MEEC Joshua Tree Desert Studies Workshop Registration Extended

Through the generosity of Boeing, scholarships will be available for 18 teachers to attend the Joshua Tree Desert Studies workshop on 3-4 November 2012. Teachers will need to bring their own camera for the sessions in Joshua Tree National Park and Big Morongo Preserve; they will be housed at the Historic Joshua Tree Retreat Center. Applications for the scholarship, which includes registration, curriculum materials, a $50 transportation stipend, and an autographed copy of David Lamfrom's "Tortoise Through the Lens Book," are due to Christie Robinson at MEEC by no later than 5:00pm on Thursday, 11 October, 2012. For more information and to download the application materials, visit http://www.meeconline.com/announcementapplication-for-2011-joshua-tree-desert-studies-scholarship/2012-application-for-joshua-tree-desert-studies-scholarship/ ; contact Christie at christier@mdaqmd.ca.gov or at (760) 245-1661 x 6101.

Update on 1/10/13: The deadline to register has been extended to 6 March 2013 - please get in your applications now.

Update on 10/11/12: The deadline to register has been extended to 5:00 pm on Monday, October 15, 2012. Please make sure to get your application in to Christie Robinson!

"The 12 Days of Math" Activities

Dr. Diana Perdue has compiled 12 days of math activities (for parents or teachers) to use with their children, including some reading resources.  Examples include math art, poetry, pictures, finding math in mountain climbing, and others.  The 12 Days of . . . Math?

MEEC Desert Studies Workshop and Scholarship Application Due by 10/11/12

Through the generosity of Boeing, scholarships will be available for 18 teachers to attend the Joshua Tree Desert Studies workshop on 3-4 November 2012.  Teachers will need to bring their own camera for the sessions in Joshua Tree National Park and Big Morongo Preserve; they will be housed at the Historic Joshua Tree Retreat Center.  Applications for the scholarship, which includes registration, curriculum materials, a $50 transportation stipend, and an autographed copy of David Lamfrom's "Tortoise Through the Lens  Book," are due to Christie Robinson at MEEC by no later than 5:00pm on Thursday, 11 October, 2012.  For more information and to download the application materials, visit http://www.meeconline.com/announcementapplication-for-2011-joshua-tree-desert-studies-scholarship/2012-application-for-joshua-tree-desert-studies-scholarship/ ; contact Christie at christier@mdaqmd.ca.gov or at (760) 245-1661 x 6101.

Update on 1/10/13:  The deadline to register has been extended to 6 March 2013 - please get in your applications now.

Update on 10/11/12:  The deadline to register has been extended to 5:00 pm on Monday, October 15, 2012.  Please make sure to get your application in to Christie Robinson!

"Maker Movement" Mobilizes in Mojave

To follow-up to the post here on 1 March 2011, The "Maker Movement" Working with STEM Education , Allison Gatlin reports in today's Antelope Valley Press that five local engineers from entities located at the Mojave Air and Spaceport have formed a collaborative "makerspace" or "hackerspace" for members to work on innovative designs and share common interests.  Their mission is to support the arts and STEM through outreach to surrounding communities.  For more information on the Mojave Makers, visit their wiki at http://hackerspaces.org/wiki/Mojave_Makers .

2012 Kavli Science Video Contest Entries Due by 3/21/12

As a component of the 2012 USA Science and Engineering Festival, students in grades 6-12 may compete in the Kavli Science Video Contest, submitting 30- to 90-second videos on the theme "Save the World Through Science and Engineering."  The winner will receive $2,000 and a travel stipend to attend the Festival in Washington, DC 27-29 April 2012, where top submissions will be shown.  Entries are due by no later than 21 March 2012.  For further details, see http://www.usasciencefestival.org/2012festival/contests/kavli-video-contest.

Experts Believe Arts Should Be Added to STEM

As recently reported in Education Week, a number of experts opine that instruction in the arts not only engages and motivates students, but also sparks creativity and innovation; as a result, they believe that the "A" for art should be added into the STEM acronym to make STEAM.  The National Science Foundation and Department of Education have offered grants and conferences related to an art-science-design curriculum framework similar to that seen at a number of universities in recent years, marrying fine arts/design or business with engineering coursework.  Rhode Island Congressman James Langevin recently introduced a House resolution to highlight the relationship between the arts and STEM.  The article notes that the idea is not new, as pointed up by a 2008 study showing Nobel Laureates' proclivity for involvement in the arts.  http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2011/12/01/13steam_ep.h31.html?qs=STEAM (registration required to read the full article)  Numerous examples of the intersection of art and science in school programs are given in the article.

In the Antelope Valley Union High School District, the marriage of art and STEM is shown through the existence of such programs as the Digital Design & Engineering Academy at Knight High School and the FAST (Falcon Academy of Sustainable Technologies) Academy at Palmdale High School, and multimedia programs at many school sites; the AVUHSD is also a participant in the AV Chambers' ArtSTEM Fair held twice per year at the Van Dam Pavilion at the AV Fairgrounds (next event scheduled for Sunday, 6 May).

"The Art of the Future" by Jim Brazell

In "The Art of the Future," well-know futurist Jim Brazell has undertaken a new "web-text-book-blog-thing," as he calls it (or an example of "eXtreme writing" on-line) regarding the future, innovation, STEM, the arts, and often touching on education reform for the 21st Century. 

As stated in his 7 November 2011 keynote address in Austin, Texas, his view of the current student incorporates career-technical education and high academic rigor.  Brazell feels that the "fundamental question for the 21st Century is how do we organize for and produce innovation and innovators?" and he sets out to provide thought-provoking clues related to digital convergence and "technopolis" public-private partnerships.  http://theartofthefuture.squarespace.com/  Upon closer reading, one can find many similarities to the environments/locales that he uses as examples, and that of the greater Antelope Valley region.

"The Art of Science Learning" Conference Scheduled for San Diego 6/14-15/11

"The Art of Science Learning: Shaping the 21st Century Workforce" conference will be held at the California Institute of Telecommunications and Information Technology at UC San Diego on 14-15 June 2011.  The conference is designed to explore ways in which the arts can assist science learning, such as through hands-on projects often used in the creative arts.  For more information and registration, see http://www.artofsciencelearning.org/?utm_source=Coalition+for+Science+After+School+Membership&utm_campaign=18e32ffcc4-Coalition_Newsletter_February_2010&utm_medium=email