Our FlyGirls program was developed to introduce young women in grades 4–8 to aerospace using drones. The Cobb County School District has partnered with Lockheed Martin, FTW Robotics, female drone pilots from across the U.S., and other informal educators to offer our FlyGirls program. Learn how we shifted during remote learning and focused on college and career readiness.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will: 1. learn how to cultivate a dynamic partnerships between multiple agencies; 2. receive step-by-step guidance to start your own local chapter of FlyGirls; and 3. receive access to the resources we developed and used with our FlyGirls group.

SPEAKERS:
Sally Creel (Cobb County School District: Marietta, GA), Alana Davis (Cobb County School District: Marietta, GA)

Want to create high-quality, NGSS-focused field trip experiences? Come learn how we brought together classroom teachers and informal educators to accomplish this goal with amazing outcomes!

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will: 1. learn the steps we took to create a collaborative environment for teacher leaders to support informal educators in learning more about NGSS and the EP&Cs; 2. learn the value of bringing the expertise of informal educators and the knowledge of formal educators together in order to create high-quality, NGSS-focused field trip experiences; and 3. be given access to the agendas, handouts, and templates we used in our training/planning sessions.

SPEAKERS:
Lesley Gates (Fresno County Office of Education: Fresno, CA)

Learn how several counties in Georgia built relationships with local fire departments and Underwriters Laboratories to create authentic STEM learning experiences for physical science students.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Experience quality STEM-infused learning through UL Xplorlabs: Fire Forensics (free curriculum); 2. Learn about the Community Partnerships between Cobb, Henry, and Cherokee County Schools and Fire Departments with Underwriter Laboratories Non-Profit Sector; and 3. Identify potential for building similar STEM ecosystems.

SPEAKERS:
Amy Gilbert (Griffin Middle School: Smyrna, GA), Sally Creel (Cobb County School District: Marietta, GA)

Use award-winning videos, paper car crashes, egg drop cushions, and behind-the-crash-tests tours to teach motion and energy concepts. All resources are free at classroom.iihs.org.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will learn how: 1. to access inquiry-based activities and video-supported experiences integrating STEM concepts with vehicle crashworthiness and crash avoidance technologies; 2. scientists and engineers use technology (crash dummies, crash tests, crash avoidance testing) at a vehicle research center to measure and evaluate vehicle safety systems; and 3. to incorporate culminating STEM design challenges (Project Pedestrian Sensors and Egg-Carrying Paper Car Crash) into their curriculum to promote student awareness and understanding of how engineering and technology are used to build safer vehicles. Examples of student assessments (formative and summative) are provided.

SPEAKERS:
Griff Jones (University of Florida)

We’ll unpack examples of young people learning across different settings, showing how formal and informal educators can collaborate to support science engagement and community involvement.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Young people bring their learning across settings, making connections between the practices and activities they do in informal and formal spaces; 2. When educators partner and coordinate experiences across settings, they can better support young peoples’ learning pathways, identity development, and promote community involvement; and 3. This session will offer examples of how young people have brought their learning and made connections across settings, which will highlight opportunities for educators to design better partnerships in the future to support young people in the future.

SPEAKERS:
Abby Rhinehart (University of Washington: Seattle, WA)

Best practices and lessons learned from the USC BOTS computer science teacher education program and recommendations for building successful university-elementary teacher partnerships in computer science.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will learn about: 1. the USC BOTS program and the major benefits of a successful university-elementary teacher CS partnership; 2. common challenges of such collaborations and how to overcome them; and 3. the steps recommended to foster their own successful university-elementary teacher CS partnerships.

SPEAKERS:
Mary Bonaparte-Saller (University of Southern California: Los Angeles, CA)