Inaugural AV Summer Math Symposium Held

The Antelope Valley Mathematics Council hosted a summer math symposium at Palmdale’s Highland High School in June.  President Matt Winheim and Vice President Matthias Vehru opened the session with information related to the Common Core standards and 21^st Century skills.  Brad Fulton, a nationally-respected mathematics educator from Redding, CA, presented on techniques related to multiplication and algebra (to view resources, visit www.tttpress.com and go to “Download Conference Materials.”)  A Texas Instruments consultant also presented, and several vendors provided information on texts and supplemental resources.  Local K-12 teachers, administrators, and other interested parties attended.  Visit the AV Math Council on Facebook.

NRC Issues Report on Effective K-12 STEM Education

The congressionally-chartered National Research Council has issued a report calling for more testing of science learning and calling upon policymakers to devise more assessments for deeper understanding in all STEM disciplines.  The group will also release a new framework for 21st Century science education later this summer.  http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2011/06/23/36nrc.h30.html?tkn=LSMFFSNEnn4u9dcUx74ZZoblFeRWsGQLg4sS&cmp=clp-edweek

Update 7/25/11:  The framework can now be found at:  http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=13165 .  The next step will be for Achieve, Inc. to create standards around the framework.  http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/20/science/20curriculum.html?_r=1

To view the report, visit http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=13158

In a related matter, the STEM Education Coalition, comprised of over 100 member organizations, has called upon Congress to make science achievement of equal standing with math and English as part of the re-authorization of "No Child Left Behind" (the Elementary and Secondary Education Act).  Several recommendations included more STEM teacher preparation and professional development, state-developed STEM action plans, and diversity initiatives, among others.  http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/curriculum/2011/06/stem_ed_advocates_outline_idea.html?cmp=ENL-EU-NEWS2

Local Summer of Innovation Activities Underway

NASA's Summer of Innovation activities targeting middle school students' involvement in STEM education have been underway in the local area.  Russ Billings, NASA Dryden's pre-college programs manager at the AERO Institute in Palmdale, was quoted in the Bakersfield Californian after model rockets were flown at CSUB to culminate 200 students' experiences in the second annual eight-day summer program:  "There are endless problems to be solved.  These kids will be the ones to work on those problems in a few years."  http://www.bakersfield.com/news/local/x2131987846/Student-made-rockets-take-to-the-sky-in-NASA-program  Similar launches took place at Westmorland Union Elementary School in the Imperial Valley through its MESA program.  Twenty-four students took part in the launch, which was part of a two-week program involving 225 students, many of whom are visiting NASA Dryden as a culminating event.  http://www.ivpressonline.com/news/ivp-news-westmorland-mesa-students-have-fun-with-nasa-rockets-20110624,0,362752.story

Joe Walker Middle School in Quartz Hill has also hosted week-long robotics and rocketry workshops during the month of June, including over 100 students.  Eastside, Lancaster, and Palmdale School Districts have also provided events for their students.  Each of the programs will continue with extended activities for the students during the upcoming school year.

Investing in Innovation Grant Proposals Due by 8/2/11

The next round of Investing in Innovation (i3) grant applications is due to the Department of Education by no later than 2 August 2011 at 4:30pm EDT.  A call for peer reviewers has also been made.  http://www2.ed.gov/programs/innovation/index.html  [Absolute Priority 2--Promoting STEM Education.  Under this priority, the Department provides funding to support projects that are designed to address one or more of the following areas: (a) Providing students with increased access to rigorous and engaging coursework in STEM; (b) Increasing the number and proportion of students prepared for

postsecondary or graduate study and careers in STEM; (c) Increasing the opportunities for 

high-quality preparation of, or professional development for, teachers or other educators of STEM subjects; 

(d) Increasing the number of individuals from groups traditionally underrepresented in STEM, including 

minorities, individuals with disabilities, and women, who are provided with access to rigorous and engaging 

coursework in STEM or who are prepared for postsecondary or graduate study and careers in STEM; 

(e) Increasing the number of individuals from groups traditionally underrepresented in STEM, including 

minorities, individuals with disabilities, and women, who are teachers or educators of STEM subjects and have increased opportunities for high-quality preparation or professional development.]

ScienceBuddies Offers Teacher Resources

An award-winning site sponsored by Northrop Grumman and Symantec among others, ScienceBuddies offers teachers (and students and parents) resources related to science projects.  For more information, visit http://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fair-projects/teacher_resources.shtml?From=Tab.  The site also provides information about many careers in STEM fields.

MIT President Seeks Inclusive Approach to STEM

Susan Hockfield, MIT's first woman president, noting that 43% of the institution's students are women, of whom 85% will earn a degree in science or engineering, acknowledges the need to seek an inclusive approach to faculty selection in the STEM fields; ideally her goal would be to have 50% women professors.  Her advice for young women:  "If young women want to help invent the future--and change lives and change societies--there's no better way to do it than through science and engineering."  Hockfield also discusses green energy projects being undertaken at the university, as well as the need for energy policy reform.  http://www.huffingtonpost.com/matthew-dakotah/women-in-power-susan-hock_b_881881.html

California Robotics Teams Score at Marine Advanced Technology Event

A team from Aptos High School's robotics club won at the international Marine Advanced Technology competition recently held at NASA's Johnson Space Center Neutral Buoyancy Lab.  The team of ten students spent six months designing, building, and implementing a remotely operated vehicle.  http://www.santacruzsentinel.com/localnews/ci_18331426  Jesuit High School robotics from Carmichael won the overall team award in the advanced Explorer class at the competition, one of only two high schools to compete among college teams in the division.  http://carmichael.patch.com/articles/jesuit-robotics-team-wins-first-place-at-international-competition

SPHERES Zero Robotics Program Student Registrations Due by 9/5/11

NASA and DARPA have announced a high school student competition known as the Zero Robotics Challenge.  Bowling ball sized spherical satellites are flown inside the International Space Station; high school students will be required to write an algorithm for the flight, and 27 winners will be chosen to have them executed by ISS scientists at a future date, after a final ground testing by MIT in October.  High school student teams must register for the competition by no later than 5 September 2011.  For more details, visit http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2011/jun/HQ_11-189_Zero_Robotics.html and http://zerorobotics.mit.edu/.

Toshiba Exploravision Award Winners Feted

The annual Toshiba/National Science Teacher Association Exploravision Awards ceremony was held in Washington, D.C. recently.  First and second prizes are awarded in four categories depending upon grade level.  Some of the winners this year included an "intelligent streets" design by a third-grader in Texas (windshield film giving traffic updates, etc.), and a tracheal filter breathing system by a  Minnesota seventh-grader.  Bill Nye and Arthur Eisenkraft, sponsors and co-creator of the awards, discussed the need for sparking the interest of children in science.  http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2011/jun/19/young-scientists-highlight-need/?page=all

For more information on the annual team competition, visit http://www.exploravision.org/

Missouri Passes Bill To Provide Math, Science Scholarships

Missouri House Bill 223 was recently enacted, providing scholarships to students who pursue degrees in math and science.  Gov. Jay Nixon signed the legislation, citing the need to align curricula with "industries poised for growth."  http://www.kspr.com/news/local/kspr-mo-governor-jay-nixon-signs-new-law-to-add-scholarships-for-math-science-majors-also-helps-college-nursing-programs-20110616,0,4647662.story  The law also targets funding for increased numbers of nurses in the state.