Buckle up for an energy-packed look into Rocks vs Big Rigs.

Welcome to Class CrunchLabs (CCL), a completely free, NGSS-designed (phenomena and problem-based) curriculum resource composed of short, modular units packed with videos, activities, googly eyes, and serious science sensemaking.

In this session, we’ll join YouTuber Mark Rober and his unit co-hosts as they navigate the Rocks vs Big Rigs storyline [MS-PS3-1 & MS-PS3-5]. We’ll explore how to lead classroom investigations designed by the CrunchLabs toy engineers, teach with interactive video assessments, track student progress using Mission Logs (student portfolios) and reflection activities, plus more.

Curious about teacher and student supports? Our curriculum writers will host these discussions firsthand and answer your questions. We’ll also explore how to customize the curriculum to fit your classroom, all while keeping our eyes on the ultimate goal: sparking student curiosity and boosting creative confidence. Of course, we'll engage in plenty of purposeful play, which may or may not include your very own mini-rigs, ramps, and a gravel bed that may surprise you.

Please Note: Mark Rober will not attend this session, but he may share a video message for early adopters. Don't miss out

TAKEAWAYS:
--Gain a clear understanding of how to implement CCL's NGSS-designed, phenomenon-based science units and promote sensemaking through hands-on investigations into kinetic energy. --Explore effective strategies for using CCL's interactive video assessments, Mission Logs (student portfolios), and reflection activities to track and support student progress. --Discover ways to customize and adapt this playful, engaging curriculum to spark student curiosity and build creative confidence in your classroom.

A hallmark of three-dimensional assessment is making student thinking about a DCI, a CC, and an SEP visible at the same time. In this interactive session, you'll step into the role of a student to experience a model Phenomenon-Driven Task and see how it brings sensemaking to life. Together we will unpack what makes a PDT useful, identify the key features that distinguish it from traditional science assessments, and practice analyzing student responses to reveal patterns in learning. The agenda includes: • What is a PDT and Why Does It Matter? (10 min): Key features of 3D assessment. • Hands-On PDT Experience (30 min): Complete a model task as a learner. • Analyzing Student Responses (10 min): Surface patterns in student thinking. • Design Your Own (5 min): Begin sketching a PDT for your classroom. • Q&A and Next Steps (5 min): Resources and support. You'll leave with strategies for designing meaningful assessments that surface student thinking and inform next steps in instruction.

TAKEAWAYS:
Phenomenon-Driven Tasks mirror three-dimensional instruction and can be used to make students' thinking about and with DCIs, CCs, and SEPs visible at the same time.

SPEAKERS:
Victor Sampson

Purposeful use of quality media can be an engaging strategy for supporting the STEM learning of young learners. Familiar characters can help students build important foundational knowledge and skills such as computational thinking, accessing and creating informational text, and observing and asking questions about the world around them. We will showcase free, standards-aligned media-rich resources that can be seamlessly integrated into the elementary science curriculum. Friends can model how to engage in scientific practices to prepare learners to investigate and make sense of phenomena themselves through three-dimensional instruction. We will highlight how this strategy can be used to support young learners’ investigations into Earth, space, and physical science phenomena.

TAKEAWAYS:
You’ll leave the session with a list of free resources from PBS LearningMedia and ideas for actively engaging your students with media to support science instruction that aligns with the Next Generation Science Standards.

SPEAKERS:
Shawn Stevens

We will showcase newly developed, middle school STEM lessons that interweave Native American stories, language, and culture to positively impact student learning. The lessons are a part of Native Earth | Native Sky (NENS) curriculum that can be accessed through our website and downloaded for free. The poster will showcase cultural connections with STEM, a 5E lesson overview, the pedagogical approaches of Two-Eyed Seeing and Place-Based Learning, implementation strategies, and NASA resources and tools through graphics, illustrations, and text. As we highlight our standards-aligned lessons in the poster presentation, we will include feedback from students and teachers to demonstrate the positive impact of interweaving stories, culture, and language with STEM.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will learn how to connect all students’ cultures to engage students in STEM lessons, using Native American stories as a starting point for standards-based, 5E science lessons and discussion. Attendees will also learn about other free lessons and activities published on our website.

SPEAKERS:
KIRTIKA PANWAR, Kena Hawkins, Kathryn Gardner-Vandy, Sarah McDowell

In rural Alaska, Science becomes most meaningful when it is rooted in place, culture, and lived experienced. This teacher-student collaborative project investigates how locally available resources and subsistence knowledge systems can be integrated into formal science instruction to increase student engagement, conceptual understanding, and scientific identity. Students participated in multiple inquiry-based investigations using materials sourced from their environment, including spruce sap as a potential adhesive, freeze-thaw plant growth systems using lettuce, Do it yourself Pipeline, and Alaskan blueberries as pH paper. These investigations were designed to connect Western scientific methods with Indigenous knowledge systems and rural subsistence practices. This project highlights how place-based, culturally responsive science education can transform student attitudes toward STEM while maintaining rigorous scientific inquiry.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will learn how integrating local subsistence knowledge and hands-on investigations can increase student engagement, strengthen scientific thinking, and make science more meaningful in rural and culturally diverse classrooms.

SPEAKERS:
Adrian Suladay

Bring STEM to life without breaking your budget! In this hands-on session, educators will learn how to guide students in designing, building, and testing balloon-powered cars using recycled and everyday materials. Participants will explore key science concepts such as force, motion, friction, and air resistance while engaging in an engineering design challenge that promotes creativity and problem-solving. Walk away with ready-to-use strategies, classroom management tips, and ideas for differentiating instruction for diverse learners. Perfect for elementary and middle school teachers, this session shows how “trash” can be transformed into high-impact learning that supports standards and excites students.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will learn how to design and facilitate a low-cost, standards-aligned STEM challenge where students build and test balloon-powered cars from recycled materials to explore force, motion, and engineering design.

SPEAKERS:
Daniell Cossey

Quantum science-related career paths are rapidly increasing and reshaping curriculum needs. High school students need access now to quality quantum resources to be prepared for their future. Engage in a hands-on introduction to the PhET Interactive Simulations project’s Quantum Education Initiative, which includes a growing suite of free, research-based simulations and classroom-ready activities designed for high school physical science. Participants will engage as learners with newly updated simulations (Photoelectric Effect, Alpha & Beta Decay, Models of the Hydrogen Atom, Quantum Wave Interference, and others), then work through two model activities from the initiative database. Leave with lesson plans, student handouts, and implementation tips you can use next week. You will also learn how you can join the community for this multi-year effort.

TAKEAWAYS:
Teachers will leave ready to bring quantum science into physics, chemistry, or Earth science classrooms using free, classroom-tested simulations and ready-to-use activities from PhET’s Quantum Education Initiative.

SPEAKERS:
Brett Fiedler, Katherine Perkins

"This session will demonstrate a classroom-tested approach for teaching series and parallel circuits through hands-on materials, mathematical reasoning, and digital simulations. Participants will experience how a simple circuit kit can introduce key concepts such as brightness, current distribution, and the effect of removing a bulb in a series circuit. The session will also highlight how students use calculations to determine total resistance, voltage drops, and current flow. The presenter will show how the PhET Circuit Construction Kit simulation supports verification, modeling, and deeper conceptual understanding. The session will end with a look at a culminating engineering design challenge where students design and build a functional house prototype using series and parallel circuits. An optional competition format where students present their prototypes to judges for evaluation will also be discussed. "

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will learn a complete, classroom-tested way to teach series and parallel circuits using hands-on kits, math reasoning, PhET simulations, and a student house‑prototype design challenge.

SPEAKERS:
JOANNA MARIE DE BORJA, Kelly Feille

Diminished conceptual understanding of core concepts in physics and calculus acts as a primary barrier to STEM persistence. Students frequently struggle to apply theoretical concepts which lead to lower retention in STEM majors. This presentation will focus on how educators can enhance understanding and build connections between various metrics in sports and foundational concepts of math and physical science. Utilization of affordable sensor technology to capture real student/athlete generated data in sport settings such as golf and baseball will help educators visualize how to bring these concepts into their classrooms. The application of various Artificial Intelligence platforms to manipulate student/athlete generated data in various functions and calculations in math and science will be covered and a case study presented. Finally, pilot data demonstrates how conceptual understanding of core concepts in calculus and physics is improved through presented methods.

TAKEAWAYS:
Learn how sports analytics connects calculus and physics through real athlete-generated data, affordable sensors, and AI tools. Explore how students can apply math and science concepts to analyze performance, solve problems, and deepen conceptual understanding in authentic sports scenarios.

SPEAKERS:
Timothy Goodale

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:
Kenneth Cecire, Shane Wood

Interactive notebooks are powerful tools that physically relate activities to concepts which supports student construction of the lesson arc. Use of dynamic manipulatives, particularly with structured inquiry, provides more opportunities for illustrating relationships and making deep connections than static artifacts. Integrating these components in a notebook provides permanent scaffolds for content and support for continuing review and engagement with the material. Ready-to-use templates and examples, suitable for courses ranging from physical science through chemistry I and AP Chemistry will be shared. Attendees will be encouraged to make and take a variety of examples, ranging from stand alone activities to notebook-ready page layouts. All materials were created by and have been published on Chemical Education Xchange by the presenter, and are freely available for download. Student-made interactive notebook examples will also be available for review and discussion.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will experience several mini-lessons from the student perspective using interactive notebook pages and manipulatives to explore the impact of these artifacts on the classroom experience. Participants will then be able to self-select stations to make and take manipulatives.

SPEAKERS:
Nora Walsh

Learn how to use the Uncovering Student Ideas probes in an explore-before-explain instructional sequence to support a classroom where all students' ideas matter!

TAKEAWAYS:
Learn about a new NSTA press resource for formative assessment and explore-before-explain teaching.

SPEAKERS:
Patrick Brown

How can students design technologies that measure and reduce damage from collisions while learning the science behind contact forces? In this interactive session, experience how OpenSciEd + Computer Science integrates coding, sensors, and engineering design into a middle school science unit on Contact Forces. Step into the role of students as you investigate why some collisions cause damage while others do not, using sensor systems to collect and analyze force data. See how students design and program technologies that measure forces and help minimize damage from collisions. Discover how coding helps students unlock the “black box” of technology, seeing how it works as they build it, while deepening science understanding. Ideal for current OpenSciEd users and those new to the curriculum.

TAKEAWAYS:
Experience how students use coding, sensors, and engineering design to unlock the “black box” of technology while designing solutions to measure and reduce damage from collisions through phenomenon-based science learning

SPEAKERS:
Kristy Lathrop

How can students use technology to investigate how sound is produced, detected, and modified while learning the science behind sound systems? In this interactive session, experience how OpenSciEd + Computer Science integrates coding, sensors, data analysis, and modeling into a middle school science unit on Sound Waves. Step into the role of students as you investigate how sound causes things to move using micro:bits and digital tools to collect and analyze wave data. See how students modify MakeCode programs to synthesize sounds, analyze wave patterns, and explore how sound technologies work. Discover how coding helps students unlock the “black box” of technology, seeing how it works as they build and modify sound-based systems, while deepening science understanding. Ideal for current OpenSciEd users and those new to the curriculum.

TAKEAWAYS:
Experience how students use coding, sensors, and sound technologies to unlock the “black box” of technology while investigating how sound is produced, detected, modified, and used in the world around us

SPEAKERS:
Kristy Lathrop

Contact forces might be all around us, but the juicy nuggets in this unit help them make sense. This session helps you uncover key features in Carnival of Collisions that make it easier to plan, teach, and guide students through puzzling ideas like balanced and unbalanced forces, motion, and collisions. We will walk through the built-in teacher tools, prompts, and routines that support deep thinking and epic classroom moments. Whether students are knocking down bowing pins or smashing watermelons, you will leave with ready-to-use moves that help the learning stick.

TAKEAWAYS:
Discover classroom-ready tools in Carnival of Collisions that help students explore contact forces and investigate what really happens when objects crash, bounce, or come to a sudden stop.

SPEAKERS:
Spencer Martin

Why does food in a solar cooker end up overcooked, undercooked, or just right? In this session, educators will explore the juicy nuggets inside the Class CrunchLabs Solar Cook-Off unit that help students make sense of energy transfer, particle motion, temperature, and thermal energy. Through hands-on investigations, modeling routines, discussion strategies, and classroom-ready teacher supports, participants will experience how students build explanations for how and why different foods cook differently in solar cookers. We will highlight the embedded tools, prompts, and sensemaking routines that support three-dimensional learning and student-driven investigation. Whether students are testing reflectors, comparing what factors affect how materials heat up, or debating how energy moves through a system, attendees will leave with practical strategies and engaging ideas they can immediately bring into their classrooms.

TAKEAWAYS:
Discover classroom-ready strategies and tools that help students investigate thermal energy transfer and explain why different foods cook differently in solar cookers.

SPEAKERS:
Spencer Martin

Experience a classroom-ready engineering challenge that integrates physical science and the Engineering Design Process. In this session, participants will investigate the wheel and axle as a simple machine by designing, building, and testing rubber band-powered cars. Through hands-on experimentation, participants will explore how wheel size influences speed, distance traveled, and motion. They will make predictions, conduct trial runs, measure distances, and collect data to identify patterns and draw evidence-based conclusions. By analyzing results and refining their designs, participants will develop an understanding of force, friction, motion, and energy transfer while strengthening their problem-solving, critical thinking, scientific reasoning skills, and increasing their fluency in using the Engineering Design Process. Attendees will leave with the knowledge, materials, and confidence to implement this hands-on STEM investigation in their own classrooms.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will build, test, and optimize a rubber band-powered car while collecting and analyzing data to determine how wheel size affects speed and distance, leaving with a classroom-ready engineering design challenge.

SPEAKERS:
Toby Bothel, Nicole Mills

Get ready to channel your inner builder. In this 2-hour session, you will learn how to teach the kinetic energy hands-on classroom challenges created by the CrunchLabs toy engineers, the same crew behind some of Mark Rober’s most memorable builds. These challenges are more than just fun. They power deeper science understanding and give students the chance to design, test, and think like engineers. We will walk through how to launch a challenge, organize your space, support student testing, and help learners reflect on what they discovered. You will leave with practical strategies to keep the mess under control, the ideas flowing, and the energy high.

TAKEAWAYS:
Get practical strategies for setting up and running CrunchLabs classroom challenges. These hands-on experiences build student confidence, creativity, and sensemaking skills.

SPEAKERS:
Spencer Martin

As states implement sweeping computer science (CS) and digital literacy mandates, science educators face a critical challenge: how do we transition middle schoolers from passive screen consumption to active technological creation without causing instructional overload? This session introduces an innovative, low-barrier framework that cross-walks foundational CS principles—like algorithmic flow, database logic gates, and nested logic—directly into existing physical science labs. By protecting the first 40 minutes for tactile, hands-on inquiry and introducing a strategic, 10-minute digital collaboration layer at the end, educators deepen 3D science sensemaking while seamlessly meeting state tech requirements. Participants will analyze authentic student artifacts, walk through an integrated pacing sequence, and receive a plug-and-play toolkit featuring cross-walk templates, rubric frames, and access to a complimentary professional credential resource.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will master a frictionless 10-minute digital protocol to integrate algorithmic thinking and cloud database logic directly into existing hands-on science labs, meeting state computer science mandates simultaneously without causing instructional or pacing schedule overload.

SPEAKERS:
Moni Singh

How can chemistry feel more relevant, coherent, and connected to the real world across an entire course? In this session, participants will explore a year-long chemistry course redesigned around Earth and Space Science phenomena anchored in NGSS storylines. Rather than treating chemistry as a sequence of isolated units, this approach uses compelling phenomena—such as climate change, stellar life-cycles, geomorphology, and water quality—as the driving narrative structure for learning. Participants will experience how chemistry content standards can be purposefully embedded into Earth and Space Science contexts to build coherence and deepen conceptual understanding. We will also examine how storylines support student sensemaking, increase engagement, and create authentic opportunities for modeling and explanation.

TAKEAWAYS:
We will explore how the use of Earth & Space phenomena make the abstract world of chemistry more visible and equitable for students.

SPEAKERS:
Christine Gustafson

The tech tool is designed to help preservice science teachers (PSTs) practice STP 1.1: Selecting or sequencing age-appropriate, grade-level instructional goals or big ideas for a topic that explicitly involve developing, using, and revising models for MS‑PS2‑5 PSTs play the role of a new teacher planning a 3–4 lesson sequence. They first interpret MS‑PS2‑5 and choose among alternative big‑idea framings, revealing whether they see the PE as primarily about “doing a lab” or about using evidence to support and refine a model of fields. Next, they select from competing lesson goals: some low‑level (recall, definitions, confirmatory labs) and some 3D (students develop, use, and revise field models to design, interpret, and critique investigations). Each choice triggers feedback and classroom vignettes that make the consequences of their selections visible. Finally, PSTs sequence their chosen goals and see outcomes that highlight coherent vs. fragmented modeling progressions.

TAKEAWAYS:
Preservice science teachers (PSTs) practice STP 1.1 for MS‑PS2‑5 by choosing and sequencing lesson goals that move beyond recall toward 3D learning, in which students develop, use, and revise models of fields to design, interpret, and critique investigations of non‑contact forces.

SPEAKERS:
Jaclyn Murray

Purposeful use of quality digital resources can enrich science instruction and remove barriers to support the learning of all students. We will demonstrate how free media-rich resources can provide strategies for engaging all K–12 learners in instruction aligned with the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). See how supplemental digital resources can provide opportunities to investigate a broad range of phenomena; visualize data in unique ways; and actively engage in scientific practices to make sense of the world around us. We will showcase strategies for using the digital media and accompanying materials to support all students, including multilingual learners and students with disabilities, in meeting level-appropriate Earth, space, and physical science learning goals.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will leave with ideas for actively engaging their students in NGSS-aligned instruction through free media-rich resources from PBS LearningMedia to create an inclusive science classroom.

SPEAKERS:
Shawn Stevens

NSF NOIRLab’s educational programs serve to inspire future professional scientists, engineers, and technologists and to engage the general public in a deeper understanding of our Universe. The goal of NOIRLab’s education programs is to enhance the science literacy of all students and to demonstrate the value of astronomical research to society. NOIRLab’s educational staff have developed a variety of educational resources that are available free to educators and the public. Learn about our programs including the Teen Astronomy Cafe To Go, 88+ Constellations, and the Multiwavelength Universe. These programs bring authentic astronomical data and images to the classroom. Our citizen science program Globe at Night lets students gather data about light pollution that is used in authentic research. All educator materials have been designed to support the Next Generation Science Standards and are available in multiple languages.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will learn about a variety of free educational programs and online resources available for their classrooms that bring the excitement of NOIRLab science to their students including using authentic data in the classroom and citizen science.

SPEAKERS:
Robert Sparks

A presentation of low-cost ideas for Middle School, Chemistry, and ICP lessons using low-cost materials for mini- science labs and demonstrations. Concepts discussed will be the classification of matter, identifying chemical reactions, and calculations from chemical reactions. Materials for the activities are found in Dollar Tree and Walmart. Other concepts discussed will be how to keep students' interest when tackling scientific terms, concepts, or ideas.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will see how a single lesson can be applied in various contexts across Chemistry concepts.

SPEAKERS:
Tsianina McCain

This proposal recommends science lessons for grades 6–8. Students explain the transformations of matter & energy in chemical reactions using household products like baking soda & vinegar. Teachers receive low prep lessons that develop students' thinking & cognitive engagement, promote scientific discourse, & build connections between green chemistry & real-world sustainability. Lesson 1: What Is a Chemical Reaction? — Observe phenomena & identify evidence. (Anchor Phenomenon) Lesson 2: Mass Before & After — Investigate mass conservation. Analyze data. (Matter and its Interactions- particle model) Lesson 3: Gas in a Reaction — Explore how gases are produced or used. (Energy and Matter) Building thinking classroom strategies: collaborate in random groups, use non-permanent vertical surfaces (VNPS), maintain flow by providing hints & extensions, & ask thinking questions. Evidence of Student Learning: CER responses, drawings on VNPS, & listening to student conversations.

TAKEAWAYS:
Build Thinking Science classrooms through the lens of green chemistry with low-prep, classroom-ready lessons your students will relate to.

SPEAKERS:
Aparna Chandra

When runaway trucks enter the classroom, they bring the kind of chaos, danger, and mayhem that immediately makes students want to figure out how something so massive and fast can actually be stopped. The juicy nuggets in this unit help students uncover the science behind those ideas.This session helps you uncover key features in the Rocks vs Big Rigs unit that make it easier to plan, teach, and guide students through puzzling questions like: How can tiny pieces of gravel stop huge semis? And why are faster trucks harder to stop than heavier ones? We will walk through the built-in teacher tools, prompts, and routines that support deep thinking and epic classroom moments. Whether students are testing mini rigs of different weights on ramps or sending trucks crashing into rice beds, you’ll leave with ready-to-use moves that help the learning stick.

TAKEAWAYS:
Discover classroom-ready tools that help students explore kinetic energy and investigate what makes some things harder to stop than others.

SPEAKERS:
Spencer Martin

Ever wish Mark Rober could co-teach your class? This session shows how Class CrunchLabs uses video, voice, and story to spark curiosity and launch rigorous learning. We will break down how to introduce a storyline, use Mark’s videos as authentic investigation starters, and weave hands-on challenges through episodes of science and engineering. You will also get a peek behind the scenes at how the team builds each unit to help students explain ‘the how’ after experiencing ‘the wow.’ Optional bonus: watermelon smashing included.

TAKEAWAYS:
See how NGSS storylines, teacher supports, and Mark Rober’s videos work together to launch engaging science units that get students asking questions and thinking like scientists from day one.

SPEAKERS:
Spencer Martin

Wondering where familiar physics topics like Newton's laws, energy conservation, and kinematics fit into OpenSciEd High School Physics? In this interactive session, participants will explore how and why these traditional topics are thoughtfully woven into OpenSciEd's six physics units. Through examples from across the course, participants will examine how concepts such as forces, momentum, energy, waves, electricity, and magnetism are integrated into coherent storylines that support student sensemaking while maintaining rigor. For example, students develop ideas about unbalanced forces and energy transfer in P.2 and apply them in P.3 to investigate momentum and Newton's second law. These ideas are then extended to explain gravity, orbits, and electromagnetic radiation. Participants will leave with a deeper understanding of how OpenSciEd blends essential physics content with engaging, phenomenon-driven learning.

TAKEAWAYS:
Discover how "traditional" physics topics are incorporated into OpenSciEd High School Physics storylines without giving away students' aha moments and still mantaining rigor.

SPEAKERS:
Kristy Lathrop

Through the use of primary sources, inquiry explorations, and STEM strategies, STEM Stories engage elementary students. Teachers get free access to booklets that guide students in active learning activities.

TAKEAWAYS:
STEM Stories include student booklets and teacher guides ready for immediate classroom use. Investigations using common household materials to maximize learning and engagement.

SPEAKERS:
Laurie Boulden

A high yield practice (HYP) is based upon John Hattie’s research from Visible Learning (2009) that consistently leads to gains in student learning. These practices represent the best return on investment for instructional time, planning, and collaboration. While there are numerous HYPs, one of the strongest influences on student achievement is teacher clarity. In this interactive session, science educators will explore what teacher clarity looks like in an NGSS-aligned classroom and how it can increase student engagement, sensemaking, and achievement. Participants will examine practical strategies for making learning intentions, success criteria, scientific thinking, and classroom expectations more explicit for students. Through real classroom examples, collaborative discussion, and ready-to-use tools, teachers will learn how clarity can support all learners, including multilingual learners and students with diverse learning needs.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will leave with immediately implementable strategies for improving communication, structuring student discourse, clarifying complex scientific concepts, and increasing student ownership of learning for deeper science understanding.

SPEAKERS:
Lisa Pavic

Getting tired of the same forensics activities but don't know how to spice it up? Interested in AI but don't know how to get it to produce what you need? I got you! This presentation will show you FREE AI tools that can kick your forensics lessons in to high gear! Increase engagement and have some fun while learning how to use AI in your forensics classroom.

TAKEAWAYS:
Teachers leave with several free AI tools as well as lessons created using these tools. Everything is ready to implement right away!

SPEAKERS:
Jessica Mullen

In this hands-on session, participants will explore how to emphasize the “T” in STEM by integrating simple microcontrollers into authentic scientific inquiry. Attendees will use microcontrollers as accessible measuring tools to collect real-time data, observe patterns, and support evidence-based explanations. Through short inquiry investigations, we will examine how technology can deepen students’ understanding of scientific concepts while building their confidence with computational thinking. This session is designed for beginners and those looking to expand their STEM toolkit with meaningful, manageable technology integration.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will use microcontrollers and scientific inquiry to give students a hands-on experience with a technological tool that has sensor integration. The investigation will show the three dimensions and how the microcontroller can be a tool that drives modern STEM exploration.

SPEAKERS:
Susan German