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

OSIT has released four grant funding opportunities to strengthen STEM in Nevada.

The K-5 STEM Classroom Grant provides up to $1,500 per classroom for teachers to purchase high-quality STEM education materials. Applications are due December 17, 2021.

The K-5 STEM Program Grant provides up to $20,000 per school to implement school-wide programming and/or training for programs on the STEM Advisory Council’s List of Recommended STEM Programs. Applications are due December 17, 2021.

The Workforce Talent Pipeline Development Grant has $500,000 available to create training programs provided by consortiums of secondary education, postsecondary education, and Nevada’s STEM industries. Applications are due January 17, 2022.

The Workforce Challenge Grant has $500,000 in funding available to create workforce training programs for in-demand, industry-recognized STEM skills. Applications are due January 22, 2022.

Please visit https://osit.nv.gov/Grants/Grants/ to read the Requests for Applications for all current funding opportunities.

This fall Climate Generation, a nationally recognized nonprofit providing interdisciplinary climate change education training and resources for over 15 years has a series of virtual workshops around the best practices of climate change education. We invite you to join our next virtual workshop focusing on Understanding the Power of COP 26 (United Nations Conference of the Parties on Climate Change action).

Teach Climate Network Workshop: Understanding the power of COP26

Wednesday, November 3rd, 12:00-1:00 PM CT

Register Here

Learn about COP26 (United Nations Conference of the Parties) taking place in Glasgow, Scotland November 1st-12th. Discover the importance of policy and collaboration in finding climate change solutions, and learn about resources to connect your students with the climate change solutions developed at this year's U.N. Climate Change Conference. Educators will also leave with best practices and strategies for effectively using Climate Generation’s COP26 Educator’s Toolkit.

 

All workshop registrants will have access to the workshop recording.

 

#TeachClimateChat Connect with educators attending COP 26

Thursday, November 4th, 12:00-1:00 PM CT

Register Here

Join the Climate Generation delegation of educators live in Glasgow, Scotland, as they attend COP26 (United Nations Conference of the Parties). Join the discussion about the importance of their work in empowering all members of society to engage in climate action, through education, training, public awareness, public participation, public access to information, and international cooperation on these issues.

NASA seeks young engineers to help design a new robot for an excavation mission on the Moon. The Lunabotics Junior Contest, open to K-12 students in U.S. public, private, and homeschools, starts accepting entries on Wednesday, Oct. 20, and runs through Jan. 25, 2022. The competition, which is a collaboration between NASA and Future Engineers, asks students to design a robot that digs and moves lunar soil called regolith from an area of the lunar south pole to a holding container near a future Artemis Moon base.

“Developing mining capabilities on the Moon will require innovation and creativity, and students are some of the most creative thinkers,” said Mike Kincaid, NASA’s associate administrator for the Office of STEM Engagement. “The next generation always brings new perspectives, inventive ideas, and a sense of optimism to the challenges NASA puts in front of them. I’m really looking forward to seeing the designs they submit to Lunabotics Junior.”

NASA’s Artemis missions are returning to the Moon with the first woman and first person of color, and will create a long-term human presence that will serve as a springboard for future Martian exploration. Lunar regolith is instrumental in this development, and could be used to create lunar concrete, reducing the amount and cost of materials that need to be transported from Earth. Artemis Student Challenges such as the Lunabotics Junior Contest create unique opportunities for a diverse group of students to contribute to NASA's work in exploration and discovery while celebrating their creativity and innovation.

To enter the contest, students must submit by Jan. 25, 2022, an image of the robot design and a written summary that explains how the design is intended to operate on the Moon. While students are not tasked to actually build a robot, they are asked to envision a robot design that is no larger than 3.5 feet by 2 feet by 2 feet and addresses three main design features: how the physical design of the robot will enable it to scoop/dig and move the lunar regolith, whether the robot will operate by moving large amounts of dirt per trip or transporting less dirt in more trips, and how the design and operation of the robot will meet the big challenge of lunar dust that is stirred up and can “stick” to surfaces when lunar regolith is moved.

Students can sign up individually or teachers can register their entire class. Entries will be split into two categories – grades K-5 and grades 6-12. Ten semifinalists will receive a Lunabotics Junior prize pack and four national finalists from each category will win a virtual session with a NASA subject matter expert. The national winner from each category will be announced on March 29, 2022, and will be awarded a virtual chat for their class with Kennedy Space Center Director Janet Petro. For all contest and prize details, including education resources, visit: https://www.futureengineers.org/lunaboticsjunior

NASA and Future Engineers are seeking volunteers to help judge the entries anticipated to be submitted from around the country. U.S. residents interested in offering approximately five hours of their time completed over a 10-day period should register to be a judge at: https://www.futureengineers.org/registration/judge/lunaboticsjunior

The Triangle Center for Evolutionary Medicine (TriCEM) is gearing up for a "Darwin Day Roadshow" this February, and we want you to be a part of it!

 

What is the Darwin Day Roadshow?

To celebrate Charles Darwin's birthday (February 12th), scientists hit the road to bring evolutionary science to schools and communities. For 2022, we are offering in-person visits in North Carolina* and virtual visits anywhere in the United States.

Our teams talk to students, teachers, and the general public about their research, career opportunities in science, and why evolutionary science is relevant to everyone. These visits are completely FREE, and we even leave behind a collection of resources to enhance the teaching of evolution in the classroom.

 

What is a typical Roadshow visit like?

We work with host teachers (i.e. you!) to design an event that best serves their school and community. There is no "typical" visit; both the topic and format are flexible to meet specific needs.

 

How do I apply?

You can learn more about the Roadshow at https://darwindayroadshow.wordpress.com. When you're ready, apply here by the deadline of midnight (EST) on Monday, November 29th, 2021. Since we work with host teachers to plan successful events, we are looking for enthusiastic applicants who will show creativity and initiative in working with us to coordinate the visit.

 

*Note: We'll be following all relevant COVID-19 guidelines and may be required to switch to virtual visits depending on the pandemic's status in February

If you have any questions, contact Meredith Spence Beaulieu (meredith.spence.beaulieu@duke.edu). Looking forward to visiting you soon on the Roadshow!

WestEd, a non-profit educational research agency, would like to invite high school teachers to access a free online peer assessment tool called Peerceptiv (https://www.peerceptiv.com/why-peerceptiv-overview/k-12/). Peerceptiv is a tool that allows students to receive quick and actionable feedback from their peers. The purpose of the study is to test a prototype of the tool and get your feedback about how helpful and useful it is in supporting classroom learning in science.

WestEd is inviting high school teachers to join a research study that will examine the feasibility of the online peer assessment tool. The study will take place sometime between October through November 2021 (we would schedule a time that works best for you and your students). The benefits of the study are that teachers can use this innovative tool for free during the study. In addition, the tools are based on learning science research that suggests that students' learning is enhanced by engaging in the peer assessment activities, which the tool facilitates. Finally, teachers would receive a stipend of up to $300 for participating in the study.

If you are interested in learning more about the study, please fill out this interest form: https://airtable.com/shrpJL2i25yWf7O5a . 

Contact information for participant inquiries: peerceptivstudy@wested.org