Join us to explore how rural New Mexico elementary teachers teamed up with the NM Museum of Natural History & Science to create fossil kit lessons that bring local geology and paleontology into the classroom. You’ll discover how place-based partnerships can transform “fun” community activities into inclusive NGSS-aligned, standards-driven learning. Our teacher-tested 3rd and 4th grade fossil lessons feature storytelling connections to ELA, hands-on investigations, and easy-to-use assessments that work for all learners, including multilingual, neurodiverse, and culturally diverse students. Walk away with strategies for: (1) co-creating engaging lessons that reflect your students’ place and culture, (2) building stronger community partnerships, and (3) ideas for aligning participatory, real-world science with classroom standards. Come get inspired to design lessons that spark curiosity, honor equity, and are ready to be adapted to your community!

TAKEAWAYS:
Elementary teachers will leave equipped with strategies for: (1) co-creating engaging lessons that reflect your students’ place and culture, (2) building stronger community partnerships, and (3) ideas for aligning participatory, real-world science with classroom standards.

SPEAKERS:
Amy DeGroat, Deena Gould, Liz Gilroy

This vocabulary strategy engages students in authentic research and visual learning. Using Google and Google Images, students investigate science terms to build accurate definitions and context. They then transform their research into labeled diagrams, comparisons, and sketches, reinforcing meaning through both inquiry and visualization. By moving beyond rote memorization, this method helps students actively “piece together” vocabulary, fostering deeper understanding, stronger retention, and connections between words and concepts.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will leave this session with a ready-to-use vocabulary strategy that combines digital research with visual synthesis, making abstract terms more concrete and memorable for students.

SPEAKERS:
Sarah Davis

This poster highlights The Great Indoors, a free, NGSS-aligned climate and health unit for grades 6–8 that connects cutting-edge research with practical classroom strategies. Built around case studies and data-rich activities, the unit helps students explore how climate-driven events—such as wildfires, flooding, and pesticide use—affect indoor environments and human health. Students engage in experiments, analyze data, and use design thinking to propose solutions that build community resilience. Aligned with NGSS and the UN Sustainable Development Goals, the unit integrates frameworks such as Causal Learning in the Classroom (CliC) and the 5E instructional model. Lessons are modular, adaptable to various schedules, and accessible to diverse learners. Teachers will walk away with free, classroom-ready resources that support sensemaking, foster student problem-solving, and make climate science engaging and relevant to middle school learners.

TAKEAWAYS:
Teachers will discover a ready-to-use, research-backed climate and health unit. They’ll learn strategies to engage students with case studies, experiments, and design challenges that make climate science relevant, inclusive, and action-oriented.

SPEAKERS:
Chris Link, PhD

ARM is a project-based internship focused on the construction and programming of autonomous robotic arms. ARM merges AI with physical robots using Python and an accessible hardware platform. Modules included: Introduction to Robotics, Python Fundamentals & Applications (e.g. Tic-Tac-Toe), Arm Construction, Object Detection, and Autonomous Arm Programming. All components: parts, 3D printing files, construction instructions, programming activities, and lecture slides are available online and can be used as a whole or piecemeal for clubs and classrooms. ARM participants include high school students, college students, and a high school teacher. Pre and Post evaluations found that the immersive internship experience improved important indicators of retention and success such as Sense of Belonging in Computing. TTIC is a philanthropically endowed research institute & university focused on AI and theory. NGSS Alignment: HS-ETS1-1 & HS-ETS1-2; CCC 2,4,& 6; Practices 1,2,3,4 & 6.

TAKEAWAYS:
Robots + AI = Student Engagement. Please steal our ideas. They work!

SPEAKERS:
Michael Rodgers, Randall Landsberg

I have found students’ fear of science, scientific concepts, and deeper understanding lingers, even in preservice undergrads. Many found science as unrelatable and something to get through. Students tended to not understand the “big picture” and concept connection to personal interests/ activities. I use alternative writing assignments to elevate HOTS levels while supporting cross-curricular understanding. I created a rubric that was general in the sense of product development but precise in the understanding conveyed. The rubric guides students to widen their understanding and incorporate individualism. Although full rubric completion takes students to an average, C letter grade, it provides multiple avenues for personal interests with the ability to exemplify superior work for them, physically linking sensemaking between science ideas and student ideas. The culminating products have been more unimaginably diverse and deeply engaging for their peers, the instructor, and themselves.

TAKEAWAYS:
My AWA (alternative writing assignment) rubric will be explained and shared, showing how concepts can be created, taught, and presented by students.

SPEAKERS:
Michael Bechtel

This interactive poster explores the fascinating world of native bumble bees and discover how creativity can inspire conservation! Visitors will learn to recognize local bumble bee species by their distinctive color patterns, behaviors, and preferred native plants. Participants will design and build “bee bracelets” that mimic real species—like the White-shouldered Bumble Bee or the Golden-belted Bumble Bee—while learning how these color combinations help bees communicate, defend, and thrive in their environments.    Educators and citizen scientists will receive free identification guides, plant lists, and data-collection resources to help them engage in citizen science projects such as Bumble Bee Watch and iNaturalist. The booth invites teachers of all grade levels to connect art, science, and stewardship—leaving with a tangible reminder of local biodiversity and a call to action to go outdoors, observe, and share their bee discoveries to support pollinator research and conservation.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will learn how to identify native bumble bees by color pattern and behavior, connect these traits to pollination ecology, and engage students or visitors in creative, hands-on activities that inspire participation in citizen science and local pollinator conservation.

SPEAKERS:
Claire Lannoye-Hall

Faculty websites are often the first entry point for students seeking research opportunities, yet they vary widely in showing inclusive values. We examine how biology faculty websites at Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs) and non-MSIs include elements that welcome students from marginalized backgrounds. The main focus is the presence and content of inclusivity statements, referencing diversity, equity, and inclusion, provide resources, or support underrepresented students. Using qualitative coding, we analyze websites from a random sample of biology departments, examining inclusive factors such as lab member representation, personal information, and explicit anti-discrimination language. Results show that inclusivity statements remain rare overall, with minimal differences between MSI and non-MSI websites. By raising awareness of the role of faculty webpages in shaping belonging, this project advocates for intentional, equitable, and welcoming online spaces in biology education.

TAKEAWAYS:
This project is aimed towards research faculty. It highlights the importance of personal websites, and encourages those without one to create one. For faculty with a website, it is hoped to implement more inclusive and welcoming practices, increasing participation from minoritized groups in STEM.

SPEAKERS:
Taona Maphosa

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

NSTA has several resources to support STEM teaching, two tools that were impactful for my teaching practice through the Scaling Up For STEM Cohort were the STEM Lesson Evaluation Tool and STEM Implementation Plan Tool. Together these two tools allowed me to consider more integrated approaches to career awareness in my middle school STEAM classroom.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will learn how to use the STEM Lesson Evaluation Tool and STEM Implementation Plan Tool to design more integrated, career-connected STEM learning experiences in their classrooms.

SPEAKERS:
Olivia Bello

Students partnered with the University of Central Florida to grow red mangroves from propagules in a campus nursery, later contributing to real-world shoreline stabilization efforts. The project immersed learners in three-dimensional (3D) learning through inquiry-driven investigations that emphasized sensemaking, problem solving, and key concepts such as ecosystems, plant structures, and reproduction. By integrating conservation, restoration, and data collection, students developed a deeper understanding of environmental stewardship while applying Disciplinary Core Ideas, Crosscutting Concepts, and Science and Engineering Practices.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will learn how to design and facilitate authentic, inquiry-driven STEM experiences that engage students in real-world environmental problem solving through three-dimensional learning and community partnerships.

SPEAKERS:
Mary Lynn Hess

This poster will share information from an NSF-funded teacher professional development program focused on "Two Eyed Seeing"-- the braiding together of Western and Indigenous science in a place-based curriculum focused on exploring marine habitats. In the Ocean Tech unit, students learn how First Nations harvested dentallium shells, which were used as currency, from 60 feet beneath the ocean surface. They also learn how local tribes are engineering clam gardens to restore local habitat health and nourish communities. Engineering and technology are integrated through students designing and building a remote-operated vehicle (ROV) that they can use to answer questions about their local marine environments and engage in stewardship projects based on what they learn. We will showcase real examples of Western and Indigenous scientists collaborating, and how ROVs are being used in scientific work.

TAKEAWAYS:
Poster visitors will learn how in-service and pre-service teachers adapted and implemented the Ocean Tech unit to incorporate students' own culture and funds of knowledge while introducing them to ways Western and Indigenous scientists are working together to address environmental problems.

SPEAKERS:
Debi Hanuscin

This poster highlights how generative AI can support educators in developing high-quality instructional units using the Understanding by Design (UbD) framework. UbD emphasizes beginning with the end in mind—identifying desired results, determining acceptable evidence, and then planning learning experiences. Generative AI tools offer powerful support at each stage, from brainstorming enduring understandings and essential questions, to drafting performance assessments, to creating differentiated instructional activities. The poster presents a step-by-step example of how AI was used to co-develop a science unit aligned with NGSS standards, demonstrating the “before, during, and after” stages of the design process. Supportive visuals illustrate the UbD framework alongside AI outputs, showing both the opportunities and teacher decision points where professional judgment remains essential. Attendees will gain practical resources, including prompts for effective AI use, examples of UbD-aligne

TAKEAWAYS:
Promotes Reflective Practice – Using AI encourages teachers to critically evaluate and refine outputs, deepening their own understanding of UbD principles.

SPEAKERS:
Katrina Roseler

This study examined the perceptions of agriculture and science-technology teachers regarding inquiry-based teaching in elementary schools. Through semi-open interviews with ten teachers, teaching methods and perceptions were explored with an emphasis on developing scientific and emotional identity. The results show differences between the curriculum: while the science-technology curriculum focuses on developing cognitive knowledge, the agriculture curriculum emphasizes emotional aspects and scientific identity. However, in practice, teachers in both fields integrate scientific identity into their teaching processes, emphasizing the connection of science to daily life, critical thinking, and the promotion of environmental values. The study highlights the importance of scientific identity in teaching as a tool for improving student engagement and motivation and recommends expanding the research to all teachers to deepen understanding and improve teaching methods.

TAKEAWAYS:
The research emphasizes the importance of developing scientific identity in inquiry-based learning in elementary school to increase student's engagement and motivation in science subjects. In class, teachers implement approaches that integrate scientific identity with cognitive and emotional skills.

SPEAKERS:
Amichai Yavlovich

Explore an April Earth Month calendar that offers a diverse range of daily engaging and educational activities designed to inspire environmental consciousness. The resource can be printed or distributed digitally, and all actions can be done at home or school. This provides attendees with an accessible tool to participate in events that promote a healthier, more sustainable future for our planet.

TAKEAWAYS:
Explore an April Earth Month calendar that offers a diverse range of daily engaging and educational activities designed to inspire environmental consciousness.

SPEAKERS:
Benjamin Charles

The National Earth Science Teachers Association (NESTA) empowers educators to advance their instructional practice through professional learning, high-quality resources, and a supportive community aligned with the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). This session highlights how NESTA—through strategic partnerships—helps teachers integrate Earth and space science phenomena that inspire student-centered inquiry and authentic sensemaking. By fostering educator resilience, collaboration, and leadership, NESTA promotes excellence in Earth and space science education. Participants will explore NESTA’s wide range of offerings, including timely classroom resources, professional development opportunities, access to best practices through our peer-reviewed journal The Earth Scientist, and strategies for building interdisciplinary connections across the sciences.

TAKEAWAYS:
Learn about a community that elevates Earth and space science teaching! NESTA helps educators connect, grow, and lead—transforming curiosity into discovery through shared resources, collaboration, and real-world phenomena that inspire student learning.

SPEAKERS:
Kellyn Hardin, Natalie Macke

This poster showcases how you can transform your Canvas courses into inclusive, dynamic, and enriching learning experiences for all students. Swing by to tap into essential strategies, tools, and best practices to foster inclusivity, diversity, and accessibility through your school's Canvas site!

TAKEAWAYS:
Visitors will learn how to implement tools like Canvas Groups for collaborative learning, media opportunities with Canvas Studio, and using Canvas to showcase student understanding while harnessing student strengths!

SPEAKERS:
Tanya MacMartin, Ed.D.

Our collaborative team of teachers and researchers share a culminating engineering task from a 3-week integrated STEM unit. As the unit uncovers disproportionate negative outcomes from the COVID-19 pandemic, specifically for linguistic minorities, the engineering task challenges students to develop a solution to the lack of timely health information in languages other than English. First, we describe the task: Students analyze and interpret data about linguistic diversity in neighborhoods (quantitative) as well as data on the affordances and limitations of artificial intelligence versus human translation (qualitative). Then, we demonstrate how based on the data, students argue for how and with whom to pilot the design of a multilingual health emergency alert system for a future health crisis. Finally, we describe how to evaluate the engineering design task using a rubric.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will learn our conceptual approach to developing an integrated engineering task that uses real-world data in the context of a future societal challenge (i.e., planning a response to a future health crisis using data from the COVID-19 pandemic).

SPEAKERS:
Stephen Kos, Alison Haas, Abigail Schwenger

The work of geoscientists is essential for protecting the environment, responding to natural hazards, and using resources responsibly – making geoscience careers vital and rewarding. To help students make these connections, the American Geosciences Institute (AGI) has developed free online resources that link student interests with global challenges and career pathways. A new Sustainability Interactive introduces real-world scenarios tied to the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals and encourages students to reflect on what matters most to them. When paired with AGI’s Career Explorer, which highlights geoscience-related careers, this resource provides teachers with engaging ways to help students explore how their interests align with sustainability issues and discover how geoscience can contribute to solutions. Educator resources, including lesson plans designed to help teachers integrate these applications into the classroom, will also be shared.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will learn about and can explore AGI’s free online applications that connect student interests with global sustainability challenges and geoscience careers.

SPEAKERS:
Lauren Brase, Lindsay Mossa

See the 5E instructional model, Engage, Explore, Explain, Elaborate, Evaluate, come to life in a complete phenomena-based science lesson. This simple five-step framework makes teaching NGSS, inquiry-driven science easy, structured, and fun for any classroom. In this poster session, you will explore each phase through visuals, lesson examples, and student work samples. Discover how the 5E model sparks curiosity, strengthens sensemaking, and turns real-world phenomena into meaningful learning experiences without adding extra work. You will leave with ready-to-use lesson ideas, practical strategies, and a digital toolkit that makes implementing the 5E model approachable, playful, and completely doable. This session demonstrates how even teachers new to phenomena-based science can confidently design lessons that engage students and support lasting understanding.

TAKEAWAYS:
The 5E model gives teachers a simple, five-step framework to design phenomena-based science lessons that spark curiosity, support sensemaking, and engage students, all with low prep and tools ready to use immediately.

SPEAKERS:
Paddy Rich

This poster highlights a scaffolded, interdisciplinary lesson where 7th grade students explored how humans, whales, and dolphins communicate over long distances, comparing sensory organs and experimenting with Morse code and hieroglyphics. Students were able to explore the different levels of sensemaking through this lesson implementation and demonstrate their understanding by participating in a lab experiment. The lesson integrated science, math, ELA, and social studies, emphasizing the importance of hearing in communication and the value of sensemaking strategies for deeper understanding.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will learn how to design and implement interdisciplinary, sensemaking-driven lessons that engage students in exploring real-world communication phenomena through hands-on, cross-disciplinary experiences.

SPEAKERS:
Brianna Scoleri

Step into the spotlight with this interactive poster session featuring the current Grand Prize Winners of the Shell Science Lab Regional Challenge! Connect one-on-one with these outstanding science educators as they share their journey—from transforming under-resourced labs into hubs of innovation, to winning one of science education’s most prestigious awards. Learn firsthand how they’ve elevated student learning, built strong safety practices, and used the Challenge as a platform for professional growth and leadership. Whether you’re curious about applying or simply looking for inspiration to energize your own classroom or lab space, this is your chance to ask questions, gather tips, and walk away empowered by educators who’ve done it.

TAKEAWAYS:
Personal conversations with Grand Prize Winners will inspire attendees with practical ideas and confidence to transform their own science classrooms and consider applying for the Shell Science Lab Regional Challenge.

SPEAKERS:
Amanda Upton

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

How can we make chemistry more interesting, relevant, and exciting to students while still keeping rigor? Hear from teachers across the U.S. who have used lessons centered around food-based phenomena that teach chemistry concepts like atomic structure, bonding, thermal energy, intermolecular forces, and chemical reactions, and are aligned to NGSS. Learn how this has helped student engagement, disposition, and understanding of science concepts, and their ideas about what science is. Teachers can answer questions about what this can look like logistically and how to support common classroom challenges like supporting students of different levels and backgrounds, lab equipment, and providing 3D assessments that align to NGSS.

TAKEAWAYS:
See how other teachers have used different series of lessons centered around different food-based phenomena and labs and how this has helped student engagement, disposition, and understanding of science concepts, and their ideas about what science is.

SPEAKERS:
April Thompson, Jacob Rice, David Meyer, Kate Strangfeld

The Inquiry-Based STEM Game Development via Generative AI tool functions as an expert pedagogical system to address the complexity of rigorous, cross-disciplinary STEM curriculum design. Teachers input learning objectives, STEM knowledge units, and select an inquiry model (e.g., 6E, PBL). The GenAI analyzes the underlying STEM literacies, automatically generates dynamic, authentic problem scenarios for the game's plot, and integrates multimedia. The tool ensures high pedagogical fidelity, guiding students to perceive STEM concepts, attempt problem resolution, and understand the socio-cultural impact of science. Crucially, the system uses dynamic generation to alter gameplay upon each launch, maintaining student engagement and curiosity. A robust backend logs detailed learning outcomes, providing teachers with granular data for both formative and summative assessment, thereby elevating the quality and reach of inquiry-based STEM education.

TAKEAWAYS:
GenAI-driven game development enhances inquiry-based STEM by generating dynamic, cross-disciplinary scenarios. Teachers gain a tool for high pedagogical fidelity and granular assessment data, significantly boosting student engagement.

SPEAKERS:
Chi-Ruei Tsai

This transdisciplinary experience links human biology, geography, and economics through student exploration. Students use an interactive website to produce maps by comparing health-related and non-medical factors in their region. After reflecting on observed patterns, students turn to two maps of state ZIP codes with the lowest and highest median incomes. In groups balanced for individual strengths, they compare/contrast features of the two regions based on non-medical factors they explored in the opening activity. Students then enter data for a “patient” into a professional disease risk prediction calculator that incorporates ZIP codes. By varying the ZIP code, they compare output to see how predicted risk changes with "place." Finally, they develop a map visualization that explains how non-medical factors related to place act on health. The activity reflects Framework elements that include obtaining/evaluating/communicating information and identifying patterns and cause and effect.

TAKEAWAYS:
In this transdisciplinary activity, students observe phenomena, draw out patterns they detect, and then test the real-world health outcomes of these patterns for people based on where they live, arriving at a deep understanding of the role of place in human health.

SPEAKERS:
Emily Willingham

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

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

TAKEAWAYS:
The National Middle Level Science Teachers Association (NMLSTA) is the only national organization dedicated to the support of middle level educators—grades five through nine.

SPEAKERS:
Mary Lou Lipscomb

Within in food education, Pilot Light has set the table, where they have created a national footprint by impacting students, teachers, and families in Chicago, NYC, and nationwide. They are now part of school culture with in 26 states, over 530 educators have received professional development, and over 24,640 have engaged in the program. Pilot Light has created a vision for a future where Food Education becomes an integral part of schools nationwide, through the leases of curiosity, community, collaboration, critical thinking, creativity. The standards: 1. Food connects us to each other. 2. Foods have sources and origins. 3. Food and the environment are interconnected. 4. Food behaviors are influenced by external and internal factors. 5. Food impacts health. 6. We can make informed food choices. Each of these standards can and have been integrated within the NGSS, Common Core, and SEL.

TAKEAWAYS:
Planting the seeds of change, Pilot Light has created a cultural shift in food education where they cultivated food standards, within the lenses of NGSS, Common Core, and SEL. One apple at a time....food education is here to stay!

SPEAKERS:
Lisa Ernst, Antoinette Schlobohm, NBCT, NCST

The research examined the perceptions of middle school science and technology teachers regarding the integration of bioethical dilemmas in teaching genetics, comparing religious and secular teachers. The qualitative research was based on semi-structured interviews with ten teachers with over five years of experience – five of them religious, teaching in state-religious schools, and five non-religious, teaching in state schools. The analysis of the interviews was conducted using a narrative approach and focused on identifying patterns of ethical thinking and attitudes towards moral dilemmas in the field of genetic counseling. The findings indicate that all teachers attribute importance to ethical discourse, but significant differences were found in the sources of authority and the types of ethical reasoning: the religious teachers relied on Jewish sources and religious considerations, while the non-religious emphasized state laws as a source of authority.

TAKEAWAYS:
Integration of bioethical dilemmas in teaching can contribute to the educational process by encouraging critical thinking and demonstrating the connection between science and society. The study highlights the need for professional development and teaching materials on ethics.

SPEAKERS:
Amichai Yavlovich

Elizabeth Zodda has five years of experience teaching an interdisciplinary course that includes both science and social studies. This course examines the relationship between the public, governing bodies, and scientific experts, and aims to develop a deep understanding in students of how science establishes itself as a cultural authority on truth. The course also explores contemporary issues that involve science but cannot be reduced to science alone and clarifies our values in relation to them. The course uses analytical approaches from history, sociology, and philosophy of science, and aims to help students improve their ability to make informed decisions about science-related issues in a democratic manner. In this session, we will explore the connections between this course and the NGSS statement on the Nature of Science and see how the approach can be used for a range of contemporary issues that some students may find controversial.

TAKEAWAYS:
Students are introduced to a novel approach to examining the contributions that science and non-science subjects can make to contemporary issues. They learn about the nature of science in an interdisciplinary course where they can compare the aims and values of science with those of other subjects.

SPEAKERS:
Elizabeth Zodda

In today’s classroom, adding STEM and 3D printing can transform learning by giving students hands-on experiences that bring their ideas to life. Along the way, they build critical thinking and problem-solving skills while practicing collaboration, creativity, and innovation. These tools provide real-world applications of learning and prepare students with the skills needed for future careers. By engaging in design and creation, students also develop adaptability and resilience, using technology as a bridge to master the essential skills of the 21st century. . Come ready learn practical strategies, see student-driven projects, and gain resources to bring hands-on, problem based creative learning into your classroom. Learn how to integrate this into all subject areas to bring STEM to life.

TAKEAWAYS:
Whether you're new to 3D printing or want to expand its use, this session will provide ideas, resources, and confidence to integrate 3D technology into your classroom. Learn how to use free software to bring science and engineering concepts to life, engaging students in real world projects.

SPEAKERS:
Scott Woodard, Nicole Hucks, Alicia Yewcic

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

Undergraduate chemistry is often a gateway course with high enrollment but low success rates. Underrepresented minority students are disproportionately impacted, reducing diversity in STEM. One way to address this is by integrating social-psychological interventions, like Growth Mindset (GM) and Effective Learning Strategies (ELS) into the curriculum. This study discusses results from three semesters (Fall 2024–Fall 2025) in general chemistry courses at one institution. Students were randomly assigned to one of four groups (control, GM, ELS, GM+ELS) and completed different modular activities. Findings show students are reflecting more on their study habits and shifting how they handle challenges and failure in chemistry. This poster highlights both quantitative and qualitative outcomes, emphasizing the pedagogical design of the modules and their adaptability to other science classrooms, including high school and undergraduate sciences courses beyond chemistry.

TAKEAWAYS:
Educators will learn practical ways to integrate GM and ELS modules into science courses to better support diverse learners and improve persistence in STEM.

SPEAKERS:
Li Ye, Emily Pak

Climate change naysayers, anti-vaxxers, COVID myths, wonder diets & greenwashing by industry -- all challenge our students. Here, we present a set of inquiry lessons for developing competences in NGSS SEP#8, “Obtaining, evaluating and communicating information.” Help students navigate the concepts of scienc media literacy: expertise, credibility, the role of consensus and institutions, the nature of trust, cognitive pitfalls, and recognition of deceptive tactics. From the Editor of the "Fact-or-Faux" column in NSTA's The Science Teacher.

TAKEAWAYS:
Explore a collection of inquiry lessons about scientific misinformation and media literacy practices. "Fantastic Beasts" | "The Vaccine Skeptics of 1721" | "Fact Checking 101 & 102" | "The New Madrid Earthquake, 1990" | "The Science Liars Game" | "The Noisy Response to Silent Spring, 1963" & more.

SPEAKERS:
DOUGLAS ALLCHIN

Hands-on science activities can present engagement challenges for some students, and teachers often lack training or resources to meet all learners' unique needs. The GLOBE Weather Pathways project developed and tested an approach to help middle school educators adapt a weather unit to support all students and explore STEM career pathways. The project included: 1) building a learning community of STEM educators, content and special education specialists, and professionals working in STEM; 2) professional learning on the NGSS-aligned, phenomena-driven GLOBE Weather curriculum; and 3) workshop time to adapt lessons for accessibility. This presentation will share project outcomes, including strategies educators used to adapt lessons, best practices for implementing universal design for learning (UDL) principles, and insights for building a professional learning community that supports inclusive science instruction.

TAKEAWAYS:
Discover how middle school educators adapted a weather curriculum to support all learners using universal design for learning (UDL) principles, and hear about strategies and best practices for building professional learning communities to support diverse student needs.

SPEAKERS:
Kirsten Johnson Nesbitt, Melissa Rummel

This study examined elementary teachers’ perceptions of integrating science, math, and ELA as part of interdisciplinary STEM teaching. Surveys and interviews with K–6 teachers showed that most believe students understand concepts better through integration than when subjects are taught separately. Teachers most often integrated ELA and science and reported the greatest confidence in this pairing, while full three-subject integration was less common and approached with lower confidence. Teachers highlighted benefits such as increased engagement, stronger conceptual connections, and multiple exposures. Key barriers included limited time, curriculum misalignment, resource shortages, and lack of collaboration. Supports identified to support integration included leveled nonfiction texts, hands-on investigations, targeted professional development, and dedicated planning time. A first-grade 5E light and sound unit was developed to model the integration of these subjects and will be shared.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will gain insight into K-6 teachers’ perceptions of integrating ELA, math, and science, including the benefits they see for students, the challenges of interdisciplinary teaching, and supports to assist interdisciplinary teaching, as well as an example interdisciplinary unit.

SPEAKERS:
Catherine Kurniawan, Heather Bliss, Kelly Hutchinson-Anderson

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:
Jesse Steiner, Christina Davis

This poster presents a lesson that has students explore how single phrases can allow you to pick up on a source’s tone towards climate change. Students begin by highlighting and coding an article using a key provided with the goal of identifying biases in the news source. Then, students create a blackout poem using the key phrases they identified to focus attention on the source’s bias towards climate science. This lesson combines critical reading & creative writing with climate science communications and is adaptable for students ranging from middle school to graduate school.

TAKEAWAYS:
Students will learn how to identify hidden biases in news sources discussing climate change.

SPEAKERS:
Zachary Krauss

Discover the fun and fundamentals of STEM with this hands-on workshop on building balloon cars from recycled materials. This session is designed to inspire creativity and innovation using everyday items like plastic bottles, cardboard, and bottle caps. Participants will learn key engineering principles, including Newton's laws of motion, aerodynamics, and friction, through an engaging, project-based activity. This is more than just a craft project; it's a practical lesson in sustainable design and problem-solving. We will cover the entire design process, from brainstorming and material selection to construction and testing. You'll leave with a fully functional, self-propelled balloon car and a new perspective on upcycling. This workshop is perfect for educators, students, and anyone interested in making science accessible and exciting. Join us to transform trash into a thrilling race car!

TAKEAWAYS:
Learn how to set up an engaging, hands-on lesson using simple recycled materials like plastic bottles and cardboard to teach core engineering and physics principles, foster creative problem-solving, and highlight the benefits of sustainable design in a fun, educational activity.

SPEAKERS:
Daniell Cossey

For many urban students, “nature” can feel far away, tucked into forests or national parks. But what if we flipped that idea on its head? This poster highlights a community-based science unit that helps students rediscover the ecosystems woven into their own neighborhoods. Set in Philadelphia, this freshwater ecology unit invites students to explore how rivers, streets, and people form one dynamic, interconnected system. It features classroom-ready examples that blend science, historical data, and art-based activism. The lessons combine three-dimensional NGSS practices with a historical lens to trace how local rivers and surrounding communities have transformed over time. Drawing inspiration from local storytelling and art movements, students design public-facing eco-art that raises awareness about the relationship between the city and nature. This poster is designed to help educators create meaningful community based and culturally relevant experiences for all learners.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will leave with adaptable strategies for designing place-based investigations that help students see nature and ecological systems not as something distant, but as part of their everyday urban experience woven into the streets, rivers, and rhythms of their own communities.

SPEAKERS:
Elizabeth Szablya

Join us for our Earthquake Tower Share-a-Thon, where student engineering teams present their earthquake-resistant structures and share what they’ve learned about seismic waves, plate boundaries, and earthquake-proof design. This event highlights the creativity, problem-solving, and scientific thinking of our student engineers as they rise to the challenge of building and testing their towers on the Shake Rattle and Roll Earthquake Board.

TAKEAWAYS:
Teachers will gain a ready-to-use, hands-on engineering project that integrates seamlessly with earth science concepts. This activity equips students with authentic opportunities to apply vocabulary, practice critical thinking, and develop design skills while making meaningful, real-world connection

SPEAKERS:
Diane Ripollone

Students will create a Pokémon with specialized structures that assist them with their "powers". This will involve drawing the Pokémon, creating a Pokédex entry, and giving a short presentation about their Pokémon and how its anatomy leads to its function.

TAKEAWAYS:
Teachers will learn how to make anatomy and physiology more engaging and relevant to students. It will also allow for more creativity to be involved in the science classroom.

SPEAKERS:
Laurelin Geno

This poster presents a structured group learning activity for teaching PCR, restriction enzymes, and gel electrophoresis in microbial genetics. Students assume defined roles (Encourager, Recorder, Time Keeper) while working through progressively complex scenarios involving primer binding, exponential amplification, and DNA fragment analysis. The activity integrates multiple molecular techniques and includes advanced concepts like DNA methylation effects. Initial implementation showed an increased in student engagement and understanding compared to traditional lectures.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will learn how to implement structured group roles and scaffolded activities to improve student engagement and understanding of PCR, restriction enzymes, and gel electrophoresis integration.

SPEAKERS:
Louis Bru

Innovative chemistry labs focused on current topics play an essential role in inspiring and educating students at the undergraduate and high school levels. A timely example is the ongoing accumulation of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere. One promising approach to mitigate the increase of CO2 in the atmosphere is the electrochemical reduction of CO2 into carbon monoxide (CO), a valuable precursor for renewable fuels. This presentation shows the development of a low-cost H-cell system so that CO2 electrolysis can be explored in the classroom laboratory. Different variables, including electrolyte source/concentration, voltage level, and CO2 source (compressed tank, human breath, mineral water, and dry ice), were investigated to determine their impact on CO2 production. With the results from these trials, a hands-on, accessible laboratory experiment was designed to make these complex scientific concepts become real for students.

TAKEAWAYS:
This new laboratory activity empowers all students to actively explore key principles in electrochemistry and current trends in renewable energy, promoting engineering, collaboration and problem solving in a hands-on, innovative, and accessible experiment.

SPEAKERS:
Kyra Morris

In this poster session, teachers will learn about a free, publicly available tool (see https://www.nextgenaset.org/ngss/aset-toolkit) that they can use to "beef up" their students' sensemaking opportunities. The poster will provide concrete examples (including student work) of how these tools were used to achieve this goal with a middle school unit on chemical reactions. The tools are differentiated by grade band, so all teachers, K-12 teachers are invited to attend.

TAKEAWAYS:
This session gives K-12 teachers the tools and guidance to engage your students in powerful sensemaking opportunities, even if your curriculum doesn't.

SPEAKERS:
Amy Ricketts

This study investigate the use of Alaskan blueberries as a natural and sustainable alternative to commercial pH indicators by creating a homemade pH test papers. The objective was to determine whether the blueberry juice, rich in anthocyanin, a class of naturally occurring plant pigments. This research also aimed to explore their practical applications in educational and environmental contexts. This project demonstrates pH paper production using locally sourced plant, offering an alternative indicators. In addition, this experiment presents valuable opportunities for hands-on learning in classrooms. Overall, the research highlights a simple yet effective way to merge environmental awareness with scientific inquiry by utilizing native resources for chemical testing. The researcher finds a potential feasibility of Alaskan blueberries as a natural alternative pH indicator. It can change a color and determine the acid and basic solutions.

TAKEAWAYS:
The attendees will learn that being able to deliver a lesson with the used of localized materials with the used of localized and cultural-based resources can play a vital role in students' s learning success which can lead also to have a meaningful science experiment.

SPEAKERS:
Nova Paul, Skyla Frank-Young, Allison Demit, Adrian Suladay

There are limited resources to aid students in learning challenging concepts in higher education. The lack of educational tool development may originate from assumptions that gamification of learning is elementary at this level or does not convey the rigor of the material to be learned. A course critical for the majority of STEM majors is biochemistry, which often lacks engaging learning resources. One of the fundamental concepts in biochemistry is learning the twenty common amino acids. Inspired by the popular New York Times word game, our team has developed an online gamification tool for the purpose of aiding students in learning the twenty amino acids. Using our program, Aminole, students are provided a way to improve their recall of amino acids in an engaging and repetitive way. Currently, the application is being piloted in large lecture introductory biochemistry courses. The long-term goal of this work is to make this tool a widely available resource for college students.

TAKEAWAYS:
We have developed a fun and interactive game to aid students in learning biochemistry concepts through repetition. While this game is specifically designed for biochemistry, the goal is to spark conversations and ideas on development of similar tools for students in higher education.

SPEAKERS:
Janie McDonald, Sydney Kaminsky, Cooper Gill, Heidi Anderson, Davis Katz

This lesson incorporates an engaging phenomenon that has been a part of Louisiana history for generations. With our warm an mostly tropical climate, we have become home to several invasive species. Students will first hear about our great states law makers radical resolution for one aggressive plant species in particular and also fix the decline in meat on the bayous! Can you guess the species our dear Huey P was trying to bring into our waterways? The solution was not only 2 fold, but utterly ridiculous! But, this lesson in ecosystem balance, biodiversity, natural selection, and invasive species shines light on how far we have come and how biotechnology may pave the way ahead in ecosystem balance in the future.

TAKEAWAYS:
Ecosystems present as a delicate balance. Our Bayous, though complex and brackish, have a very delicate composition of abiotic and biotic components that make it such a magnificent sanctuary. Solving the problem of invasive species is more difficult due to this balance.

SPEAKERS:
Karen Marshall

This poster will showcase practical ways to make chemistry more engaging, accessible, and memorable by integrating student choice, gamified learning, and creative activities into daily instruction. The focus is on increasing motivation, conceptual understanding, and classroom community by inviting students to take an active role in shaping their learning experiences. Participants will see examples of how these approaches have been used to boost participation and collaboration in real classrooms with real student feedback (without requiring extensive prep time or expensive materials). Each activity aligns with NGSS science practices and can be easily adapted for a range of high school chemistry courses.

TAKEAWAYS:
Educators will walk away with ready-to-use ideas and full access to a shared Google Drive folder containing templates, printable game materials, digital activity links, and resources they can immediately bring back to their classrooms to make chemistry learning more engaging.

SPEAKERS:
Cassie Herndon

This poster explores the powerful intersection of Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) and science instruction, demonstrating how SEL strategies can deepen student engagement, improve collaboration, and drive meaningful scientific inquiry. By incorporating practices such as goal-setting, self-reflection, peer dialogue, and emotional awareness, science educators can create classrooms where students feel safe to ask questions, take intellectual risks, and persist through challenges. Attendees will discover: Practical examples of SEL-aligned science activities Classroom-tested strategies to foster student agency and resilience How SEL can support scientific practices outlined in the NGSS Evidence of improved academic and social outcomes when SEL is embedded in science instruction This session is ideal for educators, instructional coaches, and curriculum designers looking to create more inclusive, emotionally intelligent science classrooms where all students can thrive.

TAKEAWAYS:
Integrating SEL strategies into science instruction creates a more supportive and engaging learning environment, empowering students to think critically, collaborate effectively, and persist through scientific challenges.

SPEAKERS:
Kelly Mulligan

Traditional science labs build content knowledge but often fail to connect students to real-world STEM opportunities. This poster session shares practical strategies for transforming labs into interdisciplinary, NGSS-aligned projects that deepen engagement and build workforce-ready skills. Drawing on a pilot design and multimedia pathway in an urban high school, we’ll showcase how projects rooted in core science ideas and extended through design, technology, and communication helped students apply three-dimensional learning to authentic challenges such as the Tech Challenge. Attendees will explore before-during-after lesson structures, planning tools, and student artifacts that illustrate how science learning can become meaningful, relevant, and empowering. Participants will leave with ready-to-use templates and strategies to redesign labs as collaborative, career-connected STEM experiences.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will learn how to transform traditional science labs into interdisciplinary, NGSS-aligned projects and leave with ready-to-use planning templates, lesson structures, and strategies for connecting science learning to real-world STEM careers.

SPEAKERS:
Maafi Cook

The use of noninvasive insects, order Blattodea, is an excellent way to teach life cycles, biomass, food waste composting, and biophilia. Attendees will be shown the comparison between vermicomposting and blatticomposting. Information on six neotropical species currently being researched/used will be shared. Of the 4,500+ species, 30 are found to be USA pests. The four top species are the American cockroach, German cockroach, Oriental cockroach, and the brown-banded cockroach. None of which should be used. Noninvasive roaches are perfect models for phenomena and science ideas in sensemaking. We are working with Green Banana roaches (Panchlora nivea), Death’s Head roaches (Blaberus craniifer), Ivory Head roaches (Eublaberus distanti), Argentinian Wood roaches (Blaptica dubia) and Madagascar Hissing roaches (Gromphadorhina portentosa). Blatticomposting enclosures are placed in school districts, used to create the state’s ITP test questions, and mentored to interested individuals.

TAKEAWAYS:
An IKEA-like plan, and NGSS-aligned lessons, will be shared to recreate hands-on, noninvasive, blatticomposting enclosures currently being used in K-12 educational settings.

SPEAKERS:
Michael Bechtel

I will share my experience using the Completely Hackable Amateur Radio Telescope (CHART) in my high school classroom.

TAKEAWAYS:
I will explain why and how we should teach radio astronomy in high school.

SPEAKERS:
Robert Palmer

The goal of this poster presentation is to highlight a new interdisciplinary course called Build It, Dream It: The Da Vinci Way. We are already a STEM-centered school, but we wanted to create a course that goes beyond that. We wanted a course that invites students who are artists and who are historians, students who do not view themselves as science-minded. We want to wow these students into understanding that science is embedded in every discipline. Science is thinking critically. It is looking at a problem and brainstorming ways to find an answer. This is done in literature, in math, and in social studies. Overview of Units in this course: Renaissance, The Engineering Process & Art, Simple Machines,. Sculptures,Animal Anatomy, Human Anatomy, and Space. Da Vinci was a master student although he was not well educated in the traditional sense. He thrived on learning and sought out experts to help him absorb knowledge. This is a great starting point for many middle school students.

TAKEAWAYS:
This poster highlights Build It, Dream It: The Da Vinci Way, an interdisciplinary course designed to engage all students not just STEM students. The display will showcase the course units, sample activities, guest speakers, student artifacts, and qualitative feedback from students.

SPEAKERS:
Ana Simzer

Students love labs. Students love food. How can we use both to transform students’ ideas about what “doing science” is and can be ? How can we do so while keeping up rigor and preparing students for more advanced science classes? See how to build foundational science skills & practices, connect science to students’ everyday lives, and leverage students’ unique backgrounds & ideas through food-based phenomena. Hear from teachers in different classrooms across the U.S. to get a taste for what using food-based phenomena can look like with a variety of student populations and needs, and get answers to questions like: How can we draw on students' interests and experiences outside the classroom effectively? How can we encourage student curiosity? What does this look like logistically? What does grading look like?

TAKEAWAYS:
Hear from teachers in different classrooms who have used lessons and units centered around food-based phenomena like tea, syrup, popcorn, salt, bread, pancakes, and more. Learn how this has helped student engagement, understanding of science concepts, and students’ ideas about what science is.

SPEAKERS:
Miriam McMillian, Ashley Vandgrift, Shawn Boggs, Kate Strangfeld

Dive into a hands-on experience where students explore buoyancy, density, and forces through culturally relevant activities inspired by chinampas and the axolotl! Learners design a floating paper axolotl capable of holding 20 pennies, testing and selecting materials based on observable properties while planning and conducting investigations. By connecting ancient Mesoamerican ingenuity to modern sustainable farms in flood-prone Sri Lanka, students discover how diverse cultural and global perspectives inform real-world problem-solving. These immersive experiences foster curiosity, critical thinking, perseverance, confidence, and positive identification with science, helping learners see themselves as capable problem-solvers and innovators.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will learn strategies to teach buoyancy with hands-on projects inspired by chinampas and axolotls, creating culturally relevant experiences that foster curiosity and problem-solving while helping students see themselves as capable scientists.

SPEAKERS:
Monica Dennis

Discover the Health DataWell instructional materials, co-developed by HESI and NSTA, to address the lack of materials focused on public health and data literacy. The materials provide opportunities for students to build data literacy by analyzing complex public health data, using statistics and computational models, and comparing sources to develop evidence-based explanations and solutions. In this session, you will hear from teachers who implemented the materials (Health Data Well Ambassadors) and gain practical strategies for utilizing complex public health data analysis tools with your students.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will gain practical strategies for implementing the Health DataWell instructional materials, focusing on using real-world data and data analysis tools to identify disparities in health outcomes.

SPEAKERS:
Eric Lewis

This poster session highlights climate change lessons and units developed by teachers who participated in a year-long professional development and research experience funded by an NSF grant. The work responds to California Assembly Bill AB 285, which mandates that educators include content on the causes, effects, and strategies for mitigating and adapting to climate change, with implementation required no later than the 2024–25 school year.

TAKEAWAYS:
Teachers will take away classroom-tested ideas for teaching climate change in the areas of water justice, sustainable energy, and waste upcycling.

SPEAKERS:
Bobbi Hansen

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

This poster presents a classroom-tested chemistry lesson on nixtamalization—the Indigenous process of cooking corn in an alkaline solution—to introduce students to reaction rates and collision theory through a culturally relevant lens. Structured with the 5E model, the lesson engages students in hands-on investigations comparing alkaline concentrations, modeling molecular collisions, and analyzing authentic data. Anchor charts capture evolving student wonderings, while differentiated assessments support multilingual and Indigenous learners. The poster showcases a visual storyline of the lesson’s “before, during, and after” phases, complete with student work samples and molecular models. Participants will leave with classroom-ready resources and strategies for linking chemistry concepts to community knowledge and cultural identity.

TAKEAWAYS:
Experience a ready-to-implement 5E lesson connecting chemistry content with culture. Explore methods for integrating Indigenous science into NGSS-aligned instruction. Access classroom-tested tools—worksheets, prompts, and adaptable assessments.

SPEAKERS:
Deena Gould, Daniel Delgado

At the elementary level, teachers can share examples of organisms whose traits challenge heteronormative thinking and support children in seeing that ‘difference’ is a norm in nature (Gunkel, Davis, & Bautista, 2024). Join us for an exploration of how penguins are portrayed in children's literature and how learning about penguins can be used to create LGBTQ+ inclusive science classrooms. We will share an annotated bibliography of children’s literature as well as the activities we used to engage teachers in considering LGBTQ+ issues related to science and science teaching, and how to foster a sense of belonging for all students.

TAKEAWAYS:
By identifying implicit biases in materials, resources, and language and by focusing on teaching about diversity among organisms, teachers can meet NGSS standards while creating inclusive classrooms for all students, LGBTQ+ in particular.

SPEAKERS:
Debi Hanuscin, Trinadey Coville

Teachers have expressed a desire to incorporate authentic climate data into their curricula, but struggle to find accessible and meaningful datasets that can be easily integrated into modern teaching practices. In response to this problem, climate scientists and instructional specialists from the University of Colorado Boulder have collaborated to create "Data Puzzles", a free resource that utilizes instructional practices as outlined by Ambitious Science Teaching to engage students in data analysis in the context of important scientific research. Data Puzzles challenge students to analyze and interpret climate datasets to construct explanatory models for important questions like, "What is causing the megadrought in the Colorado River Basin?” and "Why might the Arctic be warming faster than. the rest of the world?".

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will be introduced with Ambitious Science Teaching practices and authentic climate datasets in the context of the Data Puzzle resources.

SPEAKERS:
Bridget Walsh

Inspired by How to Train Your Dragon and developed through the AEOP-RESET 2025 program, this lesson engages students in asking, “Could a dragon really fly? How big would its wings need to be?” Using film clips, discussion, and the Engineering Design Process, students apply dimensional analysis and the square-cube law to compare real animal flight data with Toothless’ fictional design. Through guided investigations, scaling calculations, and creative blueprinting, students explore math, science, and engineering in a high-engagement, literacy-integrated challenge. The culminating project tasks students with designing a scientifically realistic, flight-capable dragon while documenting their work in an Engineering Design Journal. This session highlights how fantasy and STEM integration can deepen engagement, equity, and critical thinking for diverse learners.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will learn how to integrate fantasy literature with STEM by using dimensional analysis and the Engineering Design Process to engage students in exploring flight, scaling laws, and creative problem-solving through a “Design Your Dragon” challenge.

SPEAKERS:
Kim Alvin De Lara

This Lesson Showcase poster features the Xplorlabs Engineering Design Challenge on lithium-ion battery enclosures. Acting as safety engineers, middle and high school students test materials, develop prototypes, and evaluate how well their enclosures balance thermal protection: too much trapped heat risks runaway, too little risks burns. The lesson mirrors real safety science, referencing safety standards such as UL 2272. The poster highlights the before, during, and after stages: before, students build a foundation in battery science and thermal runaway concepts; during, they apply the engineering design process with data-collection tools and NGSS-aligned practices; after, they compare results, refine designs, and connect their work to safety standards and engineering careers through identity development and the joy of learning.

TAKEAWAYS:
Students act as safety engineers to design and test battery enclosures that manage thermal energy and prevent thermal runaway. Educators gain classroom-ready resources, NGSS connections, and strategies to bring authentic engineering design into science learning.

SPEAKERS:
Daniel Sternberg

Objective: Despite the growing importance of bioinformatics in modern biology and medicine, few undergraduate science programs provide instruction in this field. Bioinformatics involves using computer technology to extract information from DNA and protein sequences including evolutionary relatedness and genetic predisposition to certain diseases. Methods: This learning unit consists of video tutorials, written instructions for the laboratory activity, and a post activity review video. The effectiveness of the instruction is evaluated using pre assessment and post assessment questions, performance of the bioinformatics tasks, and a survey assessing the students’ attitudes toward the learning unit. Results: The module was tested with Guttman Community College biology students. The participants responded favorably to the learning unit and successfully achieved the learning objectives, gaining familiarity with fundamental bioinformatics concepts and their application.

TAKEAWAYS:
Despite the growing importance of bioinformatics in modern biology and medicine, few undergraduate science programs provide instruction in this field. This learning unit is a promising tool for introducing science students to the field of bioinformatics and data science.

SPEAKERS:
Edimarlyn Gonzalez

Freshwater salinization has been an increasing issue as the use of road salts has become more abundant. Many studies focus on the impacts of salinization on aquatic invertebrates and neglect the impacts on aquatic plants. Additionally, less is known how the formulation of the road salts impact the growth of the aquatic plants. The objective of the current study was to evaluate road salt formulations on Lemna minor survival and growth. If freshwater salinization from various road salt formulations impacts L. minor survival and growth, it may not only impact the health of this species but also pose a threat to other freshwater species in aquatic ecosystems that rely on aquatic plants.

TAKEAWAYS:
By looking at how road salts impact freshwater plants, this opens the question as to what else the addition of the road salts may do to the environment. This can connect to the high school setting, as students can get hands-on experience while seeing things that directly impact their environment.

SPEAKERS:
Myah Shier

Discover a wealth of free, high-quality instructional resources from Windows to the Universe to enhance Earth and space science teaching and learning. This poster/share-a-thon presentation will introduce attendees to a variety of materials, including engaging activities, multimedia, and interactive simulations, designed to captivate their students and foster a deeper understanding of our planet and the universe. They will learn how to seamlessly integrate these resources into their curriculum to address a wide range of NGSS-identified Earth and space science topics. From plate tectonics to solar system exploration, they will find everything they need to create dynamic and effective lessons. By utilizing these resources, they can inspire their students to become lifelong learners and develop a passion for scientific inquiry.

TAKEAWAYS:
Enhance your Earth and Space Science teaching and student learning with free instructional resources from Windows to the Universe! Bundle high-quality materials for effective lessons related to any Earth and space science topic.

SPEAKERS:
Margaret Holzer

There is a critical shortage of professionals in the healthcare industry due, in part, to the significant toll of the pandemic. This has led to increased efforts to attract people to the field at many levels, the most significant of which is the middle school years. These years have been shown to be a time when students can benefit from a process of building self-awareness and learning about careers. This is the underpinning for Indiana University’s Medical Research Education Project. This poster presentation will provide information about the project and how teachers can get involved. The presenters will also highlight a few hands-on exemplar, inquiry-based lessons that have been co-designed and tested by middle-level teachers, biomedical researchers, and education faculty. Alignment to the Next Generation Science Standards, and links to literature will also be emphasized. This project is funded by the National Institute of Health.

TAKEAWAYS:
The Medical Research Education Project at Indiana University is working with middle level teachers to determine the best ways to teach about medical research generally and cancer research specifically in the hopes of creating the next generation of medical and cancer researchers.

SPEAKERS:
Gayle Buck, Adam Scribner

How do you make science exciting and relevant to your elementary students? This session aims to help participants learn to create authentic, standards-aligned, and engaging problem-based lessons that relate to students’ lives. Goals of problem-based learning include increasing student engagement through the use of authentic problems that relate to students’ lives, increasing students’ experiences with scientific practices through hands-on investigations, and increasing students’ critical thinking skills as they problem-solve and sense-make in collaborative small groups. This session will include examples of lessons and student-created products from lessons implemented in 1st through 5th grade classrooms. Participants will learn how to plan for standards-aligned problem-based lessons and how to support students through the process of problem-solving and sense-making to create their own solutions. Prepare to be amazed at how students learn to take ownership of their learning.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will learn how to create authentic problem-based lessons aligned to their science standards that are fun and engaging and promote student ownership of learning.

SPEAKERS:
Cindy Young, Dawn Avolt

Take your students on a design adventure by building a miniature city out of paper. Using only simple materials—paper, tape, and scissors—you’ll learn a “paper engineering alphabet” of shapes and connections that quickly turn flat sheets into buildings, bridges, and streets. This presentation blends creativity with STEM concepts, while encouraging reuse of everyday supplies like printer paper, magazine pages, and cereal box cardboard. Learn to cut, fold, and construct your own cityscape and bring easy, low-cost design projects back to your classroom.

TAKEAWAYS:
That engaging STEM activities can be done with simple supplies.

SPEAKERS:
Godwyn Morris

Undergraduate students often struggle to connect abstract biochemical concepts with dynamic physiological processes. To address this challenge, we developed Cardio Chemistry: The Human Element, a guided-inquiry biochemistry lab activity in which students collected and analyzed their own physiological data during controlled exercise. Implemented in an upper-level laboratory course at a Primarily Undergraduate Institution, the intervention was evaluated using pre/post assessments, surveys, reflective responses, and exam comparisons. Results showed significant gains in conceptual understanding of the Bohr effect, increased familiarity with physiological metrics (p < 0.001), and higher final exam scores among participants. Student reflections emphasized enhanced engagement and clinical relevance, suggesting that integrating wearable sensors and personal health data into biochemistry instruction fosters interdisciplinary learning and improves knowledge transfer to real-world contexts.

TAKEAWAYS:
Discover how using wearable technology and personal health data in undergraduate labs bridges abstract biochemical concepts with real physiology, leading to measurable gains in comprehension, engagement, and applications of oxygen delivery.

SPEAKERS:
Corey Damon

This presentation explores an innovative instructional model designed to strengthen the preparedness and confidence of apprentice teachers in STEM classrooms through a dual approach: pre-teaching core math and science concepts and intentional co-teaching with experienced educators. Grounded in adult learning theory and cognitive apprenticeship, the model addresses common gaps in pedagogical content knowledge and classroom readiness often observed in teacher preparation programs. By introducing STEM content to apprentice teachers in advance of their instructional responsibilities, and pairing them with skilled mentors in a co-teaching environment, this approach fosters both conceptual understanding and real-time pedagogical refinement. Preliminary outcomes from implementation across multiple school sites suggest that apprentices who engage in this model demonstrate increased instructional clarity, improved student engagement, and stronger classroom management skills.

TAKEAWAYS:
Design and implement a structured pre-teaching model that introduces STEM content to apprentice teachers prior to classroom instruction, allowing them to internalize key concepts, anticipate student misconceptions, and enhance content delivery.

SPEAKERS:
Deborah McAllister, Jennifer Lynberg

This session showcases an interdisciplinary set of lessons that connect middle school science and math standards across 6th, 7th, and 8th grade. Participants will explore how life science, physical science, and earth science concepts can be paired with grade-level math practices to deepen student understanding of real-world phenomena. From applying the constant of proportionality in physical science, to writing in scientific notation the energy released in an earthquake in earth science, these lessons emphasize inquiry, problem-solving, and data analysis. Attendees will leave with ready-to-use strategies that integrate NGSS and math standards, fostering critical thinking and demonstrating the power of interdisciplinary learning.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will learn ways to implement lessons that seamlessly integrate middle school science and math standards, helping students apply mathematical reasoning to scientific phenomena for deeper, real-world understanding.

SPEAKERS:
Ariel Raymond

K–12 students explore climate science and real-world climate solutions. Developed by the UCAR Center for Science Education, these interactive resources engage learners in systems thinking, modeling, and decision-making. We share learning games for a range of ages and learning targets, including simulations that explore carbon emissions and energy choices, paper-based role-playing games about greenhouse gases and the nitrogen cycle, and playful games from our SkySci for Kids website for early elementary learners. All resources are designed to build understanding, spark curiosity, and empower students to see themselves as agents of change. Participants will hear tips from one of our seasoned educators about integrating these resources across grade levels to foster climate literacy and action.

TAKEAWAYS:
Discover free, classroom-ready climate games and simulations that engage K–12 students in systems thinking and real-world problem solving. Learn how to integrate these tools to build climate literacy and inspire student action.

SPEAKERS:
Melissa Rummel

As teachers, we often wonder what happens in groups when we step away. This poster will take you behind the curtain with 3 different student groups in an undergraduate physics lab as they engage in multiple NGSS SEPs. This research project found that the most important factors for student success in engaging in inquiry-based SEPs are the connections between procedural and conceptual elements through epistemic elements, underpinned by social engagement. Each pairing of a student group with their instructor showed different instructional styles and levels of teacher guidance. This poster will provide specific examples of student groups successfully navigating the lab, less successful groups navigating challenges, and teacher moves that mitigated unproductive struggles. Equitable access to post-secondary physics labs requires that instructors adapt to the needs of their students, which will be shown in this poster.

TAKEAWAYS:
This poster will provide guidance for secondary and post-secondary instructors who want to better support their students during sensemaking. Teachers can adopt an adaptive approach to teaching by evaluating student ideas with the aim of meeting students’ needs throughout the sensemaking process.

SPEAKERS:
Sara Dozier, Brian Wilcox

Learn from two experienced transdisciplinary teachers how to assess students as they combine science-based storytelling and justice advocacy. In our food systems/justice context, students make observations around urgent food-related topics, including interviews at local farmers' markets and with community partners. They then explore related scientific evidence on topics they choose, including SNAP budgeting, food waste, and front-of-packaging labeling. Students generate ideas for evidence-based storytelling through interactive "tabling" showcases held during school lunch. For this poster, we'll showcase the lesson arc, portfolio rubric, student work, and sample booths as a clear before/during/after model for other teachers to use. As food insecurity, climate impacts, and equity shape students’ lives and policy shifts affect access and opportunities, this assessment provides a model for teaching science in a social justice context, empowering youth to connect content to action.

TAKEAWAYS:
Discover a model of authentic assessment where science and justice meet as students observe, investigate, and generate ideas while turning their science learning into civic leadership.

SPEAKERS:
Tania Bettis, Elizabeth Gottlieb

Learning Assistant (LA) programs have grown in popularity over the last 20 years as a form of near-peer instructional support, largely due to LAs reducing DFW rates, increasing retention in STEM programs, enhancing teacher recruitment, supporting curricular and pedagogical transformation, and increasing positive attitudes about science. This poster focuses on recurring themes that emerged from student and LA focus groups conducted during the semesters between Fall 2023 and Spring 2025. Some of the key themes that emerged from being involved in the LA program were helping students foster STEM identity, broadening students’ perspectives on who can do STEM, allowing students to feel more comfortable asking questions, and encouraging LAs to consider teaching as a possible career choice. This data will provide insights for how the LA program fosters an inclusive learning environment through student to student interactions, and how these interactions influence the development of STEM.

TAKEAWAYS:
Learning Assistant programs help students foster their STEM identity, broaden students’ perspectives on who can do STEM, allow students to feel more comfortable asking questions, and encourage LAs to consider teaching as a possible career choice.

SPEAKERS:
Aubrey Layton, Elijah Roth

Discover Rubin Observatory’s free, classroom-ready astronomy investigations, built to support NGSS and spark curiosity with authentic data. Each begins with a phenomenon and guides students through interactive tools, scaffolded questions, and active learning strategies that strengthen sensemaking. Formative and summative assessments with scoring guides support classroom use. Additional resources—such as Rubin Voices Trading Cards that highlight diverse STEM careers, animated videos, interactive tours, and activities ranging from galaxy counting to Rubin Bingo—bring astronomy to life. Teachers can also access free professional development, classroom support, and an education mailing list for ongoing updates.

TAKEAWAYS:
Explore Rubin Observatory’s free classroom-ready astronomy investigations and STEM activities, all designed to support the NGSS. Discover how to access professional development, teacher support, and additional resources like videos, games, data-based image tours, and trading cards.

SPEAKERS:
Ardis Herrold

Discover the Health DataWell instructional materials, co-developed by HESI and NSTA, to address the lack of materials focused on public health and data literacy. The materials provide opportunities for students to build data literacy by analyzing complex public health data, using statistics and computational models, and comparing sources to develop evidence-based explanations and solutions. In this session, you will hear from teachers who implemented the materials (Health Data Well Ambassadors) and gain practical strategies for utilizing complex public health data analysis tools with your students.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will gain practical strategies for implementing the Health DataWell instructional materials, focusing on using real-world data and data analysis tools to identify disparities in health outcomes.

SPEAKERS:
Madison Staton

Urban school districts are uniquely positioned at the intersection of innovation and inequity. This roundtable invites educators, leaders, and community stakeholders to discuss strategies that increase access, engagement, and achievement in STEM for historically underserved students. Together, participants will examine real-world challenges such as resource gaps, culturally relevant pedagogy, and teacher retention, while sharing solutions like community partnerships, after-school STEM initiatives, and project-based learning. The session will serve as a collaborative space to exchange best practices and inspire actionable steps toward equity in STEM education.

TAKEAWAYS:
Even in resource-limited urban classrooms, innovative and low-cost STEM practices can break barriers, spark curiosity, and open pathways to future success.

SPEAKERS:
Tamia Murphy

This Lesson Showcase shares an interdisciplinary elementary unit developed in response to a parent’s concern about food waste at school. Using the bilingual trade book Rainbow weaver / Tejedora del arcoíris as a central teaching resource, students engaged in real-world investigations of food waste at home and school. Hands-on activities, such as sorting and weighing food waste, helped students connect abstract science concepts to real world experiences. Literacy connections through reading, discussion, and family interviews made complex science content more relevant to their everyday lives. Students also highlighted cultural traditions that shaped how families reuse food and materials, illustrating the power of integrating personal and community knowledge into science learning. By grounding lessons in authentic issues of waste and sustainability, the unit encouraged student agency by linking science with meaningful action in their lives and communities.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will receive all lesson materials and resources to implement this interdisciplinary, bilingual unit that connects food waste, culture, and sustainability through hands-on science, literacy, and family knowledge.

SPEAKERS:
Caitlyn Ishaq

Discover the Health DataWell instructional materials, co-developed by HESI and NSTA, to address the lack of materials focused on public health. Research shows that high school is a key time in career awareness and preparation. These materials provide students with an opportunity to expand their understanding of health professions and to consider the roles of community members in promoting public health. In this session, you will hear from teachers who implemented the materials (Health Data Well Ambassadors) and gain practical strategies for connecting students to public health roles in their communities.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will leave with practical strategies and resources to help students explore public health careers and understand the impact of community roles in promoting health.

SPEAKERS:
Rachel Di Silvio

As educators, how can you design cognitive lift to empower students to do most of the thinking and meaning-making? How can you spark genuine curiosity that gets students excited to learn and uncover new facets of their world consistently? That’s what happens when students experience science before it’s explained. In this lesson showcase, experience an “Explore Before Explain” approach to understand how it can spark curiosity, drive inquiry, and deepen understanding of core concepts. You’ll see a classroom-tested lesson that begins with a compelling phenomenon, inviting students to make observations, ask questions, and construct meaning through investigation. The poster will illustrate how educators set the stage for curiosity, guide sensemaking, and support students in connecting new ideas to scientific principles. Attendees will leave with a repeatable process and criteria for designing phenomena-based learning, helping students think and act like scientists every day.

TAKEAWAYS:
Learn to design and facilitate “Explore Before Explain” lessons that use real-world phenomena to spark curiosity and deepen student understanding. As leaders, learn how to support teachers in shifting classroom practices toward student-driven inquiry and sensemaking.

SPEAKERS:
Amanda Drenth, Solona Hollis

Too often banned as distractions, cell phones can be reimagined as powerful science tools for equity and engagement. Grounded in my white paper Reimagining Public School Education: Embracing Innovation for the Future, this workshop explores global models showing how structured integration of mobile devices boosts collaboration, real-time feedback, and personalized learning. Through polling, simulations, and role-play, participants will experience strategies for turning student phones into curriculum-aligned instruments—even without advanced infrastructure. Attendees will leave with blueprints to address privacy, policy, and access while reframing the device in every student’s pocket as a lab of the 21st century.

TAKEAWAYS:
Cell phones, when structured and intentional, shift from distraction to powerful science tools—supporting equity, personalization, and engagement while preparing students for a tech-driven future.

SPEAKERS:
Marvin Reid

This poster highlights The Great Indoors, an NGSS-aligned unit for grades 3–5 that blends storytelling, inquiry, and design challenges to help students explore indoor air quality and practice problem-solving. Students follow Mira, a curious learner investigating the air in her new home, and conduct hands-on experiments with variables such as ventilation, humidity, and particulates. They make observations, ask questions, and apply engineering design to create simple solutions that improve the spaces where they live, learn, and play. Developed with university partners, the unit integrates the three dimensions of NGSS, builds action competence, and supports sensemaking through authentic, place-based phenomena. Each lesson is modular, adaptable to different schedules, and accessible to all learners. Teachers will be introduced to lesson designs, experiments, and free resources that make science engaging, inclusive, and relevant to the air we breathe indoors.

TAKEAWAYS:
Teachers will explore a ready-to-use, NGSS-aligned unit where grades 3–5 students investigate indoor air quality through storytelling, inquiry, and hands-on experiments, building sensemaking, action competence, and problem-solving through design thinking and engineering.

SPEAKERS:
Chris Link, PhD

Grading is one of the most time-consuming tasks we face, often leading to teacher burnout and limited time or capacity to provide meaningful feedback. Regardless of the Learning Management System (LMS) that you use, instructors have access to a variety of built-in tools designed to make grading more efficient--without sacrificing quality. This poster presentation will showcase practical, efficient, research-informed strategies for leveraging tools in LMS platforms such as Canvas to streamline the grading process while maintaining the quality of feedback students receive.

TAKEAWAYS:
Viewers will learn about grading tools such as embedded rubrics, comment libraries, annotation tools, and video feedback to balance grading efficiency with personalized, student-centered feedback.

SPEAKERS:
Tanya MacMartin, Ed.D.

This poster presents the Predict, Hypothesis, Observe & Inference (PHOI) strategy, an innovative instructional model designed to enhance science lessons. PHOI addresses the need for effective strategies that empower teachers to foster deep student understanding, develop critical thinking skills, and promote active engagement with scientific phenomena. The strategy centers on student-driven questioning and investigation, making it highly adaptable and easy to integrate into existing curricula, while also supporting the tenets of NGSS. Teachers will learn how PHOI encourages students to explore phenomena, generate testable hypotheses, engage in systematic observation, and interpret data to construct meaningful inferences. The poster will outline the core components of the PHOI strategy and provide practical steps for implementation. Attendees will gain actionable insights and resources to apply the PHOI strategy in their classrooms immediately.

TAKEAWAYS:
The PHOI strategy provides a practical approach for inquiry-based science teaching, enabling educators to foster deeper student engagement and critical thinking through phenomena-driven investigations. By integrating PHOI, teachers can easily enhance their curricula to foster scientific literacy.

SPEAKERS:
Jaclyn Murray

In the Genetic Counselor Challenge performance assessment, the students will demonstrate they understand genetic terminology, a specific genetic condition, Punnett squares, pedigrees and professional writing skills. Students are allowed a lot of choice which makes them engaged and invested in their final project. They will be creating a report for Claire and Ed to see the likelihood of them having a child with a certain genetic condition. Two possible options will be presented for the genetic condition: cystic fibrosis and hemophilia. However, teachers could use others. Students will create a pedigree using Punnett squares before writing a professional report for Claire and Ed. Students will be able to make the project their own by creating the family structure, which may include variations like twins or same-sex relationships. In addition, students are able to pick their challenge level, which allows some students to take it farther.

TAKEAWAYS:
Through the challenge problem, students will demonstrate their creativity, understanding of genetic terminology, Punnett squares, pedigrees and writing skills. This can be used as a summative, performance assessment. Teachers can make simple alterations to have it fit in with their curriculum.

SPEAKERS:
Kaitlyn Johnson

This action research project, “Igniting Curiosity: Transforming 5th Grade Science with OpenSciEd”, explores how implementing hands-on, inquiry-based OpenSciEd units can increase engagement, collaboration, and conceptual understanding in a 5th-grade classroom. The study uses phenomena-driven investigations, structured group roles, and formative assessments to foster equitable participation and deepen students’ use of Science and Engineering Practices (SEPs). By combining student notebooks, reflections, and teacher observations, the project examines how OpenSciEd supports both academic growth and curiosity-driven learning.

TAKEAWAYS:
OpenSciEd empowers students to move beyond memorizing facts—by engaging them in authentic scientific inquiry, it builds curiosity, collaboration, and confidence, ensuring all learners have a voice in making sense of the world.

SPEAKERS:
Marlon Gamit

Learning in this curriculum is rooted in the idea that Science, Technology, Engineering, Math, and Medicine (STEMM) can be used as a tool for caring for oneself and for others. In the 2024-2025 school year, this curriculum was implemented in 11 schools, serving 41 classrooms and reaching over 850 students. The Infectious Diseases Learning Module is a part of a larger STEMM curriculum that focuses on ‘What Do Humans Need to Survive?’ Throughout the lessons, student inquiry drives exploration of the human need for people, shelter, food, clean air, and clean water. The learning curriculum is rooted in literacy practices which spark student inquiry to conduct further research, analyze and interpret classroom data, as well as to develop investigations.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will engage with the creator of the inquiry-driven learning module to identify how to use the curriculum in their learning environment. Participants will examine the scientific practices evident in the learning module. Participants will be given free access to the learning module.

SPEAKERS:
Anika Britton, Krisderlawn Motley, Hailey Wolfe

This poster will share information about the engineering design-process in which we taught from the lens of a practicum-based professional development program in which we implemented the Ocean Tech unit from Explore the Salish Sea, a place-based curriculum that braids together Western and Indigenous Science to engage students in investigating local marine habitats. Through this unit, students learned about ways that our Indigenous neighbors interact with engineering, as well as learning about how engineering and technology can be used to answer questions about their local marine environments. Students designed and built remotely-operated vehicles (ROVs) and explored the different ways they could alter their designs to continue improvement. We will discuss our takeaways and experiences from implementing this culturally responsive elementary science teaching.

TAKEAWAYS:
People who visit our poster will learn about the way that we implemented the engineering design process. Through conversation with the presenters, visitors will gain insight into their personal experience interacting with this design process and curriculum.

SPEAKERS:
Corin Yates, Grace Blanning, Kelsey Gonzalez Serna, Kat Shoemaker

18 Master Teacher Fellows participating in a 5-year NSF-funded Robert Noyce Teachers Fellows project are engaging in extensive professional learning about K-5 STEM teacher leadership focusing on sustainable and inclusive teaching practices. This poster will showcase profiles of teachers' development and enactment of STEM teacher leadership within their classrooms and schools.

TAKEAWAYS:
Visitors to this poster will have a chance to view the many ways in which STEM teacher leadership is enacted in K-5 environments. Visitors will learn clear strategies for serving in leadership roles after viewing this poster.

SPEAKERS:
Helen Corveleyn, Lauren Madden

This poster highlights a strategy for integrating generative AI tools into teacher preparation programs to strengthen candidates’ reflective practice. Teacher candidates use AI to evaluate their own professional reflections from a math and science teaching conference, aligning with standards such as inTASC Standards, AAQEP, MCEE, and ISTE. The lesson provides candidates with structured opportunities to analyze AI feedback, consider personal strengths and biases, and set actionable goals for growth. Attendees will gain strategies to implement AI-supported reflection in their own classrooms.

TAKEAWAYS:
Practical strategies for integrating AI into teacher preparation.

SPEAKERS:
Katrina Roseler

The goal of this session is to prepare educators to use teaching strategies grounded in the four pillars of sensemaking (phenomena, science and engineering practices, student ideas and science ideas) into their practice to enhance engagement and STEM identity among Black students. This session provides opportunity to examine approaches to practices backed by research that foster meaningful student understanding, belonging, and agency in STEM learning.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will leave with practical approaches to enhance STEM engagement and learning outcomes, particularly for Black students who are underrepresented in STEM, aligned to current research on sensemaking and best practices for STEM instruction.

SPEAKERS:
Brittany Jones

Discover the Health DataWell instructional materials, co-developed by HESI and NSTA, to address the lack of materials focused on public health and data literacy. The materials provide opportunities for students to build data literacy by analyzing complex public health data, using statistics and computational models, and comparing sources to develop evidence-based explanations and solutions. In this session, you will hear from teachers who implemented the materials (Health Data Well Ambassadors) and gain practical strategies for utilizing complex public health data analysis tools with your students.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will gain practical strategies for implementing the Health DataWell instructional materials, focusing on using real-world data and data analysis tools to identify disparities in health outcomes.

SPEAKERS:
Rebekah Hall

This session demonstrates how the use of the ‘Culturally Relevant Engineering Design Framework’ (CRED) can support rural elementary teachers in designing NGSS-aligned engineering lessons connected to extreme weather patterns in their local context. The CRED framework adapts the traditional engineering design process to include culturally specific questions and considerations. We draw on case examples from 3-5th grade lessons to illustrate how teachers engaged students in identifying community-relevant problems and generating solutions. Attendees in this session will work in groups to 1) review the CRED rubric and consider opportunities for assessing student engagement, 2) brainstorm opportunities to assess students’ skills, performances and understandings during each stage of the CRED design framework, and 3)gain practical strategies for applying the CRED rubric to classroom practice and for assessing student learning throughout the engineering design process.

TAKEAWAYS:
Discover how the CRED Framework helps rural teachers design NGSS-aligned lessons rooted in local contexts. Attendees can use the CRED rubric to assess student engagement, skills, and understanding across all stages of the engineering design process.

SPEAKERS:
Julie Robinson, Nicole Valine, Ashley Iveland

Scientific vocabulary is often a major barrier for emergent bilingual students, as the terms are highly content-specific and rarely used in everyday conversation. Without direct vocabulary support, students may struggle to access key scientific concepts. This poster session, presented by a veteran teacher with a doctoral degree in Curriculum and Instruction, highlights small group strategies such as pictionary, word pop, and graphic organizers that create intentional opportunities for emergent bilingual students to identify, classify, manipulate, and apply scientific vocabulary in meaningful ways. Emphasis will be placed on hands-on experiences, visual supports, and language scaffolds that promote active engagement. Participants will explore how leveraging small group settings can foster deeper comprehension, confidence, and long-term retention of science vocabulary, ensuring that emergent bilingual learners can access rigorous science learning.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will leave with practical strategies for using small group instruction to foster deeper comprehension, build confidence, and support long-term retention of science vocabulary, ensuring that emergent bilingual learners can access and thrive in rigorous science learning.

SPEAKERS:
Suzelene Pooler

Spice up your science classroom—and your students’ kitchens! Explore the NIST Metric Kitchen, a free, hands-on resource that turns everyday cooking into a fun and effective way to teach and learn the metric system (SI). Use recipes and common kitchen tools to help students build confidence in measuring, strengthen lab techniques, and reinforce concepts like scale, proportion, and quantity. The learning doesn’t stop at school! These culinary activities are perfect to take-home activities and get families involved. Parents can join the fun as students use grams and degree Celsius to cook, measure, mix, and explore STEM right in their own kitchens. It’s a flavorful way to connect classroom learning to real life—and bring science home. Stop by to explore how cooking with metric units can build skills, spark curiosity, and turn every student into a confident STEM chef!

TAKEAWAYS:
Bring math and science to life through the universal language of food. This free, deliciously fun resource from NIST uses cooking and baking to teach the metric system (SI) through real-life, hands-on activities your students will eat up—literally!

SPEAKERS:
Elizabeth Benham

Wipro Climate V-CCLS This is a course study with Stanford/Wipro/SFUSD. Climate Science, Climate Anxiety, Climate Change, and Climate Justice. This was a research study through research articles at Alice Fong Yu K-8 in SFUSD. The research was done by four educators, 6th grade, 7th grade, 8th grade and the Middle School Music Teacher, along with entire Middle School student body. The lessons are aligned to the Common Core, SEL and the NGSS. Along with the research and lessons, AFY was filmed by the Sustainability Office of SF Gov, which was played on SFGov.. The final component was the students were Climate Change Agents at the SF GOV 2nd Annual Climate Action Youth Summit. The students designed stations for the 2500 students, along with writing and performing a Climate Change Summit Song for the event. This summit, has and will continue to be part of the fabric of Alice Fong Yu and commitment as stewards of change.

TAKEAWAYS:
The main takeaway is aligned to creating a culture where Science Research at a school site can impact and not only a student, their family but the community at large. The collaboration, creativity, curiosity, collaboration, communication was demonstrated by the educators, for the students.

SPEAKERS:
Stephanie Yue, Lisa Ernst

The My NASA Data website provides educators and students with curated NASA Earth science datasets to support phenomena-based instruction and data-driven inquiry. Organized by Earth system spheres and related phenomena, it connects real-world events such as hurricanes, heat waves, and vegetation change to authentic NASA observations. Aligned with NGSS, the site offers student mini lessons, interactive story maps, and teacher lesson plans that integrate science and engineering practices, crosscutting concepts, and disciplinary core ideas. The Earth System Data Explorer enables visualization of mapped data, time-series plots, and dataset downloads for analysis. Tools like the Data Literacy Cubes help students interpret maps, graphs, and tables to construct evidence-based explanations. My NASA Data empowers teachers to design data-rich, phenomena-driven learning experiences that strengthen students’ skills in scientific reasoning, data interpretation, and systems thinking.

TAKEAWAYS:
Discover how My NASA Data supports phenomena-based instruction through authentic NASA datasets, interactive tools, and data literacy resources that guide student-driven inquiry.

SPEAKERS:
Natalie Macke

This paper introduces a theoretical contribution, Historically Relevant Science Pedagogy, to the science teaching and learning community and education field broadly. Historically Relevant Science Pedagogy is a by-product of (1) these Sista Circles, (2) a continuation of social justice oriented teaching in science teaching and learning and (3) the amalgamation of three previously established pedagogical frameworks: Culturally Relevant Pedagogy (Ladson-Billings, 1994), Liberatory Pedagogy (hooks, 1994), and Culturally and Historically Responsive Education (Muhammad, 2020; 2023). This framework is positioned within the history of science teaching and learning as a way to demonstrate the need for future approaches of teaching that center critical consciousness. Historically Relevant Science Pedagogy is a K-12 pedagogical approach that displays how Black women science teachers discuss their anti-racist teaching and showcases several phenomena that center anti-oppression and liberation.

TAKEAWAYS:
Curriculum maps and NGSS-aligned phenomena that centers critical consciousness will be provided. In this space we will consider the examples and discuss how this might inform our praxis in the K-12 classroom.

SPEAKERS:
Alexis Riley

With their natural beauty, tactile interest, and observable wide intraspecies variation, seashells offer wonderful opportunities to teach various key science themes to elementary learners. In this session, I will present a hands-on data analysis lesson that I conduct at my local science center and libraries for early elementary learners. The lesson is based on my upcoming book, a story about a blind seashell scientist. The activities are directly inspired by the main subject’s research and even draw upon some of his authentic data. The book enhances the lesson but is not required to carry it out. The audience will leave understanding why it is important to teach variations in traits within a species to build a foundation for understanding natural selection. They will also learn practical strategies for teaching nature of science themes, including observation, inquiry, data analysis, and constructing explanations. Free copies of the lesson plan will be available.

TAKEAWAYS:
Audience members will receive concrete strategies for using seashells to teach variation in traits, tactile observation, inquiry, data analysis, and relevant common core math skills, as well as a copy of the full lesson plan.

SPEAKERS:
Suzanne Sherman

El Niño is the most energetic year-to-year climate variation on Earth. El Nino impacts food, water resources, health safety around the world. Climate change will likely increase El Nino’s impacts.. But practically all definitions of this important Earth Systems phenomenon are convoluted: “a condition, a cycle, characterized by, climate pattern, a weather pattern, etc.” The Decade of the Ocean gives us an opportunity to collectively build a basic conceptual model based on the scaffolding from elementary school: a water wave and the water cycle. The Ocean Literacy Essential Principle #3 (MS) provides a ‘bingo card’ structure for applying the seven crosscutting concepts that will yield a memorable visual and textual model.

TAKEAWAYS:
You will go away with an easy-to-remember and easy-to-share conceptual understanding of El Niño: how the ocean and atmosphere are dance partners of our Earth System of Systems.

SPEAKERS:
Joe Witte

The research was based on a questionnaire administered to 74 high school biology teachers (State or non-religious, n=47, Religious, n=27). The study examined the relationships between sector, tenure, and teacher's role perceptions with their attitudes regarding the teaching of reproduction. Through factor analysis, three constructs with high internal reliability were identified: teacher anxieties, the importance of teaching reproduction, and teacher's perception of student interest in the subject. Significant differences were found as that high school teachers in the religious education system expressed a higher level of anxiety compared to teachers in the state education system. 60% of teachers in the state education system integrate the teaching of contraception, compared to 26% in the religious education system. The results indicate the importance of adapting professional development and teaching materials to the teacher's culture and values.

TAKEAWAYS:
The results indicate the importance of adapting professional development and teaching materials to the teacher's culture and values, while influencing teacher's role perceptions to promote engagement with sensitive socio-scientific issues as teaching reproduction in biology classes in high school.

SPEAKERS:
Amichai Yavlovich

Congratulations, Planet Finder! You’ve just found a new planet in our Solar System! When you have an engaging problem to solve, even Kepler’s Laws of Planetary Motion can become exciting. This poster will summarize a standards-based unit on Planets and Orbits that will include student work and examples of a final project (HS-ESS 1-4 and HS-ESS 1-6 and SEPs 2, 4, 5, and 6). As a summative task, individual students are given the average radius of their newly discovered planet’s orbit only. Using just this information they describe their planet’s characteristics and produce a NEW and IMPROVED version of the Solar System in small groups. All instructional materials will be available and have been Google translated into Spanish. This unit is designed for a freshmen Earth & Space Systems course but can be used in any Earth-focused physical science course.

TAKEAWAYS:
A creative summative task can help elicit student interest, especially when the topic is not very much fun. Learn how to engage students in using Kepler’s Laws and planet traits to create an “updated” group model of the solar system. (HS-ESS 1-4 and HS-ESS 1-6 and SEPs 2, 4, 5, and 6)

SPEAKERS:
Taylor Salazar, Amanda Libke

It’s no question that humans have vastly changed the landscape of local and global environments. Pollution has many detrimental and unintended impacts throughout ecosystems. What remains less understood is how organisms adapt to these changes. Pollution Evolution invites students to analyze data on peppered moths and draw conclusions about how organisms adapt to human-caused changes. This lesson plan follows the following standards: first, from NGGS HS-LS4-3. Apply concepts of statistics and probability to support explanations that organisms with an advantageous heritable trait tend to increase in proportion to organisms lacking this trait; second, Alabama’s SC15.BIO.14 Analyze and interpret data to evaluate adaptations resulting from natural and artificial selection that may cause changes in populations over time.. This lesson utilizes a simulation lab developed by askbiologist.asu.edu that students follow along with a lab worksheet.

TAKEAWAYS:
Teachers should take away that this lesson is about connecting environmental science with evolutionary biology, while students are encouraged to think critically about human impacts on nature.

SPEAKERS:
Brianna Santallana, Jonathan Scott

We developed an augmented reality (AR) app called Project STEMinAR for teaching physical science content, including Thermodynamics, Rotational Motion, Optics, Force/Motion, Newton’s Laws, Lenses, and Electromagnetics. In these interactive simulations, students manipulate variables and see how different representations of that concept are affected in real time. The free app and a printout cube are needed to use the simulations. Free curricular materials are also available. The simulations are aligned with introductory undergraduate physics courses, high school physics, the Florida Standards for physical science, and NGSS Science and Engineering Practices 1 and 2. We are currently implementing the simulations in undergraduate physics labs to explore the effects on student learning gains, engagement, and interest in physics. We will demonstrate the simulations, share curricula, and discuss findings from implementation. This work is supported by an NSF IUSE grant (Project #2121273).

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will learn how to use the free Project STEMinAR physics simulations and curricular materials in both lecture and lab settings. Resources will be provided that can be implemented in classrooms immediately.

SPEAKERS:
David Rosengrant, KELLY NAVAS, Rachel Cacace

Informal learning environments are vital for children in K-2 to improve science learning and achievement. This poster will describe the development of a science kit to teach children in K-2 about composting using storytelling in public libraries. NGSS life science standards, science practices, core ideas, and crosscutting concepts for the kit will be discussed, as well as hands-on learning activities.

TAKEAWAYS:
After attending this session, attendees will be able to describe the development of a science kit to teach children in K-2 about composting using storytelling in public libraries.

SPEAKERS:
Abednego Bansah, Kerri Greene, David Holben

This poster presents a 7th-grade PBL unit integrating Western science and Native Hawaiian knowledge to restore ecosystems at Kalauhaʻihaʻi. Students investigate biodiversity, energy flow, and human impacts, conduct field studies, test models of structures like kuapā walls, engineering, and present solutions to community experts. The project shows how culturally grounded, place-based science fosters engagement, collaboration, and stewardship.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will learn how to design NGSS-aligned, phenomenon-driven PBL units that integrate Western science and Native Hawaiian knowledge, using real-world ecosystem restoration to foster student inquiry, cultural relevance, and community stewardship.

SPEAKERS:
Shawna Nishimoto

This study investigated the impact of micro-credential-based professional development on rural Appalachian teachers’ beliefs, knowledge, and skills. Using a collective case study methodology, data were gathered through surveys and a series of semi-structured interviews conducted across one academic year. Participants were asked to complete three curated STEM-focused micro-credentials hosted on a national micro-credential platform and were supported in their professional development by instructional coaches who guided evidence collection and resubmissions. Findings showed that the micro-credential program had a differential impact on teachers depending on their capacity to engage in self-directed learning. Those teachers who had the motivation and time to commit to self-directed professional development benefited more than their peers who had struggles with motivation, as well as time and work demand challenges.

TAKEAWAYS:
Teachers will learn how STEM-focused micro-credentials can enhance knowledge and skills, and how factors like motivation, time, and self-directed learning capacity shape the effectiveness of this professional development.

SPEAKERS:
M. Gail Jones, Madeline Stallard

The Science of Reading is a comprehensive skill that is the understanding how humans learn to read and how reading should be taught effectively. It is not only from literacy and linguistics but also from neuroscience, psychology, and cognitive science. Far from being limited to early literacy, the Science of Reading applies across all content areas, supporting reading comprehension and academic success in every subject including STEM subjects.

TAKEAWAYS:
A main takeaway is that reading is not natural and it must be taught explicitly and directly! It needs to be taught from multiple diciplines like neuroscience, psychology, and lingustics.

SPEAKERS:
Lydia Chapman

Explore research findings on sense of belonging in middle and high school physics classrooms. This poster shares practical strategies, backed by student data, that demonstrate how intentional classroom design, collaborative structures, and inclusive practices enhance student comfort, engagement, and self-efficacy. Discover how fostering a sense of belonging directly impacts participation and retention in physics.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will learn data-supported, practical strategies to intentionally design physics classrooms that significantly increase students' sense of belonging, leading to higher engagement, participation, and self-efficacy.

SPEAKERS:
Shayna Goldstein

Several hands-on activities/demonstrations will demonstrate various soil physical, chemical and biological properties and their application to engineering and environmental science. Sand castles demonstrate the basic forces of friction, adhesion and cohesion and the effect of particle size on the angle of repose. Soil is a Filter and Soil is Charged are companion activities that demonstrate soil charge properties and require students to use inductive reasoning to determine the charge on the soil and organic dyes in grape Koolaid and discuss leaching and water pollution. A biology activity will demonstrate microbial diversity or activity. All demos start as simple, visual activities suitable to demonstrate principles for elementary students but are easily scaled to all grades by applying the scientific method to design experiments and make observations, measurements and calculations and draw conclusions.

TAKEAWAYS:
Every Soil Has a Story. Learning its story starts with basic science. Soil science is an applied, interdisciplinary science that can be used to introduce and generate interest in physics, chemistry, biology and environmental science for all grade levels.

SPEAKERS:
Clay Robinson

This poster aims to provide insight into how scientists answer biology's most fundamental questions, “Who is there and what are they doing?” The activities shared will encourage learners to explore innovative methods for obtaining this critical information through environmental DNA (eDNA). Through a series of guided inquiries, learners discover how DNA barcoding is applied to ecological studies. As a culminating activity, learners will use Google My Maps to create map layers to display existing species data (expert range maps, participatory science observations, and historic records) and propose locations for eDNA collection for a locally selected species. These activities emphasize the importance of sampling and the value of multiple lines of evidence in allowing scientists to conclude, while acknowledging potential problems that could arise. Visitors to the poster receive all materials and a structured framework to be localized to serve their practice.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will explore how eDNA can be used in conjunction with participatory science and historical surveys to provide multiple layers of evidence, thereby maximizing conservation efforts.

SPEAKERS:
Claire Lannoye-Hall

Planting a school garden is a goal for many classroom and science teachers. Gardening helps connect science with a variety of subjects, and students love eating what they have planted. Gardening connects to NGSS such as describing patterns of what plants need to survive, organization for matter and energy flow in organisms, crosscutting concepts such as patterns in the natural world, and how systems in the natural and designed world have parts that work together. But many schools are reluctant to begin a garden because of both space and financial restrictions. This class 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. Educators will learn how to start a successful garden using such common materials as newspaper, tin cans, and air-dry clay.

TAKEAWAYS:
How to start a school garden, even with a very limited budget.

SPEAKERS:
Rebecca Kurson

Students in physiology encounter different ways that homeostasis can be affected in the body. One interesting example is hyponatremia. Understanding homeostasis is an essential part of a physiology course, and finding ways to make this concept more accessible and engaging for students is important to instructors. This project uses hyponatremia to demonstrate a disruption to homeostasis in the body. A combination of pre-/post- multiple-choice quizzes and a free response question to evaluate students’ learning gains through novel exercises associated with hyponatremia using water beads to simulate human cells. This poster focuses on the methods used to collect and analyze data from various classes from the 2021-2025 school years, as well as initial findings for student learning gains. This data will inform our understanding of what students learn from these activities and how to refine future iterations of the activities that support learning about homeostasis in physiology courses.

TAKEAWAYS:
By using these novel experiments, students demonstrated statistically significant educational gains in understanding the topic of hyponatremia.

SPEAKERS:
Jason Meza, Ryan Somers

This poster shares findings from a systematic review of secondary writing interventions in math and science. We describe how technology is used to support writing in secondary math and science, specifically examining the use of digital tools, AI, and multimodal supports that are part of interventions. Attendees will gain insight into how technology can be used to leverage learning when using writing in math and science.

TAKEAWAYS:
secondary math and science, examining the use of digital tools, AI, and multimodal supports.

SPEAKERS:
Tessa Arsenault, Kathleen Conley

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

Effective science communication is an often overlooked student skill. Clark Planetarium in Salt Lake City presents an annual Cosmic Creator Challenge for all Utah sixth-grade students to learn how to communicate science concepts through creating their own digital media. Students have three dimensions of choice: choice of topic from the Utah space science standards, choice of medium or software type, and choice of approach. They are required to have their project evaluated by at least three peers using a Google Form with the criteria of scientific accuracy, creativity, quality, software proficiency, and communication skills. Students then make revisions before submitting the final project to Clark Planetarium for judging. Participating teachers report high levels of engagement as we see enhanced creativity and deeper science learning in the students' projects while they also learn marketable digital media skills. This poster discusses how you can implement your own Creator Challenge.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will learn how to implement their own Creator Challenge to enhance student creativity, engagement, and deeper learning through student-created digital media projects and specific tips for peer evaluation and revision to improve project quality.

SPEAKERS:
David Black

Students begin introductory biology labs with their own conceptions about science constructed over years of learning scientific models in other classes, life experiences, family origins, and the company they keep (Smith, 1998). Their conceptions can represent an inaccurate reflection of the nature of science. When students view science as absolute facts or a set of fabricated data instead of tentative models and believe that close following of the scientific method will yield these facts, they are misunderstanding the nature of science. Our college introductory majors biology lab aims to challenge these misconceptions. In Fall 2025, we added simple targeted interventions to a DNA extraction lab exercise to help students see science as a process of developing and refining models. This poster shows the results of these interventions on student understanding of the nature of science.

TAKEAWAYS:
Simple targeted instructional interventions designed to illustrate science as a process of developing and refining models were added to a college introductory biology DNA extraction lab exercise. This poster shows the results of these interventions on student understanding of the nature of science.

SPEAKERS:
Erin McNally-Goward, Jennifer Cymbola

Stories stick—facts fade. This poster showcases classroom-tested ways to harness the power of narrative to make science unforgettable. From movie-style “explainers” to pop-culture anchors like The Martian and Metamorpho and the Periodic Table, students learn to think and communicate like storytellers of science. Using quick, adaptable frameworks such as the And–But–Therefore (ABT) structure, teachers can transform ordinary lessons into moments of curiosity and connection. The poster highlights what happens before, during, and after these story-infused lessons, with examples of student work, ready-to-use templates, and QR-linked resources. Walk away with practical tools to make your classroom a story lab—where science content connects, creativity thrives, and every student finds their voice as a storyteller of the natural world.

TAKEAWAYS:
Stories make science stick. By using simple storytelling frameworks—like the And–But–Therefore (ABT) model and short, movie-style explainers—teachers can transform lessons into narratives that spark curiosity, strengthen understanding, and help students think like storytellers of science.

SPEAKERS:
Matt Brady

Drosophila Melanogaster, a well-established genetic model organism, provides powerful tools for studying cancer biology. I plan to explore how tumor-like growth can be induced and observed in Drosophila larvae, offering insights into cell proliferation, migration, and tissue invasion. The simplicity of the larval system, combined with the fruit fly’s conserved genetic pathways, makes it an accessible and cost-effective model for investigating mechanisms underlying cancer progression. By examining parallels between fly tumor biology and human cancers, everyone can gain an appreciation for how this model organism continues to advance biomedical research as well as education. My presentation will highlight the importance of model systems in bridging basic research with translational insights into human health.

TAKEAWAYS:
Studying cancer cells in Drosophila larvae reveals certain mechanisms of tumor growth and offers an accessible model for understanding human cancer biology.

SPEAKERS:
Emery Breitbarth

Discover how to easily replicate a research-based, lunch-and-learn PD session that introduces educators to free STEM and career exploration resources from the National Institute of Standards & Technology (NIST) — all available through the NIST Educational STEM Resource (NEST-R) registry portal. Lead meaningful PD for your team while supporting students’ career awareness and engagement with real-world science applications. NEST-R is a bridge into NIST, a world-renowned federal laboratory focused on measurement science and technology. NIST interdisciplinary work touches many STEM areas, including the Metric System, AI, cybersecurity, the smart electric power grid, chemistry, atomic clocks, nanomaterials, computer chips & earthquake-resistant skyscrapers. Free & publicly available content includes engaging videos, articles, scientist interviews, classroom materials, internships, PD info & more. Stop by this poster to learn more, ask questions, & leave with tools you can use right away!

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants receive resources needed to host a 30-60 minute PD session, including an outline, presentation template, Google form, and user guide. Deliver in live, virtual or hybrid mode. Help your teacher community discover resources to augment curriculum with examples of disciplinary core ideas.

SPEAKERS:
Joanne Krumel, Cara O'Malley

Participants will explore the importance of building a positive STEM identity and integrating it into the K–12 curriculum. This poster will highlight strategies for fostering an environment that promotes competence, curiosity, and confidence in students as they pursue STEM learning. Attendees will discover ways to leverage students’ existing “working knowledge” to deepen engagement and connection to STEM concepts. Resources and examples will be provided to help educators support students in developing a strong and lasting STEM identity. This session is ideal for educators seeking to empower their students in STEM, regardless of background or experience. Participants will leave inspired and equipped to make a meaningful impact on their students’ STEM identity.

TAKEAWAYS:
Unlock students' STEM IDENTITY with hands-on strategies that inspire confidence, curiosity, and STEM skills. Learn how aviation and aeronautics can promote a growth mindset and create real-life engineering scenarios and career connections. Get free resources and actionable steps at this session.

SPEAKERS:
Jesse Steiner, Christina Davis

This poster showcases the use of inquiry-based learning in biology labs to allow students to learn about core concepts through research and experimentation while promoting student engagement. For a cell biology lab, Argument-Driven Inquiry (ADI) was utilized to let the students actively conduct research on the effects of caffeine on HeLa cells and then report their research to their peers. Although this study found no significant differences in terms of quantitative data, the qualitative data showed students were more engaged in the classroom activities and material. Pulling from this study, inquiry-based learning will be applied to a human physiology postsecondary lab. By utilizing inquiry-based activities that would simulate real-world experiences, it is predicted that students will be more engaged in class material leading to greater conceptual understanding over time than students not in an inquiry-based lab.

TAKEAWAYS:
Discover ways to implement inquiry-based learning into biology labs to help promote student learning and engagement. This approach emphasizes collaboration, research, and real-world applications to better equip students for life after graduation.

SPEAKERS:
Allison Grieshop

Discover the Health DataWell instructional materials, co-developed by HESI and NSTA, to address the lack of materials focused on public health and data literacy. The materials provide opportunities for students to build data literacy by analyzing complex public health data, using statistics and computational models, and comparing sources to develop evidence-based explanations and solutions. In this session, you will hear from teachers who implemented the materials (Health Data Well Ambassadors) and gain practical strategies for utilizing complex public health data analysis tools with your students.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will gain practical strategies for implementing the Health DataWell instructional materials, focusing on using real-world data and data analysis tools to identify disparities in health outcomes.

SPEAKERS:
Shanna Bohrer

How do students learn biology best? The Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) scaffolded students in science, if used. Scaffolding information continues as students enter college. Most scaffolding occurs in courses students want to take for their majors. Sometimes science is a general education requirement and not a desired goal. Data collected from a three-year study on student perceptions of their learning in a non-major’s biology class has directed a foundational class and laboratory. A prominent theme in the data emerged, as students want to participate in their learning process. This poster represents one of the class topics presented with multimodal strategies. The lecture focuses on the immune system using lecture, films and games. The lab focuses on viruses using individual virtual work, which can be paired-checked for thoroughness before submission and a group hands-on activity where students become more collaborative as they must decide where a virus originates.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will learn how to use multimodal learning instructional strategies to encourage differentiated learning in science without differentiating students.

SPEAKERS:
Tamera Klingbyll

Discover the Health DataWell instructional materials, co-developed by HESI and NSTA, to address the lack of materials focused on public health and data literacy. The materials provide opportunities for students to build data literacy by analyzing complex public health data, using statistics and computational models, and comparing sources to develop evidence-based explanations and solutions. In this session, you will hear from teachers who implemented the materials (Health Data Well Ambassadors) and gain practical strategies for utilizing complex public health data analysis tools with your students.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will gain practical strategies for implementing the Health DataWell instructional materials, focusing on using real-world data and data analysis tools to identify disparities in health outcomes.

SPEAKERS:
Jennifer Davis