New Opportunities: October 1, 2021

DEADLINE APPROACHING: DECEMBER 1ST!

Vulcan Materials Partners with STEM West to Offer Classroom Grants!

**Vulcan Mini-Grants of $300-$500** will be awarded to classroom teachers to improve **Earth and Environmental Education** in **Burke, Caldwell, and Watauga Counties**. All grade levels are eligible. Grants may be used for supplies, student consumables, professional development, online resources, etc. A post grant report MUST be completed by December 1st, 2022 indicating impact on teaching and learning for students.

Vulcan Materials Company is the nation’s largest producer of construction aggregates—primarily crushed stone, sand and gravel—and a major producer of aggregates-based construction materials, including asphalt and ready-mixed concrete. Our coast-to-coast footprint and strategic distribution network align with and serve the nation’s growth centers. In the STEM West market, Vulcan operates 3 quarries: Morganton, Lenoir, and Boone. Our crushed stone products are the literal foundation of these communities. At Vulcan, we live by the “Vulcan Way” which is “Doing the right thing, the right way, at the right time.” We believe in supporting earth science education in a way that will not only provide knowledge about our earth and the many ways we use natural resources in our everyday lives, but facilitate career interest in our industry. If you can’t grow it, you have to mine it!

**Submission is DUE December 1st, 2021 with grant funds being supplied by January 30th, 2022.**

Free Webinar Series: Making Sense of Three-Dimensional Science

Smithsonian experts show how curriculum developers deconstruct three-dimensional science performance expectations to create learning progressions that drive student-centered learning in “The Power of a Good Story.”

The webinar—the second of a free four-part series on using three-dimensional science to teach and assess students—will be held at 4 PM EST, November 17.

Catch up with recordings from previous events and register for upcoming webinars.

Get Details and Register

Are you a 5th grade teacher in North Carolina? Would you like your students to do real science? Do you wish you had resources for teaching science on your school grounds?

If so, we have a great opportunity for you! Please complete this brief interest form for a research study that will happen across the state during the 2022-23 and 2023-24 school years. Our project, Supporting Teacher Learning for Effective School-Based Citizen Science, or “TL4CS” for short, is funded by the National Science Foundation and will study what helps elementary teachers use citizen science to engage students with science content and practices. TL4CS will focus on two citizen science projects: Community Collaborative Rain, Hail, and Snow Network (CoCoRaHS) and The Lost Ladybug Project.

Participating teachers will:

Implement CoCoRaHS and Lost Ladybug with their students using materials developed by our team

Attend approximately 3 days of summer professional development (in-person and virtual)

Attend monthly virtual meetings (1-2 hours) to receive additional support throughout the school year

Complete a weekly brief (5-10 minute) instructional log about project implementation

Complete an online survey at the beginning and end of the school year

Administer student research instruments near the beginning and end of the school year

Collect anonymous student work throughout the year (materials and postage will be provided)

All participants who complete the study will receive an honorarium up to $1600 in installments over the two years of involvement.

If you have questions, please reach out to our team at [email protected].

Transform the future of STEM by sharing your community’s story!

The unCommission is bringing together hundreds of young people aged 13-29 across the country to share their personal experiences and stories about science, engineering, technology, and math. They are especially looking to hear from Black, Latinx, and Native American young people from North Carolina! The purpose of this national storytelling initiative is to help lawmakers and decision-makers (and maybe even President Biden!) learn about some of the successes, challenges, and inequities in STEM education by listening directly to young people in order to identify a set of national goals with the power to improve STEM education.

This is a great opportunity for young people in your networks to share their truth and do so in a way that will shape what education looks like in the future. Plus, 100Kin10 will send all folks who participate a link to select any of these gifts after they attend the session and submit a story. Additionally, any organization that helps 5+ storytellers submit their story will receive a $500 honorarium to be used as they see fit.

Storytellers can submit their story on this platform. We encourage stories to be submitted by the end of October.

If you’d like support, please reach out to the [email protected].

—

Sheneika Simmons

Program Manager, NC Center for Afterschool Programs

Public School Forum of North Carolina
3725 National Drive, Suite 101
Raleigh, NC 27612
919-781-6833×102
[email protected] | ncafterschool.org
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APPLY TO BE A SCIENCE LEADERSHIP FELLOW!

Are you ready to expand your work horizons? Are you ready to be a leader in science education? If yes, then join the NC Science Leadership Association (NCSLA) Science Leadership Fellows Program. The deadline to apply for this two year program is November 19, 2021. Program acceptance is competitive. Apply online! In addition to application questions, you will need two letters of support, a supervisor signature, a CV or resume,and a two-minute introduction video to complete your application online. Please note that you may not be allowed to upload files using a school email address. You may need to use a gmail or other email address to complete this application. If you have questions or need additional information contact Alisa Wickliff at [email protected]. Program DescriptionThe North Carolina Leadership Association (NCSLA) is proud to lead an initiative to foster the development of science education leaders in North Carolina. The purpose of the NCSLA Science Leadership Fellows Program is to enhance professional competence and develop the leadership abilities necessary for science leaders to operate effectively in various leadership positions in science education. This program started in 1994 and is supported by the North Carolina Science, Mathematics and Technology Education Center and the Burroughs Wellcome Fund. More details online