Explore how excess carbon dioxide in the atmosphere makes water more acidic through hands-on activities from the free 5E lesson plans in middleschoolchemistry.com.

TAKEAWAYS:
Teachers will conduct simple, safe, and inexpensive hands-on experiments showing that carbon dioxide gas makes water more acidic, and see how these activities and concepts can be taught to students in the classroom.

SPEAKERS:
James Kessler (American Chemical Society: Washington, DC)

Explore student-driven phenomena to teach and scaffold the NGSS Science Practices! This session is a mix of presentation, hands-on inquiry, and discussion. Utilizing a teacher’s experience in research and scientific publication, we’ll explore common areas of dissonance in emerging scientists.

TAKEAWAYS:
Learn how to make authentic research accessible to diverse learners with a simple jelly, bread, and kitchen utensil investigation. Scaffolding progressions will cover scientific writing, data analysis, peer feedback, and scientific communication to bridge the gap between classroom and research.

SPEAKERS:
Megan Lane (C R Anderson Middle School: Helena, MT)

We are conducting a workshop on how to engage science learners in a virtual platform. We will have an interactive workshop with examples of how to teach Life Science and Physical Science concepts from your home through science phenomena.

TAKEAWAYS:
Use various teaching tools and strategies in a virtual setting to foster the passion for science in all students. Use science phenomena to activate student’s critical thinking skills in a fun and interactive way.

SPEAKERS:
Elizabeth Huffaker (Teacher: , GA), Rebecca Miller (Science Department Chair/ 8th Grade Science Teacher: , GA), Latoya Moore (Georgia Connections Academy: No City, No State)

Sponsoring Company: HHMI BioInteractive

We'll explore using BioInteractive's free Model Builder tool to assist students in understanding system models. Choose from a library of models or create your own.

SPEAKERS:
Steven Rogg (Notre Dame College Prep: Niles, IL), Joseph Evans (Kent County High School: Worton, MD)

Sponsoring Company: 3D Molecular Designs

Explore how physical models foster an understanding of the importance of mitosis and meiosis to the growth and development of living things.

SPEAKERS:
Ruth Hutson (3D Molecular Designs: Milwaukee, WI)

Sponsoring Company: miniPCR bio

Use gel electrophoresis to help astronauts identify bacteria growing aboard the International Space Station. This case study is based on the research of the NASA microbiology team. Also, learn about Genes in Space, a free experimental design competition that launches student experiments to the ISS.

SPEAKERS:
Marc Bliss (miniPCR: Cambridge, MA)

Sponsoring Company: PASCO

Learn how to lead simple hands-on experiments with sensors. Help students collect and analyze carbon exchange data from plant leaves in real-time! Dispel student doubts in their understanding of photosynthesis and respiration.

SPEAKERS:
Sophia Guzules (PASCO Scientific: Roseville, CA)

Sponsoring Company: Edvotek

Explore the world of forensic science with these fun and exciting escape room activities! Try forensic blood detection and agarose gel electrophoresis experiments, decipher clues, and solve puzzles. Learn to design your own escape room to have students unravel the evidence and free the innocent.

SPEAKERS:
Danielle Snowflack, PhD (Edvotek Inc.: Washington, DC), Tom Cynkar (Edvotek Inc.: Washington, DC)

Sponsoring Company: HHMI BioInteractive

Use Biointeractive resources to help students explain the relationship between climate change and coral bleaching by analyzing real world data on heat-stress mortality trends.

SPEAKERS:
Dawn Norton (Educator: Holcombe, WI), Chi Klein (Saint Stephen's Episcopal School: Bradenton, FL)

Sponsoring Company: miniPCR bio

Link physical science concepts like circuits and charged particles to the essential biotech method gel electrophoresis. Build a reusable gel electrophoresis system with the Bandit STEM Electrophoresis Kit, and use it to separate colorful dyes. Also, add the A to STEAM with creative pipetting art!

SPEAKERS:
Kristin Hennessy-McDonald, PhD (miniPCR: Cambridge, MA)

Sponsoring Company: Edvotek

Unleash the power of gene editing with your students using REAL CRISPR-Cas technology to knock out colorful genes in E. coli. Identify successful knockout based on the cell color. Experiment by switching RNA templates and analyzing results, letting your students prove the specificity of CRISPR!

SPEAKERS:
Danielle Snowflack, PhD (Edvotek Inc.: Washington, DC), Tom Cynkar (Edvotek Inc.: Washington, DC)

Students have “glow in the dark” clothes and hard seen UV beads, but do they know why they glow? Probably not. Use phenomena to help students understand the glow (energy transformations) that are seen in nature and man-made materials. Those stars on their ceiling will never be viewed the same again.

TAKEAWAYS:
Things that glow are naturally engaging to students. Understanding why they glow can open many different avenues for students to investigate. From man-made objects to plants and animals, this phenomena can move students forward in understanding and identifying energy transformations.

SPEAKERS:
Karen Matsler (University of Texas Arlington: No City, No State)

A variety of activities exploring seeds, including: comparing and contrasting by size, shape, color, texture; experimenting with samaras to ask scientific questions, like which way do they spin as they fall to the ground; and more. Books about seeds will be available to view.

TAKEAWAYS:
How to integrate science into language arts, using seeds.

SPEAKERS:
Frances Hamilton (The University of Alabama in Huntsville: Huntsville, AL)

Sponsoring Company: HHMI BioInteractive

Support students in using data to construct explanations! Join us as we utilize free BioInteractive resources to explore factors driving evolution among Galapagos finches.

SPEAKERS:
Mark Eberhard (St. Clair High School: Saint Clair, MI), Robin Bulleri (Science Teacher: Carrboro, NC)

Sponsoring Company: Wildlife Conservation Society

WCS presents Field Sight pairs the insight of our educators with the expertise of WCS field staff to bring you stories of the conservation work we are doing all over the world. Learn about our exciting fieldwork protecting wildlife, and bring this valuable information into your classroom!

SPEAKERS:
Anine Booth (Wildlife Conservation Society: Bronx, NY)

Sponsoring Company: miniPCR bio

Some of Mendel’s peas have been discovered in an old notebook! Can you confirm which gene Mendel studied in the 1800s using gel electrophoresis? This lab connects Mendelian genetics and Punnett squares with our modern understanding of how genes determine inherited traits.

SPEAKERS:
Kristin Hennessy-McDonald, PhD (miniPCR: Cambridge, MA)

Sponsoring Company: Edvotek

Bring inquiry into your classroom with food science! Learn how to extract dyes from candy to analyze using agarose gel electrophoresis and paper chromatography. Students use the simple techniques as a starting point to design experiments, test hypotheses, and use STEM techniques to analyze results.

SPEAKERS:
Danielle Snowflack, PhD (Edvotek Inc.: Washington, DC), Tom Cynkar (Edvotek Inc.: Washington, DC)

Three different options will be shared that will help teachers bring their students outside where they can connect with nature. This includes 2 PBLs. Logistics and content will be clearly explained so that teachers can use these ideas immediately with their classes that focus on ecology.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will learn 3 different successful low-cost activities (including 2 PBLs) that they can use directly in their classrooms to connect their students with nature regardless of their geographic location. The presenter will share materials to help teachers plan logistics and content.

SPEAKERS:
Nadene Klein (Daniel C. Oakes High School: Castle Rock, CO)

Figuring out phenomena engages students in the nature and process of science through the integration of all three dimensions. Observe how scientists investigate a question. Then use a web tool to illuminate the nature and process of science and apply to any lesson or phenomenon in your classroom.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will learn how to use the Science Flowchart interactive journaling tool to illuminate the dynamic nature and process of science, and how to apply the tool to any phenomenon or lesson in their classroom.

SPEAKERS:
Kirsten Smith (Pound Middle School: Lincoln, NE), Lindsey Roy (Science and Digital Learning Coordinator: Lincoln, NE), Betsy Barent (Lincoln Public Schools: No City, No State)

Join us learning how to teach observational skills to young learners. We will scaffold steps for learning observational skills. Participants will then learn how to teach observational skills through activities aligned to the NGSS for PreK – 2nd grade, taking home several classroom-ready lessons.

TAKEAWAYS:
This session will focus on the skill of observation for young learners. We will focus on how to scaffold this skill of observation for PreK - 2nd graders using examples that are aligned to the NGSS and practicing them by using student-friendly activities that can be replicated in the classroom.

SPEAKERS:
Judith McDonald (University of Hawaii at Hilo: Hilo, HI)

Game-based learning is a powerful way to engage learners and introduce STEM topics. Working with experts, we designed an escape room for students and their families to increase their understanding of neuroscience phenomena and how the brain works. Try demo activities as you learn to design your own.

TAKEAWAYS:
This session will demonstrate how to develop an educational escape room to serve informal and formal science learning objectives and get families actively interacting with science and engineering processes. It will also review methods of assessment, especially for out-of-school settings.

SPEAKERS:
Daisy Reyes (PhD Student: Brooklyn, NY), Lucas Leprince (Game Designer: No City, No State), Sandra Roberts (Science Friday: New York, NY)

In this hands-on workshop, participants will work with models of chemical reactions, photosynthesis, and cellular respiration that can help students develop a deep and flexible understanding of these important processes.

TAKEAWAYS:
Modeling, an important component of the NGSS, can help students understand biological processes more fully. These hands-on, minds-on models are engaging and lead to rigorous learning.

SPEAKERS:
Jennifer Hofeld (Harrah High School: Harrah, OK)

This session will share the results of a four-year investigation into the genetics of different varieties of watermelons, and will highlight the advantages of using watermelons as a model organism for genetics investigations.

TAKEAWAYS:
Watermelons offer several advantages as a model organism for student research, including a variety of easily identifiable traits that exhibit Mendelian and non-Mendelian patterns, ease of growth, ease of cross-pollination, potential for cultural connections, and opportunities for original research.

SPEAKERS:
Steven Gaskill (K.O. Knudson Middle School: Las Vegas, NV)

We will share strategies, ideas, accommodations, and ways to adapt and obtain student collaboration and engagement through the lens of the Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Mathematics (STEAM) focus. Come learn strategies for including diverse learners in your project-based classroom.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will walk away with ready-to-use resources and ideas for instruction with students with diverse needs focusing on project-based activities within the STEAM framework. These ideas can be adapted to lessons in many content areas.

SPEAKERS:
Theresa Robertson (Middle School STEM teacher: Platte City, MO), Sandy Carr (Lorenzo ISD / EPEC-SSA: Lorenzo, TX)

Using a co-designed NGSS curriculum unit, we highlight solutions to challenges in designing and implementing a phenomenon-based investigation unit. Participants examine both design templates and finished curriculum to familiarize themselves with a revision and customization process.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will leave with curriculum design templates to use when customizing curriculum to support students’ sensemaking of phenomena. An opportunity will be provided to explore templates and ask clarifying questions. Participants will have access to a curriculum unit designed using the templates.

SPEAKERS:
Barbara Hug (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign: Champaign, IL), Nick Leonardi (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign: No City, No State)

Explore the application of phenomenon-based science teaching through the lens of fishing. Applications for any state enable students to explore human impacts on natural recourses and the impact on the overall health of the ocean. Essential questions are investigated using mini-projects and more.

TAKEAWAYS:
This unit models a phenomenon-based unit about fishing and aquaculture. Students explore cultural, economical, and ecological impacts around fishing to explore human impacts on our natural resources. Mini project-based learning and dissections are used as teaching strategies in this unit.

SPEAKERS:
Ashley Garcia (Dennis-Yarmouth Regional High School)

Biogeochemical cycles are often an abstract concept students struggle to make a meaningful connection with. “Why are we learning this” sustainable agriculture through use of plant nutrients is a real-world bridge for that conceptual gap.

TAKEAWAYS:
Students will learn about biogeochemical cycles and their environmental importance through the lens of sustainable agriculture by exploring the chemical makeup of plant nutrients and how they interact with soil chemistry in order to sustainably grow food.

SPEAKERS:
Amy Guevara (High School Environmental and Agriscience Teacher: , FL)

Sponsoring Company: HHMI BioInteractive

Explore patterns of inheritance in stickleback fish using free BioInteractive resources! We'll also model how to have students use data to support their evidence-based claims.

SPEAKERS:
Tanea Hibler (Phillips Exeter Academy: Exeter, NH), Lee Ferguson (The Episcopal School of Dallas: Dallas, TX)

Sponsoring Company: 3D Molecular Designs

Explore the movement of water with an interactive Aquaporin model to connect the molecular structure with protein function – and learn about this exciting phenomenon.

SPEAKERS:
Tim Herman (3D Molecular Designs: Milwaukee, WI)

Sponsoring Company: miniPCR bio

Investigate transcription and translation without culturing cells! In this inquiry-based lab, RNA glows green and protein glows red, so you can see gene expression happen in a test tube. Use experimental data to test hypotheses about variables that affect transcription and translation.

SPEAKERS:
Allison Nishitani, PhD (miniPCR: Cambridge, MA)

Sponsoring Company: Edvotek

You’ve planned the experiment and collected data, now let’s discuss the best way to analyze it. In this workshop, we’ll use PCR and ELISA to bring quantitative data analysis and statistics to the lab. Mastery of these skills is crucial to prepare students for careers in biotechnology and STEM.

SPEAKERS:
Danielle Snowflack, PhD (Edvotek Inc.: Washington, DC), Tom Cynkar (Edvotek Inc.: Washington, DC)

Discover how classroom pets can transform science education with engaging, hands-on lessons that spark curiosity! Learn to leverage these companions for engaging, hands-on lessons that spark curiosity. Review standards-based lesson plans and learn about how to get that classroom pet for free!

TAKEAWAYS:
Teachers will feel confident in their ability to integrate a classroom pet, utilizing the standards based lessons presented. Pets foster empathy, responsibility, and emotional development but also teach the standards. And explore funding opportunities for your classroom companion!

SPEAKERS:
Kathy Biernat (Zanilu Educational Services, LLC: No City, No State)

Here we present curriculum units exploring phenomena in freshwater and terrestrial ecosystems at multiple scales, from micro to macro. In these units, students investigate concepts of ecosystem stability with curricula based on science research.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will learn how to facilitate NGSS-aligned, inquiry-driven classroom investigations of ecosystems at multiple scales. We will share multiple examples of investigations based on our current work through GEMS, a NSF Biology Integration Institute. Curriculum materials will be provided.

SPEAKERS:
Barbara Hug (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign: Champaign, IL), Patrick Wilson (PhD Student: Urbana, IL), Nick Leonardi (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign: No City, No State), Jeannette Cullum (Graduate Student: Urbana, IL)

Learn how to incorporate innovative and safer non-animal methods in your dissection labs. Teachers will have the opportunity to demonstrate AR/VR tech as well as realistic non-animal resources that will both amaze and engage middle level students.

TAKEAWAYS:
Teachers will learn how to find and access non-animal methods for their classrooms, therefore enhancing student learning as well as creating a safer science environment.

SPEAKERS:
Alisa Brooks (Animalearn: Jenkintown, PA), Nicole Green (Animalearn: Jenkintown, PA)

Essential Element standards for grades 9 and 10 were used for an integrated science unit regarding traits in life science. It was designed to facilitate learning with students who qualify for alternative assessment and for students with physical needs who may use communication devices.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will discuss the process of unit design, intentional use of inquiry teaching practices, essential element standards, assistive technology, and preparing the teacher. One high school level unit and middle school sequence will be shared to use in their own teaching spaces.

SPEAKERS:
Mandie Sanderman (Central Rivers Area Education Agency: Cedar Falls, IA), Chelsie Byram (Central Rivers Area Education Agency: Cedar Falls, IA)

Come and experience A Medical Mystery and explain a middle school girl’s symptoms from a doctor’s note. You will use computer interactives to gather data and analyze it for evidence to back up your claims. You will leave with complete access to this freely available unit. Bring a laptop or tablet.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will see how explaining the symptoms of a 7th grade girl as she becomes suddenly ill can provide an engaging context for learning about interacting body systems. Participants will come away with a rich digital resource that includes student activities and educative teacher supports.

SPEAKERS:
Betty Stennett (BSCS Science Learning: Colorado Springs, CO)

Models are excellent tools assisting students’ understanding of chemical structure and function. Different models highlight different aspects of the chemical they represent. Simple models are terrific tools for addressing science misconceptions, too.

TAKEAWAYS:
Models are used to develop questions, predictions, and explanations. As students construct explanations for different products using the same model, students gain an understanding of molecules and life’s complexities.

SPEAKERS:
Suzanne Cunningham (Purdue University: West Lafayette, IN)

Discover the world of epigenetics and model organisms in this fast-paced, engaging session. Learn about 5 different model organisms and how they can be used in your classroom. Real-life examples will be given, and resources provided for you to bring model organisms to your students!

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will learn about 5 different model organisms and will be given real examples, as well as resources for them to take to their classrooms and incorporate into their curriculum, inspiring the next generation of scientists!

SPEAKERS:
Cory Kavanagh (Van Andel Institute: Grand Rapids, MI)

We’ll share 5 free online modules that engage students in the importance oysters and mussels play in watersheds via field studies, role plays scenarios, and a dynamic simulation. This NOAA-funded MWEE effort has students investigate, collaborate, and debate solutions to authentic problems.

TAKEAWAYS:
Teachers gain awareness of and access to OER support curriculum and student exemplars developed across a 3-year grant aligned with the 3 dimensions of NGSS and NOAA’s meaningful watershed educational experience framework. The modules were piloted across 3 diverse school districts (urban and rural).

SPEAKERS:
Elizabeth Edmondson (James Branch Cabell Libr: Richmond, VA), Al Byers (AB Advising: No City, No State)

Come discover how free, NSF-funded simulations and curricula from The Concord Consortium can add all dimensions of the NGSS to your Earth, Climate, and Life Science teaching, with a special emphasis on the Practices. Bring a device to this interactive session and take away free resources!

TAKEAWAYS:
Strategies in the use of simulations for 3D NGSS-aligned teaching of Earth, Climate, and Life Science.

SPEAKERS:
Chad Dorsey (The Concord Consortium: Concord, MA)

Looking to increase achievement in an immersive way? The Air Camp Team will demonstrate how to harness the universal appeal of flight by captivating students with lessons and engaging activities rooted in biology standards while exploring exciting and fast-growing aviation career fields!

TAKEAWAYS:
Learn strategies to construct activities resulting in greater interest and mastery of biology for students in grades K-12. Explore distinct professional practices that expand biology standards into unforgettable learning experiences associated with human life, animals, plant life, and so much more!

SPEAKERS:
Christina Davis (Air Camp USA, Inc.: Dayton, OH)

Grade 5 NGSS-aligned curriculum, instruction, and assessment resources created by the SIPS Project provide a scalable and coherent approach to improve three-dimensional science learning for all students including unpacking the science content, teaching and learning, and assessing student progress.

TAKEAWAYS:
Educators’ ability to use three-dimensional instruction and assessment resources to provide inclusive, equitable instruction, promote sensemaking, assess learning, and make instructional decisions, will be enhanced. Benefits of a coherent system to improve student outcomes will be shared.

SPEAKERS:
Rhonda True (Nebraska Department of Education: Lincoln, NE), Mary Nyaema (University of Illinois Chicago: Chicago, IL), Bill Herrera (edCount, LLC: No City, No State), Charlene Turner (Senior Associate: Laramie, WY)

Sponsoring Company: HHMI BioInteractive

Students often struggle with visualizing photosynthesis across biological scales. Join us as we use BioInteractive resources to explore how photosynthesis models make student thinking visible.

SPEAKERS:
Amit Morris (Science Teacher: , ON), Katherine Ward (Aragon High School: San Mateo, CA)

Sponsoring Company: 3D Molecular Designs

Decode the language of proteins! Unveil the mystery of amino acids and protein folding with confidence through hands-on modeling.

SPEAKERS:
Mark Arnholt (3D Molecular Designs: Milwaukee, WI)

Sponsoring Company: miniPCR bio

Experience an easy-to-implement genetic engineering lab with simple teacher prep - no starter cultures or incubator required! This robust lab allows students to visualize the transformation of bacteria from white to bright blue using a protocol that can be completed in a 45-minute class period.

SPEAKERS:
Kristin Hennessy-McDonald, PhD (miniPCR: Cambridge, MA)

Sponsoring Company: Carolina Biological Supply Co.

Add excitement to your class with live organisms! Explore how organisms find food and interact. Discuss how these two hands-on activities can be applied to younger students: How creatures find food, and to older students: Social behavior and inter-species interactions.

SPEAKERS:
Laurie Nixon (Chemistry Teacher: Boone, NC)

Explore a three-part symbiotic relationship involving parasitic wasps, caterpillars, and a virus to build a better understanding of ecological relationships. This free middle school curriculum module builds a deeper understanding of the real-world complexity of symbiosis.

TAKEAWAYS:
How to access and use a free module that includes an opportunity for students to analyze data through a simulated experiment involving the wasp parasitoid and its host, interweaving this example with more general information in a way that builds an understanding of complex ecological relationships.

SPEAKERS:
Molly Malone (The University of Utah: Salt Lake City, UT)

Learn about Conserve It or List It, an exciting series of inquiry investigations driven by student questions that you can use to teach environmental and life science. You will participate in one of the experiments and receive the project guidelines as well as strategies for classroom implementation.

TAKEAWAYS:
Conserve It or List It is an exciting way to engage students in environmental and life science through inquiry-based lessons driven by phenomena and student questions, with the goal of helping students invest in science and bringing the outdoors into classroom instruction.

SPEAKERS:
Sandra Ryack-Bell (Wade Institute for Science Education: Quincy, MA), Kathryn Atkins (Wade Institute for Science Education: Quincy, MA), Rachel Stronach (Lloyd Center for the Environment: Dartmouth, MA)

The water-flea, Daphnia, is a charismatic model organism in the life sciences. They are easy to find in lakes/ponds and to care for, making them great for classroom investigations. Here we present two interconnected curriculum units exploring the effects of pollution on Daphnia and their ecosystems.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will learn how to facilitate NGSS-aligned, inquiry-driven classroom investigations with Daphnia. We will share two examples of interconnected investigations based on our current work as science graduate students at the University of Illinois. Curriculum materials will be provided.

SPEAKERS:
Patrick Wilson (PhD Student: Urbana, IL), Barbara Hug (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign: Champaign, IL), Jeannette Cullum (Graduate Student: Urbana, IL)

Sponsoring Company: HHMI BioInteractive

Join us as we explore the relationship between environmental changes and wildfires using free BioInteractive resources that feature authentic phenomena and data analysis.

SPEAKERS:
Laura Dinerman (Sherwood High School: Sandy Spring, MD), Beth Cates (Western Sierra Collegiate Academy: Rocklin, CA)

Sponsoring Company: Simulation Curriculum

See our newest Interactive Anatomy & Physiology curriculum where we'll demonstrate its latest lessons, simulations and interactions. Correlated to standards with LMS compatibility and free resources make this edition the most effective, interesting and engaging for instructors and students alike.

SPEAKERS:
Michael Goodman (Simulation Curriculum: Hopkins, MN)

Sponsoring Company: Bio-Rad Laboratories

Taxonomy in action: use visual cues and biotechnology techniques to sort bumblebees into separate species. Experience how PCR, sequencing, and bioinformatics help scientists distinguish bee species.

SPEAKERS:
Damon Tighe (Bio-Rad Laboratories: Hercules, CA)

Sponsoring Company: 3D Molecular Designs

Using innovative physical models and cellular landscape posters explore how flu, coronavirus and other virus can infect our cells and learn about new vaccine platforms.

SPEAKERS:
Tim Herman (3D Molecular Designs: Milwaukee, WI)

Sponsoring Company: miniPCR bio

Puppies are born to Molly the Labradoodle, and students must use genetics to solve the paternity mystery. Use Punnett squares and DNA gel electrophoresis to track the inheritance of the furnishings trait across the litter. Then decide who’s the daddy: Zeus the Poodle or Otto the Labradoodle?

SPEAKERS:
Allison Nishitani, PhD (miniPCR: Cambridge, MA)

Sponsoring Company: Texas Instruments

Embark on a journey into the world of forensic science using maggots, flies and flesh to solve a mystery! Imagine discovering a decomposing corpse in a field with four missing persons fitting the description. Who is it? This gripping session takes you on an adventure where using the clues found at the grim scene is the only way to discover the answers to your questions. Forensic anthropologist Diane France helped to develop this forensic science lesson that’s perfect for middle school and high school students.

SPEAKERS:
Erick Archer (Texas Instruments: Dallas, TX)

Sponsoring Company: Edvotek

Explore Nobel Prize-winning CRISPR in our hands-on electrophoresis workshop! This powerful biotechnology breakthrough is making dramatic changes to human health RIGHT NOW. Dive into CRISPR biology with quick experiments modeling cures for genetic diseases like Sickle Cell Anemia and Cystic Fibrosis.

SPEAKERS:
Danielle Snowflack, PhD (Edvotek Inc.: Washington, DC), Tom Cynkar (Edvotek Inc.: Washington, DC)

In this session, teachers will experience the integration of reading, math, and science instruction, and get more bang for their buck. The session will also discuss and demonstrate differentiation to support all learners. There will be a rotation simulation for brain stimulation!

TAKEAWAYS:
The hands-on session provides: ideas on classroom management for integrated stations and centers, detailed small-group instruction, Lexile-leveled lessons, and much more!

SPEAKERS:
Yolanda Williams (Veterans Memorial Middle School: Covington, GA)

We will use high-resolution images and descriptions of traits to construct evidence-based hypotheses for where two different fossils should be placed on the evolutionary tree of dinosaurs. The activity follows the same processes used by paleontologists to classify their fossil finds.

TAKEAWAYS:
Teachers will gain access to materials that provide the backstory for an in-depth data analysis activity that can be used with students. Resources include hi-res images of fossils, descriptions and diagrams of traits that are useful for classification, and phylogenetic trees of dinosaurs.

SPEAKERS:
David Randle (American Museum of Natural History: New York, NY)

NGSS alignment is quite challenging for most teachers. We have designed open-source materials that achieved NGSS-aligned outcomes for 80-90% of students while reducing the challenges of instruction. We will guide participants through example materials that support NGSS implementation.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees of this session will leave with specific strategies and options to improve NGSS alignment without significantly adding to the day-to-day burden of classroom instruction. This will also broaden their understanding of the goals and objectives of NGSS alignment.

SPEAKERS:
Craig Kohn (Waterford Union High School: Waterford, WI), Abigail Helmke (Biology teacher: , WI)

A look to the water source of your place; the flow and distribution of water, and how water was an integral part of indigenous cultures. Examples of the interaction and interdependence of water in a variety of cultural ecosystem settings and society.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will reflect on where their water comes from, it's path, and it's importance in the culture of their place, their surrounding indigenous practices, and compare their water source with global communities.

SPEAKERS:
Kimberley Norris-Jones (Richland Northeast Hs: Columbia, SC), Diane Tom-Ogata (W. R. Farrington High School: Honolulu, HI)

Discover empowering activities for elementary students to use their STEM skills to learn more about people’s relationship to the natural environment and ways to work toward a healthy planet. Raise environmental literacy while collecting and analyzing data, creating a carbon sink model, and more.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will learn hands-on classroom activities to build students’ STEM skills while fostering environmental stewardships and empowering students on positive ways to impact their environment.

SPEAKERS:
Barbara Huth (Online Learning Manager: Washington, DC)

Sponsoring Company: HHMI BioInteractive

Students can be change-makers! We’ll model using BioInteractive resources including Wild Hope, a new film series, to engage students in developing solutions for restoring biodiversity.

SPEAKERS:
Paul Strode (Fairview High School: Boulder, CO), Ann Brokaw (Rocky River High School: Rocky River, OH)

Sponsoring Company: Bio-Rad Laboratories

Can your students save the Giant Pandas? See how your students tackle topics like homeostatic regulation, effect of reproductive hormones, immunological responses and ecosystem balance as they engineer a hormone detection system that can be utilized for Giant Panda population conservation efforts.

SPEAKERS:
Damon Tighe (Bio-Rad Laboratories: Hercules, CA)

Sponsoring Company: 3D Molecular Designs

Empower all your students to unlock the secrets of enzyme specificity through biotech engineering design challenges, using dynamic physical models and student-created models.

SPEAKERS:
Mark Arnholt (3D Molecular Designs: Milwaukee, WI)

Sponsoring Company: miniPCR bio

Bring molecular techniques to Ecology and Evolution units. Join an expedition to Madagascar to decide if an extinct lemur species has been rediscovered! Test DNA with gel electrophoresis, build phylogenetic trees, and analyze authentic field data from the Duke Lemur Center.

SPEAKERS:
Rose Chaffee-Cohen (miniPCR: Cambridge, MA)

Sponsoring Company: Texas Instruments

Engage middle and high school students in a thrilling exploration of disease transmission using the zombie apocalypse scenario! Zombies offer a captivating lens to understand how diseases spread through a population. Join us for this session that makes the science of contagion both exciting and informative, turning the undead into a powerful education tool.

SPEAKERS:
Erick Archer (Texas Instruments: Dallas, TX)

Sponsoring Company: Society for Neuroscience

This workshop offers an opportunity for teachers to explore a new neuroscience curriculum designed for third through sixth grade students. The curriculum encompasses lessons aimed at improving academic performance and increasing mental health literacy among students.

SPEAKERS:
Carolann Berns (Society for Neuroscience: Washington, DC)

Sponsoring Company: Edvotek

Wildlife conservators often return captive-bred animals to their native habitats to rewild the area. In this interactive workshop, we’ll explore the use of RFLP analysis and phylogenetics in conservation biology to analyze the DNA samples of two lions. Can we return them to their ancestral home?

SPEAKERS:
Danielle Snowflack, PhD (Edvotek Inc.: Washington, DC), Tom Cynkar (Edvotek Inc.: Washington, DC)

Sponsoring Company: Lab-Aids

Students use diagrams to create a 3D clay model of some of the organs and structures in the human torso. The concepts of structure and function are introduced as students begin to think about how the organs can be grouped into body systems based on their function within the human body.

SPEAKERS:
Ed Miller (Selden Middle School: Centereach, NY)

We will use sets of essays and videos to follow the work of marine biologists studying blue whales. A web-based interface gives students the ability to analyze whale dive data to understand how the largest animal that ever lived evolved by eating small crustaceans.

TAKEAWAYS:
Teachers will gain access to materials that provide the backstory for an in-depth data analysis activity that can be used with students. Data includes time series graphs of blue whale dives, and video from forward and backward mounted cameras on the back of a whale.

SPEAKERS:
David Randle (American Museum of Natural History: New York, NY)

NGSS alignment is quite challenging for most teachers. We have designed open-source materials that achieved NGSS-aligned outcomes for 80-90% of students while reducing the challenges of instruction. We will guide participants through example materials that support NGSS implementation.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will leave with specific strategies and options to improve NGSS alignment without significantly adding to the day-to-day burden of classroom instruction. This will also broaden their understanding of the goals and objectives of NGSS alignment.

SPEAKERS:
Abigail Helmke (Biology teacher: , WI), Craig Kohn (Waterford Union High School: Waterford, WI)

Luquillo LTER Data Jam provides students access to long-term ecological data found in their own backyard in Puerto Rico. Our research focus is students’ awareness of NGSS practices used: develop a research question, analyze data in CODAP (a free statistical tool), and develop a scientific argument.

TAKEAWAYS:
Luquillo LTER Data Jam students can articulate differences in practices involved in Data Jam compared to their other science lessons. Students' final projects demonstrate engagement in the practices of asking questions and developing a scientific argument, despite not being conscious of doing so.

SPEAKERS:
Isabel Delgado (Science Teacher Educator), Noelia Báez Rodríguez (Education Coordinator), G. Michael Bowen (Mount Saint Vincent University: Halifax, NS)

Engage in 3-D sensemaking by investigating the patterns and distribution of lactose intolerance inheritance worldwide using mathematical and computational thinking models. Briefly learn how technology-mediated lesson study has helped rural science teachers collaborate to design 3-D lessons.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will see how patterns of inheritance, and mathematical and computational thinking skills, can be used to make sense of why the distribution of traits for lactose intolerance follow certain worldwide patterns.

SPEAKERS:
Douglas Morris (Carbon High School: Price, UT), Joshua Stowers (Brigham Young University: Provo, UT)

Talking about science is an integral part of “doing science.” Together teachers will experience a phenomenon to explore talk formats, talk moves, and monitoring tools. Teachers will consider how these tools support students to clarify, build, and share their ideas with others.

TAKEAWAYS:
Supporting student talk that meets the targeted learning goals for your instruction requires a plan for classroom talk and practice facilitating learning conversations. Teachers will choose talk formats, employ talk moves, and develop monitoring tools to support students in talking about science.

SPEAKERS:
Laura Shafer, PhD (Knowles Teacher Initiative: Moorestown, NJ)

For the past 5 years, I have partnered with my state's wildlife agency to use the invasive bullfrogs they remove that are threatening native species throughout the state. My students collect data that is used by the department to determine the impact these frogs have on Arizona ecosystems.

TAKEAWAYS:
Learn how to establish a partnership with local wildlife agencies and scientists to get your students collecting data that is useful to scientists and gives meaning to organisms that are frequently discarded by scientists but still useful in an educational setting.

SPEAKERS:
Shoshanna Kroeger (Phoenix Coding Academy: Phoenix, AZ)

We present a framework for the next generation of early college STEM education. This framework highlights a unique co-taught, cross-curricular experience which has been made possible through the early college partnership between Berlin High School (CT) and Southern Connecticut State University.

TAKEAWAYS:
We aim to provide a framework for educators interested in incorporating cross-curricular, co-taught, NGSS and project-based learning experiences into early college curricula. This session presents a freshly designed curriculum which may be adapted in its entirety or utilized on a per unit basis.

SPEAKERS:
Theodore Jones III (Faculty: Berlin, CT), Christopher Wisniewski (Berlin High School: Berlin, CT)

Inspired by the Transatlantic Outreach Program STEM Study Tour for teachers, the free online lessons use phenomena common to the United States and Germany. Framed as a virtual tour of Germany, the four STEM unit topics are sustainability, renewables, climate change, and ecosystems.

TAKEAWAYS:
In addition to accessing STEM lessons and information on future, free TOP STEM Study Tours, attendees will learn how science and engineering can be applied to local and global sustainability issues.

SPEAKERS:
Loris Chen (Science Education Consultant: Fair Lawn, NJ)

Connecting Classrooms and Colleges showcases how to cultivate successful partnerships between the K-12 setting and higher education to improve science education for all level learners, from kindergarten to graduate school and beyond.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will learn how educators can find opportunities to cultivate partnerships with colleges that benefit all that seek to learn and improve science education. A decade-long partnership between the University of Georgia Genetics Department and a middle school teacher will be featured.

SPEAKERS:
Audrey Hughes (Clarke Middle School: Athens, GA)

This scholarship of teaching and learning study parallels Aranda et al. (2021) by having students author two Scientist Spotlights assignments in a community college biology course and assessing the impact of the intervention on the students’ stereotypes of scientists and relatability to science.

TAKEAWAYS:
The main takeaway is to understand if authoring Scientist Spotlight assignments influences student relatability to scientists and/or shifts stereotypes of scientists from negative stereotypes to positive stereotypes, and nonstereotypical descriptions in a community college intro biology course.

SPEAKERS:
Heidi Tarus (Minnesota West Community & Technical College: Worthington, MN)

We will share strategies and outcomes from our experience in restructuring biology classes to focus on competency-based learning and student voice and choice. We will offer takeaways for educators to reimagine their classrooms as communities built on student agency and competency-based learning.

TAKEAWAYS:
Competency-based learning and student agency in the classroom have positive impacts on academic success and mental health. Science educators can move towards this model in a way that is feasible and accessible.

SPEAKERS:
Ashton Trawinski (Upper School Science Teacher: No City, No State), Megan White (Forsyth Country Day School: Lewisville, NC)

This session will inspire you to take your classes outside by featuring a high school ecology class that promotes student discovery of local ecosystems, campus stewardship, and engagement with the science community (professional partnerships on grants/projects to explore & restore native habitats).

TAKEAWAYS:
Teachers will be inspired to put textbooks aside and get outside to create meaningful experiences that connect students to local ecosystems, deepen understanding of concepts, & build community in/around their school. Participants will be able to identify essential steps to creating a similar course.

SPEAKERS:
Jim Ardoin (Pinelands Regional High School: Tuckerton, NJ), Kimberly Clark (Pinelands Regional Junior High School: Little Egg Harbor, NJ)

Sponsoring Company: HHMI BioInteractive

Models help make student thinking visible. Join us as we engage with different methods and scaffolds to model ecological phenomena using free HHMI BioInteractive resources.

SPEAKERS:
Samantha Johnson (Arroyo High School: San Lorenzo, CA), Brian Mason (Teacher: , AK)

Sponsoring Company: Bio-Rad Laboratories

Two out of three drug overdoses are due to opioids. Understanding the environmental & genetic links to drug dependency can reduce risk when opioids are prescribed to high-risk patients. Discover how math, genetics, & personalized medicine can determine the likelihood of addiction.

SPEAKERS:
Tamica Stubbs (Bio-Rad Laboratories: Hercules, CA)

Sponsoring Company: 3D Molecular Designs

Discover how modeling with interactive, collaborative tools can help your students learn about this new gene editing technology. Hear how the treatment has helped people.

SPEAKERS:
Tim Herman (3D Molecular Designs: Milwaukee, WI)

Sponsoring Company: miniPCR bio

Use gel electrophoresis to investigate if someone was wrongfully convicted. Based on the principles from the FBI’s CODIS system, this forensics investigation allows your students to make connections between DNA analysis and its uses in the criminal justice system. Inspired by the Innocence Project.

SPEAKERS:
Rose Chaffee-Cohen (miniPCR: Cambridge, MA)

What’s a good assessment? Learn what to look for (or include) in an effective assessment that tracks students’ 3D learning related to middle school PEs.

TAKEAWAYS:
Educators will learn about key features for summative, benchmark 3D assessments designed to be used in any NGSS-aligned middle school classroom.

SPEAKERS:
Maia Binding (The Lawrence Hall of Science: Berkeley, CA)

When you get it right, students are engaged and making sense for themselves. Your lessons are aligned to standards and include scaffolded supports. Here's how to plan those lessons!

TAKEAWAYS:
SEPs, DCIs, and CCCs are the three legs of the stool that support a cohesive lesson. By being immersed in a sensemaking experience, participants define the most important elements and how to plan. Electronic resources are provided.

SPEAKERS:
David Jacob (Putnam/Northern Westchester BOCES: Yorktown Hghts, NY), Harry Rosvally (Putnam Northern Westchester BOCES: Yorktown Heights, NY)

This session will connect the teaching methods of our elders to the current best practices in STEM education. This will include the removal of barriers to learning as well as taking the lessons into the world of students. Lesson templates will be shared as well as examples of all methods.

TAKEAWAYS:
For many attendees, existing materials and methods can be adapted to the worlds of the students and drastically increase engagement, critical thinking, and practical application. This will result in a strengthening of the student's identity as a STEM learner, as well as STEM being a possible career.

SPEAKERS:
Joel Truesdell (Kamehameha Schools Hawaii Campus: Keaau, HI)

This hands-on session will generate ideas on how to get your secondary students outside and moving while still covering your science standards. Good NGSS practice starts with an anchoring phenomenon. What better way to explore a phenomenon than getting outside?

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will leave with immediately applicable strategies and ideas to use in their secondary science classrooms outdoors.

SPEAKERS:
Jennifer Bateman (Clemson University), Brooke Whitworth (Clemson University: Clemson, SC), Summer Landreth (educator: , SC)

In this workshop, attendees will build replicas of human anatomy using clay and a specially-designed skeletal model in a classroom setting. Educators will learn how to implement a unique curriculum system which helps students create a kinesthetic map of the human anatomy.

TAKEAWAYS:
They will acquire the knowledge to engage science students with immediate, hands-on learning using a proven method that is nationally recognized to increase both student retention and test scores.

SPEAKERS:
Brandee Gillham (Educator)

Let's face it, science often takes a backseat to math! Change the conversation with ideas to support integrating science curriculum and find funding for authentic learning experiences. Help get your topics more recognition and revitalize the most hated subject in school, math!

TAKEAWAYS:
Discuss successful steps taken to integrate curriculum, fund activities, and even co-teach ES, biology, chemistry, and STEM topics with math teammates. Walk away with lesson plans you can take to your math department to model the process.

SPEAKERS:
Scarlett Lyon (STEM Outreach Coordinator)

Pokémon cards depict fictitious animalian life stages that can be leveraged to discuss life science concepts such as inherited and acquired traits. After briefly reviewing inherited versus acquired traits and 5E lessons, participants will explore the cards to develop sci-fi writing samples.

TAKEAWAYS:
While some Pokémon character cards depict physical and behavioral development over two or more stages, such character cards may be leveraged as science fiction writing seeds, to help early adolescents apply their understanding of life science concepts while learning about the Science Fiction genre.

SPEAKERS:
Omah Williams-Duncan (University of Houston-Clear Lake: Houston, TX)

Join us in the garden as we engage in lessons that help students learn about life in their environment. Each lesson is paired with teacher-approved books and strategies to help integrate science and literacy. Topics include plants, fruits, life cycles, pill bugs, and more.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will be exposed to a sensemaking framework to engage students in concepts such as life cycles, how animals process information, and plant structure and function. Each lesson in the workshop will be paired with topic-specific children's books appropriate for teaching the content.

SPEAKERS:
Frances Hamilton (The University of Alabama in Huntsville: Huntsville, AL), Sandra Lampley (The University of Alabama in Huntsville: Huntsville, AL)

Create a successful indoor garden using basic materials, and on a budget. Perfect for the urban classroom.

TAKEAWAYS:
How to choose appropriate plants and materials for an indoor environment.

SPEAKERS:
Rebecca Kurson (Collegiate School: New York, NY)

Explore the use of zebrafish (Danio rerio) a freshwater fish at the forefront of biomedical research and easily maintained in a classroom aquarium, to spark ALL students’ curiosity and scientific engagement with real-life science experiences through multiple-learning modalities.

TAKEAWAYS:
Learning how zebrafish and low-budget pet store supplies can be used to engage diverse learners, including English learners, in multimodal (visual, kinesthetic) real-life science learning experiences.

SPEAKERS:
Pam Kirkland (The University of Texas at Dallas: Richardson, TX), Vinita Hajeri (The University of Texas at Dallas: Richardson, TX)

Participants will explore scientific drawing as a tool to strengthen student understanding of the underlying science concepts. This session will allow participants an opportunity and experience to combine the visual, auditory, and kinesthetic learnings.

TAKEAWAYS:
Reinforce the understanding of photosynthesis through a scientific drawing.

SPEAKERS:
Courtney Martinez (3rd Grade Vanguard Math and Science Teacher), Suparna Vashisht (Assistant Principal: Houston, TX)

Explore how pets can be dynamic teaching tools, investigate standards-based lessons, participate in a challenge, and find opportunities to fund your classroom pet. Leave with a toolkit of ideas and a fresh perspective on enhancing your curriculum with our furry, feathered, or scaly friends!

TAKEAWAYS:
Teachers will be empowered to use pets in their classroom and understand the lasting impact of using pets to inspire science learning, fostering empathy and curiosity in students. Teachers will leave with the tools they need to incorporate a classroom pet into their curriculum.

SPEAKERS:
Kathy Biernat (Zanilu Educational Services, LLC: No City, No State)

Explore the effective use of a Driving Question Board (DQB) as a tool for generating, organizing, and revisiting student questions that serve as the driving force behind investigating an anchoring phenomenon. See how DQBs progress student thinking through inquiry and collaborative learning.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will discover how the Driving Question Board (DQB) strategy supports the Science Practice of “Asking Questions”; understand the prerequisites, purpose, and the 'why' for using DQBs; and identify the benefits of DQBs that support student sensemaking.

SPEAKERS:
Lindi Kudlacek (Katy ISD: Katy, TX), Tina Hovance (Katy ISD: Katy, TX)

Storylines led by phenomena improve student engagement and understanding of overarching biological concepts. We will model using phenomena to anchor and lead instruction.

TAKEAWAYS:
Storylines provide an equitable, culturally-responsive learning experience that support long-lasting learning for all students.

SPEAKERS:
Michele Koehler (Riverside Brookfield District 208: Riverside, IL), Shane Cullian (Whitewater High School: Whitewater, WI), Kathy Van Hoeck (Retired Educator: Marion, IA), Charlie Pozen (Gateway High School, Aurora CO: No City, No State)

Sponsoring Company: HHMI BioInteractive

Dig deeper into CRISPR-Cas9 with a hands-on modeling activity and an online BioInteractive resource that demystify how this biotechnology expands the field of genetic medicine.

SPEAKERS:
Valerie May (Woodstock Academy: Woodstock, CT), Karen Lucci (Retired Educator: Morrisville, PA)

Sponsoring Company: Bio-Rad Laboratories

Experience CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing experiments designed for your students' learning! In this hands-on workshop edit a chromosomal gene, complete with essential experimental controls, using the same cut-and-repair technology used in medicinal and agricultural applications.

SPEAKERS:
Damon Tighe (Bio-Rad Laboratories: Hercules, CA)

Sponsoring Company: 3D Molecular Designs

Explore genetic wonders with your students and discover the intricacies of Mendelian and non-Mendelian inheritance through dynamic modeling and Punnett Square construction.

SPEAKERS:
Ruth Hutson (3D Molecular Designs: Milwaukee, WI)

Sponsoring Company: miniPCR bio

PTC tasting is a classic way to link genotype and phenotype. Use PCR and gel electrophoresis to determine if students have taster or non-taster alleles for bitter perception. Learn about our all-new curriculum and see how easy it can be to bring molecular genetics to your class!

SPEAKERS:
Sebastian Kraves (miniPCR: Cambridge, MA)

Sponsoring Company: Lab-Aids

Use a DQB to make phenomena meaningfully connected to science content. Pro-tips and exemplary DQB walkthrough – an experienced trainer will guide development of a sample DQB, using a model lesson from our middle school program that looks at the effects of an introduced species on an ecosystem.

SPEAKERS:
Ed Miller (Selden Middle School: Centereach, NY)

In this session, three author-educators will use 3D-printed fossils to introduce the topic of human origins, identify critical adaptations, and learn stories behind the fossils. Attendees will gain age-appropriate strategies tailored to diverse student populations (lower grades through high school).

TAKEAWAYS:
This session provides educators with skills and resources for teaching human evolution. Through a trifold approach, participants will increase confidence in teaching about human origins by exploring major milestones in human evolution and headline-grabbing discoveries. Bibliography provided.

SPEAKERS:
Elizabeth Shreeve (Science Writer: Mill Valley, CA), John Mead (St. Mark's School of Texas: Allen, TX), Pamela Turner (Author: Oakland, CA)

We know STEM is a crucial component of society; however, everyone doesn't have the gift of time to spread the joy of STEM. Join us as we engage in a CSI-themed lesson, and collaboratively brainstorm ways to intentionally embed STEM connections and thinking routines, regardless of bell schedules!

TAKEAWAYS:
By the end of this lesson, educators will be able to outline creative and innovative ways to embed STEM thinking and disciplines into their lessons, regardless of the time allocated within their schedules.

SPEAKERS:
Jailyn Jenkins (Manager of Resident Development, Innovation, Coaching: , CO)

Teachers are introduced to systems thinking. In pairs, they create a systems diagram for a chosen topic, and play and critique student computer games for systems representations. They storyboard a game, focusing on reality-the system to represent, meaning-the teaching goal, and play-what players do.

TAKEAWAYS:
Systems thinking is a critical component of science literacy. Participants discover how creating systems diagrams and designing a game supports student learning of systems thinking. They receive tips for integrating systems thinking and game design in their units and leave with a teaching guide.

SPEAKERS:
Gillian Puttick (TERC: Cambridge, MA)

Incorporate coral reefs into your existing curriculum – biology, chemistry, climate studies, art, and more – using lesson plans, demos, activities, and multimedia from NOAA. This session is appropriate for 3rd grade through college educators and informal educators.

TAKEAWAYS:
Learn what corals are, why they are important, and how to fit coral reefs ecosystems into your curriculum using free NOAA resources.

SPEAKERS:
Kayla Smith (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration: Silver Spring, MD), Bekkah Lampe (NOAA Office of Education: Silver Spring, MD)

Engage students in climate science and nature exploration using Budburst, a community science project, to collect data on plants near you. Address the NGSS through real science and empower your students to investigate climate change impacts on local ecosystems (Adaptable for all grades).

TAKEAWAYS:
Learn to engage students in local plant phenomena and real-world climate change science using the Budburst resources; gain strategies to create a phenology trail near your school, which students can use to connect with nature while collecting data on seasonal change in plants.

SPEAKERS:
Katelin Gaeth (Denver Botanic Gardens: No City, No State), Julie Reiske (Assistant Manager of School and Plains Programs: Denver, CO), Julie Reiske (Assistant Manager of School and Plains Programs: Denver, CO)

This session will model how to create purposeful, scaffolded, problem-based learning experiences. Participants will engage in experiences that model how to use storylines based on student questions to drive learning.

TAKEAWAYS:
This session will model how to create purposeful, scaffolded, problem-based learning experiences that move students from asking questions to constructing explanations of natural phenomena.

SPEAKERS:
Zipporah Miller (Educational Consultant: Bowie, MD)

Sponsoring Company: Bio-Rad Laboratories

Discover the role of Scenedesmus obliquus in biotechnology, from biofuels to wastewater treatment and microplastics detection. This hands-on workshop includes a powerful teaching lab for photosynthesis and cellular respiration, and allows students to engage in structured and open inquiry.

SPEAKERS:
Damon Tighe (Bio-Rad Laboratories: Hercules, CA)

Sponsoring Company: 3D Molecular Designs

Explore DNA and RNA with three different physical models. Discover strategies to help students learn about nucleotide structure, base-pairing, DNA directionality, and even Epigenetics!

SPEAKERS:
Mark Arnholt (3D Molecular Designs: Milwaukee, WI), Tim Herman (3D Molecular Designs: Milwaukee, WI)

Sponsoring Company: miniPCR bio

Come practice hands-on, authentic CRISPR/Cas learning activities. From using Cas9 to target DNA in a test tube, to knocking out a gene in bacteria, our labs will put real CRISPR/Cas in your students’ hands. Free educational resources like CRISPR/Cas paper models will also be demonstrated.

SPEAKERS:
Sebastian Kraves (miniPCR: Cambridge, MA)

Sponsoring Company: Vernier Science Education

Get students on the move with real-world kinesthetic experiments. Attendees will participate in activities like measuring grip strength, balance, and EKG/EMG responses using Vernier technology. Take home creative ideas to actively engage students in learning about organ system functions.

SPEAKERS:
Colleen McDaniel (Vernier Science Education: Beaverton, OR), Nüsret Hisim (Vernier Science Education: Beaverton, OR)

Sponsoring Company: Carolina Biological Supply Co.

Add excitement to your class with live organisms! Explore how organisms find food and interact. Discuss how these two hands-on activities can be applied to younger students: How creatures find food, and to older students: Social behavior and inter-species interactions.

SPEAKERS:
Laurie Nixon (Chemistry Teacher: Boone, NC)

Presenter will share the value in teaching science in nature in early childhood, using their personal experience teaching science to kindergarten students in their school garden. Presenter will share the "why" behind teaching science outdoors in early childhood, as well as the "how".

TAKEAWAYS:
Young children learn through hands-on experiences. Providing opportunities for them to learn about nature within nature is very important and sparks their curiosity.

SPEAKERS:
Sheba Michel (Community Roots Charter School: Brooklyn, NY)

Connect K-5 students with nature by integrating STEAM resources from the Smithsonian’s National Zoo into your classroom. Conservation Classroom is a free collection of videos, programs, and activities that invite students to wonder, engage, act, and connect with animals, science, and sustainability.

TAKEAWAYS:
Learn about (and how to use) a free suite of Smithsonian environmental science materials available for K-5 classrooms that encourages inquiry, connects students with nature, fosters empathy for animals, encourages sustainable actions, and introduces students to STEAM careers.

SPEAKERS:
Kaden Borseth (Learning Programs Specalist: Washington, DC)

Many students struggle to become effective science communicators through writing. Our research study reveals why some life science instructors are no longer assigning traditional lab reports. Strategies to help your students with science writing are provided.

TAKEAWAYS:
A surprisingly large number of college faculty have stopped assigning traditional lab reports in introductory life science courses. Our research study reveals several barriers, some of which are quite surprising. We provide a list of classroom-ready strategies to improve students’ science writing.

SPEAKERS:
Timothy Slater (University of Wyoming: Laramie, WY), Kristy Palmer (Ph.D. Candidate)

We’ll share 11 free online lessons that engage students in the importance oysters and mussels play in watersheds via virtual tours and field studies. This NOAA funded Meaningful Watershed Education Experience effort has students investigate, collaborate and debate solutions to authentic problems.

TAKEAWAYS:
Teachers gain awareness of and access to OER support curriculum developed across a 3-year grant aligned with the 3 dimensions of NGSS and NOAA’s meaningful watershed educational experience framework. The lessons, part of a larger project, were piloted across 3 school districts (urban and rural).

SPEAKERS:
Elizabeth Edmondson (James Branch Cabell Libr: Richmond, VA), Al Byers (AB Advising: No City, No State)

Bringing the classroom outdoors can help students learn about the work of science and can also connect students to the benefits of nature itself. Attendees will explore and receive free Natural Inquirer products that encourage students to connect with the outdoors.

TAKEAWAYS:
Natural Inquirer products, created in partnership with the USDA Forest Service, introduce students to natural resource science and connect students with the outdoors. A new series of free resources also explores the impact of nature on human health. Attendees will receive copies of all materials.

SPEAKERS:
Bradi McDonald (Education Assistant: Athens, GA), Nissa McKinney (FIND Outdoors/Forest Service Cooperator: No City, No State)

Want to know what the students actually know without spending all your time grading their responses? Adjust your assessment questions.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will learn how to adapt "typical" assessment questions into more meaningful questions in order to better get at what students understand, without the endless hours of grading.

SPEAKERS:
Meredith Diehl (Northview High School: Sylvania, OH)

I have been utilizing electronic notebooks with students in a variety of ways. I will share examples and what I’ve found useful and problematic about different platforms, and what I hope to add in the future. I will give you resource copies and contact info to collaborate on future improvements.

TAKEAWAYS:
Electronic notebooks are a better approach for students to record what they are learning and doing. They have all the abilities of traditional notebooks plus many additional features: from animation and linked videos, to manipulatable pictures, to cross-platform aspects like graphs and much more.

SPEAKERS:
Matthew Kuehl (Grand Rapids High School: , MN), Joshua Dumas (Biology Teacher: Medford, MN)

Sponsoring Company: HHMI BioInteractive

How can we use forensics to track elephant poaching? Join us as we explore BioInteractive resources related to elephant poaching, species conservation, and DNA profiling.

SPEAKERS:
Diana Siliezar-Shields (East Bay Educational Collaborative: Barrington, RI), Jennifer Barnes (Gwinnett Online Campus: Lawrenceville, GA)

Benefits of Flipped Classroom models to foster Student-Centered Learning in Middle and Upper School Life Sciences courses. Learn about tools, strategies, implementations, and resources to use when creating a course using Flipped Classroom models. Use literacy skills as enrichments tools.

TAKEAWAYS:
The use of both a Flipped Classroom model and Literacy tools to foster a more robust Student-Centered learrning.

SPEAKERS:
Fernando Azcona (Upper School STEM Teacher: Sarasota, FL)

This quick session will introduce insects to a class designed for both Science and Art.

TAKEAWAYS:
How to use STEAM to teach advocacy for monarch butterflies.

SPEAKERS:
Rebecca Kurson (Collegiate School: New York, NY)

This paper explores sustainable urban agriculture in Lagos, Nigeria, addressing 21st-century demands through innovative methods for city-based agricultural science education.

TAKEAWAYS:
Discover how sustainable urban agriculture education in Lagos can empower students to tackle 21st-century agricultural challenges.

SPEAKERS:
Adetola Salau (University at Buffalo, SUNY: Buffalo, NY)

Learn tips and tricks used as a naturalist to take students outside, including helping reluctant students enjoy time spent in nature. Using easy to find creatures found in almost every schoolyard to teach concepts that can be tricky to make connections with inside in the classroom.

TAKEAWAYS:
Discover easy preparations to see animals in their natural habitat while teaching about adaptations, habitat, and life cycles, as well as food chains and food webs. Learn activities, songs, and games that can be taught indoors or out to connect our natural ecosystem to classroom concepts.

SPEAKERS:
Lori Dorn (Greenacres Foundation: Cincinnati, OH)

We’ll share a set of lessons that engage students in the importance of mussels in watersheds via a dynamic simulation, PEWI (People in Ecosystems Watershed Integration), from Iowa State University. This NOAA-funded Meaningful Watershed Educational Experience effort has students investigate, collaborate, and debate solutions to authentic problems.

TAKEAWAYS:
Teachers gain awareness of and access to OER support curriculum developed across a 3-year grant aligned with the 3 dimensions of NGSS and NOAA’s meaningful watershed educational experience framework. The lessons developed around PEWI and mussels were piloted across 3 diverse school districts.

SPEAKERS:
Elizabeth Edmondson (James Branch Cabell Libr: Richmond, VA), Al Byers (AB Advising: No City, No State)

Using student questions and related books, you will lead your students to planting, maintaining, and harvesting your school garden. The school garden offers a place to enrich teaching efforts with powerful hands-on experiences that make learning come alive.

TAKEAWAYS:
School gardens are a fantastic way to transition from a more traditional classroom to an outdoor, experiential learning opportunity centered on student engagement and critical thinking. A school garden can be integrated into many subjects such as math, science, health, literacy, and social studies.

SPEAKERS:
Rhonda Gadino (Topeka Public Schools: No City, No State)

Worksheets are easy, but can be so boring. What if we take the worksheet and make it into something meaningful and more interactive?

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will be provided examples of how worksheets have been "spiced up," so to speak, and used to supplement the learning process.

SPEAKERS:
Meredith Diehl (Northview High School: Sylvania, OH)

Scientific caricatures (SCs) serve as unique instructional and assessment tools to engage students in online classrooms and promote critical thinking. Learn how to incorporate SCs in YOUR classrooms! Resources provided.

TAKEAWAYS:
In online science classrooms, scientific caricatures (SCs) offer an innovative and creative assessment tool for students to imaginatively apply science content, optimize their critical thinking skills, and engage their online peers.

SPEAKERS:
Renee Clary (Mississippi State University: Mississippi State, MS)

This short session will chronicle the journey of developing and enhancing NGSS-aligned Performance Assessment Tasks that complement effective science instruction and engage students in high-quality phenomenon-based lessons and assessment AS learning!

TAKEAWAYS:
The key takeaways will include: 1. Tips and tricks for writing novel performance assessment tasks that fit right into regular science classes. 2. Tips and tricks for enhancing/modifying existing assessment tasks. 3. Samples of modified assessment tasks for both Biology & Physical Science.

SPEAKERS:
Marissa Murdock (Dekalb County School District: No City, No State)

Do you want your students to see themselves as scientists? Learn about an innovative approach to promoting equity in your classroom by having students research scientists and researchers in your field to discover unsung heroes in science!

TAKEAWAYS:
Teachers will learn how one science teacher modified a national project and competition to reach students in her marine science classes and help build a set of women and people of color who have contributed to our understanding of the world around us.

SPEAKERS:
Tami Lunsford (Newark Charter School: Newark, DE)

Giverny books feature engaging stories and illustrations that teach our youngest readers scientific principles and science-related attitudes. Explore with us how Giverny books connect 4–8-year-old readers with nature through life cycles, seasonal changes, sustainability, and more! Free resources.

TAKEAWAYS:
Award-winning Giverny books provide quality science instruction and promote scientific habits of mind for the youngest 4-8-year-old readers. The books invite children to observe and connect to the natural world around them.

SPEAKERS:
Athena Nagel (Mississippi State University: Mississippi State, MS), Renee Clary (Mississippi State University: Mississippi State, MS)

Community science is becoming an increasingly important aspect of science. There are limitless opportunities for schools to use. But where do you start in figuring out what they would like to do? Participants will hear about how Mann Magnet Middle School Arkansas found their opportunities.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will walk away with the tools to help them evaluate what type of community/citizen science they want, and can participate in, at their schools.

SPEAKERS:
Jackie Scott (Mann Magnet Middle School: Little Rock, AR)

Let's read some awesome books and pair them with opportunities to build structured playful experiences fostering an appreciation of our natural world. The session shares a collection of environmentally-themed children’s books and activities, and includes an annotated list of trade books, grades K-3.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will learn the value of using the Outstanding Science Trade Books to create engaging, standards-based, playful activities to develop an appreciation of the natural world.

SPEAKERS:
Melissa Parks (Stetson University: Deland, FL)

Important differences exist in attitudes toward writing lab reports for undergraduate life science majors who identify as female and male. We use survey data to determine how to help students improve upon the lab report. Action-oriented science writing strategies will be provided to help students.

TAKEAWAYS:
For those interested in gender differences, equity, and post-secondary science writing, this session provides an overview of perceptions and attitudes of writing lab reports for life science majors identifying as female and those identifying as male.

SPEAKERS:
Timothy Slater (University of Wyoming: Laramie, WY), Kristy Palmer (Ph.D. Candidate)

To validate and celebrate the interests and experiences of our students, we will delve deep into the significance of culture as it relates to food and gardens, and also as it relates to the diverse populations with whom we work. We will explore ways to celebrate and center culture through gardening.

TAKEAWAYS:
By their nature, gardens embody diversity. Garden education is increasingly recognized as an interdisciplinary approach that integrates academic goals, health and wellness, place-based education, and community connections and relationships.

SPEAKERS:
Rhonda Gadino (Topeka Public Schools: No City, No State)

Experience a grade 6-8 science project engaging students in science inquiry including field work, data analysis, and submission of research papers to a peer-reviewed student journal. See how students improve data literacy and scientific communication skills by investigating relevant questions.

TAKEAWAYS:
Student work generated during an inquiry investigation focused on understanding broader questions related to changing climate illustrates how to support students in all aspects of the scientific process including field protocols, authentic questions, data analysis, and rigorous scientific writing.

SPEAKERS:
Monica Wright (Bath Middle School: Bath, ME)

How to challenge every student regardless of the level of background knowledge through the use of the GRID method, teacher check, and mini lessons. These strategies and methods are successful with all levels of students (elementary to high school) and can cover all types of science.

TAKEAWAYS:
The one main takeaway from this presentation will be how to use teacher checks. Teacher checks are a quick way to question every student after assignments to assess their knowledge of the non-negotiable content standards and address any issues before summative assessments.

SPEAKERS:
Jen Zelei (Finland Middle School: Columbus, OH), Christine Pegg (South-Western City Schools: Columbus, OH)

Are you looking for a way to help students practice key ideas, but are tired of worksheets. Try using manipulatives instead!

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will learn and practice ways to utilize hexagonal learning and other strategies utilizing manipulatives.

SPEAKERS:
Meredith Diehl (Northview High School: Sylvania, OH)

In this session, participants will utilize activities that use model representation to help students understand processes like protein synthesis and genetic mutations. These complex biological processes engage students in the scientific practice of using and developing models.

TAKEAWAYS:
Teachers will gain access to free resources to teach types of genetic mutations and simulate protein synthesis, with multiple versions of the student activity available. Attendees will practice using one of the student versions and consider how to embed this activity in their lessons.

SPEAKERS:
Aja Mattise-Lorenzen (High School Science Teacher: Fort Collins, CO), Dr. Yajaira Fuentes-Tauber (Rocky Mountain High School: No City, No State)

By looking at student data we can identify whether students are engaging in science practices as well as their level of engagement. This is essential to inform our instruction and it takes practice. Teachers will develop a range of indicators of student engagement and identify supports students need.

TAKEAWAYS:
Teachers will analyze student work to identify indicators of student engagement in the science practices. Together, teachers will develop a spectrum of student engagement. Teachers will then reflect on how this understanding supports them in scaffolding student engagement in the science practices.

SPEAKERS:
Laura Shafer, PhD (Knowles Teacher Initiative: Moorestown, NJ)

Interested in having a whole ecosystem within the walls of your classroom? How about growing food in a one-gallon recycled pickle jar? During this session we will learn how to use Aquaponics as a teaching tool in your pk-12 classrooms.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will learn the immense benefits of having an aquaponic system in their classrooms. Specifically, research explaining how to grow pineapples in one-gallon systems.

SPEAKERS:
Kate Heithoff (Wartburg NSTA Vice President: No City, No State)

Sponsoring Company: HHMI BioInteractive

Join us as we explore free BioInteractive classroom resources that use the prevalence of sickle cell disease as an example of natural selection in humans.

SPEAKERS:
Christina Moran-Johnson (Teacher), Cinthya Fernandez (Tec de Monterrey: Monterey, Mexico)

Sponsoring Company: 3D Molecular Designs

Model how our DNA genome replicates – the first stage of the flow of genetic information and preserves genome integrity.

SPEAKERS:
Ruth Hutson (3D Molecular Designs: Milwaukee, WI), Tim Herman (3D Molecular Designs: Milwaukee, WI)

3rd graders are fascinated by how organisms change over time. Teachers build a model of the natural selection mechanism that explains adaptation and speciation. They apply it to explore how urban anole lizards came to be different than forest anoles and how fossils provide evidence for speciation.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will understand the mechanism of natural selection - how the proportion of traits in a population shift over time when the environment changes. They will learn how to adopt the free Evolving Minds curriculum, which addresses 3D learning through an inquiry-based approach.

SPEAKERS:
Gillian Puttick (TERC: Cambridge, MA)

In this session, you will learn about how Lincoln Park Zoo and Chicago Public Schools have created spaces for teachers, informal science educators, and researchers to come together to increase student understanding of the natural world in ways that support both formal and informal curricula.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will learn methods for more robust collaboration between school districts and informal science partners that will increase student critical thinking and science literacy to make informed decisions about their communities and the environment.

SPEAKERS:
Rosie Arnold (Lincoln Park Zoo: No City, No State), Laura Decker (Chicago Public Schools: Chicago, IL)

A lesson framed by the 3-H model to provide students a personal connection to make sense of a pollinator’s needs through role play, art, and science content for a variety of foods. Students investigate generalist, specialist, and mutualism using the phenomenon of pollinator and flower relationships.

TAKEAWAYS:
Flowers and pollinators are tightly linked to each other’s survival. Students will want to protect a variety of flowers as sources of food for pollinators and connect pollinator's needs for variety of flowers to their needs for a variety of foods, learning about generalists, specialists, mutualism.

SPEAKERS:
Aurora Hughes Villa (Utah State University: No City, No State), Michelle Parslow (Student)

Providing hands-on laboratory activities to reinforce concepts and enhance learning are essential in engaging high school students in the STEM classroom, especially in high-needs schools. This work used Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans) to develop a lab protocol and lesson plans conducive for high school students.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will learn how C. elegans can be an accessible model system to engage high school students in the STEM classroom. Key modifications for using C. elegans will be presented and discussed (that allow for adoption in high-needs classrooms with limited resources).

SPEAKERS:
Scott Gehler (Associate Professor of Biology: No City, No State)

Do you and/or your students find composting to be dirty, smelly, and overall a bore? Welcome to the future of composting! Blatticomposting, a form of composting with cockroaches that are a non-evasive exotic species, Blaptica dubia, is a modern take on an age-old classroom classic.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will learn about the fundamentals of cockroach composting that they could incorporate into their classroom instruction to integrate students in their own hands-on learning experiences.

SPEAKERS:
Michael Holderness (Student: , IA), Alex Holden (Student: Waverly, IA)

We developed a new unit for high school biology courses where students design a robotic gripper that opens and closes based on their own muscle activity. This model of a bionic arm integrates life science content, computational thinking skills, and engineering design.

TAKEAWAYS:
In this interactive poster, participants will be able to engage with the technology and learn about the lessons and activities that our team has developed. We hope that this will inspire other educators to incorporate computational thinking and engineering design into their courses.

SPEAKERS:
Joshua Wickline (teacher: New York, NY)