2013 Marine Education Teacher Fellowship Applications Due 9/1/12

Ecology Project International is offering fifteen teacher fellowships for an 8-day marine education experience on island ecology at a UNESCO biosphere project on the island of Espiritu Santo in La Paz, Baja California Sur.  Applications are due by no later than 1 September 2012.  The fellowship will cover costs *excluding* air travel to Los Cabos and a $150 program fee. For more information and to obtain the application documents, visit www.ecologyproject.org/fellowship or contact John Kamman, Admissions Manager, at john@ecologyproject.org with questions.

YELC Update - Team Registration Extended to 8/27

As an update to the post from 18 June, the deadline to complete and turn in all individual student forms for the Youth Environmental Leadership Conference in September has been extended to 27 August.  Team leaders must fill out and turn in the team registration forms by 15 August 2012, and provide the additional ones by 27 August.  For more information, see the 18 June 2012 post on this blog.

"Hurricane and Severe Storm Sentinel" Teacher Workshop Offered 8/6-10/12

NASA's AERO Institute in Palmdale will be offering a one-week educator (formal/informal) workshop entitled "Hurricane and Severe Storm Sentinel (HS3)" from 6-10 August 2012.  Five slots are available for teachers of STEM subjects in grades 4-9.  In order to apply, submit the application, a resume, and at least one letter of recommendation to Shaun Smith, Dryden Education Flight Manager, at shaun.smith@nasa.gov .  Those who successfully complete the program milestones, including developing a standards-aligned STEM module, are eligible to receive a $1,000 stipend.

For more information and to apply, visit http://aeroi.org/node/7.  For more information about the HS3 program, see http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/hurricanes/missions/hs3/index.html

or http://espo.nasa.gov/missions/hs3/ .

Dept. of Homeland Security Visits Cal Poly Cybercamp

Mark Weatherford, Deputy Undersecretary for Cybersecurity from the US Department of Homeland Security, visited Cal Poly Pomona as part of a panel discussion at the campus's third annual summer CyberSecurity Camp held last week.  Mr. Weatherford noted the difficulties in getting qualified workers, adding that Secretary Janet Napolitano will be convening a taskforce to deal with the issue.  The Cal Poly camp, organized by Dr. Dan Manson, had 40 participants, ranging in age from 18 to 60; approximately $40,000 in scholarships were awarded from similar camps held last year, which are designed to spark interest and innovation in the cybersecurity field.  http://diamondbar.patch.com/articles/homeland-security-deputy-director-visits-cal-poly?goback=%2Egde_108447_member_137944498

"Best On-Line Teaching Practices, Even for Lab Sciences" Webinar Set for 8/7/12

BrightTALK Webinars is hosting a session entitled "Best Online Teaching Practices, Even for the Laboratory Sciences," on 7 August 2012 at 5:00pm.  The one-hour webinar will feature Dr. Peter Jeschofnig of the Institute for Excellence in Distance Science Education and Linda Jeschofnig, CEO of the Hands-On Lab.  Topics will include course design, student engagement, discussion boards, alternative assessments, and academic integrity.


For more information and to sign up, visit http://www.technologyintegrationineducation.com/page/brighttalk-webinar .

"Moon Walk" at Prime Desert Woodlands 8/11/12

On 11 August 2012 beginning at 8:00pm, the Prime Desert Woodland Preserve in Lancaster (35th Street West and Avenue K-8) will host Jeremy Amarant from the SAGE Planetarium for a one-hour "Moon Walk" combining nature and astronomy.  Weather permitting, the AV Astronomy Club will have telescopes on hand for star and constellation viewing.  A $2 donation is welcome.  For more information, please call (661) 723-6077.

Upcoming NASA AERO Institute Gallery Events

On the next several Thursday evenings, NASA/AERO Institute's Palmdale gallery (located at 38256 Sierra Highway) will be open for public events from 5:30 to 8:30pm.  Here is the schedule of topics:

• 26 July 2012, Science Mission Directorate (earth and planets), with an earthquake activity;
• 2 August 2012, Mars Science Laboratory, with a presentation by  Dr. Kelly Fast and local robotics team demonstrations;
• 9 August 2012, Human Explorations and Operations Mission, with a "working in space" activity;
• 16 August 2012, arrival of the Space Shuttle Endeavour to the California Science Center, and the International Space Station;
• 23 August 2012, DOME.

For more information, visit AERO Institute.

CSULB Hosts Girls and Parents for Engineering Weekend

Cal State Long Beach hosted 19 girls and their parents for a weekend on campus to learn more about engineering programs.  The girls were chosen because they are good students and come from schools with high minority enrollment.  Watch this video about the event from KABC-TV reported by Sid Garcia.  http://abclocal.go.com/kabc/video?id=8727922&pid=null

The camp was also reported on by the Long Beach Gazette at http://www.gazettes.com/news/education/young-girls-and-moms-take-on-engineering/article_fd5bcb08-cae3-11e1-ac5e-001a4bcf887a.html .

National Math Summer Institute in Colorado 30 July- 1 August 2012

Dr. Yeap Ban Har and Jan Christinson will be featured speakers at the National Math Summer Institute  hosted by the Center for Leadership and Learning in Broomfield, Colorado on 30 July through 1 August 2012.  The institute will deal with the renowned Singapore math instructional model and Five Easy Steps to a Balanced Math Program.  For the full agenda and more information regarding registration, visit National Math Summer Institute

ITEST Engineering Education Model STEM Learning Report Released

The National Science Foundation's Innovative Technology Experiences for Students and Teachers (ITEST) program has released a report on best practices in an engineering education model.  The report outlines the results from a two-year study to determine how replicable these instructional practices are.  According to the Executive Summary, initial results tend to show that "participation in ITEST Engineering projects leads to increased interest in STEM careers; increased STEM learning; increased engagement in, motivation, and understanding of the relevance of the ITEST projects to academics; and an increased understanding of Work Skills/Engineering as a tool for 21st-century learning."

To review and/or download the entire report, visit ITEST Engineering Model Report.

STEM Solutions 2012 Summit Concludes

The STEM Solutions 2012 summit was held 25-27 June in Dallas, TX, sponsored by US News and World Report. Over 1,500 educators, scientists, and government representatives attended and discussed ways to increase the numbers of students interested and participating in STEM coursework and majors.  Video from various keynote addresses and panel discussions can be found at http://www.usnews.com/news/blogs/stem-education/2012/06/29/video-us-news-presents-stem-solutions-2012.  Additionally, several entries regarding topics covered at the summit can be found in US News "STEM Education" blog through the week ending 30 June 2012.

Two California Teachers Among Presidential Honorees

Teachers Dean Baird from Sacramento and Kentaro Iwasaki from San Francisco are among 97 teachers recently honored with the prestigious 2011 Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching.  The awardees were invited to participate in week-long activities in Washington, DC, including a visit to the White House with the Vice President and Dr. Jill Biden, meetings with Education Secretary Arne Duncan and NSF Deputy Director Cora Marrett.  In addition to the trip and a presidential certificate, the recipients are given a $10,000 NSF grant.  Nominations are reviewed by at state and national levels by outstanding scientists, mathematicians, and educators; awardees rotate annually among primary and secondary educators.  http://nsf.gov/news/news_summ.jsp?cntn_id=124712&org=NSF&from=news

Real World Design Challenge Registration Open for 2012-2013

The Real World Design Challenge provides an opportunity for students in grades 9-12 to address a problem encountered by American industries; teams of 3-7 students use professional engineering software to design a solution and then present their proposals.  State-level challenges being announced on 12 September 2012 are open for registration, with national challenges being announced 8 February 2013.  For more information, visit http://www.realworlddesignchallenge.org/index.php.

View a video from NDEP Lab-TV about a previous competition here:

http://www.ndep.us/Real-World-Design-Challenge

Education Reform vs. STEM "Programs"

Marc Tucker blogs in "Top Performers" in Education Week that rather than promoting "STEM programs," the world's top-performing nations have education systems which work as a whole; they spend more money and time on all students who need more help to succeed and less on those who don't, have high standards for teacher preparation programs, pay teachers well and support their development, and have high-quality instructional curricula and assessments at all levels in all subjects, among other features.  Only in this way, he opines, will STEM fuel future gains in the American economy.  http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/top_performers/2012/06/stem_why_it_makes_no_sense.html

In another op-ed piece in US News and World Report, noted inventor and entrepreneur Dean Kamen promotes "a return to a culture that celebrates new discoveries and brainpower, a culture that embraces the challenges and rewards of innovation."  Kamen proposes three ideas to inspire today's youth:  1) get comfortable with failure; 2) change the metrics for success; and 3) use innovative business thinking to change the culture, particularly through support of national STEM initiatives designed to foster youth to become technology leaders.  http://www.usnews.com/opinion/articles/2012/06/21/without-focus-on-stem-fields-us-is-losing-its-innovative-spirit?page=2

Sociologists Claim US Science Not in Decline

Yu Xie of the University of Michigan and Alexandra Achen Killewald of Harvard claim in their new book, Is American Science in Decline?, that globalization will actually benefit US science efforts, rather than weaken it, although the country may not enjoy continued dominance in the field.  They cite, among other facts, statistics from the US Census and American Community Survey that the number of scientists has grown from 1.3% of the labor force in 1960 to 3.3% in 2007, increased science and math coursework by American students, and similar coverage of science topics in popular media as in the 1950's.   On the other side, however, the authors note declining earnings among US scientists compared to other high-wage professions, stable numbers of science degrees being awarded to native-born men, and fewer science doctorates going on to academics.  http://detroit.cbslocal.com/2012/06/14/global-science-um-prof-says-u-s-still-in-the-game/