Join us for a dynamic workshop where educators will learn research-based breathing techniques aligned with CASEL. Experience chair yoga to reduce stress and enhance focus. Leave with practical activities that can be used immediately in the classroom, fostering resilience you and your students.

TAKEAWAYS:
The key takeaway from the description is that educators will acquire practical, research-based breathing techniques and chair yoga exercises that promote resilience and well-being, which can be immediately implemented in their classrooms.

SPEAKERS:
Bridget Burke

Nonfiction films featuring diverse scientists telling their own stories can do more than promote conceptual understanding. We will screen two short films, Decoding Ancestral Knowledge and CRISPR Apostle, and show preliminary results of their impact on science identity and nature of science learning.

TAKEAWAYS:
You will learn about the films from the study, how to access them, and the results that suggest they not only support student learning; they can also broaden perspectives on who does science and how science is done.

SPEAKERS:
Shannon Behrman

Sponsoring Company: miniPCR bio

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

SPEAKERS:
Rose Chaffee-Cohen

Sponsoring Company: MiniOne Systems

Imagine the excitement of middle schoolers as they learn how to use micropipettes and run their own gel electrophoresis! Come learn how to bring these exciting and fun techniques to your middle school classrooms using the teacher- and student-friendly MiniOne equipment.

SPEAKERS:
Whitney Hagins

Use current environmental issues as an engaging teaching tool! View clips from Chasing the Tide, a docuseries that shows the 370-mile journey of a couple as they walk the length of Texas’s coast. Access FREE NGSS-aligned resources that guide students to explore pressing issues in coastal ecosystems.

TAKEAWAYS:
Gain three-dimensional teaching resources and strategies that guide your students to explore current environmental issues and identify actions they can take, no matter where they live or what resources they have access to, to support the health of our coastal and marine ecosystems.

SPEAKERS:
Anne Marie Fayen

Engage with Conservation Nation’s unique resources featuring diverse role models in wildlife conservation. Explore topics ranging from mindful birding with leaders of Black Birders Week to innovative uses of DNA in conservation with scientists from the de-extinction company Colossal Biosciences.

TAKEAWAYS:
You can build student engagement and help more students see themselves represented in environmental spaces by bringing diverse conservation professionals and careers into your classroom via free lesson materials and resources from Conservation Nation.

SPEAKERS:
Diane Lill

Learn how to support your students in connecting phenomena based on genetics and epigenetics to their own lives and communities through engineering practices using a free, EQuIP-reviewed unit designed for HS NGSS.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will learn how to use engineering practices to teach genetics and epigenetics while facilitating a classroom environment that privileges connecting phenomena to their own lives and communities through engaging in a design-based challenge to recommend modifications to their school.

SPEAKERS:
Devin Foschi, Elizabeth Chatham, Dora Kastel

Sponsoring Company: Carolina Biological Supply Co.

Come experience a hands-on model lesson from OpenSciEd for High School and discover how the new Carolina Certified Version enhanced these high-quality instructional materials, making them more accessible, user-friendly, and safer for classroom use.

SPEAKERS:
Cory Ort

How can we leverage digital tools to support biology learning that’s authentic and engages with science practices and cross-cutting concepts? We’ll explore “sit spot” strategies that connect students to their local context and communities through digital tools and a place-based teaching framework.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will learn how implementing a “sit spot” assignment series can connect existing biology curricula to NGSS-aligned, place-based science explorations, as well as support student personal development and motivation, while overcoming the limitations of a traditional classroom experience.

SPEAKERS:
Kirstin Milks, Whitney Aragaki

Sponsoring Company: Edvotek

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

SPEAKERS:
Brian Ell, Maria Dayton

Move beyond passively visiting a museum to connect with curators & have your students take on the role of a teacher at a community event sponsored by the museum. Learn how to connect with local institutions, see samples of student work and leave with access to the full PBL project plan and more!

TAKEAWAYS:
Learn how to organize, integrate and evaluate a long term PBL assessment into your curriculum. Leave with rubrics, a project plan and research template.

SPEAKERS:
Ilana Saxe

Join us to discover how to enhance AP Biology with phenomena-based storylines that make curriculum topics relevant and fun! Gain skills to integrate student questions with science practices while implementing inquiry-driven lessons to increase student engagement and deepen understanding.

TAKEAWAYS:
After an introduction to Lab Hamster’s AP Biology Unit 1 storyline, participants will leave with the knowledge and skills needed to implement student inquiry activities, apply science practices, and use pedagogical strategies that boost student engagement and reduce teacher workload.

SPEAKERS:
Angela Tatum, Joshua Anoff, Noel Pauller

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:
Patti Kopkau

Sponsoring Company: BIOZONE Corporation

BIOZONE's innovative worktexts deliver student-centred resources: AP, NGSS & electives. Identical print and digital titles integrate to provide a rich teaching program. Use our teacher resources to plan, deliver, & assess. Attendees receive a FREE print title & 30 day preview of our digital platform

SPEAKERS:
Mark Temons

Sponsoring Company: Carolina Biological Supply Co.

Inspire curiosity by examining pond water! Observe freshwater organisms feeding patterns and reproduction firsthand while exploring microbial diversity. These activities will build an understanding of ecosystems and provide phenomena that connects with biology and nature.

SPEAKERS:
Julie Stubbs

Join award-winning science educator Griff Jones and members of the IIHS Vehicle Research Center to explore a sample of engaging demos and video-supported, inquiry-based activities from the IIHS’s free, online “Crash Science in the Classroom” program.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will see a selection of discrepant events and learn how to access other classroom-tested lessons plans, teacher/student tips videos, lab sheets, and answer keys to teach crash-related science and engineering concepts.

SPEAKERS:
Pini Kalnite, Joe Young, Griff Jones

Discover engaging activities that help students explain the significance of Gregor Mendel’s pea plant experiments. Attendees will use glitter to represent the dominant and recessive traits of two parent plants and their offspring and complete a pompom Punnett square.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will be able to explain that Gregor Mendel’s experiments on pea plants laid the foundation for the study of heredity, Punnett squares are a tool used to predict the traits of an offspring, and Mendelian genetics enables animal and plant breeders to produce new varieties with more accuracy.

SPEAKERS:
Lynn Wallin

This workshop will incorporate the phenomena of underwater sound into science activities and investigations. Resources such as an audio gallery of underwater sounds produced by animals and people and activities challenging students to produce spectrograms and explore the science of sound.

TAKEAWAYS:
Using the topic of underwater sound can be an engaging vehicle for students to explore physical science concepts and connect these fundamental principles with the undersea environment and science of sound.

SPEAKERS:
Liesl Hotaling

Join us for an immersive EarthX experience, where you will don your student hat to explore the interconnectedness of Earth and the traditional sciences. We don’t experience the world as discrete biology, chemistry, physics, and Earth science interactions, so why do we teach these subjects in silos?

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will leave the session having experienced first hand a student-centered, 3-dimensional lesson showcasing NGSS Earth Science DCIs integrated into traditional high school curricula, taught by one of the Baltimore City science teachers who helped develop the materials.

SPEAKERS:
Edmund Mitzel, Jr., Ph.D., Kevin Garner, Alan Berkowitz, Cassidy Johnson, Angela Hood, Kyle Gregory, Nina Groseclose

Racism is prevalent in our society. Participants will examine resources for engaging students in respectful and productive activity that contrast the social construct of race with scientific understandings of genetics. Examples of how science education can be a form of social justice will be shared.

TAKEAWAYS:
Anti-racism work in science education is difficult. Resources to support teachers in engaging in controversial topics will be examined and used by participants to rehearse effective pedagogical moves in engaging in classroom discussions of racism and science. Curricular resources will be shared.

SPEAKERS:
Deb Morrison, Kelsie Fowler

We all want students to become critical thinkers, retain & transfer learning, and have a deep understanding of science ideas. Transform your instruction so students construct their own explanations of scientific phenomena that mirrors the process scientists use to make sense of the natural world.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will be able to define, identify, and apply characteristics of sensemaking into instruction. They will also become familiar with lesson models and resources that support sensemaking.

SPEAKERS:
Jessica Oakley, Tina Hovance

Why can mammals survive the first few weeks or months of life by only ingesting milk? But, what happens when someone is lactose intolerant? Why can lactose-intolerant people tolerate some dairy products? Explore the answers to these questions in a new unit storyline on MILK.

TAKEAWAYS:
In this new storyline on milk students construct an explanation based on evidence for why dairy is an important source of food energy. Human babies double their weight during the first 6 months of life, yet some lose the ability to digest lactose. Fermentation is one way to solve this problem.

SPEAKERS:
Chris Embry Mohr

Sponsoring Company: Flinn Scientific

Are you looking for new ways to excite your classes? This session will showcase labs, demos, and inquiry-based activities to keep your classroom buzzing with excitement. Walk away with tools to engage students and ensure concept understanding. Handouts and door prizes provided!

SPEAKERS:
Jillian Saddler, Mike Marvel, Ph.D.

Sponsoring Company: Edvotek

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

SPEAKERS:
Brian Ell, Maria Dayton

Sponsoring Company: HHMI BioInteractive

New to BioInteractive? Come investigate HHMI BioInteractive’s many free resources to support life science educators. We'll review how to navigate a website with hundreds of high-quality resources as well as how to connect with your fellow life science educators through our online community.

SPEAKERS:
Christina Moran-Johnson, Karen Lucci

Sponsoring Company: miniPCR bio

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

SPEAKERS:
Katy Martin

Sponsoring Company: Carolina Biological Supply Co.

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

SPEAKERS:
Crystal Risko

Sponsoring Company: Vernier Science Education

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

SPEAKERS:
Kathryn Martin

Sponsoring Company: MiniOne Systems

Agriculture, biology, and business knowledge are essential on the modern farm. In this hands-on workshop, use gel electrophoresis to visualize genotypes for a gene necessary for high quality cheese, and help a dairy farmer select which breeding pairs give her the best chance to have a Ca$h Cow!

SPEAKERS:
Glenda Goh Denison

Engage students in learning about the evolution of antibiotic resistance by exploring prevention strategies. Assess their understanding via infographics. Attendees will view student examples and receive a link to lesson plans and student worksheets.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will learn how students can illustrate their understanding of antibiotic resistance evolution through infographic creation. The infographics will highlight why specific strategies for reducing antibiotic resistance are effective.

SPEAKERS:
Andrea Bierema

Explore how our instructional modules address the Plant Awareness Disparity by empowering high school students to connect with their botanical heritage. Our hands-on approach fosters equitable access to STEM learning through place-based exploration of personal, cultural, and community assets.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will discover how our modules promote equity in science education by engaging students in hands-on botanical exploration, fostering deep connections with nature, and aligning with contemporary research and educational standards.

SPEAKERS:
Kelly Moore

This session provides strategies to enhance students' critical thinking skills in science. Participants will learn ways to support students to navigate the information landscape, by discerning credible sources and building strong scientific knowledge.

TAKEAWAYS:
Educators will leave the session equipped with strategies to encourage students to extend their thinking and knowledge beyond the classroom, enabling them to become informed, thoughtful, and engaged citizens in an information-rich world.

SPEAKERS:
Rosiane Lesperance- Goss

Explore how to design an immersive research trip that aligns with NGSS life science standards. I will share my experience leading a trip for 40 ninth-graders to the Bahamas, where students engaged in authentic science by conducting hands-on fieldwork, and what the students learned in the end.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will learn what NGSS life science standards are aligned in the overseas trip that incorporates authentic field research methodologies like GIS, environmental data collection, and graphing to create meaningful, real-world science experiences for students.

SPEAKERS:
Akira Wong

Potato aquaponics is a method of growing potatoes in a symbiotic system that combines aquaculture (raising fish) and hydroponics (growing plants without soil). Aquaponics reduces the need for various chemical fertilizers and helps to conserve water, making it a promising for urban farming.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will learn what is needed to be able to successfully grow potatoes in an aquaponics system. They will also, learn about the sustainability and resource efficiency that comes with this type of farming. The information provided will help with optimal growth for the plant.

SPEAKERS:
Emery Breitbarth

Challenges exist in implementing the NGSS and structuring equitable collaboration opportunities in the classroom. Join us to learn from a research study on a NGSS-aligned curriculum development and professional learning project that integrated the use of discipline-specific instructional routines.

TAKEAWAYS:
In this session, participants will learn key take-aways from a research study on how the use of instructional routines supported NGSS implementation and student sense-making in a high-school level Biology course.

SPEAKERS:
Elizabeth Chatham

Attendees will receive materials for a unit on nutrient cycling and the transfer of matter. Student examples show collection and sensemaking of their own data using iNaturalist. Students then apply data to monitor and make changes to the ecosystem model, serving as a local and current data set.

TAKEAWAYS:
Scaled ecosystem models provide opportunities for students to generate their own data. Further generations of students can collect long-term data on the model. Data can be used to propose changes to the model and make sense of larger phenomena. Students develop personal connections to the ecosystem.

SPEAKERS:
Anna Verdiguel Gillet

How does your doctor determine your potential diagnosis? Using the patient clinical format creates an interactive and engaging format for Anatomy & Physiology students to develop critical thinking and communication skills in a team-based setting.

TAKEAWAYS:
Beyond the realistic application of curriculum, students develop the skills and confidence to increase personal advocacy with their doctors and medical professionals when they understand the clinical problem solving process.

SPEAKERS:
Jonathan Howe, Becky Mortland

This poster demonstrates a series of activities using acoustic data from marine soundscapes to assess a coral reef habitat's ecological dynamics, functions, and resilience. The NGSS-aligned activities foster an interactive learning environment in all three dimensions.

TAKEAWAYS:
Ecological data, such as sound, can assess human impacts on Earth's systems and support decision-making to promote the responsible management of natural resources.

SPEAKERS:
Jocelyn Miller

Simple, easy, and inexpensive methods for starting a school garden by using upcycled and free materials

TAKEAWAYS:
This session will show teachers how to begin planting using upcycled and free materials, how to reuse containers as planters, how to make biodegradable seedling planters in seconds, and how to transform desolate ground into a blooming wildflower garden with seeds and a container of air-dry clay.

SPEAKERS:
Rebecca Kurson

Experience Playdoh as a highly functional three-dimensional tool connecting two-dimensional learning. These STEM strategies engage and promote interactions with all learners across curriculums.

TAKEAWAYS:
Playdoh is a highly functional classroom manipulative that makes three-dimensional learning possible using two- dimensional curriculum

SPEAKERS:
Dr. Erica McNeil

This workshop will have participants engaging in an abbreviated version of a highly interactive and creative project that emphasizes key concepts about biodiversity and ecology while allowing for creative flexibility. Teachers involved in the life sciences are encouraged to join!

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will learn about an engaging, fun, and creative multi-day in-class project centered around key concepts related to biodiversity and ecology. Attendees will also leave with materials to seamlessly integrate this project into their own classrooms.

SPEAKERS:
Paul Marban

This research project is a multi-day project that enables students to improve their communication skills, their ability to find accurate information, and to use the creativity inside of them. Students will create a diorama of their animal in its habitat and assist a younger student in their learning.

TAKEAWAYS:
This poster will help give attendees an idea of how they can incorporate more activities that dip into multiple subjects in their lessons. It will provide them with practical examples that they can take and use in their own classroom regarding research projects.

SPEAKERS:
Kylie Buchholz

We will introduce our NSTA book containing a collection of units and resources to help teachers engage students in three-dimensional learning through model-based inquiry.

TAKEAWAYS:
Learn about four biology model-based inquiry units for rigorous and equitable instruction. Developed with secondary science teachers, the session guides three-dimensional learning, anchoring phenomena, modeling, and scientific explanations.

SPEAKERS:
Audrey Baird, Ron Gray

Participants will engage with different stations that focus on 3D models and activities that are modified to help students who are blind experience inquiry in an appropriate and parallel way as sighted peers.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will leave this 60 min workshop with strategies for modifying their own labs and hands-on class activities to better ensure that every child can “see” biology.

SPEAKERS:
Steffanie Shoop, Hellanna Koflowitch

Give your students the chance to take on the role of a genetic counselor and apply their understanding of genetics to real world scenarios, including creating a pedigree, using NCBI and interpreting primary literature.

TAKEAWAYS:
Work through the genetic counselor project from a patient background, solving a pedigree, learning how to use NCBI, and interpreting primary literature. You will take home the student directions, exemplar projects, list of relevant primary literature articles, and teacher key.

SPEAKERS:
Ilana Saxe

Sponsoring Company: MiniOne Systems

Teach macromolecules without the crazy prep! In this micro-scaled lab activity, students test for starch, glucose, protein, lipids and DNA, without the need for large volumes of reagents, cleaning test tubes, or boiling reagents. Then students apply their knowledge and test various unknown samples.

SPEAKERS:
Priya Mangano, Lindsay Hamilton

Looking to design well-scaffolded, standards-based, clustered assessments but not sure where to begin? Learn about available tools and resources to help kickstart your 2D and 3D assessment design. Develop a system for constructing performance assessments that are relative and meaningful for all learners.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will evaluate existing 2D & 3D assessments, gain access to assessment design checklists, learn how to develop questions, distinguish between scenario and data-based prompts and begin to construct their own scaffolded performance-based assessment.

SPEAKERS:
Stephanie Burns, Jessica Mintz

Learn strategies and try hands-on lessons to engage all students and multilingual learners in exploring the natural world through, STEM-focused content. Receive three free lesson plans with connections to NGSS, Common Core, and UN SDGs.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will gain knowledge and materials needed to engage all students and multilingual learners in nature-based learning. Walk away ready to immediately use these strategies and materials.

SPEAKERS:
Ana Leirner, Kate Nagle

Sponsoring Company: miniPCR bio

Bring molecular techniques to Ecology and Evolution units with an activity based on the work of the Duke Lemur Center. Has an extinct lemur species been found again in the wild? Test DNA with gel electrophoresis, build phylogenetic trees, and analyze authentic field data.

SPEAKERS:
Rose Chaffee-Cohen

Sponsoring Company: Edvotek

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

SPEAKERS:
Brian Ell, Maria Dayton

Sponsoring Company: Flinn Scientific

This session covers essential safety practices, including hazard analysis, proper PPE, GHS labels, risk management, and communication with administrators. Ideal for all science teachers, science supervisors, administrators and lab supervisors. Leave with actionable tips to prioritize safety! Visit https://www.flinnsci.com/safety/ for more information.

SPEAKERS:
Mike Marvel, Ph.D.

Sponsoring Company: Carolina Biological Supply Co.

Explore hands-on training in biotechnology! Teachers in this workshop will conduct two activities with BioBuilder’s proven classroom and laboratory curriculum designed for students gain industry microcredentials and to be college and career ready. Search "BioTechBuilder" online to learn more!

SPEAKERS:
Natalie Kuldell

Sponsoring Company: HHMI BioInteractive

Delve into the power of science as storytelling using storylines! Explore how the BioInteractive Sickle Cell Storyline sparks student questions to help them create connections between biological concepts and build deeper understandings.

SPEAKERS:
Lee Ferguson, Chris Monsour

Sponsoring Company: LaMotte + Stroud Water Research Center

Observe aquatic macroinvertebrate specimens, conduct experiments, learn classification skills, and calculate a biotic index in this hands-on introduction to stream ecology. Come learn from a Stroud Water Research Scientist. Take-aways and door prize!

SPEAKERS:
Michael Smith

Students cross alleles to create a dragon genotype. They will then interpret the genotype into a phenotype and assemble a paper dragon.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will learn how to decode genotypes and turn them into phenotypes.

SPEAKERS:
Sharon Miller

NGSS inquiry based lessons about food and energy, as well as energy transfer will be shared. All lessons are OER.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will leave with an understanding and blueprint of how to incorporate these lessons into their classroom, as well as make necessary modifications.

SPEAKERS:
Liz Martinez

This middle school oyster curriculum project uses the Eastern Oyster in Chesapeake Bay as the organizing theme through 7 lessons that incorporate the three dimensions of learning and builds issue investigation skills.

TAKEAWAYS:
The interdisciplinary lesson sequence asks students to investigate how the Eastern oyster populations and the Chesapeake Bay watershed have changed since the time of Captain John Smith, the effect of land use on water quality, and how we can rebuild oyster populations and the reef ecosystems.

SPEAKERS:
Peggy Steffen

Shape of Life will debut their new animated film of the Tree of Life created by Ray Troll which depicts the beginning of life on earth.

TAKEAWAYS:
Through two featured Lesson Plans, teachers will learn how the film was constructed with a fun intereactive Tree of Life puzzle along with how to build animation.

SPEAKERS:
Denise Ryan

Shape of Life provides FREE online resources that depicts the evolution of the animal kingdom on planet earth. Drived from a PBS eight hour series, Shape of Life offers short videos, animation film, lesson plans, feature articles and readings that have been engaging students all over the world.

TAKEAWAYS:
Learn how students may create their own cartoons and animations that depict the evolution of the animal kingdom as seen in the newly produced film by Ray Troll.

SPEAKERS:
Denise Ryan

Come try engaging, exciting and hands-on biotechnology activities for middle school students. Using colored dyes, students learn the basics of pipetting and running an electrophoresis gel.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will learn about age appropriate biotechnology activities for middle school.

SPEAKERS:
Whitney Hagins

The Teacher Institute for Evolutionary Science has dozens of FREE resources, including entire units for teaching evolution in an engaging way. We will be giving away copies of our book, On Teaching Evolution. Become a part of a friendly teacher network that pays you to present to fellow educators.

TAKEAWAYS:
Teachers are their own best resources. Whether you are looking for resources or want to share your love of evolutionary biology with colleagues, our institute wants to help. Funded entirely by donors, we offer free professional development in all 50 US States.

SPEAKERS:
Bertha Vazquez

Ethograms are tools that scientists use to study and share data about animals in nature and in managed care. This NGSS standards-informed session provides an introduction to ethograms, practical tools, resources and strategies for engaging students in their own animal behavior studies.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will gain "start to finish" strategies, tools and resources to support student-centered animal behavior studies and inquiry using ethograms. Participants will also gain knowledge about how scientists use ethograms and behavior studies to monitor and support animal well-being.

SPEAKERS:
Patricia Steinmeyer

Urban tree populations have a unique ecology that you can bring into your classroom! Join the Wade Institute for Science Education and the Forest Service’s Springfield and Philadelphia Urban Field Stations to explore storyline teaching, inquiry investigations and local phenomena.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will be introduced to strategies central to storyline teaching, including phenomena-based instruction, and learn how to collect data using tools and methods to evaluate urban forest and tree health, and share that data through participatory science.

SPEAKERS:
Sandra Ryack-Bell, Kathryn Atkins

Sponsoring Company: miniPCR bio

Finally, an easy-to-implement genetic engineering lab. This robust lab allows students to visualize the transformation of bacteria from white to bright blue with a protocol that fits in a 45-minute class. Simple teacher prep with no starter cultures, and reliable student results!

SPEAKERS:
Kristin Hennessy-McDonald, PhD

Sponsoring Company: Vernier Science Education

Learn about our 3 most popular biology sensors that support hands-on, phenomenon-based learning with real-time data. You'll learn how to investigate cellular respiration, photosynthesis, and enzyme action with easy-to-use probeware and data-analysis apps that work together to promote 3D learning.

SPEAKERS:
Kathryn Martin

Sponsoring Company: BIOZONE Corporation

BIOZONE’s platform combines digital replicas of our highly acclaimed print titles together with Presentation Slides, 3D models, and curated videos, providing powerful options for delivering high school science programs. Attendees receive a FREE print title & 30 day preview of our digital platform.

SPEAKERS:
Mark Temons

Join LabXchange as we explore our latest initiative, Racial Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Science Education (RDEISE). We will discuss how these unique, interactive student resources can be integrated into classrooms to make science more diverse, inclusive, and equitable.

TAKEAWAYS:
RDEISE learning resources can be integrated into a variety of topics including biology and environmental science, and can serve as a helpful starting point for developing course curriculum or program materials.

SPEAKERS:
Nicole Sjoblom

Explore how to design authentic assessments that align with NGSS and utilize standards-based grading. Learn practical strategies for unpacking rubrics to guide student learning and provide clear, actionable feedback that drives improvement.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will learn how to create NGSS-aligned assessments and develop rubrics that students can easily understand and use for self-assessment, promoting deeper learning and growth.

SPEAKERS:
Parwaneh Rezai Sepasi

How might a single microbe curb the spread of mosquito-borne diseases and invasive species? Join us to discuss the implementation of student-driven research programs and contribution of meaningful data to the scientific community. Together, let’s unravel the biodiversity of this fascinating microbe!

TAKEAWAYS:
Course-based research experiences (CREs) develop workforce-ready skills, build confidence and expertise to pursue postsecondary STEM education, and, most importantly, allow students to envision themselves as scientists.

SPEAKERS:
Danielle Rosensteel, Meghan Kanski, Sarah Bordenstein

Discover how to engage students in hands-on 3D learning through sourdough fermentation! This workshop shows how "bread pets" can bring microbial life and biological concepts to life while fostering critical thinking, inquiry, and collaboration in your classroom.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will learn how to engage their students using sourdough fermentation as a hook to explore core biological concepts and foster critical thinking and collaboration skills in a hands-on, real-world context.

SPEAKERS:
Shannon Barlow, Alexis Custer

Sponsoring Company: Edvotek

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

SPEAKERS:
Brian Ell, Maria Dayton

Sponsoring Company: MiniOne Systems

Sickle cell is an autosomal recessive disorder, and genetic testing is available to determine carrier, affected and normal genotypes. Run and visualize an electrophoresis gel to determine the genotypes of a family with history of sickle cell, and hear about progress with treating this disease.

SPEAKERS:
Ariel Cohen, Holly Khong

Sponsoring Company: HHMI BioInteractive

How can two people with the same genotype have different symptoms? Join us as we explore free BioInteractive resources that use the phenomenon of sickle cell disease to engage students in a variety of evidence-based strategies for facilitating sense-making about gene expression and evolution.

SPEAKERS:
Kristen Short, Brenda Royal

Cognitive science has identified flexible and often counterintuitive cognitive strategies that boost learning across diverse groups of students . Teachers will learn how to implement these techniques within their classrooms.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will learn how to apply multiple practical, flexible, and research-based cognitive strategies, including retrieving information from memory, distributing practice across time, scaffolding, and mixing together different examples, within their own classrooms to improve student learning.

SPEAKERS:
Jonathan Tullis

Sponsoring Company: miniPCR bio

Tired of textbook diagrams showing DNA to RNA to protein? Bring the central dogma to life with a hands-on experiment to visualize transcription and translation using fluorescence. Explore gene expression in real-time using low-cost tools made for the classroom.

SPEAKERS:
Katy Martin

This session will share strategies for scaffolding work products and instructional materials in a sheltered Biology classroom using storylines with students with limited English proficiency. We will also discuss effective collaboration using the co-teaching model to maximize student success.

TAKEAWAYS:
This session will equip participants with strategies to attend to the diverse needs of learners using high-quality instructional materials. All students have the opportunity to access these materials and engage in sensemaking using a relevant phenomenon to better understand key science ideas.

SPEAKERS:
Chatoria Franklin

In this interactive session, teachers will share how they designed and implemented BioSTEM: a curriculum that immerses all students in real-world science practices and connects them to jobs of the future. Hands-on demos and program data will show how the curriculum benefits teachers and students.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will leave with insights from and access to a free, teacher-developed biotechnology curriculum. With these tools, they will be equipped to incorporate more project-based learning and community involvement in their classes, including scaffolding content for struggling learners.

SPEAKERS:
Amber Comer-Jensen, Ben Gold

Engage in cancer focused classroom-ready interactive lessons, discuss the myths of cancer and explore the technology advances in cancer research to share with students. View more free lessons www.decodingcancer.org

TAKEAWAYS:
Teachers will gain an understanding of cancer innovations and STEM careers within cancer health advocacy to share with their students.

SPEAKERS:
Casandra Gabriele

Sponsoring Company: MiniOne Systems

Hair, fingerprints, and DNA evidence are left behind at the scene of a murder. Can you use them to find Dr. Ward's killer? Your students will love being the crime scene investigators while learning how to use electrophoresis to perform DNA analysis in a single classroom period. Come learn how!

SPEAKERS:
Priya Mangano, Lindsay Hamilton

Sponsoring Company: HHMI BioInteractive

How can CRISPR re-shape the future for people with genetic diseases? Using virtual and hands-on models, we'll explore how CRISPR allows for a variety of genetic medicine.Teachers will use Biointeractive resources to help students manipulate and analyze CRISPR impact on genetic disorders.

SPEAKERS:
Kristen Short, Brenda Royal

Sponsoring Company: Flinn Scientific

Revolutionize your teaching with this hands-on introduction to POGIL (Process-Oriented Guided Inquiry Learning)! Designed for science teachers, curriculum developers, and administrators, this session will explore team roles, the POGIL Learning Cycle, and strategies to develop problem-solving critical skills.

SPEAKERS:
Elizabeth Mancini

Sponsoring Company: Vernier Science Education

Discover Vernier’s comprehensive solutions for chemistry, biology, and physics educators, including sensors, software, lab books, and professional development. Learn how to integrate our data-collection tools into your classroom and walk away with practical tips and best practices for success.

SPEAKERS:
Kathryn Martin

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:
Patti Kopkau

Sponsoring Company: Kognity

Discover how the strategic use of feedback and reflection can revolutionize your instructional practices and student learning outcomes. In this collaborative session, engage with fellow educators to explore practical strategies for fostering a classroom culture that listens actively, reflects thoughtfully, and continuously improves.

SPEAKERS:
Wayne Wright

Sponsoring Company: PASCO Scientific

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

SPEAKERS:
Shelly Riley

Join us in figuring out how to unlock the “escape box” to determine what is causing a failure at the local sewage treatment plant. You will locate hints, analyze data, and use the combined clues to solve the challenge (for a prize). Engage in serious problem solving in a fun environment.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will be able to describe the biotic and abiotic factors that contribute to healthy organic waste treatment. By solving a mystery, participants will apply analytical skills to determine what disrupted the treatment process.

SPEAKERS:
Madeline Stallard, Amber Meeks, M. Gail Jones

Sponsoring Company: Edvotek

Use forensic genealogy to identify two boys separated from their parents and reunite the family. In this hands-on electrophoresis experiment, students will analyze dye samples that represent mitochondrial and chromosomal DNA. Through data analysis, students explore inheritance and DNA polymorphisms.

SPEAKERS:
Brian Ell, Maria Dayton

Want to hear from a high school biology, chemistry, physics, and E/S teacher on how their transition to the new standards went last school year? This presentation will reflect on their year of teaching STEELS and offer action steps to make the transition easier for other educators.

TAKEAWAYS:
Main takeaways will be the positives, challenges, and action steps that PA educators can use to navigate the transition to the new STEELS standards in a high school biology, chemistry, physics, and environmental science class.

SPEAKERS:
Katelyn Daggan, Thomas Densmore, Ruth Henderson, Anthony Prinzo

Explore how UDL principles are integrated into the OpenSciEd Natural Selection unit. This session will focus on using high quality instructional materials that meet the needs of all learners, ensuring accessibility and engagement for diverse student populations.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will gain practical strategies for scaffolding complex concepts, providing multiple means of representation and expression, and fostering student agency in collaborative, real-world problem-solving.

SPEAKERS:
Kristin Rademaker, Holly Hereau

Learn about this unit of instruction that uses a GIS data explorer tool made possible by the USDA Forest Service to explore connections between forests and watersheds. You’ll have an opportunity to try out the activities (bring your computer!) and receive copies of three NGSS aligned lesson plans.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will have the knowledge, tools, and resources needed to engage students in using cutting edge GIS technology in learning about natural systems and the connection between forests and the water they drink. Walk away able to use these tools immediately in your classroom.

SPEAKERS:
Ana Leirner, Kate Nagle

2025 is the 100th anniversary of the infamous Scopes trial and the 20thanniversary of the Kitzmiller v. Dover trial, which took place in Harrisburg, PA. We will examine the lessons for science educators today that can be drawn from the similarities and differences between these trials.

TAKEAWAYS:
The motivations, strategies, and tactics of science denial have changed little in the 100 years following the Scopes “Monkey” trial. I will review today’s threats to evolution education and will suggest strategies that educators can use today to defend the integrity of science in the classroom.

SPEAKERS:
Kenneth Miller

Sponsoring Company: Carolina Biological Supply Co.

Revitalize your structure and function lesson while employing 3D instruction with a classroom autopsy! In Part 1, participants explore the external anatomy and begin the dissection of a Carolina’s Perfect Solution® pig using the protocols of a forensic pathologist. NOTE: This is a 2-block session.

SPEAKERS:
Patti Kopkau

Sponsoring Company: Edvotek

Transforming bacteria with vibrant colored proteins is an unforgettable way to teach the central dogma of molecular biology. Take it further by creating bio-art with your students! In this workshop, we’ll share transformation tips, explore microbial creativity, and even award our favorite designs!

SPEAKERS:
Brian Ell, Maria Dayton

Want to digitally capture all students' sensemaking in chemistry? Discover the potential of Canva’s infinite whiteboard for fostering collaboration and creativity through modeling and QFT. Leave with practical tips, editable protocols, and fresh inspiration to start implementing immediately!

TAKEAWAYS:
This interactive session uses Canva’s whiteboard as an effective platform for all students to collaboratively engage in SEPs, such as creating models and asking questions in an equitable learning environment. This chemistry focused session provides student examples and tips for implementation.

SPEAKERS:
Sarah English

Sponsoring Company: Bio-Rad Laboratories

Discover forensic biotech in our workshop. Perform Bradford Assay for biological sex identification from fingerprints, and delve into biochemical analysis with practical skills.

SPEAKERS:
Tamica Stubbs, Leigh Brown

Sponsoring Company: MiniOne Systems

What do your genes say about your beer preference? Research behind bitter taste has been ongoing for over 100 years. Come see how bitter taste genotype and phenotype are linked, and how it can play a role in your fondness for certain foods!

SPEAKERS:
Ariel Cohen, Holly Khong

Sponsoring Company: Vernier Science Education

Join us to explore best practices for using biomedical sensors with Graphical Analysis! We'll cover EKGs, EMGs, heart rate, and respiration. Designed for health sciences, biology, and physiology educators, this session offers hands-on experience, Q&A, and support for all experience levels.

SPEAKERS:
Kathryn Martin

Sponsoring Company: miniPCR bio

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

SPEAKERS:
Kristin Hennessy-McDonald, PhD

Sponsoring Company: Carolina Biological Supply Co.

Come experience a hands-on model lesson from OpenSciEd for High School and discover how the new Carolina Certified Version enhanced these high-quality instructional materials, making them more accessible, user-friendly, and safer for classroom use.

SPEAKERS:
Cory Ort

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

TAKEAWAYS:
Learn to use a Flipped Classroom model and Literacy tools to foster a more robust Student-Centered learning experience. Attendees will also be able to brainstorm the design of a lesson using flipped classroom.

SPEAKERS:
Fernando Azcona

With the goal of assisting science educators embed bioscience workplace competencies into curricula, inspiring students to pursue meaningful careers, and enthusing them to earn the national Biotechnology Aptitude and Competency Exam (BACE) credential, UF Biotility has launched a free badging system.

TAKEAWAYS:
Discover how these eight bite-sized accomplishments serve as motivators and indicators of capabilities to employers, plus provide valuable teacher feedback. Attendees will also learn about industry careers, and aligning standards included on the BACE.

SPEAKERS:
Tamara Mandell

Sponsoring Company: HHMI BioInteractive

How do human activities affect the composition of wildlife populations? Explore free HHMI BioInteractive resources that guide students through constructing structured explanations about how urbanization and poaching affect wildlife.

SPEAKERS:
Christina Moran-Johnson, Karen Lucci

Sponsoring Company: Carolina Biological Supply Co.

Attendees from Part 1 continue the autopsy of their Carolina’s Perfect Solution® pig in the final portion of this workshop! Each “pathologist” will remove the organ block and examine individual organs, while learning tips about dissection and 3D instruction implementation. NOTE: Must attend Part 1.

SPEAKERS:
Patti Kopkau

Sponsoring Company: Savvas Learning Company

Humanity fights a perpetual arms race with pathogens. COVID and HIV recently hopped from animal hosts to humans and spread widely. Strains of H5N1 “bird flu” are poised to make that leap and threaten public health. How does viral evolution create new threats, and how we can defend ourselves?

SPEAKERS:
Joseph Levine

Techniques such as CRISPR, mitochondrial transfer, and mRNA therapeutics have opened new possibilities for genetic manipulation of plants, animals, and the humas genome, bringing with them new opportunities to energize the biology curriculum.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will be introduced to high interest case studies/phenomena that will engage their students in biology, demonstrating that biology is both dynamic and relevant to their lives.

SPEAKERS:
Kenneth Miller

Sponsoring Company: MiniOne Systems

Use DNA testing to support claims of innocence in this hands-on lab for high school and university-level biology and forensic science students. Explore evidence types and factors leading to wrongful convictions.

SPEAKERS:
Lindsay Hamilton

Sponsoring Company: 3D Molecular Designs

Model with us to explore phospholipid structure, their role in cell membranes, and membrane transport proteins through hands-on experiences and classroom modeling strategies that make abstract concepts tangible.

SPEAKERS:
Mark Arnholt

Sponsoring Company: Vernier Science Education

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

SPEAKERS:
Kathryn Martin

Sponsoring Company: BFW Publishers

Interested in mastery grading? This workshop will provide some practical steps you can take to transition, including using textbook-provided resources: learning objectives, practice, and mastery check assessment The presenter will discuss experiences with AP® Environmental Science and NGSS Biology.

SPEAKERS:
Kristi Schertz, Rachel Friedman

Models are excellent tools assisting students’ understanding of chemical structure and function. Different models highlight different aspects of the chemical they represent.

TAKEAWAYS:
Students can discuss how the 3-D structures of molecules affect their chemical properties as they “Act as Enzymes”. The students use another analogy, the English language, to explain cellular processes and growth. Models are used to develop questions, predictions, and explanations.

SPEAKERS:
Suzanne Cunningham

Sponsoring Company: Bio-Rad Laboratories

Join our workshop to explore Ozempic's dual action on diabetes and weight loss. Learn about semaglutide's role in blood sugar and appetite regulation through hands-on ELISA simulations.

SPEAKERS:
Tamica Stubbs, Leigh Brown

Sponsoring Company: miniPCR bio

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

SPEAKERS:
Kristin Hennessy-McDonald, PhD

In the age of project and lab based learning, how can we include ways to assess students on the laboratory skills that they practice? Learn strategies for including lab-based assessments that target lab skills without simply labeling diagrams. Linking lab skills to careers in STEM.

TAKEAWAYS:
Practical ways to implement assessments of lab skills in biology and biotechnology classes.

SPEAKERS:
Marissa Hamilton

Learn how to support meaningful student sensemaking through the integration of the three dimensions of the NGSS by engaging with a complex phenomenon on the genetics of isolated big cat populations in a free storyline-based HS biology unit.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will learn how to support meaningful student sensemaking by effectively integrating the three dimensions of the NGSS, a key feature of HQIM, through experiences from a HS biology unit exploring the conservation of megafauna through the lens of the genetic viability of isolated populations.

SPEAKERS:
Devin Foschi, Dora Kastel

Sponsoring Company: Edvotek

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

SPEAKERS:
Brian Ell, Maria Dayton

Sponsoring Company: Bio-Rad Laboratories

Explore Auto-Brewery Syndrome (ABS), where gut fermentation causes intoxication without drinking. Use PCR and electrophoresis to genotype ADH and ALDH genes, study ethanol metabolism, and apply genetic findings to support legal defenses for involuntary intoxication cases.

SPEAKERS:
Tamica Stubbs, Leigh Brown

Sponsoring Company: Ward's Science

Many life science teachers would love to incorporate real biotechnology techniques into their classrooms, but lack the equipment and know-how. Ward's Biotech for Life kits make it easy to do real science, and focus students' learning with engaging, realistic questions.

SPEAKERS:
Michelle Linn, Norman Marshall

Sponsoring Company: miniPCR bio

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

SPEAKERS:
Rose Chaffee-Cohen

This session will provide practical tips and templates of how teachers can promote family engagement in the science classroom through student-family interviews on relevant course topics and family project-sharing sessions. Examples are for 9th grade Biology but easily modified for other sciences!

TAKEAWAYS:
Engaging families, even at the secondary science level, is important, possible, and can be simple for both teachers and students with student-family interviewing and family project-sharing strategies incorporated into the classroom.

SPEAKERS:
Kayla Silvers

Science films are immersive storytelling formats that can engage students and promote conceptual understanding, while also supporting science identity formation and nature of science learning. Get a quick demo of free short films and teaching resources by the Science Communication Lab.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will leave knowing the different types of free science films and teaching resources made by the Science Communication Lab, examples of science standards they cover, and where to access them.

SPEAKERS:
Shannon Behrman

Explore how zebrafish (Danio rerio), a common pet store fish and key biomedical research model, can spark students’ curiosity in science. Join 32 educators using zebrafish aquariums and their transparent embryos for hands-on experiments, providing diverse learning experiences for ALL students.

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

SPEAKERS:
Pam Kirkland, Vinita Hajeri

Join the CDC team (NSTA’s version) to create a virus prototype and share it with the public. Explore practical strategies and resources to make the fascinating world of viruses engaging, relevant and accessible for all students.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will engage in a PBL unit that applies the Engineering Design Process to design and build a virus prototype.

SPEAKERS:
Andrew Kipp, Carlos Perez

Learn how to support students in using the three dimensions of the NGSS with increasing depth and sophistication by exploring a free, quality biology unit that foregrounds the progression of modeling to explain the puzzling phenomenon of a marathon runner who fails to maintain homeostasis.

TAKEAWAYS:
Designing HQIM for the NGSS requires an emphasis on building progressions across the three dimensions. See how students develop their use of the Modeling SEP over time to reach high school proficiency in this EQuIP-reviewed homeostasis unit.

SPEAKERS:
Devin Foschi, Dora Kastel

This session discusses utilizing the institution’s LMS to improve students' success in a non-major biology class at a community college. It emphasizes the crucial role of the faculty member in providing a method for the students to assess their personal level of learning.

TAKEAWAYS:
Using the learning management system can improve the entire student learning experience in any course. Each system has a diverse spectrum of tools to help the faculty members and the student population. The question was which tool(s) should be used and how they were applied.

SPEAKERS:
Lance Morris

Teachers are introduced to micro fossil material from the Pungo River formation, Aurora, North Carolina. Session will include ways to incorporate the materials into the early childhood science classroom (ages 4-10).

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will receive teaching materials as well as a hands on lesson in searching for and identifying micro fossils that are dated from 25 million t 5 million years old.

SPEAKERS:
Ginny Switt

Sponsoring Company: Carolina Biological Supply Co.

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

SPEAKERS:
Crystal Risko

How did humans turn a simple grass into a staple food crop? And, how are scientists working to ensure that corn can continue to feed billions of people as the world’s climate changes? In this new storyline on popcorn, students will think like scientists as they enjoy this yummy snack food.

TAKEAWAYS:
Explore a new storyline on popcorn that engages students in constructing explanations from evidence. Students investigate how teosinte evolved into one of the most important food crops on Earth-corn, as they learn about genetics and future evolution in order to meet the needs of a changing planet.

SPEAKERS:
Chris Embry Mohr

Sponsoring Company: Vernier Science Education

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

SPEAKERS:
Kathryn Martin

Sponsoring Company: MiniOne Systems

Come learn and get hands-on experience on how to teach gel electrophoresis and DNA fingerprinting in a single classroom session. You will pour, load, and run a gel, capture gel image, analyze the results, and deduce a probable conclusion for a whale of a forensic mystery.

SPEAKERS:
Ariel Cohen, Holly Khong

Sponsoring Company: HHMI BioInteractive

Get students engaged with innovative approaches that elevate student discourse in science! We'll model techniques aimed at increasing student participation and enthusiasm utilizing free resources like HHMI’s Beautiful Biology along with other BioInteractive resources.

SPEAKERS:
Marisa Alvarado, Brian Mason

This session will explore how a cell-phone free classroom has impacted student learning and how when done in conjunction with Apple Classroom or other tools can change how students learn and collaborate.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will learn some of the advantages of a cell phone free classroom and will learn some strategies for how to make students forget they even brought their phone.

SPEAKERS:
Christopher Aguiar

This session will engage participants in authentic data using dynamic, publically available interactive tools. The data tools presented empower learners to evaluate biodiversity distribution, protected areas, and human impacts on sustainable development.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will be able to construct an explanation of humans' multiple impacts on biodiversity using interactive research tools that are dynamically updated to reveal global and local species distributions and changes in human land use.

SPEAKERS:
Missie Olson, Jocelyn Miller

Case studies are a great learning tool for postsecondary general education students who may struggle to engage with and understand complex scientific topics. In this presentation, the use of specific case studies in a general education Biology class and the benefits of their use will be discussed.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will gain a greater understanding of the benefits of case studies in the science classroom. Case study resources and teaching methods, as well as specific examples of case studies related to classroom topics, will also be discussed.

SPEAKERS:
Rachel Pritchard

After learning the chemistry of sugar, starch, and fiber, students use information from food labels to measure out the correct weight of sugar, starch and fiber and create physical presentations to compare energy value in familiar foods.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will get everything they need to implement this activity in their classroom, whether during a nutrition unit or during a unit on types of energy. This activity weaves in themes such as human body energy needs, cultural food choices, food deserts, and student wellness.

SPEAKERS:
Elizabeth Grumbach

This session will describe how stop action videos are one of the most powerful and most underused tools in life science education.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will leave understanding how stop action videos can be such a powerful tool and will be able to think about how they might incorporate them into their own teaching.

SPEAKERS:
Christopher Aguiar

Delve into math and science! In this versatile mathematical modeling activity, students collect qualitative and quantitative observations on different-sized apples. Then they examine data on circumference and diameter to derive pi. This exercise can easily be part of a larger lesson plan as well!

TAKEAWAYS:
This activity is an example of how different math skills can be integrated into a larger Science lesson plan. Students derive pi by collecting quantitative data, creating a scatter plot to graph it, and calculating slope of the best fit line. It is also easy to differentiate for grade and ability.

SPEAKERS:
Rama Sreekantham

Aquaponics (aquaculture + hydroponics) can be an amazing tool to use in the classroom with students. Using aquaponics in the classroom allows students to learn in a more hands-on way and physically see how the life cycle works along with how certain things are essential for life to exist.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will learn how they can create their own aquaponics tank in their classroom for only a small amount of money and how much of an impact it can have on their student's learning. They will also learn how to take care of an aquaponics tank and how their students can assist with caring for it

SPEAKERS:
Emery Breitbarth, Kylie Buchholz

The student-centered activity engages students in considering global conservation challenges through mathematical thinking and data analysis. It uses up-to-date, authentic data used by scientists and policymakers alike, preparing them to meet performance expectation HS-LS2-1.

TAKEAWAYS:
Data science is integral to studying, conservating, and managing ecosystems worldwide.

SPEAKERS:
Missie Olson, Jocelyn Miller

Through the Women In Natural Sciences Program, students participant in summer opportunities like that provided by the eClose Institute. Solymar Harney learned value lab and research skills working with fruit flies to understand how diet impacts the development of certain forms of cancer.

TAKEAWAYS:
OST Programs like WINS, along with hands-on career experiences, are provide critical skills and knowledge along with a network of mentors that help students make informed decisions about college majors and career pathways.

SPEAKERS:
Kimberly Godfrey

In this session, we will share the transitioning of biology curriculum to field application using project-based learning activity in Introductory and Upper-level classrooms.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will learn how project-based learning activity helped to address inequities that prevent timely progress through college and to connect to workforce and transfer opportunities.

SPEAKERS:
Joseph Noyes, Beena Patel

Using three damaged natural bone human educational skeletons, this research developed practices for restoring, identifying, and dignifying these valuable educational resources. New curriculum developments focusing on skeleton centered activities have emerged due to their increased functionality.

TAKEAWAYS:
Understanding the ethical considerations with using donated natural bone human skeletons should lead to their proper care and restoration.

SPEAKERS:
Andrew Sathoff, Emelye Josko

Nematode Hunters is a community science project with a remote-delivery format that brings 4th grade classrooms and university researchers together as collaborators on a project to discover new viruses that infect nematodes.

TAKEAWAYS:
The goal of Nematode Hunters is to increase interest in biology and STEM careers. In conjunction with the classroom program, a survey study is being conducted to determine if participation affects science efficacy for 4th grade participants.

SPEAKERS:
Jessica Sowa

We will share the strategies we have used to bring high school science curriculum into conversation with local issues. We have found community partners who help students put their science learning to work for their area—connecting, for instance, food access to a photosynthesis unit.

TAKEAWAYS:
While project-based learning in science provides opportunities for students to experience rigorous, purposeful instruction, it can be a lot of work. Engaging community partners can make the work of PBL sustainable and truly authentic.

SPEAKERS:
Nikki Wallace, Cole Entress

Looking to elevate student achievement through immersive learning? Discover how to harness the universal appeal of flight by captivating students with lessons and engaging activities rooted in biology standards while exploring exciting and fast-growing aviation career fields!

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

SPEAKERS:
Christina Davis

Discover how technology and PBL can transform middle school science. This session showcases how digital tools and creative projects, like rock comic strips and interactive simulations, enhance engagement, critical thinking, and understanding, fostering a dynamic and inclusive classroom.

TAKEAWAYS:
Learn how integrating technology and project-based learning (PBL) in middle school science boosts student engagement and comprehension. Using digital tools and creative projects makes complex concepts more accessible and supports diverse learning styles effectively.

SPEAKERS:
Daniella Eson

Sponsoring Company: HHMI BioInteractive

How can we best support classroom teachers implementing NGSS instructional shifts? Join us for a discussion and Q&A with school system leaders as we delve into the successes and challenges of managing institutional barriers and supporting educators to ensure relevant instruction for all students.

SPEAKERS:
Javier Robalino, Annette Brown, Kia Glaze, KD Davenport

Sponsoring Company: miniPCR bio

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

SPEAKERS:
Katy Martin

Sponsoring Company: Carolina Biological Supply Co.

Join leading scientists from a one-of-a-kind research institute as they dive deep into a CRISPR gene editing experiment from their educational kit. CRISPR in a Box can be integrated into high school and college classes. Get ready to master skills used in a cancer research lab!

SPEAKERS:
Sarah LaTorre, Amanda Hewes, Alexandra Felts

Sponsoring Company: Bio-Rad Laboratories

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

SPEAKERS:
Tamica Stubbs, Leigh Brown

Sponsoring Company: MiniOne Systems

Delve into the world of breast cancer markers, explore the scientific and bioethical considerations associated with genetic testing, and analyze specific genetic markers linked to breast cancer susceptibility using pedigree analysis and gel electrophoresis.

SPEAKERS:
Priya Mangano, Lindsay Hamilton

Sponsoring Company: 3D Molecular Designs

Discover innovative strategies for teaching the structure and function of DNA through inquiry-based, hands-on activities. This session explores tactile learning with Dynamic DNA models, fostering student engagement and critical thinking aligned with NGSS.

SPEAKERS:
Mark Arnholt

Sponsoring Company: Flinn Scientific

Make biology come alive with hands-on activities and games that engage and inspire! Perfect for biology teachers, this session features inquiry-based labs and collaborative games covering evolution, genetics, and biochemistry. Attendees will leave with practical tools and resources.

SPEAKERS:
Elizabeth Cambron, M.S., Jillian Saddler

Sponsoring Company: BIOZONE Corporation

BIOZONE's innovative worktexts deliver student-centred resources: AP, NGSS & electives. Identical print and digital titles integrate to provide a rich teaching program. Use our teacher resources to plan, deliver, & assess. Attendees receive a FREE print title & 30 day preview of our digital platform

SPEAKERS:
Mark Temons

Sponsoring Company: PASCO Scientific

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

SPEAKERS:
Shelly Riley

We will present the efforts of twenty secondary schools and partners at Stanford University to create authentic Drosophila-based research experiences, and how you can too!

TAKEAWAYS:
Through coordination with the Stan-X Network of schools, students and teachers can learn science through authentic, open-ended, publishable genetics research.

SPEAKERS:
Nicole Lantz

Modeling in STEELS allows students to make sense of their learning in a variety of ways. Modeling incorporates all three dimensions of learning and are tools for sense-making of phenomena that helps students improve their understanding over time and identify misconceptions.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will experience various types of modeling: using models to introduce phenomena, initial models, sharing models, refining models. Types of models: physical models, drawings, diagrams, 3D models, simulations, mathematical models, data representations and conceptual models.

SPEAKERS:
Natalie Hafer, Karen O'Neill

Sponsoring Company: Savvas Learning Company

Turn challenges into opportunities! Explore how to engage students in critical topics like vaccines, climate science, and evolution through meaningful, real-world connections. Discover strategies to harness today’s golden age of scientific innovation to inspire curiosity and make science exciting.

SPEAKERS:
Kenneth Miller

In this activity, students use a simple classroom model to design and test solutions to bycatch in the tuna fishery. They collect and use data to optimize their design and consider how their model might look in real life.

TAKEAWAYS:
Applying the engineering design practice to a real-life environmental issue.

SPEAKERS:
Meghan Marrero

PART OF NMEA SHARE-A-THON

TAKEAWAYS:
Members have fabulous ideas! Come join us in NMEA at NSTA...at the Mid-Atlantic Marine Education Association

SPEAKERS:
Dawn Sherwood

Sponsoring Company: miniPCR bio

Explore real CRISPR technology with a hands-on DNA experiment. Program Cas9 to cut DNA, make predictions using sequence analysis, and verify results with gel electrophoresis. This activity is an engaging way to show how CRISPR works and why it’s such a groundbreaking tool for genome editing!

SPEAKERS:
Ally Huang

Sponsoring Company: HHMI BioInteractive

How can the practice of modeling help build conceptual understandings and foster dialogue among students? Join us as we explore how modeling can help students access prior knowledge, build on the ideas of others, and refine their ideas while utilizing BioInteractive’s ecology resources.

SPEAKERS:
Marisa Alvarado, Brian Mason

Sponsoring Company: Bio-Rad Laboratories

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

SPEAKERS:
Tamica Stubbs, Leigh Brown

Sponsoring Company: MiniOne Systems

Valley Fever is a respiratory infection caused by a fungus that thrives in the soil of the southwestern United States. Learn about genetic predisposition through various case studies and use gel electrophoresis to assess the prevalence of the fungus in various regions to find the hot spots!

SPEAKERS:
Glenda Goh Denison

Come learn how easy, important, and fun it is to collect and analyze data as a part of good, solid, responsible science education. Integrating science and mathematics isn't just be a good idea, it is essential for today's STEM learner. Today's technology makes it quick, easy, fun and meaningful!

TAKEAWAYS:
ALL attendees will be active participants in the data collection activities in this session. But collecting data will not be the greatest takeaway. Rather, instilling confidence in ALL attendees to perform mathematical analysis of the data will be the main goal of the session.

SPEAKERS:
Jeffrey Lukens

Sponsoring Company: Flinn Scientific

Revolutionize your teaching with this hands-on introduction to POGIL (Process-Oriented Guided Inquiry Learning)! Designed for science teachers, curriculum developers, and administrators, this session will explore team roles, the POGIL Learning Cycle, and strategies to develop problem-solving critical skills.

SPEAKERS:
Elizabeth Mancini

In this lesson, students will analyze sloth body size variation in the Bocas del Toro Island Region of Panama. (NGSS disciplinary core idea LS3.B Variation of Traits addressed)

TAKEAWAYS:
Teachers will be provided with links and physical materials to teach and assess the lesson

SPEAKERS:
Kristen Conklin- Kearney, Tyler St. Clair

Participants will engage in authentic conservation decision-making practices using the Half-Earth Project Map and Map of Life data. The activities empower learners to evaluate the human impacts on natural systems while considering responsible natural resource management strategies.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will learn to access and use publically available data to evaluate human impacts on Earth's systems and develop solutions to maintain biodiversity through responsible management practices.

SPEAKERS:
Missie Olson, Jocelyn Miller

Sponsoring Company: Vernier Science Education

What happens to CO2 when plants eat, breathe, and…die? In this workshop, we’ll use real-time data to explore photosynthesis, cellular respiration, and decomposition and share strategies for connecting these biological processes more broadly to the carbon cycle and energy transfer in ecosystems.

SPEAKERS:
Kathryn Martin

Sponsoring Company: Kendall Hunt

Adopting and implementing high-quality instructional materials can be daunting for leaders! Learn how the School District of Philadelphia adopted and planned for successful implementation of EdReports all-green BSCS Biology: Understanding for Life to promote effective science teaching and learning.

SPEAKERS:
Cynthia Gay, Nancy Hopkins-Evans, Angela Kearney