explore how “classroom snapshots” of students’ language abilities can inform planning and how AI can be leveraged to design intentional scaffolds. We will also examine practical strategies, including instructional routines that promote student discourse, the Concrete-Representational-Abstract (CRA) approach, and translanguaging practices. Grounded in real classroom examples, this session aims to increase access, engagement, and mathematical understanding for multilingual learners in Rhode Island schools.

Room H309

Waste Not, Learn Lots: Turning Cafeteria Sorting into STEM Lessons

Sylvia Skerry, Program Facilitator, Rhode Island School Recycling Project

Grade levels PK - 12

The Rhode Island School Recycling Project partners with schools to set up waste sorting stations in cafeterias to reduce food waste and improve recycling rates. But our efforts go beyond the cafeteria doors. Through our programs, students learn about how food waste impacts climate change, food scarcity in the Rhode Island community, recycling, our landfill, and more! Once students understand why we sort waste in their cafeteria, we lead hands-on waste audits in which they measure each waste category and perform calculations (using age-appropriate math) to assess their school's environmental impact. See how it is done through this workshop!

Block 2: 9:00 to 9:55 AM

Room H306

Including All Learners in Place-based Sensemaking about Nature

Andreia Ferreira, Specialist at Spaziano Elementary, Providence Public Schools

Soraya Santana, 3rd grade teacher at Spaziano Elementary, Providence Public Schools

Grade levels PK - 5

Place-based environmental investigations provide all students with an opportunity to ask questions and engage in investigations to make sense of their surroundings through data collection and discourse. This presentation focuses on the methods and materials used in a Science Club to engage elementary students in place-based investigations to improve their language, literacy and math skills. The students we worked with are English language learners. Instructors for this workshop will share their methods, samples of worksheets, student work, with interaction with the audience about teachers’ needs and concerns in other venues.

Room H307

The RI Experiential Learning Navigator: Career-Based Connections and Exploration Made Easy for Educators

Katharine Amaral, Director of Programming & Community Partnerships, Junior Achievement

Kerry O'Hara, Experiential Learning Manager: Educator Relations, Junior Achievement

Ross Bouchard, Experiential Learning Program Manager: Employer Relations, Junior Achievement

Grade levels 6 - 12

Enrich Your Curriculum!  The Rhode Island Experiential Learning Navigator (RIEXL) is a dynamic, free, statewide platform that makes career-based learning easier, more accessible, and more impactful for everyone. RIEXL helps educators enrich their students’ classroom experience and connect them with meaningful career exploration opportunities.  With over 200 opportunities across 31 high-wage, high-demand industries, RIEXL connects educators with employers and organizations eager to work with students. Participants will learn how to use RIEXL to help students prepare for life beyond the classroom, meet career readiness goals, and explore the diverse industries shaping Rhode Island’s future.

Room H308

Biomimicry as an Authentic Anchor: Fruit Harvest Design Challenge

Geling Xu, Doctoral Student/Tufts University

Michael Cassidy, Senior Researcher/TERC

Debra Bernstein, Senior Researcher/TERC

Kristen Wendell, Professor/Tufts University

Grade levels 6 - 12

Biomimicry as an Authentic Anchor (BAA), an NSF-funded project, engages teachers in interdisciplinary, nature-inspired engineering design. In the “Fruit Harvest” activity, teachers investigate organisms with grasping adaptations, analyze structure–function relationships, and develop harvesting device prototypes using simple craft materials. This session offers a ready-to-implement, standards-aligned lesson that integrates science, engineering, and computational thinking through a range of technologies. Participants will gain practical strategies to support student abstraction and design reasoning, boost engagement, and deepen understanding of core concepts, while fostering creative, real-world problem solving within integrated STEM instruction.

Room H309

Rising to the Challenge: Making Grade-Level Math Work for Every Student

Robyn McGregor, Teach to One

Grade levels 6 - 8

A facilitated discussion focused on how schools can successfully implement grade-level math for all students, with an emphasis on practical execution over theory. The session explores instructional strategies, classroom differentiation, scheduling, and leadership decisions that support this shift. It highlights how schools address unfinished learning while maintaining grade-level rigor, the role of data instruction, and the mindset changes required among educators. The conversation centers on equity, real student outcomes, and sustainable systems, concluding with actionable advice for leaders navigating similar transitions.

Room H310

Planning Engaging School Community STEAM Nights

Milissa O’Neil, 2025 State Teacher of the Year, Warwick Public Schools

Grade levels PK - 5

This proposal presents a professional development session for educators and administrators on how to plan and host impactful STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics) Nights. As the 2025 State Teacher of the Year, I have the unique opportunity to lead 12 district-wide STEAM Nights across Rhode Island—an initiative designed to strengthen connections between schools, families, and communities while fostering student curiosity, creativity, and innovation. This presentation will equip participants with practical tools, strategies, and inspiration to organize engaging STEAM Nights that bring communities together, showcase student learning, increase family participation through hands-on experiences, and ensure equitable access to STEAM opportunities. By the conclusion of the session, attendees will understand the essential components of a successful STEAM Night, know how to plan and execute the event, explore ways to engage families and community partners, and identify strategies to sustain and expand STEAM initiatives across districts.

Block 3: 11:05 AM - 12:00 PM

Room H306

From Partnerships to Proposals: NSF Opportunities & How to Unlock Funding for Your Innovative STEAM Ideas

Damaris Borden, RI-NEST

Anabela Maia, RI-NEST

Grade levels K - 12

Learn about funding opportunities, receive grant-writing advice, and brainstorm collaboratively. This session introduces educators to National Science Foundation opportunities that have the potential to bring millions of dollars into RI to support cutting-edge STEAM learning and professional development for K-12 students and educators. Participants will learn what NSF is currently seeking to fund, such as promoting AI literacy and responsible use, developing classroom tools and professional learning resources, building STEAM career pathways, and paid teacher research experiences. Participants will also hear insights from recipients of NSF K–12 funding and engage in a collaborative ideation activity to shape fundable project concepts.

H307

Tiny Engineers, Big Ideas: Integrating Design into Elementary Learning

Sari Guttin, New England Basecamp

Grade levels PK - 5

In this hands-on session, PreK and Elementary educators will explore how to integrate the Engineering Design Process into everyday lessons. Participants will engage in quick design challenges, see practical classroom examples, and leave with classroom-ready activities that connect engineering and math concepts. Teachers will gain strategies to foster problem solving, collaboration, and creative thinking in the classroom.  This session equips educators to make engineering engaging, challenging, and fun for young learners. 

Room H308

Experience the Math Behind Windpower

Michael Rinaldi, WindWinRI

Grade levels 6 - 12

What about Inquiry learning, ethical decision-making, Environmental concerns, and statistical analysis in the math class? Use wind and wind machines to enhance the classroom. Get out of the seats and do experiential learning, hands-on activities, and explain the whys and hows of wind power.  It is all mathematics and science; it is the only way to explain wind power. From solving equations to statistical analysis and vectors, simple wind power activities explain science and math.  There is STEAM in the Wind!  Come, build, and see how it all relates. Build a simple wind turbine, collect data, and see if this can work in your classroom.

Room H309

Lessons Rewired: Using AI to Make STEAM Learning Accessible in K–5 Classrooms

Karen Capraro & RI College Teacher Candidates, RI College

PK – 5

This session highlights how undergraduate teacher candidates used AI tools alongside high-quality curriculum materials to make STEAM learning more accessible in K–5 classrooms. By analyzing existing curricula, candidates leveraged AI to generate meaningful, standards-aligned STEAM integrations across subjects and grade levels. Their work culminated in the self-published book Lessons Rewired: Using AI to Integrate STEAM into K–5 Curriculum. Educators will gain practical strategies for lowering planning barriers, adapting required curricula, and expanding equitable access to engaging, inquiry-based STEAM experiences for diverse learners.