"My Next Move" Provides Information on Professional, Scientific and Technical Careers

 My Next Move, a new federal website, provides information on a variety of career pathways, including those in the professional, scientific, and technical areas.  http://www.mynextmove.org/find/browse?c=54

New Links Posted

A number of new links have gone up recently in the "Helpful STEM Links" section.  If you haven't visited recently, you might want to scroll through to see the changes.

NSF Grants Awarded to Transform STEM Learning

The National Science Foundation recently awarded seven grants totaling approximately $5 million for the purpose of "transforming STEM learning."  The awards include approximately $500k to the American Association for the Advancement of Science to use "green" school buildings to transform middle school science and math curriculum, nearly $500k to the Education Development Center for its iPuzzle project, $500k to Loyola University of Chicago for a blended instructional model involving family and community in sustainable resource projects, $500k to the NY Hall of Science for the creation and testing of two innovative science games, $2m to the Research Triangle Institute to study the re-design of ten SC high schools to determine the effect of environment on learning, and $1m to TERC, Inc. for two projects including a digital gaming environment known as Arcadia and for an integrated science and art learning approach focusing on water use.  A second round of grants will be released in 2012.  http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/curriculum/2011/11/nsf_aims_to_transform_stem_lea.html?cmp=ENL-EU-NEWS2

Super Science Saturday at Joe Walker MS on 12/10/11

The next Super Science Saturday for the Antelope Valley's Westside and Lancaster School Districts will be held on Saturday, 10 December 2011, from 8:00am to noon at Joe Walker Middle School in Quartz Hill.  Exhibitors will be present and activities will take place, including straw bridge-building, egg drop, rocketry, robotics, green-eco, crimebusters, and more.  Student pre-registration will take place through the schools; contact your child's teacher in those districts for further information.

Congressman Honda Introduces STEM Education Innovation Legislation

Congressman Michael Honda (D-CA) introduced the STEM Education Innovation Act of 2011 recently, proposing a new Office of STEM Education in the US Department of Education, a State Consortium on STEM best practices, and establishing the Education Innovation Project to "promote the development of transformational technologies for the classroom by providing grant funding to outside entities."  Congressman Honda, who represents the 15th District in the Silicon Valley area, is a former science teacher, school principal, educational researcher, and school board member, among other posts.  http://honda.house.gov/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1136&Itemid=110

Congressional Hearing on Transferring STEM Knowledge from Industry to the Classroom

The House Subcommittee on Research and Science Education held a session on 3 November on transferring STEM knowledge from the workplace to the classroom.  Under review was the issue of alternative licensure for teaching by STEM professionals, and the benefits the professionals bring in relevance and practical application of core principles.  Witnesses from both high-tech industry and teacher preparation institutions testified.  http://science.house.gov/hearing/research-and-science-education-subcommittee-hearing

ACTE Convention in St. Louis A Hit!

The 2011 national convention for the Association of Career and Technical Education in St. Louis from 17-19 November was a great success.  Featuring keynotes by Sir Ken Robinson, Ray McNulty of the International Center for Leadership in Education, Brenda Dann-Messier of the US Dept. of Education Office of Vocational and Adult Education, and Eric Chester, literally hundreds of sessions were offered on a variety of subjects and strands, including STEM, Common Core State Standards and the upcoming Common Career Technical Core, Green Technology, Career Academies, Agriculture, Business/Marketing, Administration/Leadership, Certifications, Student Organizations, and many, many more.  Materials from the sessions are in the process of being posted at http://www.acteonline.org/conventionsessions11.aspx and a Schooltube video channel is also available at http://www.schooltube.com/channel/dgoble/.  I've brought back many great ideas to pass along to colleagues, however, it has also reinforced my belief that the AV is already doing outstanding things for our students that need to be replicated.

Michelle Webb accepts 2011 Business Advocate of the Year  Award for Northrop from Mark Pelesh of the CTE Foundation

Our own Michelle Webb, Corporate Responsibility and Business Conduct Officer for Northrop Grumman's Palmdale facility, accepted the 2011 Business Advocate of the Year Award from CTE Foundation Board Chair Mark Pelesh of Corinthian Colleges on behalf of Northrop Grumman. Here's a picture of Michelle on-stage during the award presentation.

Prior to the ACTE Convention, LEGO Education and National Instruments sponsored a STEM Summit at the America's Center in St. Louis.  Delays at the airport (but nothing compared to Michelle's!!) meant that I was only able to attend one afternoon breakout session on incorporating 21st Century Skills into the classroom; a common theme is the use of technology to inspire and engage students to become creative, collaborative critical thinkers and problem solvers which will make them college and career ready.

Disney Planet Challenge Grant Applications Due by 12/1/11

Disney's Planet Challenge is reviewing applications for grants of up to $650 in materials for 3rd through 8th grade classroom projects that benefit the environment, such as class/school gardens.  For those who sign up for the Disney Planet Challenge, additional funding may be available.  Proposals are due by no later than 1 December 2011 for notification of funding in December.  To submit a request, use your teacher's "DonorsChoose.org" account and include information on the hands-on environmental project for materials up to $650.  For more information on the Disney Planet Challenge, visit http://dpcproject.com/RegTrack.aspx.

NASA "Improving Earthquake Monitoring" Class 12/5/11

A class on new web-based curriculum "Improving Earthquake Monitoring" will be held by NASA/Dryden Flight Research Center on 5 December 2011 from 4:00 to 6:00pm PST (1600-1800) at the AERO Institute in Palmdale.  While the material is targeted for 5th through 9th graders, it is adaptable to different grade levels.  Space is limited.  For more information and to register, e-mail your name, phone number, and school name to Cheryl Craft at cheryl.a.craft@nasa.gov.

WEPAN Knowledge Center Orientation Webinar 11/18/11

WEPAN (Women in Engineering ProActive Network) will be hosting a free webinar tour of their Knowledge Center http://www.wepanknowledgecenter.org/home, including professional interest communities, research, resources, etc., on Friday, 18 November 2011, from noon to 1:00pm PST.  To register, visit https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/478969545 .