Looking for meaningful ways to integrate the “T” in STEM into your K-5 instruction? Toshiba/NSTA ExploraVision (www.exploravision.org) is a K-12 STEM competition that engages teams of 2-4 students to envision ways to solve student selected real-world problems by reimagining current technology for applications 10 years from now.

SPEAKERS:
Jennifer O'Sullivan, Kristen Moorhead

Science instruction is often deprioritized in many urban, low-resourced districts as literacy becomes the dominant focus. But every student, regardless of race, gender, or zip code, deserves access to meaningful, high-quality science learning. This session explores what happens when science is sidelined and why it must be brought back to the forefront. We’ll examine how integrating science with ELA strengthens literacy skills and deepens scientific understanding. Participants will explore national STEM data and patterns that reveal the broader global impact of limiting science access, and how equitable instruction can prepare students to thrive in an increasingly STEM-driven world.

TAKEAWAYS:
Every student—regardless of race, gender, or zip code—deserves high-quality science learning. Prioritizing science in urban, low-resourced schools and integrating it with ELA strengthens literacy, builds STEM understanding, and addresses global equity and workforce gaps.

SPEAKERS:
Tyrone McNichols, Nicole Williams, J Carrie Launius

Sponsoring Company: Vernier Science Education

Chemistry teachers! Guide your students through a forensic investigation of a bottle rocket launch failure. Use gas pressure sensors to explore Avogadro’s law for various gases, and model how real-world data can support sensemaking and 3D learning in your classroom or lab.

SPEAKERS:
Nüsret Hisim

In this session participants will dissect an LED shadow box that is 100% student made. As we unpack this project, participants will see how multiple STEM disciplines can come together to create something new and unique while linking together applied STEM topics. You'll observe how 3D modeling and design, coding, soldering, and art come together to create a 3D light shadow box. This project's applied concept approach can be adapted to fit any classroom, all it takes is a little creativity and out of the "box" thinking. In this session you'll gain some tips and strategies for creating your own multi-disciplinary project to use in your own educational setting.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will become inspired to create projects of their own and walk away with some tips and strategies for creating their own unique multidisciplinary projects.

SPEAKERS:
Becca Grumdahl, Beth Peppersack

As part of its STEM-on-the-Go Mobile Digital Fabrication Van Program, funded by the Defense STEM Education Consortium, TIES has developed a set of standards-based activities to engage students in Digital Fabrication-inspired Design Challenges. One of the curricula activities, focused on electric circuits, includes the design and construction of a pocket flashlight. During this workshop, participants will learn how to integrate a pocket flashlight project into their electricity and magnetism elementary science curriculum as they construct a series circuit using an LED, coin-cell battery, and copper conductive tape, and take home a functional flashlight. When this project is introduced in a school with digital fabrication machines, students will have the opportunity to design the base of the pocket flashlight and fabricate it on a laser cutter/engraver. All participants will receive a template for the pocket flashlight base and the standards-based activity guide for the project.

TAKEAWAYS:
During this workshop, participants will learn how to integrate a pocket flashlight activity into their electricity and magnetism elementary school science curriculum as they construct a series circuit using an LED, coin-cell battery, and copper conductive tape and take home a functioning flashlight.

SPEAKERS:
Toby Bothel

Sponsoring Company: miniPCR bio

This authentic case study analyzes microbial DNA from the International Space Station. Available as a hands-on gel electrophoresis experiment or a free virtual lab. This session will also feature Genes in Space, a free experimental design competition that sends student experiments to space!

SPEAKERS:
Emily Gleason

In this hands-on workshop, participants will explore a fun and easy way to teach science using everyday materials, such as straws and cotton swabs. Through playful blow dart activities, students explore how the strength of a push and the time it is applied affect how things move, offering a simple entry point into motion. This lesson is based on the Hypothesis-Experiment Class (HEC), a student-centered approach from Japan. Students make predictions, share ideas, try experiments, and reflect on their findings. Examples from Japanese classrooms show this method helps build curiosity, confidence, and critical thinking in science. A small trial in Kenya also showed positive engagement. The workshop supports NGSS and STEM goals by promoting Science and engineering practices, such as asking questions, making predictions, investigating, and communicating results. Using low-cost, everyday materials makes science more accessible, promoting equity in STEM learning.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will learn how to use the Hypothesis-Experiment Class (HEC) approach with simple materials to create NGSS-aligned, inquiry-based science lessons that support prediction, experimentation, and communication, making science more accessible and engaging for all students.

SPEAKERS:
Mariko Kobayashi, Haruhiko Funahashi, Tomoko HASEGAWA, Koji Tsukamoto, Momoko Sanada, Kumiko Matsudaira

Sponsoring Company: Carolina Biological Supply Co.

Come experience a hands-on model lesson from OpenSciEd for Elementary and discover how the new Carolina Certified Version enhanced these high-quality instructional materials, making them more accessible, user-friendly, and safer for classroom use. Participants will walk away with valuable resources to take back to the classroom.

SPEAKERS:
Hoover Herrera

Communication, critical thinking, and problem solving are essential skills to student success when they enter the workforce, head off to post secondary education, or choose military service. Most of those skills are developed and fostered in STEM classrooms through hands-on projects and challenges. Why can other classes not also be working on these skills? This presentation will show and model simple projects that all teachers can do in their classrooms to continue building those skills even if they don't take a STEM class.

TAKEAWAYS:
One or two day hands-on problem-solving projects that can be done in ANY classroom using items found in a teacher's cabinet to foster communication, problem-solving, and critical thinking!

SPEAKERS:
DAVID PADILLA, Michelle Hendrick

Sponsoring Company: Switch Classroom

Attendees will leave equipped with a student-tested wind energy lesson, incorporating hands-on activities and collaborative learning, adaptable for grades 4-12, fostering a deeper understanding of renewable energy concepts aligned with NGSS standards.

SPEAKERS:
Lynn Kistler

Come learn about ways that you can help advance the field of Science Education and improve your teaching through the many different leadership opportunities that exist which also allow you to stay in your classroom.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will learn how participation in teacher advisory committees supporting museums and science centers, or other organizations such as Science Olympiad, NSTA, and NSELA can allow them to improve their teaching and be Science Education leaders while remaining in the classroom.

SPEAKERS:
John Loehr

You will learn how to use MFLOW, a web-based programming platform that makes it extremely easy to play with sounds and create sound compositions while learning the basics of programming. You will gain access to an NGSS-aligned curriculum to support students with coding and sound engineering. Music and computer science are highly connected. In fact, most of the popular music we hear now has been created with computers. To engage young children (and teachers!) In programming, we have created MFLOW, a web-based computer programming platform that makes it extremely easy to play with sounds and create sound compositions while learning the basics of programming. MFLOW has an associated curriculum created at UCSD, in collaboration with the Chula Vista Elementary School District, and aligned with the Computer Science Standards. It is super engaging and easy to learn by children as young as fourth grade, and by teachers with no previous experience in programming. In this workshop, participant

TAKEAWAYS:
You will learn how to use MFLOW to sound engineer and code your own sound or music composition. Also, you will learn how to engage your students with coding through engineering design challenges.

SPEAKERS:
Victor Minces, Victor Minces

The Mission Moon traveling space camp is a dynamic educational initiative designed to ignite interest in space exploration and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) among youth in grades 4-8. The program offers immersive, hands-on experiences that simulate real-world space missions and challenges. Key elements of the experience include collaborating to complete mission tasks, learning about space careers, and using a variety of platforms to share learning with others. During the presentation, learn more about these key elements and how they work to support state and national STEM standards. Additionally, pilot data and the key role that partnerships played in the development and implementation of the program will be discussed. At the end, walk away with Mission Moon material lists and lesson plans that could be used to replicate this experience in your community.

TAKEAWAYS:
Educational simulations, like Mission Moon, let students apply STEM concepts in hands-on, interactive ways that deepen understanding, and engagement. They foster problem-solving, collaboration, and innovation while making complex ideas more relatable for all learners.

SPEAKERS:
Dennis Culver, Sara Nelson

Receive a classroom ready math-based lesson in which students use electricity usage monitors and everyday household appliances to calculate electrical consumption and cost. This lesson supports students in distinguishing between watts, kilowatts, kilowatt hours, and power. Understanding how to teach students about electrical power, energy consumption, and cost is becoming increasingly important in today’s energy-conscious world. This lesson is designed for educators who want to empower students with the knowledge and tools to interpret electricity usage in their homes through the use of affordable electricity usage monitors.

TAKEAWAYS:
Tools that enable students to calculate home energy use makes learning about Power (Voltage × Current) both personal and meaningful.

SPEAKERS:
Shannon Oesch

Problem- and place-based units are highly engaging, and they lead students to develop real solutions to problems in their community. How do we know which of the solutions is best? A decision matrix is a mathematical engineering tool that students can use to evaluate and rank possible solutions when making complex decisions. Useful across a spectrum of real-life situations, it’s especially appropriate for classrooms deciding the best actions for solving local problems. Attendees will work through several phases of our free 5E lesson introducing students to the Decision Matrix tool. Anchored Science by Mi-STAR is a middle school curriculum project, created by classroom teachers in collaboration with engineers and scientists from Michigan Technological University, and dedicated to quality NGSS-aligned curriculum since 2015.

TAKEAWAYS:
A decision matrix is a sophisticated tool used by engineers to evaluate and rank potential solutions to make objective, informed decisions. After experiencing a variety of classroom-tested activities, teachers will be ready to use our free 5E, NGSS-aligned Decision Matrix lesson with their students.

SPEAKERS:
Tony Matthys, Lindsey Watch

Amid a groundswell of exciting instructional materials and meaningful professional learning that reflects A Framework for K-12 Science Education and the Next Generation Science Standards, our assessments are still a black box. Science assessments remain confusing, and often disappointing: most science assessments, and guidance for assessment practices, that are currently available fail to achieve that precise balance between reflective of our teaching and learning priorities, practical for classroom implementation, and useful to both students and teachers for guiding learning. In this interactive session, we focus on four practical and distinctive priorities for science assessment: things that really distinguish meaningful, future-focused assessments from all the noise. Participants will engage with each of the priorities, inventorying their existing assessments, and planning for ways they can incorporate these strategies—and sample tasks—into their practice immediately and over time.

TAKEAWAYS:
In this interactive session, we focus on four practical and distinctive priorities for future-focused science assessment: the things that really distinguish meaningful assessments designed to prioritize learning for our rapidly changing world from all the noise.

SPEAKERS:
Aneesha Badrinarayan

What if your students could use programming and technology not as an extra, but as a core part of making sense of science? In this session, explore a new model for STEM integration through free and open OpenSciEd + Computer Science middle school units. These phenomenon-driven units engage students in real-world investigations where they build and use technology, including programming, to explain scientific ideas and design solutions for local challenges. Career-connected features highlight pathways in STEM and computer science. Think of STEM integration like a soundboard, where disciplines can be “turned up” based on learning goals. These units are turned and designed with support for teachers new to computer science!

TAKEAWAYS:
Explore how new OpenSciEd + Computer Science units authentically integrate science and computer science. Students use programming and build tools to explain phenomena and solve problems. Educators will see how integration is accessible, engaging, and aligned to three-dimensional teaching and learning.

SPEAKERS:
Michael Novak, Nicole Vick

We will begin by exploring opportunities to use AI as a partner for brainstorming phenomena that enhance learning and assessment, including ways to customize existing high-quality instructional materials like OpenSciEd. After selecting a focal Performance Expectation (PE), we will utilize MagicSchool AI along with a phenomenon brainstorming script to create an initial list of potential phenomena. These will include natural, everyday, historical, contemporary, culturally significant, and justice-oriented phenomena, as well as design challenges and starting points for data sources. Collaborating with colleagues and receiving support from the 5D Assessment Project team, we will ask follow-up questions to refine our results. Finally, we will consider our knowledge of students' interests and identities, along with a brief unpacking of the standard, to select 2-3 top candidates for further development. We will also reflect on the ethical considerations of using AI tools in our practice.

TAKEAWAYS:
Join us to explore how to use AI to assist in brainstorming NGSS-aligned phenomena that enhance 3D instruction and assessment and connect to students’ interests and identities. These tools come from the 5D assessment project, a collaboration between inquiryHub and BSCS Science Learning.

SPEAKERS:
Melissa Campanella

Sponsoring Company: miniPCR bio

Use PCR to perform genetic testing for cystic fibrosis. Make connections across the biology curriculum, from genes and proteins to human health and genetic disease. This robust experiment makes it easy to bring PCR to your classroom!

SPEAKERS:
Emily Gleason

Sponsoring Company: Carolina Biological Supply Co.

Come experience a hands-on model lesson from OpenSciEd for High School and discover how the new Carolina Certified Edition enhanced these high-quality instructional materials, making them more accessible, user-friendly, and safer for classroom use. Engage in the featured Serengeti board game from the Biology 1 unit. Participants will walk away with valuable resources to take back to the classroom.

SPEAKERS:
Meredith Currie

Sponsoring Company: Vernier Science Education

Why are some coral and fish species disappearing? In this 3D lesson, biology and environmental science students use real-time data to explore how excess CO2 in water affects the pH. Using their findings, students can model how these changes impact interdependent relationships in ocean ecosystems.

SPEAKERS:
Sara Tallarovic

Through a pre-post survey and empathy and semi-structured interviews, this dissertation in practice examined identity development using classroom observations, note taking, looking at student work, and interviews to gain a deeper understanding of science identity development.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will learn how teachers can prioritize culturally sustaining pedagogy within the science classroom to help Black girls develop a positive science identity.

SPEAKERS:
Tasha Jordan

Creating culturally relevant STEM activities for elementary learners that truly integrate Science, Engineering, and Mathematics is challenging. In an elementary STEM Methods course, we engage preservice elementary teachers in developing discovery boxes, kits designed to integrate a science activity, a math activity, and an engineering activity all aimed to address a culturally relevant problem. Through discovery box creation, preservice teachers develop a deeper understanding of NGSS Science and Engineering Disciplinary Core Ideas and Practices and CCSS Mathematical Practices while building from elementary students’ funds of knowledge. Recent projects include problems such as re-designing an unsafe intersection, protecting deer from roads, and repairing the lights on a bridge. In this session, attendees will have the opportunity to explore several discovery boxes and learn more about the parameters of the project.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will learn how to use discovery boxes to integrate elementary science, math, and engineering learning around a culturally relevant problem. We will examine discovery boxes created by preservice teachers to engage with the components and gain insight into how to implement similar projects.

SPEAKERS:
Stephanie Purington

Experience a small-scale demo of the Watershed Game, where students become community leaders solving real-world environmental challenges. This transdisciplinary tool engages learners in systems thinking by integrating science, social studies, math, and civics as they tackle water quality, land use, and flood resilience. Aligned with NGSS and state standards, the game promotes collaboration, equity, and local problem-solving. Participants will explore how students use data, policy, and engineering strategies to develop innovative, community-based solutions. Free to borrow, with lesson plans and teacher support included.

TAKEAWAYS:
Inspire student action with a game that connects environmental science, policy, and community planning.

SPEAKERS:
Maggie Karschnia

I am incorporating the assessment "Better Bioreactors" to a unit called "What is killing life in the Gulf?" Students are determining what is causing dead zones and then adding bioreactors will help students to think about solutions to the problem. This gathers student thinking and ends with students modeling their learning and thoughts. I will compare their final thoughts with their initial answer to the question. I think this fits into several of the strands, however I chose climate science and sustainability because it specifically looks at an environmental issue that is impacted by human choices. I am hoping to see my students thinking grow and develop around this issue as I scaffold the learning. I will highlight the student models and their evidence journaling.

TAKEAWAYS:
Educators will discover that having students investigate the phenomenon by scaffolding with real-world problems leads to higher engagement and deeper thinking for the students.

SPEAKERS:
Julio Villa

There are many issues that farmers and ranchers face that the typical high school students may not be aware of. We rely on them for our food but there is a lot to learn regarding how they support the world’s food needs. There are many things to consider as a farmer/rancher that includes production, land use, and environmental concerns to name a few. I will use the lesson: "Monday, Tuesday, Happy Gazing" is a lesson where students analyze data regarding cattle continuously grazing in one pasture and rotational grazing in several pastures. Students will not only look at production and cost but also impact on the biodiversity of the area. Within the lesson we will explore the different career paths that are available to help support the work of putting food on our table.

TAKEAWAYS:
A STEM lesson that highlights the real-world complexity of agriculture and ranching fields, “Monday, Tuesday, Happy Grazing” was used in my Earth Science class. Attendees will leave with ideas for incorporating career exploration tied to agriculture, environmental science, and sustainable land use.

SPEAKERS:
Brenda Walsh

The OSF STEAM Medical Career Immersion Program offered high school seniors a unique, hands-on introduction to diverse health care careers through mentorship, real-world experiences, and direct collaboration with professionals. Students explored clinical and innovation roles, deepened their understanding of medical pathways, and built confidence in their future career choices. By combining education with immersive practice, the program helped bridge gaps in exposure and access—empowering students from all backgrounds to envision and pursue meaningful roles in health care. This model serves as a scalable blueprint for cultivating future scientists and health leaders.

TAKEAWAYS:
The OSF STEAM Medical Career Immersion Program gave high school seniors hands-on experience, mentorship, and exposure to diverse health careers—building confidence and creating a scalable model for inspiring future health leaders and innovators.

SPEAKERS:
Shannon Egli, Katherine Smith

This poster presentation will highlight a National Science Foundation Noyce Track 3 project that aims to cultivate STEM teacher leadership by leveraging makerspace technology within the context of developing Justice-Centered STEM Curricula. Two of the project’s Master Teacher Fellows will describe and highlight lessons they created and implemented in their elementary and high school STEM courses. Both will detail how makerspace technology was leveraged in the lessons and how the lessons required transdisciplinary approaches that aimed to solve or address social justice STEM issues within their local context.

TAKEAWAYS:
One main takeaway from this presentation is how makerspace technology and social justice STEM issues can pique students' interests and set the stage for STEM learning.

SPEAKERS:
Benora Mccain, ANGELA WHITAKER, Vanessa Dodo Seriki

Given the persistent lack of STEM teachers who have sufficient knowledge of engineering and the design process to teach an integrative transdisciplinary approach to STEM that addresses today’s increasing technologies and digital innovations, this NSF Noyce Project, Mechatronics Integrated into STEM Teaching for Transformative Inclusive Communities (MISTTIC) supports 20 district Master Teaching Fellows (MTFs) to implement convergence mechatronics learning by creating innovative solutions in K-12 settings that are steeped in real-world, socially-relevant context that draws on knowledge across multiple disciplines to address the technological demands within society, acknowledging that early exposure to mechatronics can impact students’ decision to pursue STEM career pathways.

TAKEAWAYS:
MISTTIC has prepared teachers to catalyze change and advance the integration of mechatronics within their curriculum, including experiential education activities to enhance inclusivity and broaden the pipeline to bridge the school to STEM field workforce for a larger group of students.

SPEAKERS:
Nicole Holman, Dodi Cline, Stephanie Arthur

How could cow burps be influencing change? Media Mayhem- Module 2- Lesson 9 with Formative Assessment In Lesson 9, students were asked to revisit models developed in Lesson 7 and incorporate information accumulated in Lesson 8’s three simulations and graphs to reflect the new evidence surrounding greenhouse gases and how the Earth’s temperature rises (MOD-H3). Students identify missing components. Carbon dioxide and its role have been added to the “burping cow” model (ESS2.D-H3). Energy flow into and within the Earth’s system would also need to be updated (EM-H2) to give a more complete model. The revised student models provide a formative assessment opportunity. The lesson plan provides a rubric referencing the NGSS standards to look for. The class then develops a class consensus model. New questions are identified and added to the driving question board. Questions to look for are outlined in the Lesson plan.

TAKEAWAYS:
Media Mayhem Lessons 7-9, supported by Fields of STEM, were incorporated into the curriculum with little effort. Lesson 9 is an example of student growth. The HQIM materials include: lesson plans (cross-referenced to NGSS), student handouts (with keys), and links to videos, images, and sims.

SPEAKERS:
Deanna Keeney

Modeling is a powerful strategy to promote student sensemaking in science. NGSS emphasizes the importance of students using models to explain and predict phenomena. When students take ownership of creating and revising models, understanding is deeper. This work demonstrates modeling is a process of making thinking visible and revisable. When used intentionally, it helps students connect knowledge to new evidence, engage with core ideas, and develop science and engineering practices. A high-quality instructional assessment task, More Cheese, Please (HS), is used with an epigenetics unit to help increase student sensemaking about how enzymes work in our digestive system. A progression of using whiteboards to model this process is used to increase understanding of what happens in the intestines of a lactose intolerant person. This poster illustrates how students develop, revise, and use multiple models to deepen their understanding of how lactose intolerance affects the digestive system.

TAKEAWAYS:
Modeling transforms learning from passive observation to active sensemaking. This illustrates how intentional modeling helps students connect knowledge to new evidence, revise thinking, and construct deeper understanding of complex phenomena.

SPEAKERS:
Jill Francis

This poster details a ready-to-implement curriculum and comprehensive teacher guide that empowers middle school students to be scientists. Students are introduced to moths (Lepidoptera) and, through a scaffolded process, develop their own original scientific questions about moths in their local habitats. They then design and build moth traps, collect authentic field data, and analyze their results to answer their research questions. The MothEd experience can be implemented fully offline using printable, paper-based lessons, or enhanced through an online platform called CLUE (Collaborative Learning User Environment). All materials are linked to NGSS performance expectations. The MothEd experience was co-developed with teachers and tested over four years across multiple states. This curriculum offers a low-cost, high-impact way to engage students in real-world ecological science.

TAKEAWAYS:
Teachers can easily implement a curriculum that empowers students to ask authentic scientific questions about their local environments—and to experience the full process of being scientists, from discovery to data analysis.

SPEAKERS:
Peter White

Inquiry-based life science can flourish in the many facets of a pollinator garden. Pollinator gardens become the gateway to student engagement. The Dakota Science Center has been using citizen science to encourage students and families to take their curiosity outdoors. Pollinator gardens are used as a launching pad by sharing multiple avenues of investigation from the leaf litter to the weather above. Blending mobile phone applications with paper handouts allows everyone to be an investigating scientist. GLOBE offers both formal and informal curriculum. National Geographic Society offers software for species identification and a BioBlitz program. NASA has a suite of environmental education applications. Citizen science applications provide an additional layer of inquiry which encourages students to participate in environmental education beyond the classroom.

TAKEAWAYS:
Inquiry-based life science can flourish in the many facets of a pollinator garden. Citizen science applications provide an additional layer of inquiry which encourages students to participate in environmental education beyond the classroom.

SPEAKERS:
Douglas Munski, Laura Munski

How does shifting from teacher-led instruction to student-driven "figuring out" impact student engagement, attitudes, and content knowledge relevance? This poster illustrates the implementation of high-quality instructional materials (HQIM's) as a way to revamp a lackluster unit on macromolecules. Students utilized components of a Food and Ag unit called “Postgame Analysis,” where they discovered how milk can be used as a workout recovery beverage. Students work to figure out the components of milk and how their human bodies utilize those components to build new cells. This poster highlights strategies for transforming a teacher-driven unit into an authentic sensemaking experience for students.

TAKEAWAYS:
Learn how to transform teacher-led activities into sensemaking experiences for your students where students’ curiosity and questions are authentically driving their learning.

SPEAKERS:
Ally Bowers

We will share the 2.0 version of the project-based learning that helps students design, implement and scale a passion project for community impact. Participants will receive our ready-to-implement toolkit and see various student projects. Our student projects highlight how our students take on the most challenging and complex issues that exist in our community and make a positive impact through interdisciplinary research and project-based learning.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will learn how students use STEM knowledge and skills such as analyzing big data, creating computer applications, building 3-D models and developing computer simulations to predict trends for tackling systemic inequities.

SPEAKERS:
Jim Birdsong, Sushma Bana, Kavita Gupta

Attendants are briefed on methods used by the UWA Black Belt STEM Education Institute to increase STEM awareness throughout an underserved geographic region in Alabama. In the rural regions of Alabama’s Black Belt, educators and communities face unique challenges to delivering high-quality STEM education. Through relationship-building, hands-on activities, and high-quality professional development opportunities, the UWA BBSEI is changing the way school leaders, teachers, and students approach STEM in the state of Alabama.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will explore the strategic framework behind the collective impact approach, understand its measurable outcomes on student achievement and engagement, and discuss strategies for replicating similar partnership-driven models in their regions. Attendees will leave equipped with actionable insights and resources to foster collaborative STEM ecosystems in underserved communities.

SPEAKERS:
Dr. Reggie Holifield, Chester Nicklas, Jr.

I am planning on implementing the high school formative assessment "More Cheese, Please." I will be addressing the problem of practice of supporting learning for English Language Learners, as there is a high ELL population at the high school I work at. I will be adapting the assessment for ELLs at WLHS in the community of Little Village, Chicago. The adaptations and modifications I am planning to implement will hopefully help my students relate more to the topics they are learning about and make it more relevant for them, as it will connect to their community. I plan on implementing and modifying the assessment to support 3D teaching and learning of ELLs. Through my implementation of the modified & adapted formative assessment, I plan to increase my students' interest in the material & to make it more impactful for them by increasing the relevance of the material to their lives & community. I anticipate highlighting student work samples as evidence of their engagement and learning.

TAKEAWAYS:
A main takeaway that I would like attendees to be able to walk away with is increased knowledge of strategies that can be utilized to help improve the engagement and learning of English Language Learners.

SPEAKERS:
Jamilah Hassan

Concerns for water quality of lakes, rivers & groundwater are increasing. Water testing & monitoring is costly. Studies are always trying to find reliable & accurate procedures that will reduce monitoring costs. Common duckweed (Lemna minor) is a possible candidate for being a pollution indicator species - a plant or animal that responds to a specific condition. When animals or plants are used to test toxicity, it is called a bioassay. Duckweed doesn't identify or measure the amount of contaminant, it just indicates that a pollutant has affected the water. It tells scientists that water quality tests need to be done. Duckweed, because of its broad range of sensitivity, can be used as an indicator species to test water quality. Using the scientific method, complete a bioassay using duckweed as the indicator organism and a substance that may affect the duckweed. You will work individually but compare data with your class.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will walk away with a lesson plan ready to implement in their classroom along with a grading rubric.

SPEAKERS:
Jenny Janssen

From Undies to Understanding: The Intriguing Role of Soil in Education Immerse yourself in a unique intersection where soil health and science education collide in an unexpected way designed to pique your curiosity! This approach reveals the unexpected connection between healthy soil and the mysterious vanishing act of cotton undies. Tailored to reflect our local culture and community’s socioeconomic issues, this perspective on how soil’s magic can engage students by empowering them to grow their own food. We are not only sowing seeds of belonging but also fostering a passion for STEM. Embark on this thrilling adventure to see how these local twists spark curiosity and transform classrooms, seamlessly weaving cultural charm with scientific sleuthing!

TAKEAWAYS:
Walk away with key insights that soil health is a fundamental driver of plant growth and environmental sustainability, and it can be creatively assessed through innovative methods, such as the "cotton underwear" test. Empower individuals to make informed decisions in their environmental stewardship.

SPEAKERS:
Melanie Hansel

Explore how a single STEM lesson can be used to connect different elements of student interest, life experiences, career paths. Showcase multiple career paths and hands-on activities through visuals. Show that sense-making is a way to help our students connect with what they are learning and use that knowledge in other areas of their lives outside of the classroom.

TAKEAWAYS:
By connecting this lesson directly to students' activities and career opportunities, students will help direct their own learning and be invested in the outcome in a deeper way than they are with much of their education. Sensemaking, real-world situations, and career paths are all brought together.

SPEAKERS:
Catrina Butler

This presentation explores equity in STEM education, focusing on the underrepresentation of African American scholars in STEM fields. It highlights the importance of identity development in shaping their educational trajectory. Research shows that culturally responsive teaching in STEM helps African American scholars connect with content and see how STEM disciplines address real-world problems. Historically, these scholars have underperformed on standardized tests due to marginalization in the classroom and lack of representation. This presentation offers practical solutions to foster a positive STEM identity, including addressing teacher perceptions, incorporating literature that reflects African American experiences in STEM, and using performance-based tasks to encourage inquiry and creativity.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will explore how to foster STEM identity in underrepresented scholars, especially African Americans. By building a positive STEM identity, teachers can empower scholars to drive change in their communities, helping break cycles of systemic oppression and engaging them beyond the classroom.

SPEAKERS:
Brittany Jones

I am incorporating the assessment "Better Bioreactors" to a unit called "What is killing life in the Gulf?" Students are determining what is causing dead zones and then adding bioreactors will help students to think about solutions to the problem. This gathers student thinking and ends with students modeling their learning and thoughts.

TAKEAWAYS:
Educators will discover that having students investigate the phenomenon by scaffolding with real-world problems leads to higher engagement and deeper thinking for the students.

SPEAKERS:
Katie Wiedrich

Explore the link between targeted vocabulary instruction and improved comprehension in STEM. Through practical examples, attendees will learn effective strategies and tools to enhance scientific literacy while maintaining content rigor and concept retention for all learners in their classes.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will learn how explicit vocabulary instruction enhances comprehension and concept retention in science. They'll gain effective strategies and tools to integrate vocabulary teaching into their lessons, ultimately improving student literacy while maintaining rigorous content instruction.

SPEAKERS:
Shana Pyatt-Buckner

Join the NSTA PL committee for one or all of the interactive sessions in our Interdisciplinary Connections strand to explore the what, why and how of interdisciplinary science teaching and learning. Each session will engage participants in interactive experiences to solve problems or investigate phenomena using science while focusing on a particular pairing of interdisciplinary opportunities. In this session, you'll explore how engaging in purposeful ELA activities during a phenomenon-based lesson is essential to both figuring out phenomena in science and boosting literacy development! Participants will engage in a science learning sequence in which they read, write, listen and speak in authentic ways like scientists do and will discover how ELA can be leveraged and integrated into science instruction.

TAKEAWAYS:
Experience a model lesson and learn how to align ELA standards with authentic science practices like reading, writing, speaking, and listening. Discover how integrating purposeful ELA activities into phenomenon-based science boosts both literacy and science sensemaking.

SPEAKERS:
Rebecca Abbott, Rebecca Garelli, Jesse Wilcox, Erik Wade

In this hands-on session, educators will experience the power of real-time data in engineering design and iteration. Building on insights gained through collaborative NIH grant development, participants will engage in a rapid prototyping challenge, using easily accessible live data to test, refine, and improve a solution within a short cycle—just as real engineers do. This interactive workshop will model data-driven decision-making, helping teachers bring NGSS-aligned, iterative engineering practices into their classrooms. By the end, participants will leave with practical strategies to integrate real-time data tools into their lessons, empowering students to make informed design choices and develop future-ready problem-solving skills.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will learn how to integrate real-time data into engineering challenges, guiding students through rapid prototyping and iteration.

SPEAKERS:
Emine inci Birkan, Gillian Roehrig, Todd Hunter

Sponsoring Company: Edvotek, Inc.

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

SPEAKERS:
Maria Dayton

While student investigation using authentic data-driven phenomena can be a powerful tool for sensemaking, the process of identifying and integrating high-quality data can be overwhelming and time consuming. This session supports educators in tackling both of these challenges. Join us as we highlight sources and strategies for identifying locally relevant data-driven phenomena and share practices for transforming these into engaging and accessible phenomena for your students. Participants will leave with a curated directory of data-sources and classroom-ready strategies to bridge the gap between raw data and rich phenomena-based learning.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will leave with a curated directory of data-sources and classroom-ready strategies to bridge the gap between raw data and rich phenomena-based learning.

SPEAKERS:
Christopher Like, Tiffany Morgan

Sponsoring Company: miniPCR bio

Explore how genetic testing can assess hereditary cancer risk. Students use gel electrophoresis and pedigree analysis to test family members for Lynch syndrome. Plus, engage with the medical and bioethical implications of genetic testing through a role-play activity!

SPEAKERS:
Alexandra Dainis

As part of its STEM-on-the-Go Mobile Digital Fabrication Van Program, funded by the Defense STEM Education Consortium, TIES has developed a set of standards-based activities to engage students in Digital Fabrication-inspired Design Challenges. One of the curricula activities, focused on electric circuits, includes the design and construction of an LED Lantern. During this presentation, participants will learn how to integrate a lantern project into their high school physical science curriculum. Educators will construct a parallel circuit using an LED, coin-cell battery, and wires, and will take home a functioning lantern. When this project is introduced in a school with digital fabrication machines, students will also have the opportunity to design the lantern “housing” and fabricate it on a laser cutter/engraver. All participants will receive a template for the lantern design and the standards-based activity guide for the project.

TAKEAWAYS:
During this workshop, participants will learn how to integrate a lantern project into their high school physical science curriculum. Educators will construct a parallel circuit using an LED, coin-cell battery, and wires, and will take home a functioning lantern.

SPEAKERS:
Toby Bothel

In this dynamic, hands-on session, participants will explore how drone technology can be integrated into inquiry-based STEM learning to engage students in meaningful, real-world investigations. Through interactive activities, educators will experience student-centered lessons that combine drone flight, authentic data collection and analysis. Participants will explore relationships by collecting data using drones and analyze their findings to draw conclusions. The session will also cover beginner-friendly drone programming tools and strategies for scaffolding coding skills to support students at different levels. Emphasis will be placed on aligning activities with science and math concepts, promoting student agency, and using technology to foster critical thinking, collaboration, and creativity.

TAKEAWAYS:
Drones should not be seen as supplementary tools but as essential resources in teaching math and science. By integrating drones into lessons, educators can create immersive, inquiry-driven learning experiences that deepen student understanding and bring core concepts to life.

SPEAKERS:
Adam Pennell

Engage in hands-on, standards-aligned investigations across physics, life science, and Earth-space science that use real-world data to uncover patterns and drive inquiry. Participants will analyze phenomena such as pendulum motion, global temperature trends, and population growth through the lens of mathematics—graphing, calculating rates, identifying trends, and modeling relationships. This session will provide practical strategies for embedding mathematical thinking into science instruction and equip teachers with ready-to-use lessons, data sets, and planning tools to help students use data to make sense of the world.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will learn how to engage students in science inquiry by using real-world data and mathematical analysis to identify patterns, build models, and make evidence-based claims across physics, life science, and Earth-space science investigations.

SPEAKERS:
Melissa Szentmiklosi

Sponsoring Company: Vernier Science Education

From coffee to cola, many of your students’ favorite beverages contain acid! Help them investigate the acid concentrations in different drinks using pH sensors and a simple acid/base titration. Walk away with a go-to experiment and tips to connect key chemistry concepts to real-world food science.

SPEAKERS:
Nüsret Hisim

Research shows that providing opportunities for youth to interact with and learn from diverse STEM role models can break stereotypes and increase motivation to pursue a career in STEM. Join Twin Cities PBS as we share research-based strategies for incorporating role models into STEM learning spaces, created through 20 years of award-winning research and outreach as part of the SciGirls television series on PBS Kids. This session will outline: ways for teachers to prepare students for meeting a role model; how to prepare the role model for talking with youth (including specific talking points for role models and self-paced training for role models); how to find STEM Role Models; and printed guides on Role Model strategies and gender equitable teaching strategies.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will learn research based strategies for incorporating role models in formal and informal learning environments, with a focus on how to prepare youth and role models to get the most from the experience!

SPEAKERS:
Katie Hessen

Sponsoring Company: PhET Interactive Simulations

Be empowered with PhET Studio, PhET’s first customization tool for teachers! Learn how to create unique sim experiences that fit your lessons and inspire students like never before. Join us to see Studio in action and start a FREE trial. Don’t miss this exclusive opportunity!

SPEAKERS:
Linda Stegemann

Step into a world where creativity meets chaos—in the best way possible. In this hands-on workshop, educators will explore the power of project-based learning using an unpredictable mix of discarded, unused, and everyday items. With access to a wide array of "junkyard" materials, participants will be guided through the Human-Centered Design process—empathizing, defining, ideating, prototyping, and testing—to transform forgotten objects into functional, meaningful creations. By the end of the session, each team will present a unique design that showcases both ingenuity and intentionality. This workshop is a celebration of creativity, sustainability, and student-driven learning, equipping teachers with tools and inspiration to bring innovation into their classrooms using what others leave behind.

TAKEAWAYS:
Transform discarded materials into purposeful creations through a ready-to-use, flexible STEM activity that brings hands-on design and innovation into any classroom setting.

SPEAKERS:
Heather Lambert

The Next Generation Science Standards describe a vision of scientific literacy that emphasizes informed and participatory citizenship on issues related to science in society.  Many elementary teachers, however, avoid debatable socioscientific issues such as whether we need zoos, the value of a national space program, or whether certain sports are too dangerous for children, because of concerns about arguments in their classrooms and fear of broaching moral/ethical issues.  During this interactive session, participants will be introduced to the theoretical framework behind the Socioscientific Issues (SSI) approach.  They will then collaboratively engage in an activity from the NSTA Press book, It’s Still Debatable, during which they will model negotiation of a debatable issue while analyzing the lesson’s use of SSI, NGSS three-dimensional science learning, alignment with interdisciplinary standards, and multiple means of assessment for all learners.

TAKEAWAYS:
During this interactive workshop, participants will learn an array of strategies for using debatable societal issues related to science to develop their elementary students’ scientific literacy while modeling 3D teaching and learning.

SPEAKERS:
Sami Kahn

Sponsoring Company: Carolina Biological Supply Co.

Participants will make and use alginate beads containing algae and alginate beads containing yeast. They will learn how the beads can be used to model the processes of photosynthesis and cellular respiration.

SPEAKERS:
Julie Stubbs

This interactive workshop introduces participants to Play-Doh Volumes, a field-tested lesson developed and refined from 2022 to 2025 in elementary STEM methods courses. The lesson integrates the development of volume formulas (prisms, pyramids, cones, cylinders, and spheres) with scientific inquiry around conservation of mass. Students hypothesize, build, measure, calculate, and analyze using everyday materials—then use CER (Claim-Evidence-Reasoning) to draw conclusions from their findings.

Participants in this session will construct and measure geometric solids with Play-Doh, apply volume formulas to various shapes, and engage in 3D learning practices including modeling, mathematical thinking, and evidence-based reasoning. Analyze how shape transformations impact volume and mass, discuss adaptations and extensions for classroom use.

TAKEAWAYS:
Understand how NGSS and Common Core math standards can be integrated through authentic problem-solving. Engage in a model lesson grounded in hands-on learning and the 3 dimensions of science instruction.

SPEAKERS:
Shelly Engle

This workshop will provide K-12 Science/STEM teachers interactive hands-on practice with generative A.I. tools to support 3D learning within a convergence education framework for transdisciplinary real-world learning opportunities in the classroom and beyond. Participants will gain firsthand experience with TeacherServer, a free platform containing over 1,000 A.I. tools to support teachers with high-quality, NGSS and state standards-based, innovative approaches to maximize access for all students investigating Science/STEM applications across fields. This platform is unique in that it was created, funded, and hosted by our university College of Education. The session will balance direct instruction with guided exploration and collaborative activities. Guidance and ongoing discussion will accompany the targeted time to try out the various tools, ensuring that participants leave with actionable insights and skills applicable to their academic roles and classroom goals.

TAKEAWAYS:
K-12 Science/STEM teachers will broaden their understanding of the implications for generative A.I. to support convergence teaching and will gain practical skills to leverage A.I. to enhance their planning for inclusive, inquiry-based, transdisciplinary investigations that engage all students.

SPEAKERS:
Yvonne Franco, Zafer Unal, Stephanie Arthur

Teachers are essential in supporting students as they engage in experimentation, scientific research, and engineering design. The overarching aim is to help students communicate the knowledge they gain with the broader community. This session will highlight best practices for organizing science fairs ranging from small school-based events to larger regional competitions. We will also explore the distinct goals of science fairs compared to symposia and various formats will be presented. Learn how to empower students to confidently present their STEM research or projects through either platform.

TAKEAWAYS:
Educators will leave with best practices for successfully planning and executing a science fair or symposium in which all students are encouraged to confidently share their STEM experiment or research findings.

SPEAKERS:
Dianna Gobler, Dana Schaefer, Mary Kroll

Generative AI is everywhere—but whether it can be useful or not in designing meaningful science curriculum and assessment has been much less clear. In this interactive workshop, participants will learn about genAI and what it is designed to do—and what that means for science curriculum and assessment. Participants will then use a custom-designed AI collaborator—designed specifically to support meaningful science assessment--to support assessment development of an assessment they can use in their unique classroom contexts. Participants will leave with a practical framework for AI use in science teaching and learning as well as a series of custom-designed AI tools they can use in their own practice.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will learn the specific ways genAI can support better science assessment, using a custom-designed AI collaborator—designed specifically to support meaningful science assessment--to co-create an assessment they can use in their unique classroom contexts.

SPEAKERS:
Aneesha Badrinarayan

In this workshop participants will engage with our innovative computational thinking curriculum unit. Our approach is grounded in phenomena, science storylines, coherence and student modeling. We have innovated upon these time tested NGSS teacher practices by incorporating computational thinking through physical computing (Micro:Bit). In our approach, students use programmable sensors to ask questions, define problems and engage in the rest of the science and engineering practices. The participants will experience these practices in student-hat so that they better understand the student experience and how to implement the units. Participants will write computer programs, collect/analyze data and connect investigations to place-based contexts. Participants will walk away with a co-designed, classroom ready toolkit of resources that they are ready to implement based on the workshop experience. No prior experience using sensor technologies or programming is needed.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will learn how to effectively bring computational thinking., data collection, and programming into the middle school classroom, based on curriculum units developed by inquiryHub at the University of Colorado Boulder. Our place-based focus is a powerful promoter of equity for all student

SPEAKERS:
Jeffrey Bush, Greg Benedis-Grab

This session offers a detailed look at using virtual reality to help middle school students explore real-world water challenges. We examine the rationale behind VR-based learning—why immersing students in digital environments can deepen their understanding and empathy regarding climate change and water scarcity. Next, we discuss the necessary classroom setup, including device options, low-cost alternatives, and troubleshooting tips to ensure smooth implementation. We then walk through the main features of a VR-centered unit, highlighting how to align activities with curriculum standards, scaffold student inquiry, and connect these lessons to sustainability issues. We share observations about student engagement, project pacing, and safety considerations along the way. Attendees will leave with a clear framework for planning VR lessons, practical solutions for managing technology, and strategies to help students feel responsible for addressing critical environmental issues.

TAKEAWAYS:
Gain knowledge of VR-based lessons tackling environmental issues, meet curricular goals, and use technology to transfer these skills to other areas or science learning.

SPEAKERS:
Constance Leung, Yujiro Fujiwara

Do your students struggle with data interpretation? We have a student-centered, classroom-proven lesson to help students at any level learn how to read graphs. Come experience how students use metacognitive prompts to make their thinking visible, and then compare their thinking process with both peers and experts. Along the way, students build a personalized, step-by-step tool they can use to make sense of new graphs. No matter the curriculum you use, this lesson helps students more confidently approach a variety of graphs, make their thinking visible and reflect on their sensemaking process. Participants will leave with the resources and activities needed to implement this lesson in their classroom tomorrow. Anchored Science by Mi-STAR is a middle school curriculum project, created by classroom teachers in collaboration with engineers and scientists from Michigan Technological University, and dedicated to quality NGSS-aligned curriculum since 2015.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees experience a classroom-proven, NGSS-aligned lesson plan with activities to help students create their own graph interpretation tool. In the process, teachers facilitate making student thinking visible and improve students’ ability to interpret any graph used in the classroom.

SPEAKERS:
Tony Matthys

Sponsoring Company: Vernier Science Education

What do whale songs and elk calls have in common? In this cross-disciplinary workshop, use sound and motion sensors to explore wave properties through biological sound patterns. Get hands-on with FFT analysis and learn how to connect physics and biology through real-world phenomena.

SPEAKERS:
Frances Poodry

Participants will take part in a simple beam lab using weights to determine the deflection of the beam material. Groups will have different beams and varying results will help support understanding of the graphs created. The results will then be graphed as a load-deflection curve and shared. Stress is the amount loaded onto the beam (analogous to load). Strain (similar to deflection) is the amount of deformation that occurs. The resulting curve and slope (Young’s Modulus) give information about the stiffness and elasticity of the material. Different beam results will clearly demonstrate the meaning of Young’s Modulus and interpretation of stress-strain curves. Challenges of stress-strain curve understanding (both variables are dependent, for instance) will be discussed and clarified. How to use stress-strain curves with a bridge project extension will be shared.

TAKEAWAYS:
A hands-on beam lab produces graphs critical to understanding properties for engineering. With focus on making, interpreting, & teaching the graphs. Real-world uses & applications of stress-strain curves in engineering will be shared and help to illustrate the importance of this type of graph.

SPEAKERS:
Scott Spohler

Discover innovative STEM activities tailored to complement popular read-alouds. Participants will experience firsthand three engineering challenges inspired by beloved books. This hands-on workshop empowers educators to confidently integrate STEM into their existing curriculum, enriching students' learning experiences. Leave equipped to inspire young minds with the magic of reading and the excitement of engineering.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will leave with everything they need to implement three read-alouds with follow-on STEM activities in their classroom.

SPEAKERS:
Terra Tarango

Join the NSTA PL committee for one or all of these sessions in our Interdisciplinary Connections strand to explore the what, why and how of interdisciplinary science teaching and learning. Each session will engage participants in interactive experiences to solve problems or investigate phenomena using science while focusing on a particular pairing of interdisciplinary opportunities. In this session, you will explore the connection between math and science. Attendees will engage in activities to demonstrate how math can be vertically aligned and supported throughout a student’s education, K-12. Participants will use the phenomenon of why some storms cause more damage as an example of how math and science learning are inextricably linked. Using real-world data to analyze and model storm effects and develop risk assessments using probability and statistics, attendees will learn how every age can collect and use real-world data to explore a phenomenon and increase their learning.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will explore how teaching math is inextricable from teaching science and be given examples of how that looks when vertically aligned K-12. Participants will use real-life data to model a phenomenon mathematically, boosting both math and science understanding in a meaningful way.

SPEAKERS:
Erik Wade, Jesse Wilcox

In this session, participants will explore how to build a Content Storyline to support coherent, discipline-rich, and equitable STEM project-based learning (PBL). Just as phenomena are used to anchor conceptual development in 3D science instruction, we’ll highlight how meaningful end products can serve as anchoring experiences in PBL—driving student sensemaking, surfacing key standards, and promoting authentic engagement with disciplinary practices. Participants will be introduced to a PBL planning framework designed to center science content and equity, analyze a completed Content Storyline to trace how learning builds and spirals across a project, and explore tools to begin developing their own. The session will support teachers in ensuring that their PBL units are grounded in rigorous, student-centered science learning.

TAKEAWAYS:
The PBL Project Planning Pyramid Framework highlights Content Storylining as a key element and an effective structure to ensure rigorous discipline-rich PBL projects. Let’s consider the project end product in parallel to a phenomenon and explore Content Storylining for STEM PBL.

SPEAKERS:
Sarah DiMaria

Corn is the most important food crop grown in the U.S., yet climate change threatens our ability to improve yields to continue meeting rising human demand. Solving this global problem requires knowledge of science, technology, engineering, and math. In this session, we will bring real-world STEM to life through modern agriculture. This hands-on session reveals how agriculture extends far beyond traditional farming as we dive into authentic storylines that connect students to pressing global challenges. Framed around the journey of corn’s artificial selection and the real-world problem of feeding our growing population can spark critical thinking and problem-solving skills among students. You’ll leave with activities and strategies that can be easily implemented that showcase cutting-edge technology and engineering in food production. Join us to see how agriculture offers powerful, real-world STEM career pathways that are accessible for all students.

TAKEAWAYS:
Explore how food can provide relatable entry points for students using STEM skills to solve real world problems. Engage in several activities from a new storyline unit that challenges students in figuring out how to solve this food production challenge as they engage in 3-dimensional learning.

SPEAKERS:
Rachel Skelton, Alicia Burge, Chris Embry Mohr, Kristin Rademaker, Jessica Holman

Data collection and robotics are accessible, engaging learning experiences, offering ALL students opportunities to explore, engage in hands-on learning, and experience success, using technology-rich devices, while learning essential science processes and concepts. Testing variables, analyzing their effects, and watching a device ‘work’ are positive learning experiences. Attendees will actively engage with a wide range of technology-rich devices and learn how to implement engineering design processes and robotics concepts, providing accessible portals of learning for ALL K-6 students, including ELL’s and special needs learners, as students develop computational and critical thinking skills and become successful, innovative problem solvers. Attendees will learn how to add complexity and rigor to tasks, as students gain skills and understanding. Practical strategies and applications will be explored, maximizing opportunities for equitable, accessible learning for ALL students.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will learn how to design accessible learning experiences using innovative devices, helping students learn essential science concepts, data collection and analysis, engineering design processes, and robotics, and how to add rigor and complexity as learners gain skills and understanding.

SPEAKERS:
Donna Knoell

Sponsoring Company: miniPCR bio

Track the inheritance of the sickle cell allele in a fictional family using gel electrophoresis. Available as a hands-on lab or virtual simulation, this case study teaches Mendelian genetics, inheritance patterns, and the molecular basis of sickle cell disease.

SPEAKERS:
Ally Huang

Sponsoring Company: Rayn Growing Systems

EdRack is the latest in horticultural ed systems designed to bridge all STEM categories through interactive labs. This hydroponic growing system brings industry standard cultivation methods to the classroom. We built in NGSS alignment to ensure compatibility with your educational requirements.

SPEAKERS:
Hannah Ball, Jarred Joffe

AI is already shaping the future our students will live and work in—but how can science classrooms harness AI tools today to deepen 3D learning? In this session, explore practical, classroom-tested strategies for using AI to support scientific inquiry, creativity, and personalized learning without losing rigor or equity. Learn how AI can enhance phenomenon-based investigations, model development, and data analysis, while helping students ask better questions, communicate their thinking, and engage critically with technology. We'll highlight free or accessible AI tools that align with real NGSS practices and provide examples of how students can use AI ethically to extend their scientific curiosity and voice. Walk away with sample prompts, lesson ideas, and a vision for integrating AI thoughtfully and powerfully into your science teaching.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will learn practical ways to integrate AI tools into 3D science learning to support inquiry, data analysis, modeling, and critical thinking, while keeping student creativity, rigor, and ethical use at the center.

SPEAKERS:
Elizabeth Radday

Sponsoring Company: Carolina Biological Supply Co.

Rockets zoom and race cars zip through hands-on activities that engage your middle and high school students. Apply creative problem-solving skills and engineering practices to chemistry and physical science challenges. Experience how Carolina makes it easy to incorporate STEM into your classroom.

SPEAKERS:
Laurie Nixon

This presentation will showcase how transdisciplinary, real-world problem solving can be integrated into science classrooms through engineering design. Aligned with NGSS standards such as generating multiple solutions to reduce impact of Earth’s process on humans and focused on environmental literacy, participants will explore hands-on, student-centered investigations that engage multiple disciplines such as math, technology, science, art, and computer science. Examples of projects include designing/building air cleaners to reduce impact of wildfire smoke; analyzing floodplain maps and proposing engineering solutions to lessen the effects of flooding; and constructing bee hotels for pollinators using creative design with 3D printers. These projects engage students in the engineering design process, foster critical thinking, and connect academic content to authentic, community-centered issues. Attendees will leave with strategies and ready-to-use resources including assessment ideas.

TAKEAWAYS:
Learn how to engage students in solving real-world environmental problems through hands-on engineering projects that address wildfire smoke, flooding, and pollinator decline—empowering them to think critically, design solutions, and make meaningful connections to their communities.

SPEAKERS:
Amanda Rapstad

Sponsoring Company: Carolina Biological Supply Co.

Come experience a hands-on model lesson from OpenSciEd for Middle School and discover how the Carolina Certified Edition enhanced these high-quality instructional materials, making them more accessible, user-friendly, and safer for classroom use. Engage in the featured light box model activity from the 6.1: Light & Matter unit. Participants will walk away with valuable resources to take back to the classroom.

SPEAKERS:
Meredith Currie

Hands-on neuroscience demonstrations facilitate connections between education and neuroscience research. This session will explore hands-on learning experiences in K-12 communities; although ideally suited for high school classes, many of the demos can be adapted to other grade levels. During this presentation, we will engage in neuroscience activities using a variety of resources available from online educational materials. Some examples include electroencephalograms, super tasters/genetic exploration, electrical stimulators, and a range of other devices and techniques. We can show educators how to apply what they learn in class to advancements in neuroscience. These demonstrations in classrooms will help students bridge classroom knowledge with real-world experiences. By the end of the session, educators will gain insight into the various resources available for engagement in education and explore the fundamentals of neuroscience as related to the devices.

TAKEAWAYS:
Using affordable demonstrations, participants will explore how to bring hands-on neuroscience into K-12 classrooms, primarily suited for grades 9-12. The session focuses on engagement, allowing educators to connect classroom knowledge, use the tools, and expand to the community if they desire.

SPEAKERS:
Adam Steiner

How can we assess the quality of sampling and variability of the data to help us in decision-making? The various metals and alloys used in the minting of the penny over the years will provide for rich explorations, which are part of the chemistry curriculum. We will highlight the important cross-disciplinary aspect, linking the science content (mass/chemical composition) to the mathematical models outlined in the NGSS section on Systems and Models to show how to use it to simulate systems and interactions. Through hands-on activities and the use of technology, participants will explore a variety of data sets and use this knowledge to better understand and use statistics to make accurate and fair arguments related to everyday topics and explore how the sample mean varies from sample to sample to get a better understanding of quality control.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will use real data to develop mathematical models and learn how to test your hypothesis by performing an experiment and analyzing the results, combining chemical analysis with statistical sampling for a cross-curricular approach.

SPEAKERS:
Karlheinz Haas

Writing effective assessments in science can be challenging for any teacher, especially to meet the needs of diverse students in the modern classroom. Come explore the criteria for high-quality 3D science assessment items and learn strategies for writing them. Your session leader is a widely-published writer of science assessments and curriculum, and he has a wealth of experience to share.

TAKEAWAYS:
By applying the proper criteria, you can write assessments that reinforce science learning and develop critical thinking.

SPEAKERS:
Joseph Berman

Sponsoring Company: Switch Classroom

Create and test Play-Doh electrical circuits to explore conductivity, resistance, and circuit design. This fun, hands-on lab provides an engaging way to teach foundational electricity concepts and energy science, making complex ideas accessible for students of all ages.

SPEAKERS:
Lynn Kistler

This session explores the Inquiry By Engineering Design (IBED) instructional model as an innovative approach to teaching STEM through climate science and sustainability topics. IBED blends inquiry-based learning with engineering design thinking, empowering students to investigate real-world environmental challenges and create solutions grounded in scientific principles. Through this model, students develop critical thinking, collaboration, and problem-solving skills while engaging in relevant, impactful learning. The session will showcase classroom-tested examples where students designed prototypes to address local climate concerns, such as hurricanes. Participants will leave with practical strategies and resources to integrate STEM using IBED in their science curriculum, aligning instruction with NGSS and sustainability goals. Join us to discover how IBED can transform your classroom into a hub for climate action and STEM innovation.

TAKEAWAYS:
Integrating the engineering design process into the classroom mirrors the real-world practices of engineers, introducing students of all ages and educational levels to a culture of problem-solving. Attendees will leave with practical strategies for incorporating STEM into their science instruction.

SPEAKERS:
Azka Kiran

In this workshop you will explore the physics of sound waves. We will investigate how waves interfere and how resonance works. We will make small sound canons to feel sound and then explore resonance in slinkies, boom-a-wackers, singing rods and tuning forks. Finally, we will use sound to wiggle a glass plate at its resonant frequency to break it (safely). This workshop has lots of activities so come prepared to interact with other participants and resonate with sound!

TAKEAWAYS:
Explore sound waves and resonant effects. Everything has a resonant frequency - from a swing, your stomach and a wine glass. If we use sound to push a glass plate at its resonant frequency it will break.

SPEAKERS:
Isaac Skalsky, Steve Lindaas

Explore how middle school students can integrate life science, computer science, and social studies to design sustainable hydroponic systems informed by both data and Indigenous knowledge. In this hands-on workshop, participants will program micro:bits to collect environmental data (light, temperature, humidity) and analyze how these variables influence plant growth. They’ll also examine how cultural perspectives on land and agriculture can inform innovative, equity-centered STEM instruction. Using a classroom-friendly HydroBitBucket system, attendees will participate in activities modeled from an NGSS-aligned unit and walk away with replicable strategies, sample student work, and access to lesson materials that emphasize transdisciplinary problem solving.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will explore how to implement an NGSS- and CSTA-aligned unit that integrates computer science, data analysis, and Indigenous knowledge to engage students in solving real-world agricultural challenges.

SPEAKERS:
Tom Cozzolino, Justin Cannady

Young children are naturally curious, eager to investigate: "Why?," "How?," and “What if?...” This interactive session explores the powerful connection between self-directed play and early science sensemaking. Discover the brilliant and intuitive ways that preschoolers and kindergarteners engage in the Science and Engineering Practices (SEPs) – an essential component of the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) often overlooked in early childhood. Through engaging video examples and small group discussions, we’ll explore how our youngest learners ask questions, analyze data, design solutions, and more, all through play! We’ll introduce field-tested SciEPlay tools, developed through a four-year collaboration between Bowdoin College, the Maine Mathematics and Science Alliance (MMSA), and Samara Early Learning. Walk away with new insights and practical strategies to enrich children’s play-based science and engineering in your classroom and outdoor spaces.

TAKEAWAYS:
Gain two field-tested tools to recognize and enrich play-based Science and Engineering Practices (SEPs). Leave this session feeling informed, inspired, and equipped to create purposeful play environments and foster playful science sensemaking.

SPEAKERS:
Hildah Makori, Maranda Chung, Heather Bowen

STARBASE has developed insight into the benefits of a growth mindset in STEM career integration into curriculum planning and has identified strategies and supports to help students see their growth in STEM and related skills. In consultation with STEM corporate partners, specific STEM career skills were identified that would be beneficial for a future workforce: Teamwork, Creativity, STEM, Curiosity, and Perseverance. Using these skills, you can build a classroom culture at any grade level or STEM discipline that celebrates strength and growth while providing real-world examples of STEM professionals who are reflective of diversity and the depth of STEM careers available to students.

TAKEAWAYS:
At this session, attendees will learn strategies for incorporating STEM Career integration into curriculum and lesson planning applicable to all grade levels and science focus areas. Free resources and access to STEM Career website will be provided to all attendees.

SPEAKERS:
Melanie Peters, Charity Johnson

Explore a Transdisciplinary STEM+X approach, fostering real-world problem-solving, critical thinking, leveraged learning, differentiation and engagement. Participants will learn STEM+X lesson design principles and experience a STEM+X activity. Emphasizing teacher support and agency for effective implementation to promote student agency, collaboration, and engagement from a two-time NSTA SHELL Science Lab Challenge Grand Prize Winner.

TAKEAWAYS:
Learn how to design and implement engaging STEM+X lessons, incorporating real-world problem-solving and critical thinking, with practical strategies and insights from an award-winning educator to empower both teachers and students. Empower your inner STEM confidence.

SPEAKERS:
Arianna Moody

In this workshop we will explore the AIK12 standards through an unpacking activity. We will then explore tested lessons that can engage students in learning about the nature of AI and how to responsibly use it. During the session we will use the lesson materials to have participants reflect on the value of learning about AI and to deepen the conversation on the role of AI in the classroom.

TAKEAWAYS:
You will gain a deeper understanding of AI, its role in education and how to incorporate AI in your classroom. You will leave with proven lessons that you can add to your classroom to get students thinking about and be critical of AI.

SPEAKERS:
Jeffrey Bush, Greg Benedis-Grab

Sponsoring Company: Edvotek, Inc.

Unlock biology's mysteries with model organisms! Learn to culture and study C. elegans in your classroom laboratory. Explore chemotaxis with a simple locomotion assay. Integrate STEM concepts, data collection, and statistics for an enriching learning experience. Meets standards for AP Bio Lab 11.

SPEAKERS:
Maria Dayton

How can we begin to understand the Next Generation Science Standards, and design instructional and assessment materials aligned to three-dimensional learning? In this workshop we will use the framework of "learning progressions" to simultaneously unpack NGSS standards for the teacher, and create a sequence of learning toward mastery for the student. A learning progression is a standard broken down into steps; it communicates a path from a simple to a more complex understanding of a particular standard. In this workshop, participants will design a learning progression for an NGSS performance expectation of their choice in the form of "I can" statements. Throughout the design process they will consider how mastery of their standard is distinct from simpler levels of understanding. Furthermore, participants will brainstorm ways that learning progressions can facilitate metacognitive thinking, assessment design, differentiation, and targeted support.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will learn how to use "learning progressions" as a device to assist in their understanding of an NGSS standard, and as road map for supporting their design of lessons and assessments.

SPEAKERS:
Ronnie Almonte

Using Interactive notebooks (INBs) in Science classes is a great way to build inquiry, study skills, and a deeper understanding of the material covered in your class. In science classes of all ages, INBs are a great tool to organize topics, thoughts, and learning progress. This session will focus on middle-level classes, but can be adapted for elementary and high school. We will view different types of Interactive notebooks, including physical and digital. We will be putting together a physical and a digital INB for you to take with you.

TAKEAWAYS:
One main takeaway from this session is the many benefits of Interactive notebooks and samples to use in your classroom.

SPEAKERS:
Katrina Davidson

See exciting energy, motion, laser, and wave demos plus learn how to access and compare the sensor data on the impact forces experienced by the crash-test dummies during the IIHS’s famous “Vintage Car vs New Car Crash Inquiry” of a 1959 Bel Air vs 2009 Chevy Malibu. Which car is the most crashworthy in a 40-mph, “head-on” crash-test? Make students predict the outcome then learn how to use “notice and wonder” questioning routines to kickstart students’ engagement in the free “Crash Science in the Classroom” activities.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will see a selection of engaging discrepant events plus exciting crash-tests; and learn how to access free lessons plans with formative and summative assessments, teacher and student tips videos, lab sheets, and answer keys to teach crash-related science and engineering concepts.

SPEAKERS:
Pini Kalnite, Griff Jones

In this session, we will share about programming focused on supporting the wellness of educators through providing supports for caring for themselves, cultivating and sustaining compassion for students, students’ families, and colleagues, and working towards more compassionate schools. We will share audio recordings from educators that highlight key realizations or themes that emerged for educators related to compassion in schools, including how compassion has impacted their professional lives. We will explore the concept of compassion and identify the benefits and science of compassion. Participants will also engage in compassion practices, reflect, and discuss in small groups their experience of the practices and how they intend to strengthen compassion in their lives, in their classrooms, and in their schools. Cultivating compassion for oneself and others strengthens the social and emotional competencies of self-awareness, social awareness, self management, and relationship skills.

TAKEAWAYS:
Cultivating compassion within the context of teaching and learning can be an important resource for sustaining caring for self and others. We invite you to join us to pause and practice compassion. Come learn about tools for resourcing yourself to apply in school and personal contexts.

SPEAKERS:
William Penuel

Corn is the most important food crop grown in the U.S., yet climate change threatens our ability to improve yields to continue meeting rising human demand. Solving this global problem requires knowledge of science, technology, engineering, and math. In this session, we will bring real-world STEM to life through modern agriculture. This hands-on session reveals how agriculture extends far beyond traditional farming as we dive into authentic storylines that connect students to pressing global challenges. Framed around the journey of corn’s artificial selection and the real-world problem of feeding our growing population can spark critical thinking and problem-solving skills among students. You’ll leave with activities and strategies that can be easily implemented that showcase cutting-edge technology and engineering in food production. Join us to see how agriculture offers powerful, real-world STEM career pathways that are accessible for all students.

TAKEAWAYS:
Explore how food can provide relatable entry points for students using STEM skills to solve real world problems. Engage in several activities from a new storyline unit that challenges students in figuring out how to solve this food production challenge as they engage in 3-dimensional learning.

SPEAKERS:
Rachel Skelton, Alicia Burge, Chris Embry Mohr

Learn about the STARBASE Minnesota, Inc. Destination Mars STEM Kits and Curriculum, a free integrated STEM unit for upper elementary students! This presentation introduces educators to curriculum that transforms students into Mars explorers, scientists, engineers, and more. In this curriculum, students engage in hands-on STEM lessons to plan a human mission to Mars. They'll conduct investigations, create models, practice coding, design a Mars base, explore topics like energy transfer and chemistry, and apply math throughout. Students track growth in STEM career skills and expand their awareness of careers through a STEM career interactive, featuring real STEM professionals. The presentation will include a demonstration of several lessons and educators implementing the program will share the positive impact of these STEM kits on their students. Participants will receive access to the free online curriculum, and Minnesota teachers can register for free sets of classroom materials.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will learn how to implement a standards-based integrated STEM unit that provides connections to STEM careers and engages students through an exciting storyline of a future mission to Mars.

SPEAKERS:
Charity Johnson, Aaron Stolp, Melanie Peters

How can you engage learners in creating projects to share their ideas and observations in motivating and meaningful ways? Join us to make an interactive animation or mini-game featuring an animal in nature that interests you. Experience how you and your students can create projects with OctoStudio, a free creative coding app from MIT that bridges physical and digital making. Access new open-educational resources you can use and adapt for 3D learning and sensemaking, developed by National Geographic Society in collaboration with the MIT Media Lab.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will learn how they can engage learners in creating interactive projects to share their ideas and observations about the natural world, using an engaging set of open-educational resources created by National Geographic and the creators of OctoStudio and Scratch at the MIT Media Lab.

SPEAKERS:
Teo Xisto, Audrey Everett

Sponsoring Company: JoVE

Join our hands-on workshop to learn how to use AI tools and JoVE videos to create interactive STEM lessons & rubrics for middle and high school. Explore real-world applications, tailor activities for diverse learners, and leave with resources to transform your classroom into an engaging STEM hub! Bring your laptop or tablet.

SPEAKERS:
Shauna Carlson

This workshop focuses on how STEM learning experiences, like simulations, can be adapted to learner needs and preferences using PhET's Inclusive Features as an exemplar. These features – across audio, visuals, and various inputs – address a multitude of common access barriers for learners and empower all science learners to interact, discover, and learn with their peers. We will explore sample sims and collaboratively determine access challenges learners with disabilities may face when interacting with the sims. The presenters will introduce the work and scope of PhET’s Inclusive Design process and introduce participants to the features that are available in PhET’s suite of sims. Participants will determine how to make appropriate modifications to their lesson or activity to meet diverse needs in multiple scenarios. Emphasis will be placed on increasing learners’ interaction time with the sim and allow for both collaborative and independent self-discovery of the 3D learning targets.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will gain insight into PhET’s approach to inclusive design, find PhET Sims with Inclusive Features, and adapt lesson plans to leverage any or all features of PhET Sims to adapt to the needs and preferences of learners in diverse classrooms.

SPEAKERS:
Brett Fiedler

Shared Waters is a phenomenon-based, NGSS-aligned curriculum that equips upper elementary students to become environmental problem-solvers through meaningful watershed education experiences (MWEEs). In this 60-minute workshop, participants will engage in hands-on activities from the 10-lesson unit, explore strategies for implementing outdoor field investigations, and learn how to guide students through data analysis and real-world environmental action projects. Lessons feature place-based experiences such as water quality testing, macroinvertebrate sampling, runoff modeling, and schoolyard redesigns. Participants will leave with access to free digital materials, practical implementation tips, and a framework for cultivating environmental literacy and civic responsibility in young learners—whether teaching in rural, suburban, or urban contexts.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will leave with a complete NGSS-aligned unit and tools to engage students in outdoor, place-based science that leads to authentic environmental action in their local watershed.

SPEAKERS:
Nanette Marcum-Dietrich

Ready to take your STEM lesson planning to the next level? Join us for an interactive and inspiring session where you’ll discover how artificial intelligence—specifically ChatGPT—can become your new favorite teaching assistant. Explore how preservice teachers in a pilot program used ChatGPT to blend South Dakota Science Standards with Engineering and Technology standards to design innovative, classroom-ready STEM lessons and kits. Learn how to craft effective prompts, refine AI-generated content, and apply human feedback to ensure every lesson is developmentally appropriate and tailored to your students' needs. Whether you're new to AI or looking to deepen your practice, this session will give you practical tools and real-world examples to boost creativity, save planning time, and spark student engagement. While we’ll focus on STEM, the strategies shared can be adapted to any grade level or content area. Come curious- leave inspired!

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will leave with practical strategies for using ChatGPT to streamline lesson planning, align with science and engineering standards, and design engaging, grade-appropriate STEM lessons and kits—tools they can immediately apply in any classroom setting.

SPEAKERS:
Betsy Schamber

Sponsoring Company: Switch Classroom

Design, construct, and test a waterwheel to demonstrate the conversion of water power into mechanical power, capable of lifting several pennies. This lab will reinforce the concepts of renewable energy and energy transformation.

SPEAKERS:
Lynn Kistler

Sponsoring Company: Carolina Biological Supply Co.

Take a deeper dive into understanding the importance of learning progressions in 3-dimensional learning using Smithsonian’s STCMS. Experience the importance of a coherent storyline in student understanding and engage in a learning progression using density. Participants will walk away with valuable resources to take back to the classroom.

SPEAKERS:
Hoover Herrera

This workshop will offer participants learning opportunities as to how to use DiscoverE’s Future City program to implement multiple STEAM and non-STEAM disciplines to develop solutions to the real-world problem of “How Can We Make the World A Better Place?” The session will introduce participants to the Future City Program (futurecity.org) and the four program deliverables: the City Essay, the City Model, the Team Presentation/Q and A, and the Project Plan. Participants will then work collaboratively to brainstorm how they could use various academic disciplines such as humanities, literacy, science, technology, engineering, visual and performing arts, and math, as well as concepts like research skills, teamwork, public speaking, and project management to guide students to complete each deliverable through the lens of the Engineering Design Process before concluding with a share-out and discussion of learnings.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will come away with an understanding of the Future City program and strategies to incorporate transdisciplinary learning to solve real-world problems within and beyond the program.

SPEAKERS:
TRAVIS KOUPAL

This session will explore how high-quality, research-based PBS media can enhance STEM learning through a transdisciplinary approach. Using content from trusted sources like PBS LearningMedia, NOVA, and SciGirls, educators will learn to engage students in solving real-world problems by applying concepts from science, technology, engineering, math, humanities, arts, and computer science. Participants will explore classroom-ready tools that foster creativity, collaboration, and innovation. This session also highlights best practices and strategies for using media in the classroom to promote deeper understanding and active engagement. Attendees will leave with effective methods and access to thousands of free, standards-aligned PBS resources that support rich, cross-disciplinary STEM instruction.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will discover how to use PBS media and best practices to create engaging, transdisciplinary STEM learning experiences that prepare students to think critically and solve real-world problems.

SPEAKERS:
Caylee Haus Reger

This session explores strategies that elementary teachers can use to integrate student narratives into STEM instruction. Drawing from practices used in a teacher preparation program’s courses, the session will highlight how elementary educators can implement STEM lessons despite time constraints and scheduling challenges. Attendees will examine how teachers can use students’ communities and lived experiences to design meaningful, relevant instruction. The session will also walk through a practical framework that includes: identifying lesson objectives, connecting those objectives to student narratives, linking academic content to student experiences, and designing assessments that reflect student-centered learning.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will have a practical framework to help elementary teachers design student-centered STEM lessons that connect academic content to students’ lived experiences, even within the constraints to implementation.

SPEAKERS:
Shereen Holmes

Sponsoring Company: miniPCR bio

Tired of textbook diagrams showing DNA to RNA to protein? Bring the central dogma to life with a hands-on experiment to visualize transcription and translation using low-cost tools. Or dive into a virtual activity to explore real gene expression data, with no lab needed.

SPEAKERS:
Ally Huang

Sponsoring Company: Vernier Science Education

Biology and environmental science teachers! Learn to use hands-on sensors to explore dissolved O2, pH, and conductivity with students. From chemistry basics to watershed ecology, get ideas for real-world learning and how to simulate pond water in class. Plus, try our new wireless turbidity sensor!

SPEAKERS:
Nüsret Hisim

Polymers are characterized as thermoplastic or thermoset; natural or synthetic; or as being formed by addition or condensation reactions. The amount of cross-linking in polymers also affects their properties. Activities will be shared that highlight and explain the categorization of polymers. We will investigate polymer powders to infer the amount of crosslinking when they are exposed to water. PVA slime also can show crosslinking. Thermoplastics can be reshaped after heating so are recyclable. Thermosets are the result of a heat-producing chemical reaction and are non-recyclable. We will do activities with each, investigating properties and uses. Our clothing is made up of a variety of polymers, some natural, a growing percentage synthetic. We will share some observational tasks using materials to discuss the benefits of each type of polymer in clothing. The environmental impact of polymers will be discussed and activities related to biopolymers and recycling will also be shared.

TAKEAWAYS:
We will present an overview of polymers - different ways of categorizing, difficulties with recycling, and the variety of properties. We will provide hands-on activities to be done in the classroom, exploring cross-linking, reactions to heat and water, and natural vs synthetic polymers in clothing to name a few.

SPEAKERS:
Scott Spohler

Appropriate and useful for all grade levels. Still confused about the basics of the NGSS? Need a refresher about what it is and why it matters? Come learn from the experts. The NGSS is very complicated. The Institute for Quality Science Teaching at the Griffin Museum of Science and Industry provides professional learning opportunities for K-12 science teachers in Chicagoland and surrounding areas. Our approach is to ground everything we do in the NGSS and take a deep dive into all the elements of 3-dimensional learning. The professional learning programs at Griffin MSI are invested in helping teachers understand how to teach science effectively using these standards. This presentation will review the basics of the NGSS, the 3 dimensions, how they’re combined in Performance Expectations, and the basics of how to enact the NGSS in the classroom. If you’re new to the NGSS, just want a review, or still don’t have all those acronyms straight in your head, this is the presentation for you.

TAKEAWAYS:
Teachers in all grades K-12 will leave with a basic understanding of the structures of the Next Generation Science Standards and how they inform 3-dimensional standards and 3-dimensional science teaching.

SPEAKERS:
Sean Murphy, Karin Klein

Sponsoring Company: PLTW

What happens when students see themselves as future healthcare professionals—before graduation? In this workshop, engage in a hands-on activity from PLTW’s Biomedical Science program: a classroom-ready lung model demonstration drawn from the “Take a Breath” unit. Discover how this four-course high school program builds career awareness and student motivation through real-world lab experiences and ethical case studies. You’ll explore how BMS supports CTE and science standards while preparing students for industry certifications, postsecondary success, and high-wage careers in healthcare. From HOSA integration to skill-building in collaboration and communication, PLTW BMS gives educators the tools to deliver rigorous, equitable, and inspiring STEM learning—right now, in every school.

SPEAKERS:
Andy Sarbacker

This session will focus on effective strategies for fostering STEM vocabulary development for newcomer multilingual learners. I will start with a quick activity to highlight the challenges and opportunities in learning STEM terminology. Participants will then engage in a series of hands-on, collaborative tasks that model vocabulary-building strategies such as listener/speaker bookmarks, differentiated word banks, and context-based sentence stems specific for Newcomers. The session will feature sample STEM activities with embedded language supports, showcasing how to teach key academic vocabulary through inquiry-based learning. Attendees will have the opportunity to share ideas in small groups. The session will close with a reflection and resource share to help educators create vocabulary-rich, inclusive STEM classrooms for multilingual learners.

TAKEAWAYS:
Discover practical, research-based strategies to build STEM vocabulary for newcomer multilingual learners. Explore engaging activities, scaffolding techniques, and tools to support word learning in context while promoting inquiry, collaboration, and language growth.

SPEAKERS:
Maria Cieslak

Get ready to spark curiosity and “generate” excitement! This interactive session empowers K–5 educators with foundational knowledge and practical tools to confidently teach about batteries and electrical energy. During the first 20 minutes, participants will engage in hands-on experiments that build their understanding of how batteries work and how electricity flows. In the next 20 minutes, we’ll explore grade-specific implementation strategies, including pedagogical approaches, classroom management tips for inquiry-based activities, and ways to foster student collaboration. The final 20 minutes will highlight a range of accessible curricular resources, extension activities, and cross-curricular connections in literacy, math, and STEAM. Leave this session energized, equipped, and inspired to bring battery science to life in your elementary classroom!

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will build foundational knowledge of energy and batteries through hands-on experiments, explore grade-appropriate strategies for implementation and classroom management, and leave with practical curricular resources to effectively teach battery science in the K–5 classroom.

SPEAKERS:
Abigail Dutcher

Artificial intelligence (AI) can transform preservice teacher education by generating personalized, multimodal content for science and engineering instruction. This study explores GPT Smashing, an innovative approach that combines multiple generative AI models (e.g., GPT-4, GPT-4V, and domain-specific tools) to create rich instructional materials. By integrating text, visuals, diagrams, and interactive elements, GPT Smashing supports deeper understanding, enhances lesson design, and fosters creativity. Unlike single-model AI tools, this method empowers preservice teachers to visualize, adapt, and engage with complex concepts, promoting both personalized learning and instructional agency.

TAKEAWAYS:
Experience GPT Smashing through a live, hands-on demo using a "blueprint" scenario. Create multimodal lessons, explore AI visuals, and design classroom demos. Leave with practical tools to boost creativity, agency, and engagement in science and engineering education.

SPEAKERS:
Ricardo Lumbreras, Gwinn North

The presentation introduces attendees to some cheap and easy lab activities – and accompanying resources – that will help them have the confidence to tackle STEAM activities in their classrooms. Participants will work with metals, plastics, and an engineering challenge using composites. Heat-treated steel samples will be provided so that participants can feel the treatment’s effects and will know how to prepare their own samples. Participants will also have a chance to practice measurement (and art skills) with shrinking plastic. Finally, a honeycomb composite will be made in small groups and tested by applying weights to it. Each activity includes a write up, student worksheets, and possible modifications to differentiate for a particular class. Attendees will experience various ways of presenting group work: independent work with plastics; small group collaboration on the composite build; and, large group discussion and consensus building with the metal samples.

TAKEAWAYS:
Test some heat-treated metal samples; practice your math skills and artistry with a STEAM activity; work in groups for an engineering challenge! There’s a little something for everyone and we won’t judge you for wanting to be hot and cheap in the classroom.

SPEAKERS:
Briana Richardson

Sponsoring Company: Bio-Rad Laboratories

Explore quorum sensing and cell signaling pathways in this hands-on workshop. Investigate bioluminescence in Vibrio campbellii through engaging, classroom-ready experiments.

SPEAKERS:
Marisol Gabriel

Explore the intersection of climate and energy while learning about microgrids and their role in fostering energy resilience. During this hands-on session, participants will make models of a microgrid that includes solar power and battery storage and learn how microgrids supported community resilience during Hurricane Helene in Western North Carolina. We’ll discuss opportunities to integrate this topic into instruction to offer a relevant context for learning about electricity and energy resilience to climate impacts as well as engaging students in learning that mirrors the work of professionals in the energy sector.

TAKEAWAYS:
Updating instruction to include learning about and modeling microgrids introduces students to a real-world energy challenge, a timely and relevant solution, and related career opportunities.

SPEAKERS:
Dana Haine, Shannon Oesch

We’re hearing a lot these days about the importance of computational thinking skills to a well-rounded education. Join Science from Scientists, a STEM education nonprofit that partners with schools, to explore how computational thinking can be part of science learning. Together with computer science specialists from a partner school we’ve developed interdisciplinary learning experiences that deepen science learning through computer science extension lessons that reinforce key science concepts, introduce students to new ways of thinking and problem-solving, and explore how computer science skills apply across diverse careers and fields of study.

TAKEAWAYS:
In this session, participants will explore computational thinking concepts through an example lesson and then work together to identify opportunities to incorporate computational thinking skills in their science teaching.

SPEAKERS:
Renee Nesnidal

Learn how OpenSciEd’s new middle school units are intentionally designed to expand access to computer science by integrating it directly into science instruction. This session will introduce an instructional model that addresses longstanding equity gaps in computer science education by embedding programming, computational thinking, and engineering design into phenomenon-based science investigations. Explore how this approach not only deepens science understanding but also inspires students—especially those historically underrepresented in STEM—to pursue advanced computer science courses and careers. Participants will also learn about the career exploration opportunities woven into the units that help students make meaningful connections to their futures in STEM fields.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will understand how OpenSciEd’s integrated model expands access to computer science by embedding it in science instruction, engaging all students in authentic, career-connected learning that builds pathways to future STEM opportunities

SPEAKERS:
Nicole Vick, Tiffany Neill, Michael Novak

Sponsoring Company: Vernier Science Education

Get started with Vernier! Explore our top sensors for chemistry, biology, and physics and learn how to integrate real-time data collection into your curriculum. Support student-led science learning with hands-on, sensor-based investigations that help students make sense of the world around them!

SPEAKERS:
Tom Smith

Join us for an engaging workshop that brings cutting-edge particle physics into your classroom. Explore how scientists at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN tackle fundamental questions about the universe—and how their discoveries connect to high school science. Through hands-on activities from the NSF-supported QuarkNet program, you'll experience ways to integrate real data, current research, and core physics concepts into your curriculum, all aligned with national science standards.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will leave with examples of standards-based classroom activities that link cutting-edge physics research to core concepts taught in high school physics and physical science.

SPEAKERS:
Michael Plucinski, Shane Wood

Sponsoring Company: Savvas Learning Company

Immerse your students in a 3D learning experience where problem-solving and real-world phenomena drive engagement. This session shows how storyline-based instruction deepens understanding of science and engineering practices, core ideas, and crosscutting concepts. Discover how phenomena can shift students from asking “What?” to exploring the “Why?” and “How?” while building motivation and mastery. Explore the 5E model, CER, engineering design challenges, and the structure of today’s standards in an interactive, high-impact workshop.

SPEAKERS:
Monica Morton, Mike Larson, Greg Sloan

Learn how we integrate digital mapping tools of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) in student-driven, interdisciplinary projects on sustainability. Participants in this workshop will get out of the building, as we engage in a process of data collection, comparison, and analysis. We will collect data through student-created surveys outside the conference center, then learn the process we use with students to analyze quantitative and spatial results using spreadsheets, graphs, and maps - as you compare your own findings to what our students saw. Following data analysis, you will learn how we support our students in constructing evidence-based arguments from those data. Examples of student projects we’ll share include water quality in local ponds, student-developed sustainability indicators for cities, and forest ecology data on relationships between populations and the environment. You’ll walk away ready with concrete ideas on how to add these tools to your own classroom.

TAKEAWAYS:
Digital mapping tools are increasingly accessible for teachers and students to use to collect and analyze authentic data in unique projects. You’ll learn how to easily incorporate spatial data collection and mapping into different environmental science units.

SPEAKERS:
Billy Koenig, Liz Dengate

This presentation weaves together the interdisciplinary perspectives of evolutionary theory, immunology, and epidemiology with insights from the humanities to examine the complex threats posed by the problem of pandemics and strategies to develop solutions to mitigate those threats. It explores how pathogens evolve, how the immune system responds to novel threats, and how disease spreads through populations. In addition, drawing from historical and cultural perspectives, it highlights the societal impacts of past pandemics and the contemporary human behaviors and public health policies that influence disease outcomes. By integrating science with ethics, communication, and public policy, the presentation offers a holistic, transdisciplinary framework for understanding and addressing current and future global health crises.

TAKEAWAYS:
Understanding and responding to pandemics requires a transdisciplinary approach combining knowledge and skills from multiple biological fields and humanities to reveal how diseases emerge and spread, and develop strategies for sensemaking and management through science, policy, and societal action.

SPEAKERS:
Joseph Levine

Sponsoring Company: miniPCR bio

In 1483, two English princes vanished; now, their remains may have been found! Students use DNA analysis based on the FBI CODIS system to determine if the remains might belong to the lost princes. This gel electrophoresis activity makes it easy to add hands-on DNA analysis to your forensics class!

SPEAKERS:
Ally Huang

Project-Based Learning is a powerful tool, but implementing it can feel overwhelming. We’ll show you how to leverage AI coupled with our PBL framework and your expertise to plan discipline-rich projects efficiently. Learn strategies to integrate AI tools, save time, and best support your students.

TAKEAWAYS:
Leverage AI, our Project Planning Framework, and the expertise of educators to plan effective, engaging, discipline-rich Project-Based Learning projects. Identify entry points to designing and implementing PBL using AI, and then personalize and improve the project for your learners’ experience.

SPEAKERS:
Sarah DiMaria

Sponsoring Company: Rayn Growing Systems

Explore hydroponics with a hands-on, scalable activity linking light, sustainability, and plant biology. Use Foldscopes to view plant cells and take home NGSS-aligned lessons; receive free classroom-kit templates, posters, and product discounts from RAYN Growing Systems and the National STEM Honor Society (NSTEM). Attendees are eligible to win a RAYN EdRack system and an NSTEM Chapter package. Ideal for K–college educators integrating STEM with real-world applications.

SPEAKERS:
Hannah Ball, Eric Magers

This session will provide an overview of the most recent developments at the state level in STEM education policy

TAKEAWAYS:
Everything you need to know in state STEM policy

SPEAKERS:
James Brown

Bring mathematics to life in the science classroom with engaging, hands-on STEM integration! In this interactive session, discover how math can deepen students’ understanding of scientific concepts through real-world problem solving and cross-disciplinary exploration. From calculating force and motion to analyzing experimental data and modeling natural phenomena, you'll explore practical strategies that connect math meaningfully to science content. Learn how to use activities like bridge building, geometric pattern analysis, and data-driven investigations to reinforce key math skills while making science more accessible and exciting. Walk away with classroom-ready resources, implementation tips, and a renewed vision for using math as a powerful tool for scientific discovery.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will learn how to enhance science instruction by integrating meaningful mathematics through hands-on STEM activities that promote problem-solving, data analysis, and real-world application of math concepts.

SPEAKERS:
Melissa Szentmiklosi

Sponsoring Company: Stile Education

Discover over 20 powerful strategies guaranteed to transform student collaboration, connection, and comprehension in the science classroom! Participate in lively, hands-on activities designed to immediately boost classroom interaction and deepen learning. Take home your own set of Stile Enhancing Engagement Toolkit cards, complete with QR code links to videos showing each strategy in action in real science classrooms.

SPEAKERS:
Erika James

All students have the right to develop a deep understanding of how the world works in ways that support their personal goals and the interests of their community. Come explore how instruction can more equitably support science learning that is consequential to your students and their communities.

TAKEAWAYS:
Teachers will develop an understanding of an equity project framework for science education for supporting professional learning and implementation projects. They will learn how open education resources (http://stemteachingtools.org/) can help them develop equitable approaches to science teaching.

SPEAKERS:
Philip Bell

Generative AI is an emerging technology that has made its way into the classroom and cannot be ignored. I developed and will share a summative assessment for a Biodiversity class aimed at promoting proper usage of GenAI while developing technological and ecological literacy. Traditional assessments can inadvertently disadvantage students who excel in areas beyond rote memorization. Incorporating AI into an assessment can promote equitable classroom practices by offering multiple means of representation and expression. This proposal attempts to integrate all 3 dimensions of the NGSS: application of scientific and engineering practices, by using GenAI, disciplinary core ideas in ecology, and crosscutting concepts. The AI assessment supports NGSS’s overarching goal to develop scientifically literate citizens. I will discuss the rationale for the assessment, its development and implementation in the class, how students engaged in the activity, and will share examples of the students' work.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will experience one example of how we can integrate AI into the science curriculum, fostering curiosity and engagement with technology, while promoting proper use of AI. This type of assessment can be applied to a variety of science topics.

SPEAKERS:
Rita Margarida Quinones De Magalhaes

Building data skills in today’s learners can often feel very dry, but it’s arguably the most essential skill to succeed in the future workforce. And in a time where so many adults use data poorly to prove a point, why not use these “What not to do” stories to help teach these skills and build their digital literacy at the same time! In this session, we’ll describe multiple data misuses such as Cherry-Picking, Correlation vs Causation, and Sampling Bias to help learners see and interpret data through a more sophisticated lens. While highlighting the type of error, students also break down fundamental components of graphic organizers and how they should be decoded. Pulling from relevant and familiar examples of how data is misused in society to make arguments allows for a natural bridge to your 6 - 12 science classroom and builds confidence in analyzing the data you provide them!

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will be provided with multiple student-friendly examples of how data misuses and biases lead to argument fallacies that span the societal spectrum. They will also see the learning opportunities found within each example and how they can be implemented immediately in any 6-12 classroom.

SPEAKERS:
Ramy Mahmoud

Help students experience a moment in the life of a pollinator (you) visiting an actual flower. Then have students investigate how flowers attract pollinators and create fruits through a simple flower dissection. Making sense of pollination from a flower's viewpoint, understanding the tricky nature of flowers, and experiencing how busy the lives of bees and other pollinators truly are will give your elementary students something to buzz about. This is a hands-on, minds-on, NGSS-aligned investigation to share with 1st - 5th grades. (NGSS connection: 4-LS1-1). As an added bonus, participants will create/investigate bee hummers as a STEM project in a sound unit (1-PS4-1) The presenter will model how to use a phenomenon to drive instruction and demonstrate how to illicit student ideas through collaborative, sensemaking strategies while participants engage in science and engineering practices to make sense of and explain the how and why of two different phenomena

TAKEAWAYS:
Sensemaking strategies will be practiced and shared while investigating the connections between pollinators and the intricacies of a flower and its sweet treat. Bee hummers are an added bonus to be constructed while learning how to turn them into a STEM activity to be used within a sound unit.

SPEAKERS:
Tina Harris, Carolyn Mohr

In this workshop participants will engage with our innovative Self Driving car unit. Our approach is grounded in phenomena, science storylining, coherence and student modeling. We have innovated upon these time tested NGSS teacher practices by incorporating AI and computer science. In our approach, students explore the phenomenon of Self Driving Cars to ask questions, define problems and engage in the rest of the science and engineering practices. The participants will experience these practices in student-hat so that they better understand the student experience and how to implement the units. Participants will engage with Teachable Machines to create their own AI image classifier.

TAKEAWAYS:
You will leave ready to implement our high quality unit with your students engaging student interest and using powerful storylining teaching routines. You will also have authentic student assessments to accompany the unit.

SPEAKERS:
Jeffrey Bush, Greg Benedis-Grab

Nearly a quarter of all jobs in the U.S. are devoted to providing food and fiber products to consumers required of future employees. This means our students must understand the intersection of STEM in producing and providing food and related products and services. Agriculture is a diverse industry that includes fields essential to sustaining life, advancing technology (precision agriculture, biotechnology, AI), and addressing global challenges (climate change, water conservation). In this session, participants will engage in several hands-on activities that can be incorporated into their classroom as well as access a variety of valuable resources that will support student’s connection to real-world careers. Agriculture offers powerful, real-world STEM career pathways that are accessible to all students, whether they live in cities, suburbs or rural communities; many of whom have never explored these fields or seen themselves in them. Let’s help them see what is possible.

TAKEAWAYS:
Help your students connect classroom learning to real-world opportunities, increase engagement, and prepare them for the future. Equip your classroom with hands-on activities and gain access to a variety of valuable resources to support your students' exploration around careers.

SPEAKERS:
Chris Embry Mohr, Jessica Holman

Sponsoring Company: ExploreLearning

Ready to make science class more engaging and meaningful? Join us to explore how easy-to-use technology can help your students think, investigate, and explain like real scientists. We’ll dive into interactive simulations that put students in the driver’s seat, empowering them to collect evidence, analyze data, and build strong explanations for real-world science phenomena. Join this session to discover how digital tools like Gizmos Simulations, Investigations, and STEM Cases can turn your most reluctant learners into curious problem-solvers, using authentic experiences that mirror what scientists do on a daily basis. You’ll leave with practical, classroom-ready strategies to spark student curiosity and deepen scientific thinking, no matter what subject or grade you teach.

SPEAKERS:
Cassie Harrelson

Sponsoring Company: Carolina Biological Supply Co.

Learn to use Wisconsin Fast Plants to teach experimental design and support student-driven inquiry. This workshop offers hands-on experience, and strategies to guide students from structured labs to independent research projects. Ideal for middle and high school teachers.

SPEAKERS:
Julie Stubbs

Bring science to life as students create their own virtual field trips! In this hands-on workshop, you’ll explore how to engage students with an immersive, project-based learning medium in which they can demonstrate their understanding of core science concepts and develop their science and engineering practices of obtaining, evaluating, and communicating information. Leveraging virtual reality doesn’t require any fancy tech, and can bring the world into your classroom, allowing for place-based learning to occur anywhere! The multimodal nature of VR also supports inclusive pedagogy, allowing students to share their own voice and experiences. We’ll share lesson plans and examples of student work related to the carbon cycle (ESS2.D: Weather and Climate), and guide you through getting started with your own class. No tech expertise needed—just bring your curiosity and a laptop. You’ll leave with a virtual field trip of your own creation, practical strategies, and free resources to help stu

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will learn how to guide students in creating virtual field trips using easy-to-use tools to demonstrate their science understanding through place-based, project-based learning—making science more engaging, creative, and connected to the real world.

SPEAKERS:
Aman Desai, Kyla Cook

The NSTA Sensemaking Tool can help educators be critical consumers of instructional materials and create/revise lessons that reflect the shifts required by new standards (sensemaking). Gain experience using the tool and facilitating criteria-based consensus conversations with your colleagues!

TAKEAWAYS:
Use the NSTA Sensemaking Tool for classroom observations and providing feedback.

SPEAKERS:
Emily Mathews, Patrice Scinta

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 a single trait across the litter. Then decide who’s the daddy: Zeus the Poodle or Otto the Labradoodle?

SPEAKERS:
Alexandra Dainis

Sponsoring Company: Vernier Science Education

Engage students in hands-on, student-led learning with the Go Direct Motion Detector! We’ll share 3 hands-on experiments to help students explore position, velocity & acceleration. From kinematics in fall to dynamics & conservation laws in spring, this versatile sensor supports 3D learning all year.

SPEAKERS:
Frances Poodry

This session will provide an overview of federal-level STEM policy developments in 2025 and their implications for science educators.

TAKEAWAYS:
Everything you need to know about federal STEM policy in one hour.

SPEAKERS:
James Brown

Sponsoring Company: Edvotek, Inc.

Want to learn more about disease detection? If so, join us to explore the use of wastewater testing in public health. Students use PCR and electrophoresis to test simulated water samples, gaining real-world insight into how this innovative technique helps monitor pathogens and protect communities.

SPEAKERS:
Maria Dayton

Imagine a classroom transformed into a stage where fourth and fifth graders become thought leaders, sharing innovative ideas and sparking change. This session provides a roadmap for planning and executing a student-led TEDx conference—from initial idea to final publication on TED’s platform—integrating STEM, humanities, and public speaking. Participants will learn how to empower students to research, develop, and present ideas that matter to them and their communities. Rooted in the belief that all learners deserve access to high-quality science education, this project fosters science literacy, collaboration, and critical thinking. From incorporating technology and media production to cultivating real-world problem-solving skills, educators will leave with practical strategies to amplify student voices and build a learning community that inspires curiosity, passion, and lifelong learning.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will learn how to plan and execute a student-led TEDx conference, empowering young learners to research, develop, and present big ideas while integrating STEM, humanities, and public speaking to create a meaningful, real-world learning experience.

SPEAKERS:
Lisa Robinson, Katie Musick, Jesse Wren

Discover how the Missouri Department of Conservation’s Discover Nature Schools program brings outdoor and place-based learning to life with the free middle school curriculum, Nature Unhooked, a free NGSS-aligned middle school curriculum available as a digital resource. This session spotlights three recently revised lessons—Schoolyard Topography, Aquatic Invertebrate Sampling, and Using Chemical Tests to Measure Water Quality—that engage students in authentic scientific investigations rooted in local landscapes. Participants will explore how students use two free online tools - ArcGIS MapViewer and CODAP (Common Online Data Analysis Platform) - to map, analyze, and compare schoolyard and stream data to student data from Missouri Stream Team #5221. Attendees will leave with practical tools and instructional strategies that promote 3D learning, data literacy, and environmental stewardship through the lens of their own communities.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will learn to use free tools, ArcGIS and CODAP, with the free Discover Nature Schools Nature Unhooked curriculum to support place-based watershed investigations, analyze real data, explore land use impacts, and build NGSS-aligned STEM skills.

SPEAKERS:
Gwendolyn Parrett

What happens when future teachers step outside the classroom to design real-world, standards-based learning for their local community? This session showcases a collaborative place-based education project between teacher education candidates, trail locations, and two elementarty schools. As part of a semester-long service-learning experience, preservice teachers investigated local wildlife, vegetation, geology, and health science topics while developing cross-curricular trail-based lessons for elementary students. The final product included literature-rich, NGSS-aligned, three-part instructional modules with pre-visit, trail-based, and post-visit components. Each module included standards, materials, assessments, and original videos to guide both teachers and students. These trail lessons were piloted with grades K-5 and will be installed for continued community and school use.

TAKEAWAYS:
Learn how to design and implement a place-based education project grounded in local STEM standards

SPEAKERS:
Shelly Engle

All metals share common properties and students can usually recite these fairly easily, but how deep is that understanding and how can those properties be manipulated? Participants will observe melting a tin-based alloy and explore a binary phase diagram, learning how these are used for heat-treating and alloy determinations. Steel is the second most common building material in the world. Two cheap examples of steel will be compared, one high-carbon, one low-carbon. A classroom activity is shared that allows students to learn about heat-treating and how it can affect the properties of the steel. Copper wire will undergo cold-working and its properties will be compared to those of the steel samples. Each activity has real-world relevance, as well as deep chemistry connections. Crystal structures, grain boundaries and atomic dislocations, and alloy types will be explained and related to the practical engineering results of these atomic-level structural changes.

TAKEAWAYS:
Explore how students can change a metal’s properties through alloying, heat-treating, and/or cold-working. Classroom activities that will enhance chemistry understanding of atomic structure and real world engineering relevance. Introduce & deepen understanding of binary phase diagrams.

SPEAKERS:
Briana Richardson

Are you interested in making the shift to STEM teaching and learning, but you're not sure where to begin? This hands-on workshop will guide you through a strategic planning protocol designed to help educators and leadership at any stage of the STEM journey. Together, we will envision your ideal STEM classroom or school, explore the essential attributes of high-quality STEM learning environments, and backward-plan a clear, actionable plan to bring your vision to life. Whether you're just exploring STEM or ready to launch a school-wide program, this session will equip you with the tools and confidence to take your next step.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will work through a protocol for strategic planning that can be applied to whole-school or classroom planning. Attendees will leave with the protocol, samples, and a draft of their personalized strategic plan to bring back to school/district.

SPEAKERS:
Lis Dziminski, Tracey Howard

This workshop explores how gamification and game-based learning can amplify engagement, deepen understanding, and support NGSS-aligned instruction. Participants will experience examples of both approaches, understand the difference between the two, and discover how to use game elements to reinforce the science and engineering practices, crosscutting concepts, and disciplinary core ideas.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will leave with an understanding of game-based learning and gamification, along with resources and examples to support classroom implementation.

SPEAKERS:
Erik Wade

Immerse your students into the engineering and design process as they design a method to allow access across a span of empty space! Participants engage their problem solving acumen and embark on a phenomena based storyline to create the ultimate bridge project. Participants will make relevant connections to science and engineering practices, disciplinary core ideas, cross cutting concepts and identify how storylines and investigation into phenomena can motivate student achievement.

TAKEAWAYS:
Immerse students in the design process through a hands-on bridge-building challenge, gaining strategies to spark curiosity and deepen understanding of science and engineering practices, disciplinary core ideas, and crosscutting concepts - while boosting student engagement and achievement.

SPEAKERS:
Greg Sloan

Sponsoring Company: Inquisitive K-5 Science

Empower yourself to make science teaching more manageable and meaningful by integrating phenomena-based lessons into your classroom. From planning to setup to execution, science instruction can feel overwhelming—but it doesn’t have to be. In this hands-on workshop, participants will engage with real-world phenomena as students, then as teachers they will explore the pedagogy, including the 5e model, behind creating inquiry-driven science lessons that are both manageable for teachers and deeply meaningful for students. You’ll walk away with practical strategies, a curated digital resource library, and a physical toolkit designed to simplify your process. You’ll leave equipped with the tools and confidence to implement engaging, meaningful science lessons—without adding extra stress to your workload.

SPEAKERS:
Ryan Kelly

Data is the heart of science practice, but many students are stymied by real-world datasets. In this workshop, learn how to guide students in identifying the structure and limits of the datasets they encounter and in framing investigable questions that unlock the potential of data.

We’ll begin by “getting to know” a dataset- its cases, attributes, and source. Then, with student hats on, participants will engage in activities to determine what questions can—and can’t—be asked of the data. Next, using Tuva’s free data literacy handouts, teachers will learn six types of questions that can be used to unlock data insights (variability, comparisons, relationships, time, proportion, and geographic distribution). They will practice determining whether or not each type is appropriate for a given dataset and drafting questions. Finally, participants will pick a dataset and draft a brief lesson that scaffolds the process of framing investigable questions about data.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will learn strategies for helping students: identify different types of data, clarify what data they have to work with, determine the types of questions that can and cannot be answered with a given dataset, and frame six different types of questions about data.

SPEAKERS:
Jocelyn Foran

This session will explore how nature education can be enriched by leveraging effective community partnerships and innovative lesson planning that reflects the unique cultural and ecological landscapes of New Mexico. Attendees will gain insight into how Explora Science Center and Children’s Museum collaborates with local agricultural experts, conservation organizations, and local school districts can enhance outdoor learning experiences for children. Through these partnerships, educators can access resources, knowledge, and support to create hands-on outdoor learning opportunities, such as acequia restoration projects and sustainable desert farming practices, fostering a deep connection to land and stewardship among students.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will engage with, examine, and apply place-based lessons to engage students in the intersection of STEM and agriculture.

SPEAKERS:
Dixie Cooper

Using a module that was not only featured in the Science and Children Jan/Feb 2025 edition, but received a 2025 South Carolina Growing in STEM Educator Grant, attendees will see how incorporating the four attributes of sensemaking can create an environment where all students achieve mastery of the standard being taught as evidenced through examples of student work/formative assessments and a real world summative experience. Attendees will understand how by building student experiences through the framework for Science Education, and NGSS/state standards, even young students can develop their capabilities all subjects through the lens of STEM education.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will not only see an innovative transdisciplinary sample unit, but have time in the workshop to brainstorm ideas for sensemaking in their classroom/grade level. They will use attributes of sensemaking to support/create their own new/existing classroom experiences benefiting all students.

SPEAKERS:
Melissa Stovall, Emily Wilkey, Fran Carden, Brittany Clark

Dive into the science of microplastics with this presenation designed for science educators across the country. Whether inland or costal, participants will learn practical techniques for extracting microplastics from both water, air and sediment samples using field and classroom-friendly methods. Learn how to bring this critical environmental issue into your curriculum through engaging, inquiry-based activities that align with NGSS standards. From collection to analysis, you'll gain the tools and confidence to guide students in investigating real-world pollution in their local waterways and landscapes. Discover how microplastics impact aquatic ecosystems, human health, and global sustainability—and empower the next generation of environmental stewards through science.

TAKEAWAYS:
Educators will leave with hands-on protocols for extracting and analyzing microplastics from water and sediment, empowering students to explore local environmental issues through scientific investigation.

SPEAKERS:
Dana Schaefer, Mary Kroll, Dianna Gobler

Sponsoring Company: Stile Education

Bring your Science and Engineering Practices (SEPs) to life with captivating, interactive simulations! Dive into a dynamic toolkit filled with powerful, curriculum-aligned digital resources. You'll leave fully equipped with (free!) access to a huge collection of engaging simulations that vividly illustrate science concepts and get students engaging meaningfully with the science and engineering practices, making lessons memorable and meaningful.

SPEAKERS:
Clayton Forest

Sponsoring Company: Bio-Rad Laboratories

In this hands-on workshop, explore how vaping affects the human body at the molecular and genetic levels. Learn how ELISA is used to detect biomarkers of inflammation and oxidative stress and how gel electrophoresis can be used to examine genetic predispositions to vaping-related harm. Analyze real-world case studies and get some fresh ideas for bringing health science into your classroom.

SPEAKERS:
Marisol Gabriel