Sponsoring Company: Edvotek, Inc.

Explore the world of forensic science with these fun and exciting escape room activities designed to engage your students! In this investigation, you’ll decipher clues, solve puzzles, and unravel evidence to free the innocent. Hands-on techniques include forensic blood detection, blood typing, and DNA fingerprinting using agarose gel electrophoresis, giving students experience with core biotechnology methods. We’ll share tips and tricks for setting up and managing the escape room in class. This sequence of experiments supports critical thinking, collaboration, and the application of scientific principles in a way that aligns with high school life science performance expectations, making it easy to integrate into your existing biotechnology curriculum.

SPEAKERS:
Maria Dayton

This session is for informal educators and K-12 educators interested in connecting with the informal community. We will use an engaging activity used in an informal education setting to explore how informal educators can "talk the talk" with K-12 teachers and align their work with the NGSS.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will learn strategies for aligning PL activities with the NGSS.

SPEAKERS:
Karen Hays, Leah Litz, Jesse Wilcox

Bridging the gap between informal science educators and classroom teachers requires a shared language that fosters collaboration, advocacy, and meaningful learning experiences. This session explores strategies for aligning communication and goals across educational settings, equipping teachers and school leaders with the tools to champion informal science opportunities as integral to student success. Participants will engage in practical frameworks for building partnerships, amplifying impact, and advancing advocacy for science learning beyond the classroom. Together, we will reframe informal science not as enrichment, but as essential to developing curiosity, critical thinking, and lifelong learners.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will leave with practical strategies and shared language tools to strengthen partnerships between teachers and informal science educators, positioning informal learning as essential to student success.

SPEAKERS:
Hannah Eisla, Dr. Dieuwertje Kast

In an era of eroding trust in science and rampant misinformation, educators need evidence-based resources to help students distinguish fact from fiction. Science Friday, a nonprofit media organization known for excellence in science journalism, offers free NGSS aligned resources to build science literacy. Our approach bridges the gap between scientific experts and the public through conversational science communication and storytelling. Our resources transform podcast content into engaging educational experiences that help students identify reliable sources, understand how science works, and evaluate claims confidently. The poster features ready-to-use materials across grade bands designed with equity in mind, including curated topic lists, hands-on STEM activities, and book club resources. Attendees will discover strategies for using trusted science media to foster conversations, develop critical thinking, and empower students as informed consumers of scientific information.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will gain NGSS-aligned strategies and free classroom resources to help students identify science misinformation, evaluate source credibility, and develop critical thinking skills for navigating today's information landscape across all grade levels.

SPEAKERS:
Sandra Roberts

In collaboration with the USGS, and as a spin-off of ShakeAlert Ready Schools, the Hero in You Foundation is developing “Rocket’s Rules” materials for Grades K-2 children to build understanding of earthquakes, protective action, and how to Be ShakeAlert Safe with Rocket (BSSWR). Principles underlying design of the new materials include making things active for children, prioritizing key information (e.g., Drop! Cover! Hold On!) and encouraging children to share materials with their family and friends. The new BSSWR materials feature a range of resources suitable for the classroom and other venues, such as safety fairs, children’s museums, park settings, and beyond. Resources include a video, a poster and pop-up banner, giveaways (pin, sticker, postcard, certificate), worksheets, a comic, and gifs suitable for use on social media or in presentations. A Facilitator Guide/Tool-Kit, Quick Reference, and FAQ are also included to help facilitators (e.g., teachers, emergency managers, park personnel) quickly assemble relevant resources, activities, and scripts tailored to the timeframe of their specific interactive setting.

TAKEAWAYS:
The new Hero in You Foundation materials promote children and families’ knowledge of earthquakes, earthquake early warning, and how to Be ShakeAlert Safe with Rocket.

SPEAKERS:
Katrina Arras, Dare Baldwin

This poster highlights the Water Replenishment District’s free education programs designed to inspire students, teachers, and community members to become water-wise leaders. Through hands-on learning and discovery, participants explore: Water Careers – Introducing students to diverse opportunities in science, engineering, and environmental stewardship. Albert Robles Center Field Trips – Immersive experiences where students see water purification and sustainability in action. Eco Gardener Workshops – Community classes that teach sustainable landscaping and water conservation practices at home. Together, these programs connect classrooms and communities to the importance of protecting our most precious resource—water—while opening pathways to future careers and sustainable living.

TAKEAWAYS:
Educators will discover free WRD programs that bring real-world water science to life—field trips, Eco Gardener workshops, and career exploration—equipping students with hands-on learning and pathways to sustainability.

SPEAKERS:
Monica Sijder

St. Jude partners with 24 MSCS elementary schools annually, split into fall and spring cohorts of 12 schools each. Clubs run for 10 weeks, meeting once a week for one hour, Monday–Thursday, led by St. Jude College Interns. The curriculum includes two 5-week modules: first, a case study of Stacey, a 12-year-old girl diagnosed with osteosarcoma, exploring her symptoms, diagnosis, treatment, and recovery. Students learn key concepts in medicine and biology while developing empathy. The second module is an engineering challenge where students design and build a prosthetic hand capable of picking up a ping pong ball and placing it in a cup. This hands-on activity fosters creativity, teamwork, and problem-solving, connecting science to real-world innovation.

TAKEAWAYS:
The St. Jude Afterschool STEMM Club empowers elementary students with hands-on learning in medicine and engineering, combining empathy-driven case studies and creative design challenges to inspire future innovators.

SPEAKERS:
Krisderlawn Motley, Hailey Wolfe, Anika Britton

For formal or informal educators working with all ages and audiences! Get FREE access to ready-to-use, NGSS-aligned activities to build meaningful connections to ocean ecosystems through real-world science. Species ID video games, mock coral collections with remotely-operated vehicles, deep-sea mission board games, scavenger hunts, coloring pages, animated shorts, live connections with scientists at sea, and engaging videos. Learn about colorful corals, fascinating creatures, human impacts, seafloor mapping, underwater robots, and more through work happening right now to restore deep-sea coral communities injured by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. These resources serve diverse audiences including classroom teachers, informal educators, families, communities, and adults looking for careers in marine science. See demonstrations of interactive educational materials and highlights from livestream broadcasts to easily implement these free activities and resources for all ages.

TAKEAWAYS:
Free resources to connect all ages with deep-sea habitats, human impacts, tech, and careers using real-world science and interactive activities. Bring out-of-reach ecosystems to a range of learners through livestreams with scientists at sea, videos of unseen places, skill-building games, and more.

SPEAKERS:
Sasha Francis

SWMEA is a chapter of the National Marine Educators Association (NMEA), and consists of individuals and organizations found in California, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, and Colorado. Our mission is to provide a forum for formal and informal educators to develop and exchange strategies to encourage learning and stewardship of marine and aquatic ecosystems.

TAKEAWAYS:
SWMEA plans to share curriculum and opportunities (volunteering, community science) to connect with local marine organizations.

SPEAKERS:
Jennifer Runyan

Come hear about how our NSF-funded informal science education project inspired bilingual (English/Spanish) 5th–6th grade Latinas and their parents through hands-on rocketry and culturally responsive science learning. This 7-week program, grounded in Family Problem-Based Learning and Community Cultural Wealth, fostered curiosity, confidence, and family engagement in science. Presenters will share key curriculum elements and artifacts from three successful iterations, highlighting strategies that bridge home and school learning. Attendees will participate in two interactive activities. In the first activity, we will design personalized NASA mission patches while exploring their symbolism and history. In the second activity, we will model an activity that celebrates contributions of Latino/a scientists and engineers by designing a social media post. Come ready to create, collaborate, and take home practical ideas to launch inclusive family science experiences in your own community.

TAKEAWAYS:
Learn how culturally responsive, family-centered rocketry experiences can ignite young Latinas’ curiosity and strengthen science identity through hands-on, bilingual engagement for both students and parents.

SPEAKERS:
Caitlyn Ishaq, Peter Rillero, Margarita Jimenez-Silva

Sponsoring Company: Edvotek, Inc.

At the intersection of art, science, and technology is Bio-Art, the creation of works of art using living matter. One common way to create Bio-Art uses bacteria transformed with DNA codes for brightly-colored proteins – the same bacteria that you’re already working with in your classroom! In this hands-on workshop, we will dive deep into bacterial transformation experiments to ensure success with this experiment in your classroom. We’ll discuss the science behind transformation and genetic engineering, share tips and tricks for the experiments, and explore ways to make the experiment more inquiry-driven for AP Biology. Then, you will use your transformed bacteria to paint on our petri dish canvasses and create your own living artwork. Ways to exhibit your Bio-Art will be discussed!

SPEAKERS:
Maria Dayton

Down to Earth is a free program with six design challenge missions using International Space Station (ISS) research to inspire middle schoolers to address real-world environmental challenges. Each mission includes hands-on investigations, engineering design challenges, background information, worksheets, and implementation materials. This session showcases two new missions focused on food science in space. Cosmic Crops explores how NASA's hydroponic systems grow fresh food in microgravity and how these technologies combat food insecurity on Earth. Orbital Eats explores how scientists develop safe, nutritious meals for extreme environments, with applications for food access challenges on Earth. Attendees experience sample activities and design challenges while learning implementation strategies for diverse settings. Activities align with NGSS standards, UN Sustainable Development Goals, and Career and Technical Education pathways. Walk away with ready-to-use resources.

TAKEAWAYS:
Educators will gain hands-on experience with activities that use ISS food science to engage students in solving local food security challenges, plus free lesson plans, assessment tools, and implementation strategies for connecting space agriculture technology to community-based action.

SPEAKERS:
Sandra Roberts

Build meaningful connections to hard-to-reach ocean ecosystems through real-world science! Learn about colorful corals, fascinating creatures, human impacts, seafloor mapping, underwater robots, and more through work happening right now to restore deep-sea coral communities injured by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Ready-to-use, NGSS-aligned activities include mock coral collections with remotely-operated vehicles, species ID video games, deep-sea mission board games, scavenger hunts, coloring pages, animated shorts, live connections with scientists at sea, and engaging videos. These resources serve diverse audiences including classroom teachers, informal educators, families, communities, and adults looking for careers in marine science. After hands-on demonstrations of interactive educational materials and a viewing of highlights from livestream broadcasts, participants will leave the session with a full understanding of how to use these free activities and resources for all ages.

TAKEAWAYS:
Connect all ages with deep-sea habitats, human impacts, tech, and careers using real-world science, play-based activities, and storytelling. Bring out-of-reach ecosystems to a range of learners through livestreams with scientists at sea, real footage of unseen places, skill-building games, and more.

SPEAKERS:
Sasha Francis

TryEngineering is a collection of resources developed by the members of IEEE, the world’s largest technical professional association, committed to inspiring the next generation of engineers and technologists. During this session, you will learn how to introduce elementary students to the engineering design process with fun challenges and low cost materials. We will complete an engineering design challenge during this session and share resources to help you bring engineering to your classroom. Engineering habits of mind are important for all children to learn, as they foster creativity, resiliency and problem solving. As a public charity, all of TryEngineering’s resources are free to everyone. Come to the session and learn more!

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will learn how beneficial engineering design challenges can be for students, and how easy it is to implement them with TryEngineering resources, available at no cost at tryengineering.org.

SPEAKERS:
Debra Gulick

This interactive workshop helps educators bridge classroom science concepts with real-world environmental action. While national in scope, the session highlights examples and opportunities specific to West Coast educators—illustrating how local environmental issues, from coastal monitoring to drought resilience, can anchor student inquiry and action. Participants will explore place-based and participatory science practices that engage students in locally relevant, data-driven investigations inspiring stewardship and problem-solving. Through a model lesson, teachers will learn to guide students in discussing community needs through the lens of sustainability goals, helping them connect science learning with purposeful action. By the end of the workshop, participants will have access to free resources, databases, and networks that support stewardship-oriented instruction and leave ready to design their own classroom-to-community project.

TAKEAWAYS:
Experience how classroom science can lead to real-world impact! Leave with free resources, data tools, and networks that support stewardship-based teaching—and the inspiration to design your own classroom-to-community project. Find out how to get $5000 toward your project.

SPEAKERS:
Liz Martinez, Peggy Steffen

Participants will explore our project designed to engage elementary and high school students in STEM by fostering curiosity and a lasting love of science. Under the guidance of high school science staff, older students mentor elementary peers through hands-on, inquiry-based activities. Our initiatives include large-scale DISCOVER Day (~1500 participants), school-based mentoring, All Abilities STEM afternoon, and week-long Summer Camps. Elementary students plan and conduct experiments, use computational thinking with MicroBits to explore physical computing, and investigate natural phenomena in biology, chemistry, and physics. High school students, in turn, share their passion while serving as exemplars and leaders. The presentation will showcase activities, make-and-takes, and demonstrations from STEM and DISCOVER days while outlining the steps needed for implementation and discussing results demonstrating how this model challenges students to think about STEM beyond their classroom.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will leave with a practical model for connecting older and younger students through engaging community-based STEM activities that build confidence, spark curiosity, and inspire lasting interest in science beyond the classroom.

SPEAKERS:
Becky Mortland, Jeremy Tomaszewski

Attendees will participate in a national science and social studies aligned lesson created by the City of Lexington, Kentucky’s environmental education team. They will analyze maps, satellite imagery, and other data to compare and contrast green space, alternative transportation, and sanitary sewers in three cities across the U.S. They will then determine if the practices in each city are considered sustainable using a shared definition. The lesson allows for individual or group work depending on students’ needs and incorporates various learning modalities to support multilingual learners. Educators will learn about resources for locating similar data on their community and gain access to a template for presenting the data to students and the accompanying worksheet. This lesson can be part of a 4-lesson unit that delves further into sustainable urban planning topics. Student and teacher experiences participating in this lesson will be shared along with data from the unit assessment.

TAKEAWAYS:
What makes a city sustainable? Participants will answer this question by evaluating data from three communities. Educators will learn how to adapt the lesson to include sustainability data on their city to promote place-based learning and how the introductory lesson can fit into a 4-lesson unit.

SPEAKERS:
Sagan Goodpaster

Curiosity, creativity, and critical thinking are hallmarks of strong scientific thinking. In this high-energy session, experience four quick, engaging games that spark these skills in just 15 minutes. Walk away with ready-to-use activities that engage learners in science practices—no extensive prep required. Come play, discover, and leave inspired to make your science teaching more interactive and fun!

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will leave with everything they need to implement 4 mini-lessons that build sense-making and can be done in only 15 minutes.

SPEAKERS:
Terra Tarango

This session will highlight an innovative approach to middle school science education that combines experiential learning with effective teaching strategies and classroom practices. The HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology SPARK initiative, an after-school program for middle school students supported by funding from the National Science Foundation, will provide a framework for participants to explore how authentic science experiences support rigorous, standards-centered learning while improving students’ STEM identity. HudsonAlpha SPARK provides a replicable model for supporting middle school students in developing 21st‑century scientific practices while fostering curiosity, persistence, and confidence in their identities as scientists. Designed in alignment with the Next Generation Science Standards for middle school, SPARK engages learners as student scientists, encouraging them to conduct experiments, collect data, and connect findings to real-world applications.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will leave with strategies to include similar programs in their teaching, adaptable for both formal & informal learning environments. The session will provide practical resources, illustrative examples of student work, & reflections on challenges & successes from program implementation.

SPEAKERS:
April Reis, Dasi Price

From Tatooine’s twin suns to Endor’s forest moon, this Star Wars-themed lesson guides students through Earth-Moon-Sun relationships using familiar planets from a galaxy far, far away. Students compare fantasy and real planetary systems, model eclipses and tides, and build literacy through science-fiction CERs.

TAKEAWAYS:
Teachers will receive a creative unit comparing real space science with Star Wars worlds to build understanding of Earth-Moon-Sun interactions.

SPEAKERS:
Ricardo Padilla

This interactive workshop introduces a novel model for training all educators in foundational Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) pedagogy. Participants will engage as learners in a short, free curricular unit designed to highlight key NGSS principles. These sensemaking opportunities include phenomenon-based unit design, facilitating student dialogue/questions, and student-as-scientist experimentation. Evaluation methods for measuring training effectiveness will also be presented. Formal and informal educators will deepen their understanding of NGSS teaching methods. Instructional Coaches will also benefit from exploring a research-informed training model that can be adapted for professional learning in diverse educational settings.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will leave with a free digital toolkit, including a curriculum, training guide, and support materials for training all educators in foundational NGSS-aligned pedagogy.

SPEAKERS:
Michael Kennedy, Maranda Don, Emily Mathews

Bricks can be used as models to represent simple sugars. Students build macromolecules as they link these sugars together. Models may be simple or more complex, and complexity can assist students’ understanding of molecular function. The simple sugar, glucose, can form the complex carbohydrate starch, which stores energy, while glucose may also form the structural carbohydrate cellulose. In building these molecules students act as enzymes by listening to instructions, following directions, and completing a task. One big difference between a young student and an enzyme is that students can multi-task, while an enzyme can only do one job.

TAKEAWAYS:
Students build all the time, but can they act like an enzyme? Bricks model simple sugars, and students build complex carbohydrates by linking sugars together.

SPEAKERS:
Suzanne Cunningham

Join the USC Joint Educational Project (JEP) STEM team to explore creative ways to make hands-on science learning accessible for all students. We’ll share examples of our K–5 lesson plans, lab lists, and digital teaching tools created for classroom and at-home use. Learn how we transformed our in-person activities into engaging videos and online resources on our YouTube channel to support teachers and volunteers in connecting science to everyday life. Attendees will leave with ideas and examples they can adapt for their own programs or classrooms.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will see how USC JEP STEM creates and shares hands-on and digital science lessons to support equitable K–5 STEM learning.

SPEAKERS:
Dr. Dieuwertje Kast

Integrate STEM seamlessly into read-alouds to boost comprehension and engagement without extra time. Learn to pair beloved stories with simple engineering challenges that bring texts to life while also building STEM skills. Discover new favorite picture books, and walk away ready to enrich your read-alouds with interactive, story-based STEM activities.

TAKEAWAYS:
Discover three engaging read-alouds and three complimentary STEM activities that encourage curiosity, creativity and critical thinking.

SPEAKERS:
Terra Tarango

Discover how one Title I school used a school garden to grow a culture of leadership, collaboration, and innovation. This session shares how a small hydroponic garden grew into a district-recognized model for STEM leadership and practice. What began as a classroom project now unites STEM, culinary arts, and health programs through hands-on, sustainable learning. Attendees will see how this initiative sparked teacher leadership, community partnerships, and cross-curricular innovation while improving student engagement and achievement. The session will highlight strategies for scaling impact, from writing grants and building partnerships to mentoring colleagues and creating programs that connect learning to real-world impact. Participants will receive resources for project planning, leadership reflection, and community outreach. Whether you are starting small or leading districtwide change, you’ll leave inspired and equipped to grow a sustainable, high-impact STEM culture at your school.

TAKEAWAYS:
Explore how garden-based STEM can serve as a platform for teacher leadership and student empowerment. Leave with tools to build partnerships, sustain growth, and lead meaningful, hands-on programs that transform teaching, learning, and community engagement.

SPEAKERS:
Barbara Rebeor

Over the last 15 years, the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County has been exploring ways to build trust with students, including policy changes, asset-based, culturally relevant pedagogy, and student-centered program design. As we have learned to more completely welcome school and youth audiences, we have also strived to create an environment that inspires student trust in the museum: as a place that values and respects them and as a safe space to be their whole selves. Now, we are honored to be a place where students can engage and learn, and even become museum interpreters themselves. During this session, we’ll model techniques for supporting student-centered dialogue and learning, and allow participants to share ideas and techniques that have proven successful in their classrooms. We’ll share the resources that have informed our work, and provide information about our own successes and mistakes so that we can all learn from each other.

TAKEAWAYS:
Learn about informal education approaches such as Visual Thinking Strategies in science and cultural settings that support open and supportive dialogue for all students - and adults too!

SPEAKERS:
Molly Porter

Elevate your after-school STEM programming with high-energy, aviation-inspired learning experiences! This session showcases hands-on engineering challenges, flight and forces investigations, and flexible activity modules that spark curiosity and build real-world STEM skills. Participants will explore strategies for amplifying student voice, strengthening community partnerships, and connecting learners to emerging careers in aviation, aerospace, and engineering. Leave with resources and fresh ideas that will help your STEM program take off!

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will learn how to implement hands-on, aviation-themed STEM experiences that elevate student voice, build perseverance and teamwork, and connect learners to real-world careers through meaningful community partnerships.

SPEAKERS:
Christina Davis, Jesse Steiner

Sponsoring Company: NOAA

NOAA’s Ocean Service has a number of activities and lesson plans focused on ocean and climate literacy. We also know the value of using multimedia in the learning settings to teach not only complex topics, but to also reach visual learners. A new component of our education materials will include hands-on demonstrations to accompany the lesson plans and activities that so many educators already use. This session will provide a sneak peek into the brand new videos and gauge interest on which topics should be prioritized for additional content.

SPEAKERS:
Symone Barkley

This poster highlights the Physics of Climate lesson set, co-created by scientists, teachers, and professional society staff. The lessons address systems thinking, the distinction between climate and weather through data-driven graphing activities, and the physics of greenhouse gases including their role in trapping heat, the effects of absorption and heat islands, and strategies for carbon removal. Designed collaboratively, the lessons combine scientific rigor with classroom practicality, increasing teacher confidence while engaging students in authentic climate data and physics concepts. The co-creation process builds a professional community that values outreach, public engagement, and shared expertise: teachers gain support and confidence, while scientists and staff connect their work to real-world classrooms. This model demonstrates how collaborative partnerships can deepen understanding of climate physics and strengthen both teaching and learning.

TAKEAWAYS:
Collaborative partnerships between teachers, professors, and professional societies can create research-based physics of climate lessons that both strengthen teacher confidence and engage students in authentic, data-driven climate science.

SPEAKERS:
Nicole Schrode

Teach Engineering is a free digital library that democratizes access to engineering education. With over 1,900 classroom-tested, standards-aligned lessons and activities, it employs engineering design and design thinking to make engineering, science, and math come alive through hands-on, open-ended learning. Resources are peer-reviewed, ready-to-use, and aligned to NGSS, Common Core, ITEEA, and state standards, supporting educators in creating dynamic STEM experiences. Teach Engineering puts the “E” in STEM, helping teachers transform science and math instruction into real-world problem-solving opportunities, with professional development, instructional videos, and tools to enhance student curiosity, sensemaking, and engagement.

TAKEAWAYS:
Educators will discover Teach Engineering as a free, comprehensive collection of high-quality STEM resources—classroom-tested, peer-reviewed, and ready to use—to bring engineering and science to life through hands-on learning and sensemaking.

SPEAKERS:
Ellen Sukovich

Learning Ecosystems Northeast is a network of in- and out-of-school educators who prioritize relationship building between and among educators and institutions for the benefit of youth STEM learning. Local groups of educators are led by two peers, often from different learning contexts. These leaders not only plan and facilitate meetings and events, but create safe and supportive spaces for their peers to grow and connect. We’ll share examples of leadership structures, trainings, and activities that position these educator-leaders to leverage the strengths and address the challenges of their regional groups. In particular, we’ll share resources and activities designed to help leaders develop and sustain a sense of belonging amongst the educators in their communities. Participants will leave with example facilitation strategies to support relationships with and between educators and will receive articles and book lists to support further learning around supportive peer leadership.

TAKEAWAYS:
Session participants will come away with examples of how they can foster and sustain meaningful relationships with and between educators. Participants will also receive articles, book lists, and facilitation strategies to help support further learning around supportive peer leadership.

SPEAKERS:
Molly Auclair, Laurie Spooner, Tonya Prentice, Rachel Wolf

The results of a sensemaking research study shall be presented addressing how teaching without attention to relevance results in decreased motivation for learning and negative attitudes toward science in a high school classroom. Modeling of selected activities from study will engage participants in an instructional method incorporating physical, sport-related activities as used for the study's initial phenomena to develop relevance and therefore enhance achievement in science as compared to typical/traditional instructional methods that was a follow up to integrate science and engineering practices. This experimental method consisted of Relevance Integration for Teaching Science using Sports Exploration (RITSSE) involving novel data sets of kinesthetic data sets through sports experiences as a means to enhance the Nature of Science and the frameworks of NGSS. For students and teachers not interested in the modelled sports, alternatives will be discussed for increased equitability.

TAKEAWAYS:
Teachers will take the role of students and participate in selected research studies activities using sport as a mechanism for the introduction of science concepts. Participants will also discuss adaptations to RITSSE curriculum design to accommodate their preferences of relevance connection.

SPEAKERS:
Erin Roades

Looking to pinpoint free supplemental interdisciplinary learning resources? Find real-world connections, internships, PD opportunities, classroom tools & swag; help students see themselves with 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:
Joanne Krumel, Cara O'Malley

Population Education staff will share activities that address some of the fundamentals of human ecology – understanding how people have changed the landscape and ecosystems as our population has grown. They will share best practices in facilitating environmental education activities that are interactive, inquiry-based, inclusive, and collaborative. They will also provide information on how the activities address NGSS. Visitors will receive electronic versions of activities and background materials to use environmental education centers, science museums, zoos and other informal education sites.

TAKEAWAYS:
Share-a-thon visitors will discover ways to incorporate hands-on activities into their programming that explore relationships between people and the environment.

SPEAKERS:
Barbara Huth

This Share-a-thon proposal focuses on the integration of public health laboratory science in K-12 education. Specifically, it will focus on the Association of Public Health Laboratories (APHL)'s K-12 outreach programming, including K-12 educational resources focused on public health and the Public Health Laboratory Ambassadors program, composed of a network of volunteers across the country interested in speaking to students about their work in public health laboratories. It will also highlight APHL’s partnership with the Lab Drawer, and the educational STEAM kits available for Public Health Laboratory Ambassadors to use when conducting classroom demonstrations.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will discover resources available to educators to assist in incorporating public health laboratory science concepts into the classroom and beyond the classroom.

SPEAKERS:
Mya Bledsoe, Hailey Reiss

Join us at NSTA Anaheim and explore a sampling of the Exploratorium’s free, content-rich, hands-on science activities and online resources.

TAKEAWAYS:
The Exploratorium, located in San Francisco, CA, is a hands-on science museum. We have hundreds of activities online known as Science Snacks, as well as thousands of other educator and professional development resources. Visit our table and find out what we have for you.

SPEAKERS:
Eric Muller

We will share ready-to-use and inexpensive Quantum activities and resources designed for all age groups, addressing superposition, entanglement, and quantum computing/communication concepts. Participants will learn about Quantum 1.0 and 2.0 technologies and how educators can share these with others in exciting spaces, based on our Quantum outreach experience at museums, career fairs and summer camps. Our booth includes materials for a take-home activity.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will come away with an introduction to emerging Quantum technologies and concepts and will gain a sense of the impact and importance of this field that can be shared with students and the public.

SPEAKERS:
Jeanette Chipps, Molly Iversen

Empower and equip educators thinking outside of the bun to utilize music with the STEM curricula. There are digital programs the educators can utilize without costs of funding to improve the connections of arts and music with STEM education. Teachers will learn how to improve their critical thinking to achieve the talented and gifted students who may not be advanced in science, but advanced in arts and music. Developing a future-focus for science education with emphasis of music and arts. Bridging out for cross-curriculum among various disciplines, however, focus upon STEM education. Utilizing the ODE State Science Standards, along with state standards from various content, as well as the connections to the Next Generation Science Standards. My proposal is for the audience of 6-12 general science educators. Educators from outside of the 6-12 parameter are always welcome to attend the proposed session. The information provided for the proposed session presentation is to help all STEM.

TAKEAWAYS:
Empower and equip educators thinking outside of the bun to utilize music with the STEM curricula. There are digital programs the educators can utilize without costs to improve the connections of arts and music with STEM. Teachers will learn how to improve their critical thinking to STEAM TAG kids.

SPEAKERS:
John Davis III

This informal share-thon highlights the STEAM Powered Careers collection, a series of ten children’s books created with scientists and educators to introduce first–third graders to a wide range of STEAM careers and role models that reflect their communities. Participants will explore free, ready-to-use lesson plans that accompany each title, see examples of how the books have been used in out-of-school-time and afterschool settings, and receive links to download all ten books and lessons at no cost. The first attendees to visit the table (or contribute during the share-out, depending on the format) will also receive physical copies of select books to bring back to their programs.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will explore free, ready-to-use lesson plans that accompany each title, see examples of how the books have been used in out-of-school-time and afterschool settings, and receive links to download all ten books and lessons at no cost. The first attendees to visit the table (or contribute

SPEAKERS:
Dr. Dieuwertje Kast

As the end-of-year whirlwind begins, how can we keep students engaged, curious, and learning? This dynamic session inspires, empowers, and equips educators with practical, classroom-tested strategies to finish the school year strong through meaningful, low-prep science activities. Explore ways to maintain curiosity, exploration, and inquiry while reinforcing clear expectations and standards. Participants will discover adaptable lessons and reflective wrap-up activities that make science memorable - even in the final weeks! Leave with fresh ideas to celebrate student learning, sustain momentum, and end the year with wonder!

TAKEAWAYS:
Engage in discussions and hands-on activities to support 3D learning and inspire students to keep wondering, exploring, and asking questions, even as end-of-year disruptions try to derail your lessons.

SPEAKERS:
Sara Tolman

The Emerging Leaders in STEM program combines virtual STEM career workshops with in person biotechnology laboratory sessions to build a sense of community and belonging in students to increase their confidence in pursuing a career in STEM. This model combines lessons in career education, speaker sessions with STEM professionals and the technical skills and knowledge required in a STEM career to better prepare students to be internship and college ready. By using a hybrid model, the program is scalable to so the program can be run in different communities and adapted to local needs by using training teachers locally to run the summer sessions.

TAKEAWAYS:
This session will go over how the Emerging Leaders in STEM program is run, discuss techniques that can be used in informal and formal education, and discuss the teacher training model.

SPEAKERS:
Ashley LaVerdure, Benedetta Naglieri

The deep sea represents almost 95% of Earth’s livable habitat! Without photosynthesis, how do animals survive in the deep? Participants will explore whalefall ecosystems like scientists, discovering, studying, and collaborating to make sense of this vital ecosystem. With storytelling, peer-to-peer learning, authentic science data, and collaborative hands-on activities they’ll build and refine models, examine mouthparts, and discuss feeding strategies. Leverage prior knowledge of terrestrial communities to support sensemaking of core science concepts (Hammond, 2025) and this unique ecosystem and its connection to global systems via the 5E instructional model. We’ll highlight culturally responsive teaching practices for a learning environment that is inclusive of multilingual and neurodiverse learners and fosters collaboration through science-focused discourse. Participants leave with tools to refine existing lessons or design new, meaningful ones that support students-as-scientists.

TAKEAWAYS:
Learn the critical role dynamic whalefall ecosystems play in global nutrient cycling in a place where the sun doesn't shine. Use storytelling grounded in real world phenomena to illuminate student ideas with simple sensemaking practices that build confidence and understanding of real-world science.

SPEAKERS:
Kulia Blick, Lisette Khaoone

A growing body of research suggests that partnering formal education with non-formal education has significant potential for improving student outcomes, particularly in STEM topics. Benefits of such partnerships include: Increased accessibility and inclusion, which works to close the opportunity gap, contextual learning through authentic experiential activities leading to deeper understanding of Disciplinary Core Ideas, connecting students to real-world career correlations that increase learner's connection to their communities. These a few of many ways non-formal education can support Three-Dimensional Learning in STEM Education. This session will take non-formal education beyond the traditional field trip and bring it directly into the classroom both virtually and in-person. With 20 years of combined experience in non-formal education spaces, presenters will show participants how, why and with whom they should make contact to receive STEM support for their classrooms.

TAKEAWAYS:
In this session participants will develop their own curated list of potential industry partners based on their teaching location, participate in innovative STEM lessons , with materials provided, and walk away with useful strategies for engaging non-formal educators in their STEM teaching.

SPEAKERS:
Damaris Velez, Sharon Gutierrez

In this workshop, we’ll highlight several strategies to support and celebrate educators, drawing on examples from Learning Ecosystems Northeast (LENE): a network of in-school and out-of-school educator communities dedicated to engaging youth in authentic, data-rich, climate-focused learning experiences. We’ll start with an asset-mapping activity- identifying relationships, opportunities, spaces, and materials that can support your professional growth, connection with other educators, and students’ learning. Then, we’ll share key infrastructure elements that have emerged as crucial to support educators throughout LENE. We’ll also share engagement models from regional groups that highlight strengths that leverage community assets and tackle unique challenges like expansive geographies, conflicting schedules, and diversity of learning contexts. We’ll end with time to consider how these models resonate with your community assets and to brainstorm strategies you can adopt to uplift them.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will leave this session with several practical examples of structures that support regional communities of educators. They will also leave with concrete ideas of how they could create similar systems of support in their communities, grounded on assets they identify in the session.

SPEAKERS:
Molly Auclair, Suzanne Kahn, Rachel Wolf

Geography is an interdisciplinary curriculum spanning social sciences, mathematics, science, engineering design, and technology. Cross-curricular instruction is an impactful teaching and learning methodology to provide students with the tools to understand phenomena and to increase their global understanding of the world. Learn to incorporate geography topics into your science lessons in this hands-on workshop. Use the World Almanac to bring in real-world data for math- and geography-based middle school science lessons.

TAKEAWAYS:
Integrate geography topics with science phenomena.

SPEAKERS:
Kelli Bergheimer

Today's elementary science classrooms face many challenges, the most common being time constraints, especially post-pandemic. Research studies often focus on curriculum integration as a way to make time for science which is a great start, but there is a lot more that can be done to take advantage of short time blocks. This workshop aims to share quick engagement strategies pre-service teachers learned from a science museum and a maker space to take advantage of ~20min time blocks at an after-school STEM program. Museum exhibits and activities are designed to be accessible by a wide age group, capture attention right away, and encourage additional exploration at home with simple materials. Educators working in informal science spaces have found that they provide different ways of thinking and strategies such as choice, flexibility, and material resources. We pose the question "what if schools leveraged these engagement strategies to maximize meaningful STEM learning?"

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will be given helpful planning tips to maximize student engagement and a variety of ideas for short STEM design challenges, tinkering projects, and phenomena-based lessons.

SPEAKERS:
Madison Pishock, Ashley Frazer, Carmen Vanderhoof

This presentation explores the design and implementation of a culturally sustaining science curriculum co-created with Black adolescent girls in a 9th-grade informal afterschool program. Grounded in evidence from a qualitative case study, I highlight how integrating students’ cultural identities, lived experiences, and interests into science instruction fosters engagement, belonging, and confidence. Anchored in Paris’ (2012) framework of culturally sustaining pedagogy, we demonstrate how the pillars of sensemaking, phenomena, student ideas, science and engineering practices, and disciplinary core ideas, were used to build a learning environment that supported identity development and equitable participation. Participants will analyze classroom artifacts and student work to explore practical strategies for adapting science instruction to elevate historically marginalized voices and create inclusive, meaningful learning experiences.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will learn how to apply culturally sustaining pedagogy through the lens of sensemaking to support Black girls’ engagement, belonging, and identity development in science.

SPEAKERS:
Tajma Cameron

In today's high-pressure environment, mental and emotional health often takes a backseat to academic success, overshadowing the essential need for wellness. This situation can leave educators feeling overwhelmed. To help address this issue, the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County has developed Wellness Workshops aimed at supporting educators, enabling them to better care for themselves and avoid burnout, alongside the youth they teach. These workshops leverage the healing power of nature and the importance of open, constructive dialogue to build trust within the education space. In this session, you will hear about the Wellness Workshop’s core strategies used to foster trust and build stronger relationships between Museums, educators, and youth including nature-based mindfulness exercises. By fostering connection and reflection, Museums can help educators become more effective advocates for their own and their students overall well-being.

TAKEAWAYS:
Introduce communication techniques that facilitate judgment-free conversations between teachers and students, allowing for empowerment and trust building, and utilize available green space to provide a calming, restorative space where educators can reconnect with themselves and each other.

SPEAKERS:
Molly Porter

Join representatives from the Association of Public Health Laboratory Science (APHL) for an engaging session exploring career pathways in public health laboratory science. This initiative, in partnership with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), provides opportunities for students, early-career scientists, and public health laboratory professionals! Attendees will gain insights into viable career paths in this sector, including public health laboratory fellowship and internship opportunities in state and local public health laboratory settings. Public health laboratory science is a potential career field for many students! Learning more about this career path and its connection to science can equip educators with the knowledge to share information about this profession with their students. Furthermore, educators will be provided with resources they can integrate into their curricula to expose students to these career paths.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will be able to describe public health laboratories and their connection to science education. Furthermore, participants will obtain resources available to educators to incorporate public health laboratory science concepts into the classroom.

SPEAKERS:
Mya Bledsoe, Hailey Reiss

Launching Inquiry through Rocketry is a hands-on professional learning session that immerses educators in the power of authentic inquiry-based teaching and learning. Through a dynamic rocketry activity, participants experience a STEM lesson from the learner’s perspective – posing questions, investigating ideas, and reflecting on their discoveries. The session highlights strategies to spark student curiosity, foster deep questioning, and support collaborative problem-solving. Educators leave with practical tools to cultivate a classroom culture of exploration, critical thinking, and deeper engagement.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will leave with a deeper understanding of how to design inquiry-based, student-centered learning experiences, transforming content into opportunities for exploration, and classrooms into spaces where questioning drives engagement and meaning.

SPEAKERS:
Jessica Kesler, Eric Moore

Many children face barriers to accessing nature, living with more highways and high-rise buildings than gardens and parks. We will share our experience in transforming outdoor spaces, no matter how small, into hands-on STEM labs where children of different abilities play and learn together. Get your magnifiers ready for hands-on exploration of nature, garden and nutrition. Experience using creative drama to bring favorite garden stories to life. Interactions with nature have lasting positive effects on mental health and provide hands-on exploration of a variety of STEM themes such as weather observations, pollinator habitats, and growing, preparing and tasting fresh fruits and vegetables. Join educators from nonprofit GrowingGreat -- a longtime partner of schools, museums and libraries nationwide -- to explore innovative activities that build self confidence, help young learners develop a relationship with nature and incorporate play and storytelling in the garden.

TAKEAWAYS:
GrowingGreat will completely fill the 30 minutes and the room with hands-on garden, STEM and nutrition activities to play with, recipes, and read-aloud story ideas, all for you to take back to your classroom. Curriculum impact recently featured in the "Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior".

SPEAKERS:
Jill Coons, Jennifer Jovanovic

Environmental challenges require immediate and locally driven solutions. Educators play a critical role in cultivating the next generation of scientifically literate citizens who can respond to these issues with informed action. This session introduces Planet Stewards, a program that equips formal and informal educators with the tools, resources, and support needed to guide students in designing and implementing hands-on, action-based environmental stewardship projects. Attendees will learn how to access curriculum materials, connect with a national network of educators, and receive guidance for facilitating student-led conservation and restoration work. In collaboration with the National Earth Science Teachers Association (NESTA), new funding opportunities are now available for educators working with K–16 students. Projects may focus on habitat conservation and restoration, marine debris and waste reduction, carbon footprint reduction, or climate resilience.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will walk away with a clear understanding of the application process for funding, successful project examples, and strategies for engaging youth in meaningful, community-based environmental action.

SPEAKERS:
Liz Martinez

This presentation will take participants on a journey through the evolution of science education, revisiting past practices that shaped how students engaged with scientific ideas and skills. From content-heavy memorization to activity-driven lab work, each era revealed both strengths and limitations, paving the way for decades of reform that ultimately converged in the NGSS Framework. Anchored in sensemaking built on phenomena, this session will connect history to present practice, affirming that reinventing the wheel is not necessary for best practice, rather defining what the "wheel" is today. Participants will explore how lessons from the past can refine future instruction, with particular attention to strategies for lesson and assessment design that integrate sensemaking. Classroom examples, including student work, video, and outcomes, will illustrate the impact of these strategies on engagement, accessibility, and meaningful learning.

TAKEAWAYS:
Explore the evolution of science instruction, from memorization to inquiry, to see how past practices shape today’s best approaches. This session affirms current methods, drawing on history to refine 3D teaching through group interaction and individual application.

SPEAKERS:
Matthew Bulman

Building partnerships between industry, K–12 schools, and community colleges can make STEM Nights both impactful and sustainable. Many companies encourage employee volunteerism, and staff with children in local schools create natural ties. These events enhance a company’s community image while introducing students to local employers and career paths. To build connections, educators can reach out to community relations or HR departments. STEM Nights are fun, engaging opportunities for families to experience science without the pressure of formal learning. Colleges, recruitment offices, and student organizations are often eager to participate, and high school clubs can support events at elementary and middle schools. This session also provides a planning checklist to streamline logistics and ensure success. Together, these strategies show how collaborative STEM Nights strengthen both education and workforce connections.

TAKEAWAYS:
Partnerships between schools, colleges, and industry make STEM Nights impactful and sustainable by connecting students with career paths, engaging families in hands-on science, and strengthening community ties through collaborative planning and shared resources.

SPEAKERS:
Courtney Behrle

Collaboration, curiosity, and student voice drive a thriving science classroom. This session explores practical strategies using Driving Question Boards (DQBs) and a “Communicating in Scientific Ways” chart. DQBs let students’ questions shape investigations, while the communication chart models discussion norms and evidence-based reasoning. These tools transformed my teaching: I shifted from delivering content to facilitating learning, letting student ideas guide inquiry. The result—higher engagement, stronger ownership, richer discourse, and a classroom where students learn and communicate like scientists.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will gain practical strategies to build a collaborative classroom where student questions drive learning. Experiencing a Driving Question Board and communication chart shows how these tools boost engagement and shift teachers from lecturers to facilitators of science.

SPEAKERS:
Missy Weatherly

Experience authentic place-based learning through a collaborative effort involving SUNY Fredonia, Erie-2 BOCES, and the Buffalo History Museum. This session immerses participants in instructional materials that emphasize student sensemaking of a local phenomenon: the Erie Canal. Come celebrate the 200th anniversary of the Erie Canal and explore lessons and activities that leverage science and engineering practices to investigate how a place is shaped over time and space. The multi-disciplinary approach explicitly connects NGSS, ELA, and Social Studies learning standards. While the primary focus is on elementary-level standards, concrete strategies and connections for integrating these sensemaking approaches at the middle and high school levels will be shared.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will gain high-leverage strategies and lesson ideas focused on student sensemaking of local phenomena using Science and Engineering Practices. They will receive adaptable elementary-level lessons demonstrating the disciplinary integration of Science, ELA, and Social Studies standards.

SPEAKERS:
Megan DeJoe, Paula Ferneza

This session will explore development and implementation of a K-2 nutrition-based life science and reading program in Mississippi public libraries. This session will not only showcase the collaboration of K-2 science and reading educators; public, school, and academic librarians; scientists; and the public in the development of the informal science education program, but also the approach of using a storyline and children's books to facilitate science learning of children in K-2.

TAKEAWAYS:
After this session, attendees will be able to describe the development of nutrition-based life science STEM kits for implementation in informal learning environments.

SPEAKERS:
Abednego Bansah, Kerri Greene, David Holben

The integration of technology and gamification in STEM education creates powerful opportunities for interdisciplinary learning and real-world scientific inquiry. Thinkertools offers a free online platform that engages students and educators through interactive user-friendly tools. One of its key innovations, Web of Inquiry, enables students and informal learners to participate in data-driven science through a flexible game template, based on principles similar to NSTA’s Crosscutting Concepts. The ‘inquiry games’ guide students through the full research process, from formulating questions, to collecting and analyzing data, and ultimately to communicating conclusions. By combining game-based learning with data-oriented inquiry, Thinkertools deepens scientific understanding while lowering barriers to participation for diverse learners. This presentation will share how these tools foster curiosity and engagement in science learning for all students.

TAKEAWAYS:
Thinkertools, a nonprofit edtech platform, has designed ‘Web of Inquiry’, a game that brings learning with real-world data into formal and informal educational settings. It guides users through research questions and empowers students to participate in STEM learning in a dynamic, engaging way.

SPEAKERS:
Todd Shimoda

This presentation will describe an integrated model for connecting families, PreK-3 teachers, informal STEM organizations, university faculty, and preservice teacher candidates with the overarching goal of improving science education at the early childhood and elementary levels. Inquiry-based lessons and engineering activities that bridge the divide between home, school, and the broader community will be provided. This replicable model helps to build community partnerships, encourages family engagement in science, provides opportunities for undergraduate education majors to practice pedagogy in authentic situations, and scaffolds the integration of science into preexisting preschool and elementary curricula through professional development and volunteer opportunities. Surveys, questionnaires, and interview data will be presented to demonstrate the effectiveness of this framework and how it can be used to support STEM learning in a variety of educational and informal settings.

TAKEAWAYS:
The main takeaway of this session is the potential replication of a professional development model to encourage STEM partnerships at the PreK-3 level. Audience members will receive an integrated framework for supporting science in the classroom, at home, and through informal family science events.

SPEAKERS:
Marcia Fetters, Betty Adams, Brandy Pleasants, Meredith Reinhart

In Tennessee, more school districts are teaching environmental science early in high school, offering a clear opportunity to deepen student engagement in science by connecting curriculum to the local community. However, teacher professional learning often does not illustrate how to make these local connections. To strengthen environmental science courses, the Cumberland River Compact partners with school districts to provide curriculum-based professional learning that focuses on how to use local phenomena in the classroom. The Compact is a leader in environmental education in Tennessee and has trained 979 teachers in over half of Tennessee’s counties. In this presentation, you will learn about how our unique partnership model deepens student engagement, leads to student achievement, and broadens teacher professional learning. Presenters will share a preliminary evaluation, teacher work samples, and student work from the program.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will learn how to leverage community partnerships to localize high-quality instructional materials, deepening the relevance of environmental science curricula and increasing student engagement. Attendees will also learn practical tips to generate their own local phenomena for the classroom

SPEAKERS:
Catherine Price

Are you tired of hearing I’m done? Add side quests as an extension to your science curriculum. Side quests can add a gamification element to your science classes that will extend the learning and deepen the creativity of your students no matter what grade you teach.

TAKEAWAYS:
Are you tired of hearing I’m done? Add side quests as an extension to your science curriculum. Side quests can add a gamification element to your science classes that will extend the learning and deepen the creativity of your students no matter what grade you teach.

SPEAKERS:
Michelle Simmons

Channel that unforgettable 6-7 energy into a STEM Night that's low prep, high energy, and all fun! This dynamic session inspires, empowers, and equips educators with simple ideas to create enriching and engaging STEM experiences for students, families, and community members alike. Discover trending ideas and hands-on activities that make science come alive beyond the classroom walls, while exploring strategies to build excitement, collaboration, and confidence among all participants.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will engage in hands-on demonstrations, share creative tips that work, and leave ready to host a STEM-tastic event that channels the 6-7 energy, making science fun for everyone!

SPEAKERS:
Sara Tolman

This presentation will take participants on a journey through the evolution of science education, revisiting past practices that shaped how students engaged with scientific ideas and skills. From content-heavy memorization to activity-driven lab work, each era revealed both strengths and limitations, paving the way for decades of reform that ultimately converged in the NGSS Framework. Anchored in sensemaking built on phenomena, this session will connect history to present practice, affirming that reinventing the wheel is not necessary for best practice, rather defining what the "wheel" is today. Participants will explore how lessons from the past can refine future instruction, with particular attention to strategies for lesson and assessment design that integrate sensemaking. Classroom examples, including student work, video, and outcomes, will illustrate the impact of these strategies on engagement, accessibility, and meaningful learning.

TAKEAWAYS:
Explore the evolution of science instruction, from memorization to inquiry, to see how past practices shape today’s best approaches. This session affirms current methods, drawing on history to refine 3D teaching through group interaction and individual application.

SPEAKERS:
Matthew Bulman

Science is more than facts and formulas—it’s collaboration, curiosity, creativity, and community. In this interactive workshop, participants will experience how something as simple as a dice challenge can capture the open-ended, dynamic, and collaborative nature of scientific work. Step into the role of a scientist, explore how scientific practices emerge through play, and discover strategies you can bring back to your classroom to help students live science, not just learn about it.

TAKEAWAYS:
Science is a shared journey of collaboration, communication, and evidence-based exploration driven by curiosity. Along the way, we may not always find definitive answers—but the process of questioning, investigating, and learning together is what makes science meaningful.

SPEAKERS:
Seung Yeon Lee

BioNetwork facilitates career pathway development for students pursuing careers in life science industries across North Carolina. Our newest interactive program, Speed Gowning, has gained significant traction among students, educators, and industry professionals as an effective educational tool. This session will explore the development and implementation of this hands-on activity, demonstrate how it connects students to diverse STEM career opportunities in a variety of fields (from biotechnology to health sciences, and more), while providing practical strategies for adapting the program across various educational contexts. Participants will gain actionable insights for implementing similar experiential learning approaches in their own institutions.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will learn to create classroom experiences that help students visualize themselves in STEM careers by connecting lesson content to real workplace skills and industry practices.

SPEAKERS:
Courtney Behrle, Trent Stanforth

Informal STEM experiences play a critical role in student engagement and career awareness, but launching and sustaining clubs can be challenging. In this session, participants will analyze traditional and non-traditional STEM club models that have been successful to identify practical structures that support participation and long-term impact across K-12. Participants will work with a practical “starter kit” to design a feasible informal STEM implementation plan tailored to their own context. The session will address logistics, student leadership, maintenance, and sustainability, while evaluating funding and resource strategies. K–12 adaptations and strategies for measuring impact will be explored, empowering educators to create inclusive, sustainable STEM opportunities beyond the classroom.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will leave with a practical starter kit to launch and sustain STEM clubs for all students, including logistics, funding sources, and real case examples. They will also gain strategies to support students in building leadership skills and awareness of STEM career pathways.

SPEAKERS:
Carla Waller, Stacey Reed, Eric Botello

This session empowers educators to build confidence in STEM education by guiding students to transform research projects into innovative solutions. Participants will learn practical strategies to develop an inventor's mindset in their classrooms, helping students think creatively, embrace failure as a learning opportunity, and approach problems with resilience and curiosity. The session provides ready-to-use resources, including lesson plans, activity guides, assessment rubrics, and project templates that can be implemented immediately across multiple grade levels. Participants will explore invention competitions and recognition opportunities such as Invention Convention, eCYBERMISSION, and other national platforms where students can showcase their work. Attendees will leave with concrete action plans and resources to transform their classrooms into innovation hubs.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will learn practical strategies to develop an inventor’s mindset, connect classroom research to real-world innovation, and ready-to-use resources and competitions that support invention education.

SPEAKERS:
Laura Wilbanks, Milene De Farias

Science misconceptions take hold because they seem reasonable or logical or appealing, despite little to no evidence to support them. We'll take a look at some common misconceptions, and then discover how science practices and a skeptical mindset can triumph over the most tempting false notion. Your session leader is a veteran writer and editor of science educational materials, and he has much knowledge and many experiences to share.

TAKEAWAYS:
We're all susceptible to believing exciting but false ideas. Come away with a lesson to help students develop a skeptical, scientific mindset.

SPEAKERS:
Joseph Berman