Calling all 6th-12th grade educators
Launch your ideas to new heights this year in the NASA TechRise Student Challenge! Students across the nation between 6th-12th grade can compete to launch technology and research payloads on NASA-supported commercial suborbital flights!


From remote sensing and climate research to microgravity experiments and technologies to explore the Moon, schools are invited to join NASA in its mission to advance space exploration and enhance our knowledge of Earth.


Teachers are invited to pre-register today to stay informed and receive TechRise content, including curricula, summer workshops(see below), and events as they become available.

This week, on July 28 OR August 11 you can dive into the basics of electronics , coding , and designing for flight in the NASA TechRise Student Challenge, Educator Summer Workshops.


Space is limited, RSVP to save your spot!


https://www.futureengineers.org/nasatechrise#events

The Office of Science, Innovation and Technology (OSIT) has produced a STEM asset map to help educators  identify potential STEM education partners. 

The Office of Science, Innovation and Technology (OSIT) have produced several videos to help schools understand what constitutes a Model, Established, and Developing STEM School. 

The Springs Preserve has created several educational videos that teachers can use with their classes.  See the website  https://www.springspreserve.org/education-conservation/springboard-virtual-learning.html  and the attached document for links to the videos.  

Teachers can also sign up via the website to request a virtual visit for their class with an expert on a variety of topics relevant to the Springs Preserve. This is open to any licensed teacher employed by a public, private, or charter school in Nevada.

If you have questions, please reach out to: 

 

Susan Sisolak

Preserve Naturalist

702(822)7717

susan.sisolak@lvvwd.com

You can view available SPRINGBOARD VIRTUAL LEARNINGOptions at: https://www.springspreserve.org/education-conservation/springboard-virtual-learning.html

 

There are 5 different video options for Elementary Schools:

Desert Tortoise: K-2

                Learn facts about Nevada’s state reptile, the Desert Tortoise. Explore the habitat located at the Springs Preserve and learn how they have adapted to survive the Mojave Desert. 

The Zoologist’s Apprentice: K-2

Learn about the fascinating adaptations and defense mechanisms of Mojave Desert animals. Also, learn about the traits and features of different animals located at The Springs Preserve. 

From a Spring to a Town: Early Peoples to the New City of Las Vegas 3ird-5^th Grade

Learn about the humble beginnings of Las Vegas and how mining and gambling caused a population explosion into the Vegas of today. This virtual field trip will take you to Springs Preserve’s Boomtown 1905, a re-created historical streetscape that tells the story of Las Vegas. 

Water Doctors: 3ird-5^th Grade 

Take a virtual tour of Southern Nevada’s water treatment facilities, and explore the interesting ways and methods used to deliver water to your tap. 

Water and Energy: 4^th-5^th Grade

Discover how we use water to produce energy in the Las Vegas Valley. Explore and learn about “embedded/virtual” water and how conserving a single thing, conserves many. 

There are 7 different video options for Middle and High Schools:

Introduction to the Colorado River: 6^th-8^th Grade

Learn how human impact and climate change shapes the Colorado River and Lake Mead. 

Solutions to Maintain Biodiversity and Our Ecosystem: 6^th-8^th Grade

Learn about the Refugia Ponds located at the Springs Preserve and how we recreated an environment to help populations of two endangered species reproduce. 

The Las Vegas Wash: 6^th-8^th Grade

Learn the biological importance of the Las Vegas Wash and why it is home to several species. 

Anatomy of a Barrel Cactus: 6^th-12^th Grade

Learn About the barrel cactus structure and system for a variety of functions as well as explain how new varieties of cultivated plants have resulted from selective breeding for particular traits. 

Chemistry of Composting: 6^th-12^th Grade

Learn About how compost is made, why it is important and how it affects the health and growth of plants. 

Vegas Since the Beginning of Time: 6^th-12^th Grade  Poop Don’t Lie: Looking for COVOD-19

Nathan, our Preserve Archaeologist, will compare and contrast the variety of methods by which geologic time is determined, including radioactive dating. Also, explain the fossil record of ancient life forms by applying the idea of natural selection and its evolutionary consequences.  Learn how

Poop Don’t Lie: Looking for COVOD-19: 9^th-12^th Grade

Learn how Covid-19 can be discovered in wastewater, methods used to get the data needed to help identify where COVID is present, and the future of wastewater epidemiology.

New NASA Challenge Encourages Hands-on Student Tech Development

 

NASA will initiate a new competition for the 2021/2022 school year, providing student teams a chance to design, build, and launch experiments on suborbital rockets and high-altitude balloon flights. NASA and Future Engineers, the challenge administrator, will offer a series of virtual events for educators to hear from agency experts and learn more about this exciting opportunity for students.

 

The NASA TechRise Student Challenge will begin accepting entries in August. Teams of sixth- to 12th-grade students can submit ideas for climate or remote sensing experiments to fly on a high-altitude balloon, and space exploration experiments to fly aboard a suborbital rocket.

 

The winning teams each will receive $1,500 to build their payloads, as well as an assigned spot on a NASA-sponsored commercial suborbital flight. Balloon flights will offer more than four hours of flight time, while suborbital rockets will provide around three minutes of test time in microgravity conditions.

 

"This competition is an exciting opportunity for students across the country, whether they're already passionate about space exploration or looking for a new challenge," said Jim Reuter, associate administrator for NASA’s Space Technology Mission Directorate (STMD). "Student teams will get hands-on experience creating and building their own experiments and then get to see them fly to suborbital space, just like NASA engineers and university researchers."

 

The contest aims to inspirea deeper understanding of Earth’s atmosphere, space exploration, coding, and electronics, as well as a broader understanding of the value of test data. The challenge will also allow students to engage with NASA and technology communities, and expose them to potential careers in science, technology, and space exploration fields.

 

Before the competition opens in August, educators can hear from NASA experts and learn more about the opportunity through a series of virtual activities.

 

• The challenge kick-off event, part of the Department of Education’s eighth annual ED Games Expo, will occur Tuesday, June 1, at 6 p.m. EDT. Educators can register to participate in the event. The two-hour session will stream live at:

https://www.nasa.gov/live

 

• NASA TechRise educator summer workshops will dive into the basics of electronics, coding, and designing for flight. The first workshop will take place July 28 and repeat Aug. 11.

 

“NASA is committed to providing students with hands-on experience and real-life problems the agency faces,” said Mike Kincaid, NASA associate administrator for STEM engagement. “These challenges are a fun and educational experience for the future STEM workforce to develop the necessary skills for NASA to continue to be successful. I am confident they will go on to accomplish great things.”

 

NASA is working with three flight providers to support the competition. The student payloads will fly on one of the following:

 

• Blue Origin’s New Shepard rocket

• UP Aerospace Inc.’s SpaceLoft rocket

• Raven Aerostar’s Zero Pressure high-altitude balloon

 

The NASA TechRise Student Challenge will be open to student teams affiliated with U.S. public, private, and charter schools, including in Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and all other U.S. territories. NASA’s Flight Opportunities program, based at the agency’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, and part of STMD, manages the challenge.

 

For challenge details and to pre-register for the competition, visit:

 

https://www.futureengineers.org/nasatechrise

See flyer below for registration information.  Contact Amy Page or Paula Garrett at projectwetsonv@gmail.com with any questions. (Note: These are weekend/evening times)

The Governor’s Office of Science, Innovation and Technology has a new job position opening up.  The position supports work on PK-20 STEM education and workforce development initiatives. We are looking for someone with a background in STEM. The candidate can work from the Carson City office or remotely. Please see the attached announcement for more information.

STEM Program Manager.pdf

Please contact Tracey Howard with any questions. 

 

Tracey Howard

STEM Program Director

Governor’s Office of Science, Innovation and Technology

100 N. Stewart St. Suite 220 Carson City, NV 89701

Office: 775-687-0989 | Cell: 775-842-4100
t.howard@gov.nv.gov | osit.nv.gov | @sciNVtech

The Desert Research Institute in partnership with Coronado High School would like to offer a virtual summer research experience to high school students.

Title:  Extreme Heat and its Impact on Environmental Injustice

Duration:  June 1st - June 30th

Description:  In this 4 week program, students will conduct research on the effects of temperature on workplace safety for outdoor workers under the guidance of Ms. Keehu of Coronado High School and Dr. Erick Bandala of the Desert Research Institute.  Teams of 2-3 students will be assigned one city in the Southwest or South East.  Students will collect and analyze data from the US Department of Labor and DRI Climate Engine.  Data from all cities will be combined to create a scientific paper and poster presentation.  

Please view the following video for a brief introduction to the program:  https://drive.google.com/file/d/1yHZw9uQ_eHrSqgkZQvX3-M_DaMOE_spq/view?usp=sharing

The goals of this program are:
 
1-Students will understand the effects of temperature on workplace safety for outdoor workers.
2-Students will learn how to analyze and interpret data using statistical analysis.
3-Students will learn how to write a scientific article
4-Students will present their poster at a scientific conference

If you are interested, please fill out the interest form below.  If you have any questions, please email Ms. Hokunani Keehu at keehuhr@nv.ccsd.net

We look forward to meeting you!  

https://forms.gle/xiaMtrDuLAFL2r3AA

DRI’s Nevada Robotics is happy to announce that registration is open for the Robotics Academy of Nevada (RAN) training June 21st – 25th. This introductory robotics training is FREE and will be offered both in-person (Reno and Las Vegas) and virtual (state-wide). Workshops will introduce you to the competitive robots (4th graders and up) - VEX IQ and FIRST LEGO League and the elementary classroom robots - VEX GO and FIRST WeDo platforms. Stipends will be available for eligible teachers starting a new team, for traveling teachers/leaders, and for attendance. We hope you will join us for an exciting week of hands-on robotics experiences taught by a variety of robotics experts. Space is limited for our in-person offerings. Feel free to reach out if you have any questions!

Sign Up Today

In-Person Training (Reno and Las Vegas): https://tinyurl.com/RANinperson

OR

Virtual: https://tinyurl.com/RANvirtual

For more information visit our website at https://nevadarobotics.org/training/

 

AJ

 

Ms. A.J. Long

STEM & Robotics Education Manager

Desert Research Institute

2215 Raggio Parkway

Reno, NV 89512

C: 775-830-3287

E: aj.long@dri.edu

Nevada Robotics Website

RAN 2021 Open Registration.pdf

This summer, The Southern Nevada Section of the American Chemical Society will serve as a research site for ACS Project SEED, a paid summer internship program for two economically disadvantaged high school students in Southern Nevada.  Student interns will use their artistic abilities to make graphic novels about Chemistry. 

 

Project Title:  Chemistry Graphic Novel

Duration: 10 weeks  

Project Description:

Chemistry can be a difficult area of study for most high school students.  In recent years, graphic novels have become popular among teenagers.  The goal of this project is to create a new mode of learning through graphic novels that will increase student engagement and understanding of chemistry.  Students will learn about a unit of chemistry, then create a graphic novel to teach all of the concepts within that unit.  The product will be at high-school level, align with the Next Generation Science Standards, utilize real world data and examples and incorporate assessments.  If there is time, additional units will be created.  

Eligibility:  Economically disadvantaged high school students.  One year of Chemistry is preferred, but not required. 

 

Students who participate in this program will receive a stipend as well as resources to create the graphic novel including:

• A Surface Pro and  Pen
• Software: Clip Studio Paint Pro
• Access to eBook:  Chemistry a Molecular Approach (Tro)
• Access to eBook: Chemistry in the Community (ACS)

 

If you are interested, or have any questions, please email SNS-ACS Chair and Project SEED Coordinator, Hokunani Keehu at  keehuhr@nv.ccsd.net.