New Opportunities May 2024
Please check out all the new opportunities to enlarge your network, improve your craft, and engage students in STEM to end this year with excitement!
Please feel free to share this with colleagues who are also interested in resources related to STEM Education! If you have not been receiving this newsletter regularly, go to STEMWest | Building partnerships to improve regional economy! and fill out the short pop up! |
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Welcome to Dr. Donna Heavner!
Dr. Donna Heavner is the Program Director of STEM West. Donna has 30+ years of experience in math education and school administration. As a math teacher and school administrator, she has experience with strategic, instructional, cultural, and human resources leadership. This work has also allowed her to be a liaison with many community organizations to ensure support for school programs. She has led numerous staff development opportunities relative to support for students and leadership across the state.
[email protected]
Thank you to Burroughs Wellcome Fund for making this possible, as well as the continued support for creating an impactful NC Ecosystem!
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You made STEM Trek 2024 a success!
We had 220 attendees for the event, and 58 STEM professionals presented their work. Volunteers and staff members helped keep STEM Trek running smoothly. The children and parents loved the hands-on activities as they learned more about STEM careers available in their own backyards.
Thank you to the following STEM Trek 2024 exhibitors:
Southeastern Pyrography Association
Greater Hickory Tennis Association
Discovery High School
Marquetarians of the Carolinas
Klingspor’s Woodworking Shop
Shurtape Technologies, LLC
Iredell-Statesville Schools
Western Piedmont Woodcrafters Club
Steve Robertson
Corning Optical Communications, LLC
Centro Inc.
Vulcan
Pisgah Astronomical Research Institute
Catawba Science Center
Greater Hickory International Council
Keep Catawba County Beautiful
Fleet Readiness
Google
NC Bionetwork
Columbia Forest Products
US Conec, Ltd
NC School for Science and Mathematics
Foothills Community Workshop
Western Piedmont Council of Governments
Our exhibitors had great things to say about STEM Trek 2024.
“Great event! There was a good crowd of kids that seemed very interested in the displays. If things work out, we will attend next year. Thank you for the opportunity to show our art form.”
Southeastern Pyrography Association
“This is a great event for the community, and it always runs smoothly. We are happy to participate.”
Corning
Thank you to everyone who attended, worked, or volunteered.
Save the Date: STEM Trek 2025 will be April 16 and April 17 at Hickory Metro Center! |
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Hey STEM catalysts,
How can we feed an ever-growing population and establish food security?
Your students belong to the generation of scientists answering this global challenge.
Equip them.
Using cutting-edge pedagogy, Nourish the Future’s Feeding and Fueling the World professional experience brings North Carolina science educators content with an agricultural context.
Register for this 2-day immersive workshop on the science of food production and sustainable fuels. It’s happening in Charlotte on July 11–12.
Gain a deeper understanding of the impact of food production on environmental issues and nutrition around the world. Experience biotechnology in action when you visit industry sites. Bring home the tools to engage your rising scientists with relevant natural phenomena.
You receive
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$300 of classroom materials
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NGSS-aligned, teacher-developed curriculum
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Insight from industry professionals over dinner
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16 professional development hours
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Hotel stay and meals
[Yes, it’s actually FREE…but only available with limited spots]
Every student deserves inquiry-driven learning that engages with real-world challenges, so we hope you’ll consider the Feeding and Fueling the World experience and also connect with the Nourish the Future teacher community as it grows in North Carolina.
See you there,
The Nourish the Future Team
P.S. Be generous by sharing this fun event with another classroom teacher. Bring a friend!
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For 30 years, North Carolina’s electric cooperatives have helped light up learning in K-12 classrooms statewide through the Bright Ideas education grant program. N.C. teachers with innovative ideas for creative learning projects can submit an online application April through September of each year. Approximately 600 grants are awarded annually by our state’s electric cooperatives for projects that improve classroom instruction and utilize innovative teaching methods. Applications are accepted from teachers in a variety of disciplines including music, art, history, reading, science, technology, math and engineering, just to name a few, and educators may apply as individuals or as a team.
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Engage your students in relevant, case-based learning with NSTA’s NCCSTS Case Collection! The collection is home to over 1000 peer-reviewed cases and is freely accessible to all! These cases provide an engaging opportunity to captivate students in inquiry-based activities that cover a large variety of STEM topics. There are also supplementary teaching notes and answer keys available to qualified subscribers.
Interested in institutional rates for the case study subscription? We offer a discount if your institution has 20 or more teachers! To register, please contact us at [email protected]. Questions? Learn more about subscription options here!
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In April the NCDPI K-12 Science team held its final office hours webinar of the year. This webinar focused on the rollout of the K-12 Science Support Documents that will be released for the implementation of the new K-12 Science Standards in the 2024-2025 school year. To access this recording and slide set, along with previous webinar recordings, slide sets, and resources, click on the NCDPI K-12 Science Section Professional Development Google Document.
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K-12 STEM Educators are invited to a one-day Engineering and Technology Symposium dedicated to connecting higher education with K-12 curricular standards. Through facility tours, workshops, keynoted, and panels, discover innovative methods to integrate real-world applications across all K-12 content areas. Network with educators and ECU College of Engineering and Technology faculty to forge collaborations aimed at enhancing K-12 student preparedness for post-graduation opportunities.
The Deadline to Register is May 15, 2024
Space is limited and tickets will be sent on a first-come, first serve basis.
This is a FREE event. Breakfast and lunch will be provided.
REGISTRATION LINK
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Free professional learning for Physics teachers
The Rickey Summer Science Institute (RSSI) for high school physics teachers, held annually at Marietta College in Marietta, OH, equips teachers with tools and training to help their students develop conceptual understanding of physics.
The 2024 RSSI is being held July 8th through the 12th and will emphasize the use of real-time data acquisition to teach foundational concepts dealing with energy transformations. More information and an application can be found at https://www.marietta.edu/physics-rssi.
Because the RSSI is endowment-funded all instruction, tools, continuing education units, meals, and housing are provided free-of-charge. An option for three graduate credits is available.
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2024 CTE Summer Conference
The Office of Career and Technical Education at DPI would like to personally invite all the Elementary Computer Science, IT, and Technology teachers to the 2024 CTE Summer Conference!
The conference will be held July 18-19, 2024 at the Benton Convention Center and Marriott Winston-Salem, NC.
NEW!! For 2024 there will be an Elementary Computer Science, IT, and Technology track.
• $100 – prior to May 16
• $150 – May 16 – 31, 2024
• $200 – June 1 – July 5, 2024
To check out the agenda, hotel information, and to register visit the website: https://www.ctesummerconference.com/
Questions? Contact [email protected]
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Let Your Students’ Creativity Take Flight on National Paper Airplane Day
 Celebrating National Paper Airplane Day in the classroom is a fantastic opportunity to introduce students to basic principles of physics and aerodynamics in a fun and engaging way.
This day, falling on May 26, can turn into a memorable learning experience where students not only delve into the science behind flight but also express their creativity and problem-solving skills.
By constructing and flying their own paper airplanes, students can explore how different designs affect an airplane’s flight path and distance, fostering a hands-on learning environment that encourages curiosity and experimentation.
Looking for Paper Airplane Activity Ideas?
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Design and Fly Competition: Have students design their own paper airplanes and compete in categories like longest flight distance, longest airtime, and most creative design.
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Experiment With Materials: Allow students to make airplanes from different types of paper or materials to see how it affects flight, teaching them about weight and air resistance.
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Create a Flight Log: Have students keep a flight log for their paper airplane tests, recording distance, flight duration, and observations, promoting analytical skills.
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Sneak in an Aerodynamics Lesson: Use other AeroEducate classroom activities to incorporate a lesson on aerodynamics, explaining how forces like lift, gravity, thrust, and drag affect flight.
Did You Know…..?
Students from kindergarten through high school can create a FREE AeroEducate student account to access dozens of activities to continue their aviation journey?
Through a student account, they explore online activities, complete hands-on projects, and participate in in-person experiences to earn points toward digital achievement badges!
Students can even earn AeroEducate badging for completing our paper airplane activity in the Technology badge!
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We’re so excited to share Projectile Data Lab, where students can collect and analyze real-world data with variability! Not only can Projectile Data Lab be used as a true virtual lab, but students can also use it to explore fundamental concepts of measurement uncertainty, variables with statistical noise, and propagation of error. Students will be able to …
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Visualize and hear data resulting from real-world randomness in launch speed and angle
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Attribute data variability to physical properties of the launcher
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Design experiments to investigate the effect of different launch parameters
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Compare sampling distributions and explore the effect of sample size
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Projectile Sampling Distributions
For the statistics teacher looking to bring sampling distributions to life, Projectile Sampling Distributions is for you! Students can see samples forming in real time and visualize their means represented in a histogram. Investigate the role sample size plays in sampling distributions to watch the Central Limit Theorem in action. Students will be able to…
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Visualize and hear how a sampling distribution is created in real time
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Develop an intuitive sense of the Central Limit Theorem
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Compare sampling distributions from a variety of interesting populations
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Explore ways to make inferences more accurately
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| Watch for more STEM opportunities in the STEM West June 2024 Newsletter! |
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