View the results of a case study highlighting engineering, problem-solving, creativity, and SEL in a first-grade classroom. Presentation includes research, data, pictures, assessments, and student artifacts. Learn why research supports immersing young learners in science and engineering practices.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will see a summary of research, data sets, and student work from a recent onsite first-grade case study in engineering. Experience and evidence support the research that schools need to include science and engineering in the early learning curricular lineup.

SPEAKERS:
Pam Nolan-Beasley

Using a nation-wide college student dataset, this study examines the gender disparities in academic self-concept for undergraduate students in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) majors and investigates college experiences affecting academic self-concept in this population.

TAKEAWAYS:
Findings show that overall college satisfaction is the strongest positive predictor of academic self-concept for STEM college students, and that institutions and their members should strive to facilitate satisfactory and educationally meaningful college experiences for these students.

SPEAKERS:
Cameron Conn

This poster will share how science museums and informal spaces can address epistemic injustice by considering the narratives these spaces create about science, and how this can disenfranchise (or engage) groups who are often already marginalized from knowledge production.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will learn about epistemic injustice, or the exclusion and marginalization of groups from knowledge production, and the ways in which we highlight contributions to science. We’ll share examples from a qualitative research project of a science history museum.

SPEAKERS:
Debi Hanuscin, Ariela Ikezawa

Experience the “real” feel of working in a lab from the physical layout to the various “tasks” performed. Take on the role of a scientist/engineer and conduct scientific studies with a prototype. Catch a glimpse of an Army lab in action and learn how equipment used by our troops is developed.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will have an opportunity to use virtual reality goggles and applications to explore a technological alternative to hands-on scientific inquiry and engineering design processes. Information about eCYBERMISSION and programs administered by NSTA and sponsored by AEOP will be available.

SPEAKERS:
Christine Moskalik, Brian Kutsch

Hear how an elements project integrates technology, literacy, and arts into the study of atomic structure and the periodic table.

TAKEAWAYS:
Student-generated learning project that can be done at any level by any student, which integrates STEAM in the physical science curriculum.

SPEAKERS:
Elizabeth Weissman

Receive practical ideas to integrate computational thinking (CT) into K-5 science, mathematics, and English Language Arts curriculum.

TAKEAWAYS:
Learn examples about how to integrate STEM, Literacy, and Computational Thinking into everyday lessons. Different technological tools available for educators.

SPEAKERS:
Chelsie Pratt, Michaela Slagle, Dylan Singleton, Chihche Tai

Climate change can affect us all differently, but it is still the biggest threat to humanity on our planet. Learn how engaging in STEM projects can elevate student voices and hope for the future through climate action.

TAKEAWAYS:
Get ideas on how to incorporate STEM projects while teaching Climate Change and Environmental Science.

SPEAKERS:
Jessica Kohout

CLEAN is a climate education project that supports educators of all types to bring climate and energy topics into their teaching. CLEAN stewards a collection of nearly 900 resources including videos, visualizations, and activities that are reviewed by scientists and educators and easily searchable.

TAKEAWAYS:
Through our resource collection, teaching guidance pages, and network, we work to center people, place, and science in climate education. CLEAN offers educators multiple perspectives and ways to understand the challenges, relationships, responsibilities, and solutions for climate change.

SPEAKERS:
Kathryn Boyd, Patrick Chandler

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

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

SPEAKERS:
Audrey Hughes

Classrooms engage with the Float Your Boat program by decorating small wooden boats to deploy on the Arctic sea ice alongside a parent buoy and then track its path across the northern top of the planet. Students learn about Arctic Ocean circulation, its sea-ice cover, and how it’s changing.

TAKEAWAYS:
Students engage with the Float Your Boat program fostering connections with the Arctic sea ice, ocean circulation, and its changing conditions. This International Arctic Buoy Programme project reaches numerous young people annually around the world, expanding their understanding of the Arctic Ocean.

SPEAKERS:
Sarah Johnson

Using a garden based, STEAM integrated lesson, participants will view a poster to explore how much rain their area receives and how much water their garden needs to thrive.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will explore how much rain their area receives and determine how much water is needed for a garden to thrive. They will be provided the lesson plans and resources and discuss how this activity could be implemented. Participants will see how the lesson connects students to nature.

SPEAKERS:
Katherine Vela, Michelle Parslow

How to use Rube Goldberg contraptions to teach physics and physical science.

TAKEAWAYS:
Create a fun way for students to learn about simple machines and apply those concepts to a hands-on interactive project.

SPEAKERS:
Godwyn Morris

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

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

SPEAKERS:
Ashton Trawinski, Megan White

How can community partnerships inspire youth to explore locally relevant environmental issues? Learn how to activate untapped resources within your STEM ecosystem and build community partnerships to provide real-world connections to student investigations and exposure to STEM careers.

TAKEAWAYS:
Learn how to build a network of community partnerships that can support efforts to increase youth interest in STEM careers. This poster describes a toolkit that you can use to develop a STEM partnership program to bring together students and STEM professionals from your community.

SPEAKERS:
Melissa Rummel

Denver science instructional leaders use research evidence to design a curriculum audit tool to support meeting their district's equity goals.

TAKEAWAYS:
Research on equitable instructional practices can be used to design tools to support moving toward system-wide goals for equity in science classrooms.

SPEAKERS:
Elizabeth Johnston, Keyerria Howard

eCYBERMISSION is a free virtual STEM competition for grades 6-9 that offers standards-aligned resources, grants for teachers and thousands of dollars in awards for students. eCYBERMISSION fosters critical thinking and creativity while preparing students for the future.

TAKEAWAYS:
eCYBERMISSION is a free virtual STEM competition for grades 6-9 that offers standards-aligned resources, grants for teachers, and awards for students. eCYBERMISSION provides educators the resources to foster critical thinking and creativity while preparing students for the future.

SPEAKERS:
Carey Dieleman, Lora Gibbons, Laura Stary, Kelly McDonald, Brian Kutsch

Student engagement has been linked to increased persistence in STEM. In this poster presentation, I will share the results of my research on the effects of integrating course-based research experiences into high school biological science courses on student engagement in STEM.

TAKEAWAYS:
The main takeaway from this session is that integrating course-based research experiences into the curriculum is important in STEM courses, as it can lead to increased student engagement, which is associated with persistence in STEM.

SPEAKERS:
Shawndra Fordham

This poster will specifically discuss the implementation of information literacy into an upper-division inorganic chemistry lab and the strategies employed to improve students’ information literacy in the laboratory courses.

TAKEAWAYS:
Strategies to develop information literacy practices in STEM classrooms need to be explicitly taught. These explicit activities need to familiarize students with concepts, as well as provide specific scaffolding to support its implementation.

SPEAKERS:
Matilynn Lam, Katy Miller

Access to supplies is often a barrier to learning, yet amazing projects can be made with just paper, tape, and scissors. Learn how to transform paper into creative roller coasters, catapults, windmills, and dozens of other hands-on engineering projects.

TAKEAWAYS:
You don't need expensive equipment to do hands-on interactive projects.

SPEAKERS:
Godwyn Morris

AI integration in STEM education enhances learning, fosters critical thinking, and empowers educators. STEM-ified instruction is developed to ensure students are well-prepared for STEM challenges in our Technological world.

TAKEAWAYS:
Integrating AI into STEM education enhances learning, critical thinking, and teacher empowerment. It offers STEM-ified instruction and practical learning experiences, preparing students for the STEM-driven future. Professional development is essential for effective AI integration.

SPEAKERS:
DAISY MAE BONGTIWON

Information literacy (IL) is an essential skillset in the digital era, making it important to develop throughout students' academic careers. However, the ethical topics of IL may be difficult to introduce to younger students. We identify the possible challenges and provide strategies to tackle them.

TAKEAWAYS:
Educators face several challenges teaching elementary students ethical information usage. To combat this, we have devised a few strategies that can make this aspect of information literacy easier to develop in younger students.

SPEAKERS:
Christopher Randles, Matilynn Lam

Come learn about how the FREE Explore the Salish Sea curriculum supports culturally responsive elementary science teaching through engaging students in using Western and Indigenous knowledge to solve local environmental problems.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will learn about culturally responsive elementary science teaching through concrete examples from Explore the Salish Sea, a place- and project-based science curriculum aligned with the NGSS. Lessons are freely available and customizable.

SPEAKERS:
Josie Melton, Debi Hanuscin

Participants engaged in experiential learning with an avatar-based virtual platform to facilitate guardian-teacher conferences. During this poster, curriculum examples from the professional learning experience will be shared, along with character development and participant reflections.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will take away recommendations for leveraging technology such as Mursion in teacher education.

SPEAKERS:
Chelsea McClure

Introduce students to research and the power of “big data!” Learn about an exciting, new, publicly available biomedical database and the All of Us Research Program that makes it possible. Find classroom resources that support using the database in class.

TAKEAWAYS:
The All of Us Research Program is building the largest, most diverse biomedical database of its kind. The program is making de-identified, aggregated data from the database available to the public through a Data Browser and providing resources to help students navigate it.

SPEAKERS:
Molly Malone

Gaining meaningful access to a discipline requires students to engage with multiple literacies. Here we report on a study investigating postsecondary faculties interpretations, implementations, and assessment of information literacy in university classrooms.

TAKEAWAYS:
Embedding information literacy (IL) practices in postsecondary chemistry classrooms will require significant curriculum and professional development to support faculty to implement IL practices in their classroom, given faculty temporal and capability restrictions.

SPEAKERS:
Matilynn Lam

This poster session will provide examples of activities that build language comprehension skills for English Learners. Activities will help connect science content to background knowledge while thinking critically about scientific concepts using informational text, visuals, and hands-on exploration.

TAKEAWAYS:
They will learn about a scaffolded set of activities designed to build language comprehension skills using a science concept.

SPEAKERS:
Amanda Die

This session will illustrate how Science and Engineering Practices "Can I… Did I…" reflection questions can help create a common language in science for school communities. These questions were created in collaboration with Boston Public Schools science teachers and Science Department staff.

TAKEAWAYS:
Students use the reflection questions to think and share about how they are acting like scientists in the classroom. Teachers utilize them as tools to help integrate SEP in a developmentally appropriate manner. Families use them to engage in conversations about science/engineering outside of school.

SPEAKERS:
Juanita Shaffer, Theresa Lee

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

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

SPEAKERS:
Shoshanna Kroeger

This session will take a deeper look at experiential physics courses. We’ll evaluate the impacts of peer questioning in terms of supporting deep content learning, providing differentiated instruction for advanced students, and affecting attitudes of science as measured by CLASS survey.

TAKEAWAYS:
Session participants will explore the impacts of peer questioning as a learning strategy in high school science courses and take away concrete strategies for implementing peer questioning in their own science courses.

SPEAKERS:
Michael Sarbanes

Learn how to implement a Quick Quiz system to provide consistent and timely feedback to your students, as well as guide your instruction. Students can replace formative Quick Quiz scores by showing mastery by the Summative assessment. Stop checking homework, and start Quick Quizzing!

TAKEAWAYS:
Use daily formative quizzing to allow teacher and students to understand where they are in the learning process, and to drive instruction. We will share our system for making this easy on both teachers and students, and detail how a redemption policy makes these Quizzes a true Formative assessment.

SPEAKERS:
Kimberlee Freudenberg

This action research investigates the impact of job-embedded professional learning (focused on using science and literacy strategies in the science classroom) on the performance and achievement of students, and the effectiveness of the science teacher.

TAKEAWAYS:
The key takeaways will include a suite of strategies and interventions that can be implemented district-wide or at the classroom level. These strategies focus on the intersection of science and literacy, and how they interplay in the science classroom and curriculum.

SPEAKERS:
Marissa Murdock

Wondering about ways to use 3-D printing pens with your students? Practice using a 3-D pen to create a small but STEM-tastic model or design to use in your classroom. Explore the possibilities of using the engineering design process to solve real-world problems with creativity and a new tech gadget.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will have an opportunity to use a 3D pen to make (and take) a small model or design for the classroom, using a provided pattern or an original design. Information about eCYBERMISSION and programs administered by NSTA and sponsored by AEOP will be available.

SPEAKERS:
Carey Dieleman, Brian Kutsch

Inspired to bring joy to our students through authentic STEM investigations that are culturally and historically responsive, we collaborated to create a common framework for planning learning experiences.

TAKEAWAYS:
Having a dedicated STEM resource for teachers helps to streamline the curriculum and give teachers ideas for incorporating STEM in ways that are accessible to all students and mindful of a K-5 teacher’s workload.

SPEAKERS:
Elcilia Taveras, Meera Rajani, Carmen King, Susannah Waksberg

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

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

SPEAKERS:
Loris Chen

Through scientific ocean drilling, we have made countless discoveries about Earth’s history, climate change, and the origin of life, but we often forget the people who make it all possible. TALES FROM THE DEEP partners with StoryCorps to humanize complex science through the stories of those at sea.

TAKEAWAYS:
Free multimedia classroom resources, including audio narratives from the people involved in scientific ocean drilling and associated activities and worksheets, allow students to interact with the people who participate in complex science and engage in sensemaking about geoscience concepts.

SPEAKERS:
Maya Pincus

The TeachEngineering Digital Library is a free, online collection of K-12 curricular STEM resources. Our goal is to help educators put the ‘E’ in STEM— by making applied science, technology, and math come alive through engineering design and design thinking.

TAKEAWAYS:
TeachEngineering provides 1,850+ free STEM curricular resources focusing on hands-on, standards-aligned activities for K-12 students.

SPEAKERS:
Jennifer Kracha, Dua Chaker, Ellen Sukovich

The poster will highlight and discuss some of the valuable technology resources that played a key role in allowing teachers to provide students with an equitable learning experience during the pandemic and how they can continue to be utilized as we return to the post-pandemic classroom.

TAKEAWAYS:
The poster will discuss strategies using tools such as Classkick, Gimkit, Blooket, and Edpuzzle to differentiate instruction in the classroom while encouraging persistence and achievement in students.

SPEAKERS:
Selene Verhofstad, Faryal Shaukat

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

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

SPEAKERS:
Theodore Jones III, Christopher Wisniewski

As teachers we know students can verbalize a correct response, but when posing with the same question and asking for a written response, students often do not answer in the same ways they did verbally. So, where is the disconnect?

TAKEAWAYS:
The objective of this session is to explore how teachers can improve students' writing in science classes. We will explore how to help students transfer the verbal response to the written in order to help improve students’ ability to write in the discipline of science.

SPEAKERS:
Lisa Neesemann, Catherine Walsh

Explore 10 strategies to cultivate an immersive classroom measurement climate full of application opportunities that reinforce scale, proportion, and quantity. This poster shares solutions to build all students proficiency as they apply the International System of Units (SI) measurements in STEM.

TAKEAWAYS:
It’s easy to learn and teach the metric system. Participants will identify how to obtain a free NIST SI Teacher Kit, supplemental learning activities, and other digital resources.

SPEAKERS:
Elizabeth Benham

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

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

SPEAKERS:
Heidi Tarus

Learn how media can enrich science instruction and provide opportunities to engage all students, including English learners and students with disabilities, in three dimensional learning while making science content more meaningful to them.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will leave with a list of resources and ideas for actively engaging their students with phenomena through media, and tips for creating an inclusive science classroom.

SPEAKERS:
Shawn Stevens

How can food and cooking encourage students to connect science concepts to their everyday lives, communities, and global issues? What can this look like in a science classroom? See examples of lessons and multimedia resources you can use to use this approachable, accessible medium to teach science.

TAKEAWAYS:
Teachers will learn about resources that include videos, lesson plans, labs, and readings that they can use to teach science through food and cooking. Resources target grade levels 6-12. They will also learn how a building community of teachers is using these resources and see a sample lesson.

SPEAKERS:
Meredith Moore, Mary Velasquez, Kate Strangfeld

This poster presents a protocol for the microscale iodine-starch test that requires significantly less hands-on manipulations and can be performed within 10 minutes. It describes how this protocol can be used to teach middle school students how to design and evaluate more complex experimental designs.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will learn how to conduct microscale iodine-starch tests with their students. They will also learn how to design worksheets that encourage students to think about designing and interpreting the results of more complex experimental designs (e.g., multivariate experimental designs).

SPEAKERS:
Kennedy Kam Ho CHAN

Explore free WATERS student-centered activities and models for middle school classrooms for learning water concepts and building water career awareness. Students predict the likelihood that water will follow one pathway over another and to trace the connections among groundwater, surface water and

TAKEAWAYS:
The lessons include these learning activities: discover your local watershed; learn about your stream organisms; test your local water chemistry; manipulate water models; explore your schoolyard; investigate your schoolyard; model improvements to your schoolyard; and create a road map to action.

SPEAKERS:
Carolyn Staudt

Networks matter. Creating professional networks is challenged by time, space, and resources. Learn how facilitated networking with STEM experts, education researchers, and other teachers improved our earth and environmental science teaching and made student learning more relevant and engaging.

TAKEAWAYS:
Effective, quality teachers need a collaborative network. Building a comprehensive network includes professionals within and beyond the educational sphere. Attendees will learn about the importance of teacher networks and strategies for building their own network to enhance curriculum development.

SPEAKERS:
Alyssa Weisenstein, Angela Zier

Using blocks teachers will find ready to use activities that will include several integral science practices students need to succeed.

TAKEAWAYS:
Hands-on activities that will solidify otherwise stagnant concepts in introductory science practices.

SPEAKERS:
Chris Coker

Embark on a journey of empowering students through invention and intellectual property with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Our poster presentation invites you to explore the vast landscape of educational resources, dynamic professional development, and EquIP HQ.

TAKEAWAYS:
Elevate your expertise in how invention education engages students in real-world problem-solving and is a transdisciplinary approach to learning, meeting NGSS crosscutting concepts.

SPEAKERS:
Kathleen Lanman, Kathy Hoppe

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

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

SPEAKERS:
Scott Gehler

The AIR Scholars program, launched by AIR COMPANY and the Brooklyn Academy of Science & the Environment, educates high school students about climate change and solutions like CCUS. By combining technical education and environmental justice, it fosters awareness, advocacy, and empowerment.

TAKEAWAYS:
The AIR Scholars Program enhances high school education on climate change, emphasizing carbon capture and environmental justice. It reshapes career aspirations, fosters critical thinking, and offers deep insights into climate solutions and science literacy.

SPEAKERS:
Jesse John

Radioactive decay is taught in high school (NGSS-HS-PS1-1); however, materials and experimental equipment can be expensive. We compare and contrast the performance of centicubes and dice to accurately model radioactive decay and half-life for in-class investigations.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will learn about alpha, beta, and gamma decay, as well as the advantages and limitations of using everyday materials (pennies, dice, carbonated beverages, centicubes, etc.) as simulation analogies to teach radioactivity and half-life.

SPEAKERS:
Alexandria Black

Higher Education faculty were engaged in an ELit professional learning community focused on capacity building and ELit integration into the teacher education classroom. In this session, we will share the qualitative data (course artifacts, participant reflections) and details on the HEEL curriculum.

TAKEAWAYS:
This session will share ideas for integration of environmental literacy in teacher education curriculum.

SPEAKERS:
Chelsea McClure

In partnership with PD providers and scientists, we developed a "Data Literacy Using LTER Data" workshop series in which 9 teachers participated prior to a multi-week field research experience. A post-workshop survey showed 92% of teachers expected to integrate knowledge and practices they learned.

TAKEAWAYS:
Building partnerships to develop data literacy and research skills can influence teachers' abilities to use authentic data in their teaching practice.

SPEAKERS:
Amanda Morrison

A high school curriculum that supports and encourages bee knowledge so teachers “Bringing Effective and Engaging Science Teaching into the Generation Z (Beestingz) Classroom using Apiculture.” teachers from 4 states have worked with the DOA and Dordt University to create free curriculum.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will be exposed to the beta version of a Beekeeping curriculum that is engaging Generation Z with hands-on interactive lessons written by teachers that support student investigation, interaction, problem-solving, and design engineering concepts around real-world pollinators.

SPEAKERS:
Rise Jongeling

To understand chemistry in crime fiction novels with examples of authors who had applied chemistry will be shown. How I use them in my fiction books will be presented.

TAKEAWAYS:
Learn about connection of chemistry and crime in literature. Examples of chemicals used to commit crimes will be presented.

SPEAKERS:
Bal Barot

We investigate the benefits of working in collaborative teams and practicing science communication among high school students using project-based learning to create 3D plant models, research the plants’ biology and importance, and present their results.

TAKEAWAYS:
Educators will be provided with lessons learned and best practices for high school STEAM project-based education using collaborative teams and science communication approaches.

SPEAKERS:
Tiffany Langewisch

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

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

SPEAKERS:
Michael Holderness, Alex Holden

Getting up to speed on the new standards and related NGSS is a challenge. The solution we have been implementing is to see how different professionals with different skill sets see information from a variety of lenses. This approach produced fun activities, while developing social emotional skills.

TAKEAWAYS:
This poster will give attendees the tools to create a dynamic team to execute a sustainable project. It will specify ways individuals can use data to assess the community’s needs and to plan meaningful activities that are engaging and fun. It will highlight how we can pay attention to new standards.

SPEAKERS:
Vicky Condello, Michelle Memoli, Aimee Ferguson

Join us to learn about the Five Tools and Processes for translating the NGSSS into instruction and classroom assessment.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will learn how to use the Five Tools and Processes to design three-dimensional instructional sequences that align with Florida's NGSSS, using the 5E model and phenomena-based storylines to engage students and promote deeper understanding of scientific concepts.

SPEAKERS:
Nicole Holman

Come learn about Data Puzzles, a free resource co-designed by climate scientists and instructional specialists from the University of Colorado Boulder that combine authentic data with Ambitious Science Teaching instructional practices to help students make sense of phenomena.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will explore authentic, contemporary data through Data Puzzles resources that frame data analysis for use in middle and high school classrooms with the Ambitious Science Teaching framework, and leave prepared to implement these 2-3 day sensemaking lesson sets in their own classrooms.

SPEAKERS:
Jonathan Griffith

Looking to pinpoint free supplemental interdisciplinary learning resources? Find real-world connections, internships, PD opportunities, classroom tools, & swag; help students see themselves with diverse career role models & more at the NIST Educational STEM Resource (NEST-R) registry poster session!

TAKEAWAYS:
Quickly find content that brings STEM curriculum to life, sparks interest, & keeps students engaged with NEST-R, a free, publicly available website! Real-world applications on topics like the metric system, engineering, and physics help students make sense of the interdisciplinary nature of science.

SPEAKERS:
Elizabeth Benham, Cara O'Malley

Through a hands-on approach, students engaged in experiments, creating hypotheses and testing their theories with various materials. Fourth and fifth-grade students worked with teachers for over six months and explored material science and basic engineering.

TAKEAWAYS:
The ability to modify and adapt STEM lessons for all students. We successfully incorporated students with learning disabilities, speech and language impairments, interrupted formal schooling/newcomers to the country, and other English Language Learners.

SPEAKERS:
Colleen Cahill

Can STEM education prepare all students to be leaders in the transition to a circular economy? By using Circular Economy principles to design “out” waste, students can envision system-scale change. Starting with how things are designed allows current problems to become regenerative possibilities.

TAKEAWAYS:
Discover the core principles of Circular STEM design and how it integrates into K-8th grade sequences aligned with NGSS. We provide illustrative sample lessons, showcase essential materials, and access cutting-edge research pertaining to circular design and its applications.

SPEAKERS:
Susan Watts, Erin Rockenhaus

Our STEM research camp uses an inquiry-based curriculum to engage non-binary and female middle schoolers in authentic research. Campers develop and test hypotheses, increasing their self-efficacy. Further, our female and non-binary undergraduate counselors are empowered to see themselves as leaders.

TAKEAWAYS:
Ensuring that middle school girls and non-binary youth have role models like them while pursuing authentic research increases feelings of self-efficacy and belongingness in informal STEM education.

SPEAKERS:
Megan Patnott, Bethany Lucas

Denver Zoo embarked on an initiative to enhance and expand opportunities for outdoor learning for students, their parents, and teachers. In this presentation, DZ will summarize successes/challenges, methodologies/results, and procedures for implementing nature play tactics in your school community.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will learn strategies to increase learning through play in nature and parent/caregiver participation in their school community.

SPEAKERS:
Emily Murgia

There are numerous career opportunities within the geosciences and many others that are geoscience-related. The American Geosciences Institute (AGI) will share resources, including a new Career Explorer, that show students how geoscience-related careers can address the world’s greatest challenges.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will understand the importance of discussing careers in ways that address current student concerns and priorities, especially with respect to challenges and opportunities in their communities. They will be introduced to strategies and resources to bring these discussions into schools.

SPEAKERS:
Sequoyah McGee, Lauren Brase, Ed Robeck, Lindsay Mossa

Rubin Observatory resources support common astronomy topics for advanced middle school through college students. Short, accessible interactive investigations use authentic data in a three-dimensional learning design. Each comes with phenomena, assessments, videos, and more teacher support materials.

TAKEAWAYS:
Rubin Observatory’s classroom-ready investigations can be completed within two hours, and come with options for adding introductory materials, assessments, and extension activities. Extensive teacher guides and a community of practice provide background content and ongoing implementation support.

SPEAKERS:
Ardis Herrold

Spark wonder, curiosity, and conversation in your classroom with free virtual field trips to the National Center for Atmospheric Research. Learn how we transform your students into cloud sleuths or hurricane tracking teams; exploring weather topics, Earth systems sciences, STEAM careers, and more.

TAKEAWAYS:
This poster showcases the suite of free, award-winning virtual field trips focused on weather, climate science, and STEM careers at the UCAR Center for Science Education. Learn about what virtual programs UCAR offers and how we deliver high-quality, interactive lessons directly to your classroom.

SPEAKERS:
Katie Wolfson

Explore the vast potential of AI in education with a comprehensive poster session. Understand foundational AI principles, its benefits, challenges, and strategies for effective classroom integration, ensuring a future-ready teaching approach.

TAKEAWAYS:
Educators will gain a holistic understanding of AI's role in modern education, equipped with insights and best practices to seamlessly integrate AI-driven methodologies into their teaching repertoire.

SPEAKERS:
Selene Verhofstad, Faryal Shaukat

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

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

SPEAKERS:
Joshua Wickline

This project exposed science and math undergraduates to research-based learning strategies (e.g., real-life scenarios, peer-to-peer discussion, and STEM-related issues) and K-12 fieldwork with multilingual learners to bolster understanding of inclusive pedagogy and interest in STEM teaching careers.

TAKEAWAYS:
Exposing undergraduates to K-12 real-life experiences in multilingual learner classrooms, peer-to-peer discussion, research-based inclusive strategies, and current STEM-related issues increases interest in both equitable pedagogy and future careers in science and math high school teaching.

SPEAKERS:
Catherine Lussier

ML-PBL teachers find ways to further integrate literacy and science throughout their day. ML-PBL's free OER project-based curriculum resources support students in applying their figuring out and critical thinking processes to all subject areas. Check it out!

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will be exposed to free resources and ideas for selecting resources for literacy lessons that allow students to continue to fine-tune and extend the ideas they are developing in science class. Handouts, links to resources and research findings, and examples of texts will be available.

SPEAKERS:
Susan Codere

Top educators (PAEMST) share their FAVORITE resources for bringing best practices into the K-12 classroom. Teaching treasures will range from favorite lessons, to websites, grants, and other resources. This session includes grade-level specific sharing as well as resources for all educators.

TAKEAWAYS:
Learn about outstanding resources that are a favorite of the Presidential Awardees (PAEMST) and walk away with QR codes, websites, grant ideas, lesson plans, and more!

SPEAKERS:
Kathy Renfrew, DeLene Hoffner

Students may use science terms without fully grasping their meaning, which can interfere with conceptual understanding. I created a team project requiring students to explain a science concept using only simple English. Students expressed confidence and a sense of mastery after the project.

TAKEAWAYS:
This poster will provide a walkthrough of a team project in which students explain a science concept using only simple English. I will also present examples of student work.

SPEAKERS:
Ann Davis

This poster will share connections between cybersecurity research and student leadership and was developed from an NSF Research Experience for Teachers. The premise empowers student leadership by cultivating cybersecurity awareness and digital citizenship for ethical engagement in the digital era.

TAKEAWAYS:
This session will share and provide resources from a curriculum developed during an NSF summer Research Experience for Teachers. A QR code linking to the curriculum website will provide lesson ideas and support for potential implementation.

SPEAKERS:
Steve Gewinner, Tara Bonebrake

Learn how to become a member of a collaborative effort between NMLSTA and NSTA to support early-career, middle-level science teachers with access to resources and networking opportunities.

TAKEAWAYS:
Early-career, middle-level science teachers will become aware of opportunities to connect in a nationwide professional learning community supported by resources and networking.

SPEAKERS:
Loris Chen

Modeling unit conversions through water beads makes an abstract concept of units into a concrete model. Students use different-sized cups and class averages to determine unit conversion factors. Students use these conversion factors to answer word problems.

TAKEAWAYS:
Unit conversions are an important skill to learn for a variety of fields of science. Modeling this abstract idea helps all students understand the importance of converting units in other contexts.

SPEAKERS:
Ashley Garcia

The My NASA Data website provides curated NASA Earth data for education. The website is organized by Earth system spheres and phenomena within each sphere. Content is also aligned to NGSS standards, and there is a data visualization and access tool. Site organization and content will be highlighted.

TAKEAWAYS:
Learn how to access NGSS-aligned resources containing authentic NASA Earth data for your instruction.

SPEAKERS:
Rosalba Giarratano, Angela Rizzi

Learn about the National Middle Level Science Teachers Association and what we offer to our members.

TAKEAWAYS:
NMLSTA is the only national organization dedicated to the support of middle-level educators—grades five through nine.

SPEAKERS:
Anne Schoeffler, Mary Lou Lipscomb

The New Mexico State University (NMSU) and Dona Ana Community College (DACC) Noyce team collaborated to develop science and math bachelors degree programs that embed a minor in secondary education, along with an associates in STEM Education, to recruit STEM teachers for the teaching field.

TAKEAWAYS:
The team utilized the Noyce Capacity Building grant to prepare for a full proposal for the Noyce Track 1 Scholarship Program. Challenges and solutions will be presented to aid others in considering a Noyce proposal.

SPEAKERS:
Tracey Gorham Blanco

In this session, ideas on how to celebrate eclipses with students will be shared. From live viewing to lunar cookies, to building constellations students experienced activities that examined the Sun-Earth-Moon relationship. Time will be given at the end to share other ideas.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will walk away with the resources and confidence to organize multi-age events for their school demonstrating science concepts that occur in their everyday life. Session participants will be given an outline of helpful resources, tools, and ideas they can use to manage their own events.

SPEAKERS:
Anne Fritz

In this classroom lesson, students load X-Ray images into a Google AI site to create image recognition models. The models will then be trained to classify lung X-Ray results into various categories, producing patient diagnoses. Students also analyze the reliability of the AI model using statistics.

TAKEAWAYS:
Teach students to build, test, and assess authentic AI image recognition models to diagnose patient lung disease using X-Ray images. Students then assess the model using statistical tools.

SPEAKERS:
Ashley Burkart, Milton Johnson

New teachers struggle with classroom management, a work-life balance, and a lack of support. In contrast, teachers benefited from professional and emotional support, improved their communication skills through teaching, and felt a sense of purpose in their teaching.

TAKEAWAYS:
New teachers benefit from their own parental support and/or mentor support.

SPEAKERS:
Donald Selway

Development and cultivation of a partnership between a high school and local university for the purposes of providing students with authentic experiences in a post-secondary laboratory. This includes student collection and analysis of Infrared Spectra, Mass Spectra, and Proton NMR Spectra.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will learn how this partnership was developed and how the partnership has evolved over the past 18 years. Examples of student-collected data and interpretation of results will be presented to show the "final product."

SPEAKERS:
Jeromy Bentley

Cutting-edge research happening on the Colorado State University-Fort Collins campus not only gets out into the world, but students are the ones bringing it to life for themselves as they become researchers using the inquiry-based STEM kit lending library.

TAKEAWAYS:
Teachers and scientific researchers will come away from this session with ideas on how to develop hands-on, inquiry-based activities highlighting cutting-edge research that allows students to become research scientists for a day or two in a classroom setting.

SPEAKERS:
Andrew Warnock

An overview of STEM Project-Based Learning (PBL) experiences in New Mexico via a qualitative study of high school counselors & STEM organization personnel voices. Data & results highlight opportunities for student, educator, administrator, & community growth in terms of methodology & policy.

TAKEAWAYS:
STEM PBL education helps students to develop skills in STEM & STEM-adjacent topics, engage in their communities, & broaden their career trajectories. It is appropriate & recommended for underrepresented minority students, classrooms, & educational campuses.

SPEAKERS:
Kim Scheerer

Students today are more stressed and anxious than ever. A school of philosophy called Stoicism offers practical advice on how to interact with the world and come out stronger and more capable. This poster will share tenets of stoic philosophy and suggest ways to use this wisdom in the classroom.

TAKEAWAYS:
Educators will obtain tools and strategies to improve their students' resilience, confidence, and outlook on life, as they take on the challenges of learning science.

SPEAKERS:
Ron Kinser

This presentation discusses a framework that supports a universal design approach and highlights indigenous ways of thinking to mitigate environmental impacts. Based on the successful outcomes of a recent study, this presentation demonstrates how the framework may be put into practice.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will be able to learn about the potential of a teaching framework, specifically in assisting pre-service teachers. By embracing cultural traditions while working together with progressive pedagogy, the intent is to develop relevancy, engagement, and motivation in mathematics.

SPEAKERS:
Stacy Potes

NASA’s Astrophysics UoL network of partnerships provide STEM educators programs ranging from exoplanet searches to image analysis of supernovas and galaxies, to implement programs specific to individual audiences, and provides a wide variety of supporting webinars, tutorials, activities, and investigations.

TAKEAWAYS:
NASA’s UoL team connects the public and learners to data, discoveries, and experts from NASA’s Astrophysics missions. The team of scientists, engineers, and educators have direct connections to these missions, and provide a range of projects and interactive activities for any educational setting.

SPEAKERS:
Donna Young

Thinking robotics is just for computer science and technology? In this session, explore how you can utilize robotics to teach forces and interactions, energy, and waves with an innovative approach using robots with sensors.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will learn how the concepts used in robotics and the engineering design process can help students understand the real-world application of concepts in a way that they can test and visualize the effects in their everyday lives. Sample lessons will be provided.

SPEAKERS:
Lori Birch

A former national science fair judge provides insights on how good titles can improve the odds of winning at science fairs based on a research project conducted on a national science fair. The poster will describe what the parts of a "good" title are & how teachers can help your students create one.

TAKEAWAYS:
Teachers will learn the components of a good project title (from a research project on science fairs) and how to help their students develop a good title for their own project.

SPEAKERS:
Michael Bowen

Engage with a strategic tool used to identify specific and systemic barriers that hinder students' with IEPs access to grade level science instruction in order to intentionally design high quality, standards-based science and engineering learning experiences and environment for ALL students.

TAKEAWAYS:
Research on equitable systems and instructional practices used to design tools to support moving toward system-wide goals for equity in science classrooms.

SPEAKERS:
Eva Bridgeforth, Tammy Law, Elizabeth Johnston