Antelope Valley Astronomy Club

Antelope Valley Astronomy Club meets monthly on the second Friday of each month except December, at 7:00pm, at the SAGE Planetarium, 38060 20th Street East, Palmdale.  Additionally, there are events and presentations.  The next is a moonlit walk at the Prime Desert Woodlands in Lancaster, on 16 July 2011 at 8:30 pm.  For more information about the Club and its events, visit http://www.avastronomyclub.org/index.php .

Salute to Youth on 9/23/11

US Forest Service exhibit at STY 2010 - photo courtesy of Mike Mitsch, QHHS

The 20th annual Salute to Youth: A Career Connection will be held on Friday, 23 September 2011 at Site 9 in Palmdale.  Sponsored by the AV Career Prep Council members, LA World Airports, and Air Force Plant 42, among others, approximately 3,000 high school and middle school students will participate in the event; interactive exhibits will give students the opportunity to obtain information about post-secondary careers and education in the region.  For more information, follow the Salute to Youth blog at http://avsty2011.wordpress.com/

"Math Midway" Exhibition Precursor to Manhattan Math Museum

Glen Whitney, a former hedge fund financier, is now raising capital to open the Museum of Mathematics in mid-town Manhattan in 2012.  Until that goal is realized, a "Math Midway" exhibition is traveling the country, including a stint at the Discovery Center for Science and Technology in Thousand Oaks, CA from 18 June through 12 August 2011 [ http://www.discoverycntr.org/].  The goal of the exhibition is to "add mirth to math" and engage students to help turn the tide of decline in American math testing results.  http://cosmiclog.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/06/13/6851255-exhibits-add-mirth-to-math

UC Davis to Host C-STEM Day on 4/30/11

The Modesto Bee reports that UC Davis will host a symposium on teaching STEM to kindergarten through 12th graders on 30 April 2011 from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at Bainer and Kemper Halls.  Registration will begin at 8:30 a.m.  Teachers in K-12, parents, and students are invited to attend the sessions, which will focus on computing, science, technology, engineering and math education.  There will be a UC Davis Secondary Programming Competition, a symposium on computing in the 21st century, awards (nominations due by 4/15/11), demonstrations, and lab tours.  For more information, visit http://cstem.ucdavis.edu/ , and to register on-line, go to http://cstem.ucdavis.edu/CSTEMDay/symposium/ .

USA Science & Engineering Festival 2012 to Have STEM Careers Pavilion

The second annual USA Science & Engineering Festival 2012 in Washington, DC will dedicate a pavilion to STEM careers, including interaction with science and engineering professionals, a STEM programs exposition, a college fair, and a job fair.  The organizers are also looking for potential exhibitor participants.  For more information, visit http://inventorspot.com/articles/stem_sells_research_selling_science_kids

NASA "INSPIRE" Applications Due by 6/30/11

As reported in the "Bad Astronomy" blog http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2011/03/24/nasa-wants-smart-high-school-kids/, NASA is seeking US high school student applicants for its Interdisciplinary National Science Program Incorporating Research Experience (INSPIRE) http://www.nasa.gov/offices/education/programs/descriptions/INSPIRE_Project.html .  Students and their parents will participate in an on-line learning community with STEM professionals, and students may have the opportunity to compete for on-site programs during the summer of 2012.  Applications are due by 30 June 2011.  For the application, visit https://inspire.okstate.edu/index.cfm?liftoff=login.LoginForm.

"Building a Grad Nation" Summit Promotes STEM Education

A three-day summit of educators, community leaders, and policy makers is taking place in Washington, DC this week to strategize on how to increase the US graduation rate to 90% by 2020, in addition to preparing students for success in 21st century education and careers.  Among the positions being explored is promoting STEM education, as well as providing additional federal funding for training and retention of STEM teachers.  These efforts are seen as key in maintaining US global competitiveness.  http://www.huffingtonpost.com/melody-barnes/education-is-key-to-winni_1_b_837958.html

AV STEMPosium for Educational Leaders 4/1/11

Antelope Valley College, in collaboration with the AVUHSD and the National Defense Education Program (NDEP), will host a valley-wide symposium for educational leaders in an open discussion about the future of STEM education in the Antelope Valley on 1 April 2011.  Future STEMposia will be scheduled for industry partners and STEM teachers.  For more information, contact Jill Williams at AVC.

So Cal Aviation Mentoring Program Fund-raiser at LPAC on 4/10/11

The Southern California Aviation Mentoring Program, through AV Partners for Health, is presenting a benefit concert by The Folk Collection on 10 April 2011 at 4:00 p.m. at the Lancaster Performing Arts Center.  Funds will go towards the youth mentoring program which "is dedicated to teaching youth math, science and engineering through practical applications of building and flying aircraft."  For more details, see http://www.avscamp.org/ .  For further information on the fundraiser, call Nancy at 661.942.4719 x 461.

Youth Environmental Leadership Conference (YELC) in Lancaster on 2 April 2011

Students in grades 3 through 12 are encouraged to apply for the upcoming Youth Environmental Leadership Conference (YELC), sponsored by the Mojave Environmental Education Consortium (MEEC).  The conference, with the theme of adopting sustainable practices, will be held in the AV on 2 April 2011 at Amargosa Creek Middle School.  Applications are due by no later than 9 March.  Teacher workshops will also be offered.  Visit http://www.meeconline.com/students/yelc/ for more details and the application.

Antelope Valley Mathematics Council Open House 10 Feb. 2011

The AV Mathematics Council will be hosting an open house at Pueblo Learning Center in Palmdale on 10 February 2011 from 4:00 to 6:00 pm (1600-1800).  Please stop by to meet the officers, have light refreshments, and find out how you can become involved.  For more information, contact Matt Winheim at mwinheim@avhsd.org and/or check out the AVMC on Facebook.

CyberLearning Tools for STEM Education Conference in Berkeley, CA 8-9 Mar. 2011

The NSF-sponsored CyberLearning Tools for STEM Education Conference will be held in Berkeley, California on 8-9 March 2011.  It will feature keynote addresses, interactive breakout sessions, hands-on demonstrations, and expert panels, among others.  http://cyberlearningstem.org/

"Focus Your Future" Event for Middle School Girls/Parents 3 Feb. 2011

The AVUHSD CTE staff will host a "Focus Your Future" informational event for middle school girls and their parents on 3 February 2011 from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. in the Highland High School Theatre in Palmdale.  The event will provide information on the pre-engineering, technology and other STEM-related programs available across the Antelope Valley Union High School District.  For further details, please contact Kathy Hunn, ROP/CTE Counselor, at khunn@avhsd.org .

LEAD Engineering Camp for 10th & 11th Grade Students of Color - Applications Due 1/25/11

LEAD Engineering camp for a residential college experience is available for 10th and 11th grade students of color who have at least a 3.2 GPA and strong interest in math and science.  Applications are due by 25 January 2011.  Visit http://www.leadengineeringsite.org/ for details.  (Opportunities are also available for business-oriented students at http://www.leadbusinesssite.org/ and for students interested in global studies at http://www.leadglobalsite.org/ ). 

NASA and NIA Sponsor RASC-AL Contest for College Students - Entries due by 2/4/11

Entries for the 2011 Revolutionary Aerospace Systems Concepts - Academic Linkage (RASC-AL) competition are due by no later than 4 February 2011.  Panels of experts from NASA and NIA will review the summaries, proposals and outreach plans related to one of four set themes and select up to 10 undergraduate and 5 graduate teams to present in Florida in June 2011.  For more information about the competition, visit the link at http://www.nianet.org/rascal .

Tech Trek Nominations Due 12/3/10 - Middle School Girls

Up to three teacher nominations of 7th grade girls may be accepted from each Antelope Valley school site for the Tech Trek engineering camp for summer 2011.  Nominations are due by no later than 3 December 2010.  Contact Connie Harney at connie.harney@verizon.net for more details.  http://www.aauw-techtrek.org/ 

PLTW Counselor Conference at Cal Poly Pomona 1/21/11

Cal Poly Pomona College of Engineering will host a Project Lead the Way Counselor/Informational Conference on Friday 21 Jan. 2011, 7:30-11:45 am.  Complimentary registration, parking, continental breakfast, and sandwich lunch are provided.  Download the registration form at www.csupomona.edu/~engineering/locators/pltw/infoconferences.html and e-mail to klcapestro@csupomona.edu  Another session will be held on 15 April 2011. 

SOAR High School Enviro Fair 1/29/11

A group of students from SOAR HS will be hosting an Enviro Fair on 1/29/11 as part of the QuikScience Challenge sponsored by USC and Quiksilver http://www.usc.edu/org/cosee-west/quikscience/ .  The purpose of the event is to inform, inspire and teach members of the community about how to take a stand for the environment.  The challenge involves 4 components:  a lesson plan; a research proposal; a community service project; and a creative presentation.  Interested supporters and guests are requested to contact Yvonne Campos at ycampos@avhsd.org .

Autodesk Virtual University 11/30 – 12/1/10 Open for Free Registration

Students and educators may register for free access to the Autodesk Virtual University event being held 30 Nov. and 1 Dec. 2010.  There are 30 sessions available with the Standard Pass, and some may qualify for a free Premiere Pass.  Participants may submit questions for live Q&A sessions via Twitter.  For information and registration, visit http://au.autodesk.com/?nd=auv2010_event

“From What to How: How Common Core State Standards Should Influence Teaching, Learning, and Leadership” Symposium, December 13, 2010 Las Vegas, Nevada

Douglas B. Reeves, David Nagel, and Angela Peery will guide and empower educators at all levels to:

• Create an action plan to guide your school as you prepare to implement the Common Core State Standards
• Utilize assessments to track the progress of all students
• Understand the implications of the Common Core on building and district leadership, and on classroom instruction
• Determine how this initiative relates to everything you are already doing

Additionally, this Conference qualifies for graduate-level continuing education credits!  For details or to register, visit www.leadandlearn.com