Please see message below from Death Valley National Park

Greetings,

We are excited to announce that the pilot program of our distance learning program has been extended to Friday, April 22^nd, limited to Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays.

You can view information about our current program offerings on our distance learning webpage including how to register for a Virtual Trip. Because this is a pilot program, we appreciate any feedback you wish to share, whether your class participates in a program or not.

Thank you to all groups that have participated so far (feel free to sign-up for additional programs!).

If you have any questions about the program, please do not hesitate to reach out. Feel free to pass this information on to your network!

Best regards,

The Death Valley Education Team

____________________________________

Death Valley Education Program

Phone: 760-786-3226

Quick Links:

Ranger Guided Field Trip Programs: Ranger Guided Field Trips - Death Valley National Park

Pre- and Post- Visit Lesson Plans: Teaching Resources - Death Valley National Park

Digital Student Report Information: Student Report Information - Death Valley National Park

Weather Data provided by the National Weather Service: Death Valley National Park Weather

See Message below from Mandy Mountain

I am planning an outreach event on Earth Day and I am looking for CCSD teachers (as well as college students that are planning to be teachers, or that are interested in biology careers) that would be interested in attending an event to learn about dune beetle ecology at Big Dune. Teachers and college students would get to participate in research activities being conducted by UNLV, learn about the ecology of the Giuliani's dune scarab beetle, and experience what it might be like to be a field biologist for a day. The hope is that teachers will share information about the experience with their students and incorporate it into a lesson about science, research, or science careers, and inspire students to have an interest in science. I am also willing to come talk to their classroom if it fits into their lesson. Long term, I hope that by having first-hand experience to draw from, teachers will be better equipped to make science lessons more interesting and relatable to students.

This event will be on April 22nd, with a possible second day on April 23rd. Transportation will be provided. We will be traveling to Big Dune Nevada and conducting research activities including collection of observational data of beetle behaviors, and collecting environmental and behavioral data during a short experiment manipulating the light conditions that beetles are exposed to.

I am aware that this experience will not appeal to everyone due to the late hours and the fact the "bugs" are not everyone's cup of tea. This timing is necessary because the beetles are only active and observable during a short window each night around sunset, and we need travel time to get to and from the dune. If you are very afraid of insects you may not want to come on this trip, but rest assured that these beetles do not eat food as adults, and biting is not something that we have ever experienced from them. It is quite an experience to see the beetles all emerge from the sand in unison and watch them as they hover around all of the surrounding shrubs against the backdrop of the sunset. It all feels very magical. I am looking for adventurous teachers that like the outdoors, have an interest in biology, and want to use their experience to inspire their students.

If you are interested in participating, complete the form at this link:   https://forms.gle/ZJY1twdk49kwr3Y6A
Thank you!

 Mandy Mountain
Graduate Student, Lab of Dr. Daniel Thompson
Teaching Assistant for Biology 415 Discussion
School of Life Sciences

University of Nevada, Las Vegas
mandy.mountain@unlv.edu

Join Pahranagat NWR for it annual Carp Rodeo on April 30. After two years, this fun, family-friendly fishing event is back in person!  Please see attached flyer for more info and follow us on Facebook for all the latest info. https://www.facebook.com/PahrandMoapaValleyNWR

Join the Nevada Science Center for their next Virtual Field Trip on April 1st at 1 pm PT being broadcast from the Tonopah Historic Mining Park. They will be discussing mining history and the science technology of historic mining in the Silver State.

The Science Alive program at the Desert Research Institute has several STEM Green Boxes still available for loan.   Each Green Box provides all instructions and all materials needed for engaging lessons that support the Nevada Academic Content Standards.  You can read more about the Green Box program at:  https://www.dri.edu/science-alive/green-boxes/

These are available to all educators in Nevada, informal and formal, for no charge. Boxes will ship out this week and will need to be returned by May 11^th.  Shipment to and from your school is included.  Please visit this link to see what is available:  https://sciencealive.checkfront.com/reserve/?category_id=12,13,14,22,26,27&date=20220301&options=tabs%20. The boxes that are still available for check out will say "BOOK NOW" when you look at each grade level category. 

Contact Leah Madison at Leah.Madison@dri.edu if you have any questions.  

It's time for the 2022 Free Fishing Day Poster Contest! 

The contest is open to all fourth and fifth-grade students in Nevada. All entries must be received at your nearest regional Nevada Department of Wildlife office by Friday, April 29th, 2022.

Download the official Information Packet here! Please share far and wide!

For any questions or concerns contact Eric Cachinero at eric.cachinero@ndow.org 

The Annual Las Vegas Science and Technology Festival will be held April 30 - May 7, 2020.  There will be MANY events throughout both weekends and during the week Including Science is Everywhere Day on May 1, evening events all week, and the Giant Expo on May 7.  You can visit the website for updates: www.scifest.vegas.

CCSD coordinates the "Science in Schools" portion of this weeklong event.  We work to bring in STEM professionals to as many classrooms/schools as possible during the week.  Teachers are now invited to sign up to request a STEM professional for their classroom(s) or school during that week.  Please check the dates before you sign up.  If you do sign up and are assigned a speaker, it is expected that you will follow up with the speaker to schedule an appropriate time for their visit.  If you are assigned a speaker and do not follow up and/or cancel, you will be jeopardizing further partnership opportunities.  

To request a STEM speaker during the las Vegas Science and Technology Festival-Science in Schools, complete the form by end of day April 5 , at:  

https://forms.gle/csd5mZYaCJ9JWqn5A

Matches will be made with speakers and your match contact will be emailed to you the week of April 18.  As soon as you get that match, it is expected that you will reach out to the science professional to confirm and plan the visit.   I cannot promise that all requests will be filled as this is dependent upon the number of speakers who sign up. 

Computer Science Professors Jo and Kim will once again be hosting their GenCyber Camp for high school students. This year students will participate for one day in spring, one in fall, and a week over summer.

The camp is free to attend but students must apply by April 9, which is coming up quickly.

We also have a webpage at https://www.unlv.edu/program/cybersecurity/gencyber that gives more information about the program and includes a few media stories to watch for background

Please see the attached flyer below for Get Outdoors Nevada's 2021-2022 virtual programs. 

Virtual NGSS Flyer Spring 2022.pdf

Congratulations to Steve Gaskill from K.O. Knudson JHS in Las Vegas and his students who were just named national finalists in Samsung's Solve for Tomorrow Challenge.  They get $50,000 and a trip to New York to pitch their idea to Samsung!

Their project was to design better bus benches for the Las Vegas summers.  Their solution was to replace the RTC's current steel benches with benches out of concrete made using recycled sunflower stalk aggregates.  This was one of the top ten finalists in the country.

You can vote for this idea in the "Community Choice Vote" every day here: https://www.samsung.com/us/solvefortomorrow/