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: Carolina Biological Supply Co.

Assume the role of a crime scene investigator to solve a realistic crime scenario. Students use fingerprint, hair analysis, tire track impressions, blood typing, forensic entomology, and a police log review to identify a primary suspect from a pool of 6 alleged perpetrators.

SPEAKERS:
Laurie Nixon

There is a critical shortage of professionals in the healthcare industry. This shortage has increased efforts to educate and attract students to the field. With this presentation, we share exemplar lessons and encourage teachers’ involvement in a professional development program aimed at cultivating the next generation of cancer researchers.

TAKEAWAYS:
This session provides attendees with in-depth content and engaging pedagogy related to inquiry-based biomedical career education. This is conveyed through exemplar classroom-ready, hands-on lessons for the middle school classroom that align with actual cancer research and the Next Generation Science Standards.

SPEAKERS:
Gayle Buck

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

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

Sponsoring Company: Carolina Biological Supply Co.

Join the excitement, escape the rat-race, and experience the superior quality of Carolina's Perfect Solution® specimens with our preserved rat dissection! During this hands-on guided dissection, each participant explores the rat’s external anatomy, internal body systems, and individual organs. We also discuss the relationship between structure and function, as well as the interdependence between systems. These specimens are economical, simple to dissect, and great mammalian models for your next lab!

SPEAKERS:
Laurie Nixon

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

Empower students for tomorrow! This workshop highlights the pivotal role of counselors in K-12 computing education. Learn to advise on future tech-related career trends and champion early exposure, CTE, and dual-enrollment pathways in computing. Equip yourself to advocate for these vital opportunities and boost student career readiness.

TAKEAWAYS:
Counselors are key to unlocking future-ready pathways in computing for all K-12 students through early exposure, CTE, and dual enrollment advocacy

SPEAKERS:
MaKenzie Johnson

Sponsoring Company: Carolina Biological Supply Co.

Take a tour through the mammalian heart and trace the path of a blood cell on its journey to oxygenation. Participants take blood pressure readings. Then dissect a preserved sheep heart to model blood flow and connect BP to heart anatomy. Don’t skip a beat - it’s going to be hands-on fun!

SPEAKERS:
Laurie Nixon

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

Unlock problem-solving power! This workshop defines Computational Thinking (CT) and its core components, connecting it directly to ASCA Student Standards for academic and career success. Discover how CT skills enhance learning across all subjects and gain practical strategies to spark student interest in computing and tech careers school-wide. Develop actionable plans to create computing exploration opportunities and engage your entire school community in supporting this vital education.

TAKEAWAYS:
Computational Thinking (CT) builds crucial problem-solving skills relevant across all subjects and careers. Learn practical strategies to cultivate CT and spark interest in computing school-wide.

SPEAKERS:
MaKenzie Johnson

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

This workshop provides actionable plans and encourages CS teachers to embrace counselor collaborations for a diverse, thriving CS Program. Explore the transformative role of school counselors in shaping CS education. Dive into collaborative strategies, understand counselors’ impact, and share unique educator challenges.

TAKEAWAYS:
Counselor collaboration is key to a thriving, diverse CS program. Learn actionable strategies to partner with counselors and boost student engagement.

SPEAKERS:
MaKenzie Johnson

Sensemaking begins with in-depth experiences using rich and relevant phenomena. Food provides powerful motivation for students in making sense of the world around them as they use scientific practices and make real-world connections for how to develop the perfect apple. Join us in a hands-on immersive storyline for how students make sense of the phenomenon for why it took 30 years to engineer the perfect apple. Engaging students’ senses of taste, smell, and feel launches their motivation to think critically and deeply about the food that they eat. Experience how students use the scientific practices and apply the lens of the crosscutting concepts to build STEM ideas around plant reproduction. Discover the design process to build storylines immersing students in real-world phenomena and problems to engage in sensemaking across an entire unit. Deepen your understanding around the design of storylines and learn how to bring those strategies back to your classroom.

TAKEAWAYS:
Unpack how to use phenomena, lesson level performance expectations, and the 3 dimensions of NGSS to scaffold learning for students. Gain access to tools to design authentic storylines that engage students in real-world phenomena and problems framed around food and agriculture driving their learning.

SPEAKERS:
Alicia Burge, Chris Embry Mohr, Jessica Holman

The Career Agricultural Automation Program is a collaboration between the Ventura County Office of Education, Marz Farms, Valu Electric and Somis Union School District that prepares students to thrive in the rapidly evolving agricultural landscape by equipping them with essential knowledge and practical skills. Students engage directly with cutting-edge technologies that are reshaping the industry, including sensor integration, data-driven decision-making, and sustainable farming practices. Through a combination of classroom instruction and real-world application, the program fosters innovation and technical expertise essential for the future of agriculture. Key Components to be Presented: • Curriculum Development and Program Introduction • An overview of agricultural automation and its evolution • The critical role of technology in advancing modern farming practices • Emerging trends shaping the future of agriculture • Hands-On Experience with Automated Systems • Practical appl

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will learn about the operational model of an outdoor based classroom setting.

SPEAKERS:
Jesus Vaca

Unlock Future Pathways: In this engaging workshop we will demystify the rapidly evolving landscape of computer science, technology, AI, and machine learning and how they will impact our students futures. We will go beyond traditional tech roles to reveal how fundamental computing skills are becoming essential across all industries, from healthcare to the arts. Leave equipped to confidently articulate the importance of these skills to students, regardless of their interests. Discover at least three surprising examples of how 'CS+' skills translate into diverse and fulfilling careers, empowering you to broaden students' horizons and guide them toward future success in any field they choose.

TAKEAWAYS:
Computing skills are vital for all future careers, opening diverse pathways beyond traditional tech. Equip students for any field!

SPEAKERS:
MaKenzie Johnson

Sensemaking begins with in-depth experiences using rich and relevant phenomena. Food provides powerful motivation for students in making sense of the world around them as they use scientific practices and make real-world connections for how to develop the perfect apple. Join us in a hands-on immersive storyline for how students make sense of the phenomenon for why it took 30 years to engineer the perfect apple. Engaging students’ senses of taste, smell, and feel launches their motivation to think critically and deeply about the food that they eat. Experience how students use the scientific practices and apply the lens of the crosscutting concepts to build STEM ideas around plant reproduction. Discover the design process to build storylines immersing students in real-world phenomena and problems to engage in sensemaking across an entire unit. Deepen your understanding around the design of storylines and learn how to bring those strategies back to your classroom.

TAKEAWAYS:
Unpack how to use phenomena, lesson level performance expectations, and the 3 dimensions of NGSS to scaffold learning for students. Gain access to tools to design authentic storylines that engage students in real-world phenomena and problems framed around food and agriculture driving their learning.

SPEAKERS:
Alicia Burge, Chris Embry Mohr, Jessica Holman

This session presents a practical model for embedding biotechnology across the high school experience to prepare students for STEM careers. Attendees will learn how to integrate biotech into core and elective science courses using scaffolded lab skills, student-led research, and project-based learning. The approach includes credentialing prep (like BACE), internship partnerships, and original student publications. This session provides tools for engaging students with hands-on science, building career readiness, and aligning with real-world applications. Adaptable to classrooms with limited resources, the strategies support equity and workforce development through authentic biotech education.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will learn to create a multi-year biotech plan, implement hands-on labs and research, use credentials like BACE for career prep, and connect lessons to real-world applications through partnerships and projects.

SPEAKERS:
Christine King, Sarah Mason

Discover how a Chemistry of Foods course can bring STEM to life through real-world connections. This session showcases a transdisciplinary approach to teaching chemistry that engages students by integrating food science concepts. Educators will explore practical strategies for weaving food-related topics into their curriculum and collaborate to brainstorm ideas for other STEM courses that connect science to everyday life and their school communities. Leave with inspiration and actionable ideas to make STEM more relevant, accessible, and exciting for your students.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will learn about implementing a co-taught, standards-based, phenomena-driven high school course.

SPEAKERS:
Fran Stephens

Engaging young students in real world problems begins with engaging teachers with real world scientists and engineers. There are many different approaches to accomplish this goal which this session will explore. The first step in forming connections is discovering where the STEM professionals in your life, school, and community are hiding. Once you connect, there are countless opportunities to bring their expertise and real world problems to your classrooms, some on a very small scale, and others more involved or long term. Many of the universities, companies, and organizations where you find scientists and engineers already have existing programs for K-12 engagement. This can take the form of field trips, classroom visits, afterschool clubs, competitions, or science lesson enhancements to match any curriculum. This session will review concrete examples of these programs and highlight examples of transdisciplinary problems across diverse fields.

TAKEAWAYS:
Teachers will leave the session with actionable steps to make connections with engineers and scientists in their own communities, and ideas for meaningful activities that can be arranged for students to fit a variety of timelines and budgets (some even free!).

SPEAKERS:
Rachele Limberakis, Charlene Tuttle, Olivia Daniello, Valerie Maier-Speredelozzi

First-year science teachers often feel overwhelmed once in their own classroom. Preservice science educators (current college students) and their instructors do the best they can to prepare for this moment, but the best advice comes from individuals that have gone through it themselves. The purpose of this roundtable is to for educators across the nation to share their best piece of advice for the soon-to-be science teacher. You will get to meet with current Biology and Chemistry education students attending Valley City State University, in Valley City ND and help prepare them for their next adventure. Advice including ways to build connections across disciplines and throughout the school is encouraged.

TAKEAWAYS:
This session aims to provide preservice science educators with practical advice and strategies to help them navigate their first year in the classroom successfully.

SPEAKERS:
Megan Lahtonen, Cameron Pero, Michael Ouradnik, Lindsey Kiecker

This presentation highlights the AgroLab Uniandes model in a transdisciplinary aquatic educational facility using the results of a Spring 2024 illustrative case study of an urban secondary school campus. The study traced the evolution and advancement of multiple, non-traditional STEM learning spaces, focusing on their role in fostering hands-on sustainability-driven education. The paludarium tank ecosystem being presented is an aquarium designed to simulate a natural aquatic habitat of the Mid-Atlantic region. The paludarium tank project provides students with the opportunity to learn about local wetland, marsh, and swamp ecosystems through practical hands-on learning. The paludarium project operates year-round with student learning experiences that include monitoring water quality, feeding aquatic wildlife, maintaining terrestrial and aquatic plants, tracking aquarium data, and completing routine maintenance. Assessments and alignment to NGSS standards will be shared.

TAKEAWAYS:
This project’s primary impact on student learning has been the enhancement of their resourcefulness. Students have had to be imaginative, creative, and strategic in transforming a small enclosure into a unique outdoor environment, all while maintaining the inhabitants’ basic needs.

SPEAKERS:
Ray Wu-Rorrer