"Plane Crazy" At Mojave Airport With YAK-52 on 2/18/12

Scott Glaser, currently an engineer at The Spaceship Company in Mojave, will showcase his YAK-52 as part of the monthly "Plane Crazy" event at Mojave Air and Spaceport on 18 February 2012 from 10:00am to 2:00pm.  Admission to the event is free.  In addition to a fly-in display, there will be a presentation at 11:00am about the history and features of the YAK in the EKAD Boardroom.  http://mojaveairport.com/2012/02/02/plane-crazy-saturday-yak-feb-18/

AV Health Careers Fair Scheduled for 2/23/12

Antelope Valley College Health Science Division and AVUHSD/PHS Health Careers Academy are sponsoring a Health Careers Fair at Van Dam Pavilion, Antelope Valley Fairgrounds in Lancaster from 6:00 to 8:00pm on 23 February 2012.  Over twenty health care providers are slated to attend to provide career preparation information to 6th through 12th graders; financial aid and college information will also be available.

For more information, contact Tim Klein at tklein@avhsd.org or Angela Hefter at ahefter@avhsd.org .

For information on a 2/28/12 webinar on transitioning into and through health care careers, visit https://event.on24.com/eventRegistration/EventLobbyServlet?target=registration.jsp&eventid=399390&sessionid=1&key=5C60A7E0B195240CC0990005EAE42549&sourcepage=register

President Proposes Additional Community College CTE Funds

The President recently announced a proposal to add $8 billion in funding for a Community College to Career Fund for career-technical training partnering with business, focusing on sectors such as clean energy, health care, and manufacturing.  There would also be a component for on-line and brick-and-mortar training for entrepreneurs.  Education Secretary Arne Duncan cited Nevada community colleges as a model for the program which provides local direction to meet immediate local workforce development needs. 

In additional budget provisions, the President proposed to infuse an additional $1 billion into high school career academies and other secondary CTE programs, plus additional money into Race to the Top for K-12 education, including making funding available to individual districts.  http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/02/13/us-usa-budget-education-idUSTRE81C1Z620120213

MEEC Announces "Key Issues" Scholarship Applications Due By 4/2/12

The Mojave Environmental Education Consortium (MEEC) has announced the availability of three full scholarships (including registration, airfare, and lodging) for core academic teachers of grades 5 through 8 to attend one of three sessions of the "Key Issues: Bringing Environmental Issues to the Classroom" symposium at the Keystone Education Center in Colorado in June or July 2012.  The scholarships are sponsored by the generosity of organizations such as the Antelope Valley Air Quality Management District, Lockheed Martin - Palmdale, Boeing, Los Angeles County Sanitation District, and MEEC.  Applications must be received by MEEC by no later than 2 April 2012, and may be e-mailed to Violette Roberts at vroberts@mdaqmd.ca.gov , faxed to (760) 241-6271, or mailed to MEEC at 14306 Park Avenue, Victorville, CA  92392.

For more information about the Institute itself, visit http://www.keystone.org/cfe/pel/services/key-issues.  For information on the scholarships and to download the application, go to http://www.meeconline.com/2012-key-issues-scholarship-announcement/. 

"GOOD IS" Great American Teach-Off Award Nominating Deadline 2/20/12

If you know a wonderful, innovative teacher of grades 7 through 12, nominations are open through 20 February 2012 at "GOOD IS."  The University of Phoenix and GOOD are partnering to accept maximum 200-word nominating essays regarding great teachers; finalists, who will be announced on 5 March, will be asked to do video interviews, and on-line voting will take place to determine the winner, who will receive a $10,000 classroom grant.  To get more information, view rules, and to nominate a worthy candidate, visit http://www.good.is/great-american-teach-off/about. 

NASA "Wetland" Workshop Set For 3/17/12

NASA will be hosting a "Wetland Education through Maps and Aerial Photography" workshop at the Palmdale AERO Institute on Saturday, 17 March 2012, from 8:30am to 4:30pm.  This free session for middle and high school teachers will utilize Mono Lake as the tool for participants to employ the use of 　
"aerial photography, airborne and satellite imagery, topographic maps, habitat maps, and other maps into classroom activities that explain changes caused by natural and human processes."  Materials supplied are aligned with national math, science, and geography standards.  For more information and to register (limited spots available), visit the AERO website at www.aeroi.org or contact Cheryl Craft at cheryl.a.craft@nasa.gov .

White House Science Fair Honors Student Achievement

According to the Voice of America, President Obama hosted the second annual White House Science Fair on Tuesday, 7 February 2012.  Akin to inviting Super Bowl champions to the "People's House," the President wanted to honor top teen winners in science fairs, such as Joe Hudy, a fourteen year-old business owner who has a compressed-air marshmallow cannon, and Jessica D'Esposito and her classmates who designed a lightweight disaster shelter.  In addition to requesting additional funding for preparing STEM educators (see earlier post), the President also used the science fair as a platform to explain the need for 1 million additional STEM graduates over the next 10 years.   http://www.voanews.com/english/news/usa/Obama-Promotes-Investment-in-Math-Science-Education-138867404.html. 

"Cement is Not Concrete" Workshop on 3/22/12

Cal Portland Cement is hosting a return of the popular "Cement is Not Concrete" teacher workshop on 22 March 2012 in Mojave.  This free session (which includes dinner, a tour of the site's wind turbines, and standards-based curriculum resources) will provide information about specific minerals and rocks and their characteristics.  Space is limited to the first 20 teachers (only!) who register with Christie Robinson at christier@mdaqmd.ca.gov or by phone at 760.245.1661 x 6101.

President Announces Funding Plan to Train STEM Educators

As part of a White House science fair today, President Obama was scheduled to announce a plan to ask Congress to fund $80 million in Department of Education grants, plus allocating $22 million from private entities (including universities, foundations, and businesses) for math and science teacher preparation programs.  This would help implement the 100k in 10 initiative discussed in previous State of the Union addresses.  http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/obama-to-announce-100-million-plan-to-train-new-educators/2012/02/06/gIQA8krCvQ_story.html 

WEPAN Webinar on Implicit Bias On 2/23/12

WEPAN will host a free webinar entitled "Implicit Bias:  The Power of Automatic, Unintended Mindsets" on 23 February 2012, from 10:00 to 11:00am PST.  Dr. Fred Smyth from the University of Virginia will present information on the effects of implicit bias in STEM education, including choice of major, as well as strategies to overcome the condition.  For further information and to register, go to https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/662850201 .