NCES to Test 8th Graders in Technology and Engineering

NCES Commissioner Sean Buckley announced a pilot to test 15,000 8th graders in technology and engineering skills; the exam is expected to go national in 2014, with results expected in 2015; eventually, the TEL test will be given in 4th, 8th, and 12th grades.  "What we're talking about here is trying to put the 'T-E in STEM," said NCES Commissioner Sean P. "Jack" Buckley. "We've been assessing the [science and math] for some time, but it's been much harder to figure out the framework for an actual, practical, functional field assessment for technology and engineering components."  EdWeek New NAEP Test.

KidWind Challenge in Ridgecrest 4/13/13

Cerro Coso Community College is hosting a regional KidWind Challenge on Saturday, 13 April 2013, in Ridgecrest, for middle and high school students.  Teams who wish to participate must register immediately at http://learn.kidwind.org/challenge .  Teacher stipends and materials may be provided to teams. - spots are limited  For more information, please contact Valerie Karnes, Dean of Technical Education at Cerro Coso, at vkarnes@cerrocoso.edu .

"SHPE" Day at Discovery School on 3/25

100 engineering students from Cal Poly Pomona
facilitate "SHPE Day" at Discovery School

One hundred engineering students from Cal Poly Pomona facilitated "SHPE Day" at Discovery School in Lancaster on  25 March.  Nearly 1,000 elementary and middle school students took part in hands-on projects, including making straw rockets, straw skyscrapers, and working with parallel and serial circuits, as well as heard from a variety of speakers, including software engineer Anthony De La Vara from Northrop  Grumman's Electronic Systems Division in Azusa.  Patty Mucino from Cal Poly also provided a parent workshop.



 

Common Core Math Standards Workshops for Teachers

The Central section of the California Math Council is sponsoring a series of Saturday workshops for teachers on the California implementation of the Common Core State Standards. 

 

Session 1:  April 6, 2013           Algebraic Thinking – Madera County Office of Education
Session 2:  May 4, 2013            Geometry – CSU Fresno
Session 3:  June 1, 2013           Measurement & Statistical Analysis – CSU Fresno

Registration is required.  Registration closes one week prior to each session.  Register at http://cmc-math.org/activities/central_conference.html  Payment accepted: check, credit card or district PO. No refunds.  For more information, contact Michelle Standlee, VP of Professional Development, CMC-Central: cmccentralvp@gmail.com                                  

CyberPatriot Competition Winners Announced

Students from the Chantilly (Va.) Academy won the CyberPatriot V competition, focusing on cybersecurity, at the Gaylord Convention Center in National Harbor, MD last week.  Four teams from LA Unified School District were also among the twelve finalists.  Approximately 1,200 teams entered the competition in three preliminary rounds, sponsored by the Air Force Association and Northrop Grumman, in which students use "hacking" techniques to detect and mitigate cyber-attacks by mock data thieves and cyber-spies.  http://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2013/03/18/cyberpatriot-high-school-cyber-defenders-contest/1995303/

Aerospace Valley Science Olympiad 2013

The Aerospace Valley Science Olympiad 2013 was held on Saturday, 16 March 2013, on the campus at Antelope Valley College.  Teams of middle school students from around the greater Antelope Valley and Tehachapi competed in events ranging from Disease Detectives, Metric Mastery, Reach for the Stars, Experimental Design and Crimebusters, to Water Quality and Forestry.  High school students participated in an inaugural invitational with events such as bridge-building, Robot Arm, and Sustainable Society.  Winners at the middle school level are now eligible to compete in the state competition.  A variety of exhibitors were also on hand, including the KHS Digital Design & Engineering Academy, local robotics teams, remote control cars, Lockheed, NASA, and AIAA, among others.  Thanks to all of the students, teachers, and volunteers who participated!

Judging ready to begin in Structures event

Team Rebelutionary displays robotics awards

Sustainable Society display

Overall winners:  1st place - Jacobsen Middle School (Tehachapi); 2nd place - Desert Willow Middle School (Palmdale); 3rd place - Palmdale Learning Plaza (Palmdale). 

NASA Award for Above Average Engineering Achievement ("Helicopter" event):  Los Amigos School (Palmdale).

Div. B (Middle School) Sanctioned Event Winners: 

• Disease Detectives:  David G. Millen
• Experimental Design:  Pinecrest
• Food Science:  Jacobsen
• Helicopter:  Los Amigos
• Mission Possible:  Palmdale Learning Plaza
• Mousetrap Vehicle:  Hillview
• Road Scholar:  Jacobsen
• Rocks and Minerals:  David G. Millen
• Rotor  Egg Drop:  Daisy Gibson
• Shock Value:  Desert Willow
• Sounds of Music:  Jacobsen
• Anatomy:  Palmdale Learning Plaza
• Heredity:  High Desert
• Meterology:  High Desert
• Write It/Do It:  Pinecrest
• Reach for the Stars:  The Palmdale Aerospace Academy
• Dynamic Planet:  Hillview
• Crime Busters:  Jacobsen
• Forestry:  David G. Millen
• Water Quality:  Shadow Hills
• Beat the Heat:  Jacobsen
• Metric Mastery:  Los Amigos
• Boomilever:  David G. Millen

Div. C (High School) Invitational Event Winners:

• Popsicle Stick Structures - Bridge: Quartz Hill HS; Tower: Tehachapi HS; Cantilever Beam - Palmdale HS
• Storm the Castle: Tehachapi HS
• Egg-O-Naut Water Rocket: Palmdale HS
• Robot Arm: Tehachapi HS
• Sustainable Society: Tehachapi HS

 

NASA and Lockheed Partner in Orion Exploration Design Challenge

At a kickoff announced by NASA Administrator Charles Bolden and prime contractor Lockheed Martin CEO Marilyn Hewson, students in grades K-12 are invited to participate in the Orion Exploration Design Challenge to solve a radiation shield problem facing deep-space exploration flights.  The challenge involves elements of increasing complexity depending upon the grade level (K-4, 5-8, 9-12), including teacher-led activities, and student design problems.  All students participating will have their names flown aboard the maiden voyage of the Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle in September of 2014, with five winning teams testing their designs in a virtual radiation simulator, and attending the launch at Kennedy Space Center; one team may have its shield tested on the flight.  For more information about the Challenge, go to Orion Exploration Design Challenge .

What Causes Students to Leave STEM Majors?

Colorado University-Boulder is partnering with the University of Wisconsin-Madison in a $4.3 million National Science Foundation and Alfred P. Sloan Foundation grant to study why college students leave STEM majors.  One hypothesis of the study, as a follow-up to  decades-old research, is that traditional "stand-and-deliver" lectures are one reason students switch out of STEM majors at a rate of nearly 40-60%.  One  effort at the new CU Center for STEM Learning is a hands-on design lab where first-year engineering students are "channeling their inner DaVincis" to apply theory learned in physics and calculus classes to projects such as creating a Mario-Karts type video game powered by bicycles to combine exercise and gaming.  http://www.dailycamera.com/cu-news/ci_22692842/cu-boulder-study-what-causes-students-leave-stem  In a similar vein, see this story about the increase of engineering master's degree students at a number of universities due to more experiential learning.  http://www.usnews.com/education/best-graduate-schools/articles/2013/03/14/revamped-engineering-programs-emphasize-real-world-problem-solving

NASA Teacher Activities Available - Apply Now

1.  SETI's Astrobiology Summer Science Experiment for Teachers (ASSET) - science and curriculum institute for high school science teachers will be held 29 July through 3 August in San Franciso.  Presentations will be made by astrobiologists from SETI, NASA, and the California Academy of the Sciences, and participants will receive the Voyages Through Time curriculum.  All expenses are paid through grant funding; three graduate units of credit are available for a fee. 

Applications are due by 30 April 2013; to get more information and to apply, visit NASA/SETI ASSET .

2.  SOFIA Airborne Astronomy Ambassadors (AAA) Cycle 2 science flight applications are due by no later than 3 May 2013.  " Two member educator teams must have at least one grade 6 - 12 science teacher. The second team member may also be a math, science or technology teacher at elementary or secondary level, a community college instructor, or an informal educator."  Flights will take place between January through December 2014, and will generally be during the school year.  For more information and to apply, go to SOFIA Airborne Astronomy Ambassadors

For a list of other teacher opportunities currently available, visit:  http://www.nasa.gov/audience/foreducators/current-opps-index.html

STEM Conference for Girls Fun and Informative

Over 100 young ladies and approximately 50 parents attended the first STEM Conference for Girls, co-sponsored by AVUHSD, AVC, and Upper Hand to College at the Palmdale Conference Center on Saturday, 9 March 2013.  Sessions included "Focus Your Future" with industry professionals, as well as college and high school academy students, and workshops on polymers, DNA, web design, and more.  Parents learned how to prepare their students for careers in STEM fields, including a variety of opportunities available in secondary and post-secondary education.

Students work in a polymers lab

Parents participate in workshop on preparing their students for STEM careers



Middle and high school students hear from industry professionals and students

A similar event was recently held at CSULB, called Engineer Girls @ The Beach.  http://www.presstelegram.com/ci_22802615/csulb-hosts-engineering-program-younger-female-students

 

 

MEEC Environmental/Engineering Scholarship Applications Due by 4/17/13

MEEC has announced that environmental/engineering scholarships will once again be available to five graduating high school seniors within its Southern California High Desert service area (greater Victor Valley, Antelope Valley, Palo Verde Valley regions).  Students must declare majors in environmental science, environmental engineering, or closely-related STEM field.  The completed application form, accompanied by high school transcript, SAT/ACT scores, and 500-word essay on the topic:  “My Career Goals and Why I would like a Career in the Environment, Science, or Engineering field ” must be received by no later than 5:00pm on 17 April 2013.  For more information and to download the application, visit http://www.meeconline.com/20102011-hs-environmental-science-scholarship-announcement/ .

UCLA Summer Tech Camp Applications Due 3/22/13

UCLA's Engineering Science Corps Outreach Program is offering a four-week Summer Tech Camp for  sophomore or junior students in high school who have at least a 2.5 unweighted GPA, and are interested in engineering and applying their math and science skills in projects at the Creativity Center.  The cost for the camp is $3,000, however, limited scholarships are available from the Henry Samueli School of Engineering & Applied Science.  Interested students must complete the application materials, and a tuition assistance form if interested, and submit them by no later than 22 March 2013.  For more information, visit https://esc.seas.ucla.edu/mod/resource/view.php?id=2296 .

Save the Date for AVUHSD Summer Pre-Engineering Internships Class

AVUHSD will once again offer a Summer Pre-Engineering Internships class for high school students between their 11th and 12th grade years, and who have taken at least one Project Lead the Way (c) pre-engineering, or specific CAD or STEM class.  The class will be held 10 June through 5 July 2013 at the AERO Institute in Palmdale, and will feature unpaid internships, as well as field trip/s, guest speaker/s, and classroom projects.  Watch here for further information on the application procedures and/or check with your pre-engineering teachers after spring break.

Update:  the online application is now available in the blue column on the right of the page at High School Summer Pre-Engineering Internship Application.

Save the Dates for 2013 Summer Gateway Academy Sessions

The dates have been set for AVUHSD  Summer Gateway Academies.  The first week will be offered at Lancaster High School from 17-21 June 2013, with the second at Knight High School from update: 29 July-2 August (a third week may be held at AV High School).  The deadline for applications to be received will be 23 May 2013.    The camps are designed to spur interest in STEM fields in 6th and 7th grade youngsters, with hands-on activities and guest speakers.  To complete the on-line registration, visit:  http://www.avrop.avhsd.org/Summer.

House Passes National STEM Competition Resolution

H. Res. 77 was passed on Tuesday, 26 February 2013, which will create an annual, national STEM competition in each congressional district.  http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/D?c113:2:./temp/~c113n23aEI::

Webinar 3/7 on Retaining Women in Engineering Studies

NAPE and WEPAN are sponsoring a free webinar on Tuesday, 7 March 2013, at 10:00am PST, on "Active Learning: Retaining Women in Engineering."  Prof. Richard Felder (Chem. E, NC State) and Rebecca Brent, President of Education Designs, are the presenters, who will discuss cooperative student interactions and engaging lectures as tools to create female-friendly classes for engineering students.  For more information and to register, visit https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/687347945356644352 .