Students working towards an eco-friendly future are encouraged to enter the Spellman HV Clean Tech Competition! An international sustainability research competition for 15-18 year olds, any project that solves a problem with a sustainable solution is eligible. Teams register for free online and submit a research paper for consideration, with the top 10 Teams then presenting their work at a virtual Finals for their chance at over $20,000 in awards! Registration is open now until April 22; check out their website www.cstl.org/cleantech for more information and contact the Administrator at cleantech@cstl.org or (516) 764-0045 with any questions.

Sign up here

Apply now for a 2022 #KidsToParks Day School Grant from the National Park Trust.

Between now and February 11th, the National Park Trust is accepting applications from Title I school teachers looking to engage their students in distance learning OR in-park experiences.  This grant program provides classrooms with up to $500 for distance learning experiences or up to $1,000 for in-park experiences.

For all of the details and to apply, visit bit.ly/KTPSchoolGrant22.

Join us for a Sneak Peek at the hands-on Project ReCharge Curriculum!

We have picked a few of our favorite innovative sustainability and energy efficiency lessons from our STEAM curriculum to share with teachers. This is a great introduction to the type of professional learning and curriculum that Project ReCharge offers. Teachers will learn how fun, engaging, and impactful these topics can be for them and their students!

2022 Spring  Sessions - join us for one or all of them! We are offering a $25 stipend for each session. We are limiting our class sizes to 25 per session and all sessions will be held on Zoom. To learn more check out our website: https://envirolution.org/prc-pd/

Sign-Up for the Sneak Peek HERE!

Wed 1/12/2022		4:00-6:30 pm PST		Virtual		Sustainability → Students are introduced to the three spheres of sustainability and  consider their own contributions and efforts towards making a change in their community.		Mandatory Session (1 time only) All grade levels
Wed 2/23/2022		4:00-6:00 pm PST		Virtual		Wind Power → Model how wind can be used to generate electricity, by designing blades for a small wind turbine and collecting data from the designs.		Middle and High School
Wed 3/16/2022		4:00-6:00 pm PST		Virtual		Solar Power → Generate electricity from sunlight using solar panels and a solar water pump and consider how this process positively impacts sustainability efforts.		Middle and High School

Designation Action Guide and STEM School Application

The Nevada Governor’s Designated STEM School Action Guide and Application 2022 has recently been released. The Guide and Application provides a roadmap with guidelines and criteria for Nevada schools to become a Governor Designated STEM School. It also includes the designation application and the Nevada STEM Framework for reference. Applications for the Governor’s STEM School Designation are due February 28, 2022!

Please see below for information from Girls Who Code

Free 3-12th Grade Clubs Program

Girls Who Code (GWC) is an international nonprofit offering free and flexible coding resources for our community! 

 

When you sign up to start a GWC Club, you’ll get access to everything you need -- including training, comprehensive resources, 120+ hours of easy-to-use and flexible coding curriculum for 3-12th graders, and even free t-shirts and other swag for each of your Club members. Clubs curriculum feature coding tutorials for all skill levels, inspiring women in tech, community-building activities to increase confidence, and project-based learning related to activism. You don’t need any prior coding experience to get started! Plus -- all genders are welcome in this girls-supportive environment. Learn more about the Clubs program here or join a webinar here. 

 

Sign up here to access GWC’s free Clubs curriculum & resources!

 

Free 9-12th Grade Summer Programs

Ever wonder how a career in tech can help you pursue your passions? Join Girls Who Code summer 2022 to find out! If you’re a 9-12th grade girl - both cis and trans - or non-binary student, you’re invited to apply to Girls Who Code’s 2-week virtual Summer Immersion Program (SIP) or virtual Self-Paced Program (SPP)!

 

You’ll learn an intro to HTML, CSS, and JavaScript through fun, hands-on projects for beginners or receive advanced certification in cybersecurity if you’re looking to sharpen your coding skills. You’ll even explore careers in tech through connections to top companies like YumBrands and Bank of America, just to name two! Plus - you’ll become a part of a global sisterhood of 450,000 students worldwide that’ll grant you access to exclusive alumni career support for life! In addition to our Summer Programs being 100% free, stipends of up to $300 and tech support are available for applicants who qualify.

Please see the below message from the Nevada Department of Wildlife

Our Winter BioBlitz is back and it starts TODAY! This friendly competition is the entire month of December and involves all NDOW staff, volunteers, interns and seasonals, also Nevada teachers. The goal is to observe as much wildlife, plants, insects, tracks, etc. anywhere in Nevada through the smart phone app iNaturalist (Apple App store:  https://apps.apple.com/us/app/inaturalist/id421397028; Google Play store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.inaturalist.android&hl=en_US&gl=US). And yes – there will be a prize for most observations! (Flyer is also attached and below.)

 

Check out this BioBlitz online here: www.inaturalist.org/projects/ndow-winter-bioblitz-2021

Remember to JOIN the BioBlitz Project before you make observations if you are participating this year!

 

Questions? Comments? Contact Jess Brooks here: jdbrooks@ndow.org.

 

Get out and observe wildlife next month! Also, have fun! No pressure, but this is a competition! :) Good luck!

What is a BioBlitz?

A BioBlitz is a chunk of time where participants observe as much wildlife as possible – wildlife sightings, insects, plants, tracks… all of the above! This year, the BioBlitz includes the entire month of December and if you join the Project online – anything you observe in Nevada will count! Join the Project here: https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/ndow-winter-bioblitz-2021. (If you are new to iNaturalist, you will need to create an account before you join the BioBlitz project.) This is free to anyone and starts today - on December 1 and lasts until midnight on December 31!

 

How do I make an Observation?

• It’s easiest to make an observation through the iNaturalist app (Apple App store:  https://apps.apple.com/us/app/inaturalist/id421397028; Google Play store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.inaturalist.android&hl=en_US&gl=US). But, you can also upload your observations through the website: https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/ndow-winter-bioblitz-2021.
• Once you’ve created an account and joined the Project for this year’s Winter BioBlitz (https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/ndow-winter-bioblitz-2021), on your smart phone with the app open, hit “Observe” at the bottom of your screen. You will be prompted to take a picture with your smart phone or upload a picture. Afterward, you can hit “What did you see?” to check out what the app and the iNaturalist community thinks you saw. Select your best guess and hit “SHARE” at the bottom of your screen. As long as you have location sharing toggled on your app pr your phone, everything will be added to the Winter BioBlitz Project automatically. This data is useful to citizen scientists all over the globe and is corroborated and viewed by anyone who might be studying biodiversity or wildlife populations.

The Springs Preserve's SPRINGBOARD video series brings their water and habitat experts into the K-12 classroom through live, real-time, virtual meetings. SPRINGBOARD is designed as a multi-media educational resource. Students can explore a topic through our videos and toolkits and then engage in a virtual classroom visit with one of our working experts. These are real people (scientists and policy makers) who work on everything from tortoise habitat to water conservation programs. We are currently promoting our water-focused videos/experts. A flyer is attached. But we have many topics to explore. You can check out the videos here https://www.springspreserve.org/education-conservation/springboard-virtual-learning.html.  

The SNWA’s Youth Advisory Council is now the Youth Conservation Council! This new council will give students an opportunity to earn community service hours and gain valuable experience while learning about real-world, water issues. It will run from January to April 2022, culminating in the Earth Day 2022 event at the Springs Preserve on April 23^rd. Attached and below is the promotional flyer, with a QR code that will lead them to an informational page and an interest form.

 

Interest forms must be submitted before December 15, 2021. Limited spots available.

 

More About the Youth Conservation Council

The YCC is a highly-engaging community service program that invites high school students throughout Southern Nevada to examine the inner workings of resource management through the organizational efforts of the Southern Nevada Water Authority, Las Vegas Valley Water District and the Springs Preserve. Students in the program will learn about the challenges of water sustainability in Southern Nevada and explore the design solutions necessary to address those challenges. The 16-week program includes subject-matter guest speakers, on-site Spring Preserve explorations and field trips, as well as opportunities to conceptualize conservation solutions (engineering and science), explore potential conservation programs, develop ideas for educational outreach and social media campaigns and assist in the planning and hosting of a large-scale Earth Day event held at the Springs Preserve.

 

While focused on water sustainability, the YCC explores all the work that goes into resource management. So, it’s a great opportunity for STEM students but also students who are deeply interested in sustainability but whose academic strengths may lead to a future in government, law, communications, public policy, public outreach, etc. I think this is a perfect opportunity for high school science teachers to identify those students who show great interest in sustainability whether or not STEM is their jam.  

 

Participating students will:

·       Earn community service hours

·       Learn about Southern Nevada’s water source including supply and demand

·       Discover the science and engineering behind water treatment, delivery and conservation

·       Evaluate market influence in shaping public engagement policies

·       Identify challenges in water conservation strategies

·       Create interactive public engagement opportunities (event booths and pop-up classes at Springs Preserve, K-5 classroom activities)

·       Volunteer with Springs Preserve Education Team

·       Plan and execute Earth Day Event at Springs Preserve

 

The YCC program launches in early January.

Please see message below from Nora Mathison, the senior editor of "Lost Women of Science" 

My name is Nora Mathison, and I’m the senior editor of a new podcast called Lost Women of Science, in partnership with PRX and Scientific American. Each season explores the life and work of one woman who has made significant contributions to a scientific field, but who has nonetheless been overlooked. 

As a nonprofit educational initiative, a big part of our mission is to inspire students, particularly girls and young women, to pursue careers in STEM. It is vital that we connect with a young audience, and we need your help doing that.

We just launched the first episode of Season One, about Dr. Dorothy Andersen, a pediatric pathologist who was the first to identify cystic fibrosis in 1938. The season’s four episodes chronicle Dr. Andersen’s fascinating life and important work, and also explain the science of the disease she studied. We think it is a fantastic—and very entertaining!— learning opportunity.

We hope you’ll share the Lost Women of Science podcast with teachers in your association, and hope that they in turn will find a way to incorporate it into their science curriculum.

You can find us on most platforms, including Scientific American and Apple Podcasts.

Thanks so much for your help.

Nora Mathison

Senior Editor at Lost Women of Science