Using inquiry-based activities, we will investigate how our lives are connected to the ocean and how we impact it through climate change, pollution, and overfishing.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Learn how to introduce phenomena-based activities about climate science to students, including global warming, ocean acidification, coral bleaching, and plastic pollution; 2. Increase ocean awareness and inspire community involvement that leads to changes in the status quo; and 3. Suggest ideas for preparing students as future leaders to think globally about the ocean as it impacts food supplies, jobs, and populations on the move to escape sea level rise and crop failure.

SPEAKERS:
Patricia Newman (Children's Book Author & Speaker: Carmichael, CA)

Across the globe, dogs snoop on poop to save endangered species. By studying the stories in scat, students learn mapping, literacy and data interpretation skills.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. The science of scat and the detection dog methodology offer engrossing strategies to engage students with STEM; 2. Scientific fields depend on scientists from diverse backgrounds with diverse skill sets; and 3. Strategies and visuals help students understand, collect, map, and interpret data responsibly.

SPEAKERS:
Heather Montgomery (Science Author: Ardmore, TN)

Learn how to use your existing science kit materials to support your students with NGSS, based on experiences from the Elementary Science Olympiad program.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will learn: 1. how to modify "instructional kits" available to them to allow for authentic student inquiry; 2. how to structure instruction to allow for cycles of failure and feedback; and 3. how hands-on science supports implementation of the NGSS.

SPEAKERS:
John Loehr (Science Olympiad: Oakbrook Terrace, IL), Shari Haug (Science Olympiad: Oakbrook Terrace, IL)

Let’s make a foldable solar system scroll. Come learn how to apply ratios to create a scale model of the planets based on your height.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. With a properly scaled solar system scroll, participants will identify inner and outer planets and readily SEE why they are named as such; 2. Understanding the concept of rations and fractions, part-to-whole, participants will leave being able to create a proportional solar system in their classroom, on a football field, or across their state; and 3. This activity can be used at any grade level.

SPEAKERS:
Barbie Buckner (NASA Goddard Space Flight Center: Greenbelt, MD)

Need a simple and creative way to engage students? Create a green screen area in your classroom. This workshop will demonstrate a simple way to make creative videos with a green screen.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. How to use a chroma key with different apps and programs; 2. Simple video editing techniques; and 3. Using different objects for green screen props.

SPEAKERS:
Jennifer Crane (Randolph Academy: No City, No State)

This session presents interactive “Cricket Challenges” to engage students in nature-based activities designed to encourage curiosity and to make cross-curricular STEM connections to literature.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Innovative ways to engage readers to use fiction as a springboard to explore their natural world and make text-to-real-world connections; 2. Handouts including instructions for activities such as “An Outdoor Challenge for Every Season," ”Creating a Nature Wonder Hour,” “Nature Scavenger Hunts,” “Creating a Nature Journal from the Point of View of the Main Character in the Book You’re Studying,” and “Bloom Bingo”; and 3. Writing prompts educators can use to encourage students to analyze and explore their natural world.

SPEAKERS:
Jo Watson Hackl (Author: Asheville, NC)

Humans use water, often in inequitable ways. Our online tools, which include a calculator and NGSS-focused lesson plans, help educators learn how to teach beyond the water cycle.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will: 1. understand how we use water and what a water footprint is; 2. understand how water is connected to the global systems that create our food, energy, and consumer goods; and 3. learn about our free virtual tools and content that help them teach students about their water use as a part of their overall environmental impact.

SPEAKERS:
Robin Madel (Grace Communications Foundation: New York, NY), Kai Olson-Sawyer (Grace Communications Foundation: New York, NY)

This workshop explores the connection between the NGSS, STEM identity, and project-based learning (PBL) through a series of culturally responsive activities for virtual learning environments.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will: 1. critically consider their own STEM identity and the STEM identities of their students to inform PBL in online and in-class learning environments; 2. respond to students’ needs and interests to plan PBL that develops their STEM identities; and 3. learn instructional strategies that engage students in PBL and the Scientific and Engineering Practices within the Next Generation Science Standards.

SPEAKERS:
Alicia Lane (University of the District of Columbia: Washington, DC)

Keep your pets safe from being left in hot cars by using automatic sensors to design an alarm that could save their lives.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Solve a real-work problem with coding and engineering design, no prior experience needed; 2. Learn about inputs from sensors (temperature) and if-then-else decision logic to control an output (sound or color LED) based on the sensor readings; and 3. Gain exposure to possible STEM careers in automobile design features.

SPEAKERS:
Jessica Kohout (Independent Contractor: Ellicott City, MD), Stacy Thibodeaux (Southside High School: Youngsville, LA)

This workshop introduces strategies and digital tools to help students develop high-quality STEM presentations and posters in online and in-class learning environments.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will: 1. embody the role of a student conducting a scientific/engineering investigation leading to a STEM presentation; 2. be able to create a digital STEM visual using presentation applications; and 3. learn instructional strategies that engage students in developing high-quality presentations and Scientific and Engineering Practices within the Next Generation Science Standards.

SPEAKERS:
Alicia Lane (University of the District of Columbia: Washington, DC)

Interprofessional collaboration is essential for students' success in their selected program and postgraduate life. These types of experiences have been shown to improve students’ interprofessional competences—communication skills, teamwork abilities, ethical practices, and understanding other team members’ roles and responsibilities—as well as their theoretical knowledge and increase student achievement within their discipline. We developed and tested a unique pedagogical idea—interprofessional case learning project (ICLP)—that encompassed a multidisciplinary approach involving chemistry, biology, and public health. The goal was to provide students and faculty with the opportunity to experience interprofessional collaborative practices that would encourage questioning, discredit misconception, connect concepts and make inferences, generate new ideas, and encourage shared decision making.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Promote multidisciplinary approach involving chemistry, biology, and public health; 2. Foster team building and collaboration; and 3. Change misconceptions about a discipline.

SPEAKERS:
Michelle Young (Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences: Boston, MA), Nalini Broadbelt (Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences: Boston, MA)

Research is relevant as it plays a key role in transitioning from concepts in basic science into practical application. Basic science research drives progress in clinical and pharmaceutically industries. It is therefore essential that our health care students gain exposure in this arena and expand the analytical, collaborative, and technical skills that will enable them to succeed in their future careers. To assist the students, projects are devised around the students' interest in an area of the selected faculty specialty. The projects culminates with the students presenting their findings at a research symposium.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Establish a method that will get the student interested in driving the project; 2. Be clear about the time frame and commitment to project; and 3. Assist in making the research manageable.

SPEAKERS:
Nalini Broadbelt (Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences: Boston, MA), Michelle Young (Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences: Boston, MA)

The global pandemic forced many educators to pivot to virtual or hybrid learning. In this session, you will learn tips and tricks to keep quality STEM education alive in any setting.

TAKEAWAYS:
Teachers will: 1. see an example of how an in-person, integrated STEM learning experience can be changed to work in a virtual or hybrid setting; 2. be provided with resources to promote inclusive and equitable practices that increase student collaboration and engagement in a virtual, hybrid or face-to-face setting; and 3. leave with an existing STEM unit that can be completed in their own classroom, whether it be virtual, in-person, or hybrid.

SPEAKERS:
Theresa Goltermann (Tabb Middle School: Yorktown, VA), Vonceil Anderson (Baltimore City Public Schools: Baltimore, MD), Laura Drager (Montgomery County Educational Service Center: Dayton, OH), Rebecca Stanley (DoD STEM/RTI International: Durham, NC)