Sponsoring Company: PAEMST

Come learn about the highest recognition for STEM educators in the U.S. We will discuss eligibility criteria as well as the nomination, application, and review process for the awards. Awardees receive a certificate; a $10,000 award; a trip to Washington, DC, for a recognition event; and access to over 5,100 award-winning teachers.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. How you can win $10,000; 2. how you can apply for this prestigious award from the U.S. Government; and 3. the benefits of applying for this award.

SPEAKERS:
Robert Mayes (National Science Foundation: Alexandria, VA)

Sponsoring Company: Savvas Learning Co.

Take on the role of a consultant for NASA to design a system to model a rocket launcher while highlighting tools you can use to support gender equity, economically disadvantaged youth, English Learners, students with disabilities, and advanced and gifted learners. This really is rocket science, but ensuring equity doesn't have to be!

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will learn: 1. strategies to modify engineering challenges to meet the needs of diverse learners; 2. how to create lessons and assessment rubrics that provide equitable access to rigorous science standards; and 3. strategies to help create more time and opportunity to incorporate STEM and engineering challenges in the classroom.

SPEAKERS:
Erin Horner (Savvas Learning Co.: Paramus, NJ)

Sponsoring Company: Amplify

How can we create a learning environment that taps into students’ natural curiosity about engineering design and supports them in doing the authentic design work of an engineer?

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will learn: 1. how design thinking and technological solutions will continue to increase in importance as we work to address the challenges that confront our modern world in areas such as agriculture, human health, and the environment; 2. why providing students a foundation in engineering design allows them to better engage in and aspire to solve the major societal and environmental challenges they will face in the decades ahead; and 3. how to create a learning environment that taps into students’ natural curiosity about engineering design and supports them in doing the authentic design work of an engineer.

SPEAKERS:
Rebecca Abbott (The Lawrence Hall of Science: Berkeley, CA)

Sponsoring Company: Amplify

What if coding were integrated into core science instruction instead of being an isolated after-school activity for a select few?

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will learn how to: 1. provide students with the opportunity to learn basic computer science concepts and practices in service of solving real-world problems; 2. increase access to positive experiences in computer science learning; and 3. infuse coding science curriculum with constant opportunities for collaboration and student discourse.

SPEAKERS:
Rebecca Abbott (The Lawrence Hall of Science: Berkeley, CA)

Sponsoring Company: Savvas Learning Co.

Let’s explore together how what we see and read may not always be fully factual or scientifically accurate.

TAKEAWAYS:
How to help students: 1. identify erroneous internet information; 2. separate science phenomena into fact and fiction; and 3. explore some factors that influence the movement of the ocean waters.

SPEAKERS:
Michael Comer (Consultant: Paramus, NJ)

Sponsoring Company: 3D Molecular Designs

We have all hit the formidable “blank stare wall” when teaching concepts like PCR, Sanger Sequencing, and Restriction Enzymes. Explore how one modeling kit can reach all these topics…and more.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will: 1. learn about the benefits of hands-on modeling; 2. practice one application of PCR modeling; and 3. see how modeling with the Biotechnology kit already fits into their curriculum and can increase student mastery.

SPEAKERS:
Diane Sigalas (Livingston High School: Livingston, NJ)