EPIC Bioscience are free online investigations for NGSS middle school life science. Students collect and analyze data from digitized museum specimens to develop evidence-based arguments.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Online science investigations can be evaluated by assessing key features to engage students in real-world issues, motivate accurate data collection, and facilitate critical thinking and reflection; 2. Digitized museum specimens can be used to increase student engagement during data collection and support their understanding of data patterns; and 3. Using online data collection can enhance opportunities for authentic science investigations by reducing barriers related to specimen access.

SPEAKERS:
Kirsten Butcher (The University of Utah: Salt Lake City, UT), Madlyn Larson (Natural History Museum of Utah: Salt Lake City, UT)

Explore how to take advantage of NSTA’s vast resources and pathways, including both asynchronous and synchronous options to create personalized professional learning.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Discover the value of being a School or District NSTA Partner; 2. Explore how to maximize online professional learning for all teachers; and 3. Discover how to utilize NSTA's online learning resources to support in-person professional learning.

SPEAKERS:
Tricia Shelton (NSTA: Arlington, VA), Kate Soriano (NSTA: Arlington, VA)

Engage with Research Quest, free, online, NGSS-focused, phenomenon-based investigations using authentic museum objects and research to build students' literacy, critical thinking, collaboration, and communication skills.

TAKEAWAYS:
Teachers will: 1. experience an exemplar set of free resources that successfully integrate NGSS and ELA standards to provide students with meaningful, self-directed learning; 2. recognize that providing students with opportunities to research phenomenon-based problems professional scientists devote their careers to using the collections and data they build new knowledge from can empower students to better understand the enterprise of science, the natural world, and the natural history of our world—while building their literacy and critical -thinking skills; and understand that creating opportunities to make critical thinking visible is an essential scaffold necessary to support student efficacy with problem-finding and problem-solving.

SPEAKERS:
Madlyn Larson (Natural History Museum of Utah: Salt Lake City, UT)

How can we elevate equity and justice in our work in science education, personally and in community? Learn about Oregon’s efforts in this critical process.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will: 1. learn about the Oregon Equity in Science Teaching and Learning Symposium; 2. experience (briefly) several components of the symposium; and 3. contribute to our collective understanding of this critical work.

SPEAKERS:
Jennifer Mayo (Portland Public Schools: Portland, OR), Jamie Rumage (Oregon Dept. of Education: Salem, OR), Noelle Gorbett (Oregon Dept. of Education: Salem, OR)

Throw away your worksheets and turn your classroom into a collaborative, engaging escape room.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. You will discover how to turn existing lessons into engaging escape rooms; 2. Receive dozens of hands-on puzzles to use in any escape room; and 3. Hear how your students can start to create standard-based escape rooms for you.

SPEAKERS:
Carissa Brazeal (Without Walls EDU: No City, No State)

Join us as we explore how NSTA’s three-dimensional resources can be utilized to enhance your teaching. Walk away with effective strategies for science teaching and learning and hear from educators as they provide tips for using these resources.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Hear from classroom teachers about how they are using NSTA Press publications; and 2. Leave with top-notch teaching tips and innovative lesson plan ideas that promote imaginative learning and student engagement.

SPEAKERS:
Kate Soriano (NSTA: Arlington, VA), Tricia Shelton (NSTA: Arlington, VA), Kim Stilwell (BIOZONE Corp.: Parker, CO)

Join museum educators and classroom teachers to learn how data collection and analysis can help students make meaningful connections with content and with each other.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will learn: 1. how to create a unit of study around authentic data collection and analysis; 2. data collection and analysis can connect teachers (or students) who can't connect in person; and 3. about tools for data collection and analysis.

SPEAKERS:
Shannon Baldioli (Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum: Washington, DC), Kate Kogge (AFOSR: No City, No State), Michelle Rahn (Will Rogers Junior High School: Claremore, OK)

Discover how to connect your classroom to America’s best idea, our National Parks System. Participants will get access to engaging science videos that are NGSS-focused and instructional resources to connect classrooms to our public lands.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Integrate lesson plans with instructional materials that connect students to our national parks; 2. -Develop a sense of environmental stewardship and conservation with students; and 3. -Make concepts and current environmental impacts on the parks relevant to your students.

SPEAKERS:
Chris Anderson (Hamilton County ESC: Cincinnati, OH)

Take your students beyond your classroom walls through virtual speakers and field trips with those on the frontlines of science, exploration, and conservation.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Discover the benefits of bringing exciting scientists, explorers, and conservationists live into your classroom through virtual guest speakers and field trips; 2. Explore how easy it is to do with exciting resources like Exploring by the Seat of Your Pants, Explorer Classroom, Google, and more; and 3. What to do before, during, and afterwards so your students get the most from these experiences.

SPEAKERS:
Joe Grabowski (Exploring by the Seat of Your Pants: Elora, ON)

Join us to strengthen STEM in your classroom by STEMifying a Daily Do lesson plan.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Sensemaking in your classroom using NSTA Daily Do's; 2. How Daily Do's and other lessons can be modified to include more STEM; and 3. How to design for equity in STEM/Science classrooms.

SPEAKERS:
Tricia Shelton (NSTA: Arlington, VA), Elizabeth Allan (University of Central Oklahoma: Edmond, OK)

Teach homologous structures by having students design and build limbs and compare them with other students’ creations.

TAKEAWAYS:
How to: 1. design a hands-on activity to illustrate homologous structures; 2. design an engineering activity for students to design and build limbs, like arms, wings, and flippers; and 3. use these limbs to begin a discussion about homologous structures and common ancestors.

SPEAKERS:
Michael Rockow (Leslie Middle School: Salem, OR)

Students engaged in this project-based learning unit master a variety of STEAM skills and content by creating pinhole cameras and coding a virtual reality environment.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Participants will learn how to create an interdisciplinary STEAM unit using the design-engineering process to employ differentiation in both process and product. 2. Participants will learn how to incorporate a virtual reality product into a project-based learning unit. 3. Participants will learn how to incorporate a wide variety of topics and skills into a project-based learning unit that spans multiple disciplines and incorporates both old technology (pinhole cameras) and new technology (virtual reality) while meeting the performance standards laid out by the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS).

SPEAKERS:
Jonathan Olivera (Columbia Grammar & Preparatory School: New York, NY)

Use the Engineering Design Process to build and test a Mars Rover that will carry equipment and astronauts while learning about current NASA missions.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Learn about the Engineering Design Process; 2. Gain in-depth knowledge of NASA's BEST Curriculum; and 3. Attendees will design, build, and test a Mars rover.

SPEAKERS:
Vemitra White (NASA Marshall Space Flight Center: Huntsville, AL), Jamel Alexander (Missile and Space Intelligence Center: Huntsville, AL)

Sponsoring Company: STEMscopes by Accelerate Learning

Claim-Evidence-Reasoning (CER) is a way for students to explain observed phenomena in a scientific way. This structured approach allows students to use observations and data from an investigation. Students use critical reasoning to connect the claim, evidence, and reasoning together. CER is an acclaimed and highly successful instructional strategy that is changing how students understand concepts and write explanations for phenomena.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Understand the benefits of using the CER Framework; 2. Construct and critique a scientific explanation; and 3. Develop appropriate scaffolds for scientific explanation skills.

SPEAKERS:
Stephanie Shield (STEMscopes by Accelerate Learning: Houston, TX), Dr. Kenneth Heydrick (: Houston, TX)

Sponsoring Company: Savvas Learning Co.

This workshop will include a design challenge that will highlight tools to support gender equity, economically disadvantaged youth, English learners, students with disabilities, and advanced and gifted learners.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. The engineering and design process provides support for all groups of learners we find in our classrooms; 2. Teachers will leave with strategies they can immediately implement into their classrooms; and 3. This challenge will highlight tools to support gender equity, economically disadvantaged youth, English learners, students with disabilities, and advanced and gifted learners.

SPEAKERS:
Jessi Davis (Savvas Learning Co.: Paramus, NJ)

Sponsoring Company: 3D Molecular Designs

Explore the processes of DNA replication, transcription, and translation using manipulatives that support the NGSS three dimensions, most notably the SEP of developing and using models.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Model the leading and lagging strands of DNA; 2. Understand the semiconservative nature of DNA replication; and 3. Investigate how a change in DNA code can result in a change in the protein produced.

SPEAKERS:
Susan Auld (Sehome High School: Bellingham, WA)

Students learn about behavioural adaptations of animals and work in teams to form evidence-based claims about improvements to the enclosures at our local zoo. Note:  We suggest participants bring either a smartphone or internet-enabled computer/tablet, although it is not required.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Encourage students to continue working on forming their own evidence-based arguments; 2. Empower students to become involved in community activism and use their voices to advocate for others; and 3. Integrate engineering, career exploration, collaboration, and effective communication into life science.

SPEAKERS:
Sarah Woodward (Holy Trinity Catholic School: Beaverton, OR)

Sponsoring Company: STEMscopes by Accelerate Learning

Let’s explore several intervention strategies to help struggling students in STEM. Let's move beyond differentiation and scaffolding. Come learn other proven intervention techniques to help students. Let’s modify our traditional outreach to connect with students so that they gain greater understanding.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Explore several intervention strategies to help struggling students in STEM; 2. Compare differentiation and scaffolding strategies, and learn successful adaptations of each strategy; and 3. Explore effective intervention strategies that are built into the STEMscopes curriculum.

SPEAKERS:
Dr. Kenneth Heydrick (: Houston, TX), Stephanie Shield (STEMscopes by Accelerate Learning: Houston, TX)

Sponsoring Company: 3D Molecular Designs

Mitosis, meiosis, chromosome structure, and crossing over will be explored in this hands-on modeling event. Bring your student hat and be ready to engage.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Model chromosome structure and anatomy; 2. Compare and contrast mitosis and meiosis; and 3. Model mechanisms that contribute to genetic variation.

SPEAKERS:
Christina Bowers (Meridian School: Round Rock, TX)

Bring your creativity and learn how to implement game-based learning in your science classroom. We will explore using hands-on techniques to make science fun.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will: 1. create a science-based game to use in their classroom; 2. develop an understanding of game-based learning; and 3. embed game-based learning in their current content/curriculum.

SPEAKERS:
Tammie Schrader (NorthEast Washington ESD 101: Spokane, WA)

Sponsoring Company: STEMscopes by Accelerate Learning

Come learn several strategies to help students organize their learning. Transform the old composition notebooks into a useful and engaging tool that incorporates technology and multimedia. Interactive student notebooks use various modalities and left/right–side format, and offer students an electronic portfolio of learning. Join us!

TAKEAWAYS:
Learn: 1. several strategies to help students organize their learning; 2. how to adapt old student notebooks into digital interactive portfolios with Slides, Jamboard, Flipgrid, Padlet, and Screencasify; and 3. how to structure notebooks for left side "Output" and right side "Input."

SPEAKERS:
Dr. Kenneth Heydrick (: Houston, TX), Stephanie Shield (STEMscopes by Accelerate Learning: Houston, TX)

Sponsoring Company: 3D Molecular Designs

Work through cycles of PCR using foam manipulatives that make the invisible visible. Demonstrate the role of Taq polymerase, primers, and nucleotides as they copy target DNA.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Explore the chemical mechanism involved in PCR; 2. Model polymerase chain reaction and how flanking primers result in the exponential amplification of a short product; and 3. Use a real-world scientific example of how PCR is used to help solve a crime.

SPEAKERS:
Susan Auld (Sehome High School: Bellingham, WA)

Sponsoring Company: Beyond Labz

Built on a platform developed over 20 years, Beyond Labz creates an open-ended environment providing students the opportunity to experiment, practice, fail, discover, and learn.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Beyond Labz simplifies and reduces the cost and expertise needed to provide crucial laboratory experiences and practice for Secondary and Higher Ed students; 2. Attendees will learn how the labs are used for pre- and post-lab experiences, credit recovery and lab make-up, student engagement in class, and meeting NGSS standards; and 3. Basic onboarding and start-up instructions will be provided for drop-in solutions, and instructions for using some of the more sophisticated features will also be described.

SPEAKERS:
Brian Woodfield (Brigham Young University: Provo, UT)

Explore climate science and justice intersections in teaching and learning through practical examples and resources for classroom engagement.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Explore learning activities and resources to build capacity to teach justice-oriented climate science; 2. Learn how to foster inquiry and civic practices for both educators and students; and 3. Share resources to help educational leaders navigate the implementation of climate justice learning.

SPEAKERS:
Ellen Ebert (Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction: Olympia, WA), Philip Bell (University of Washington: Seattle, WA), Meredith Lohr (EarthGen: Seattle, WA)

Explore NSTA’s new Professional Learning Units. Discover these bite-sized asynchronous professional learning experiences that support student sensemaking to earn credit to submit to your school or district.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Discover how NSTA can provide asynchronous and bite-sized continuing education credit options (2 hours per PLU); 2. Explore how each PLU contains reflections or tasks connected to the classroom that are submitted to NSTA for review or feedback; and 3. Explore how we can support professional learning for individuals or schools/districts including the flexible options available for Professional Learning Unit topics, and how these fit into our Professional Learning pathways.

SPEAKERS:
Tricia Shelton (NSTA: Arlington, VA), Elizabeth Allan (University of Central Oklahoma: Edmond, OK)

Sponsoring Company: 3D Molecular Designs

Learn how trouble in a yogurt factory exposed CRISPR biology, paving the way for a groundbreaking biotechnology tool. This session explores virus-cell interactions at the boundary of living and nonliving systems.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. To update teachers’ knowledge of bacteria-phage interactions; 2. To demonstrate how teachers can connect this new technology to basic concepts of molecular biology they are already teaching; and 3. To connect a basic biological system to technological innovation.

SPEAKERS:
Christina Bowers (Meridian School: Round Rock, TX)

Sponsoring Company: Pitsco Education

The framework of our STEM PBL units includes a meaningful STEM challenge, authentic inquiry, student choice, applied development, and public engagement.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Elements of a STEM PBL unit; 2. Ways to incorporate hands-on STEM learning into an open-ended STEM PBL unit; and 3. Leave with the right tools and confidence to integrate a STEM PBL unit into your learning environment.

SPEAKERS:
Molly Underwood (Pitsco Education: Pittsburg, KS), Mohit Abraham (Pitsco Education: Pittsburg, KS)

Join us to learn what sensemaking is and how to use research-based resources to engage students in making sense of the world around them.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Develop an understanding of what sensemaking is and how it can help build classrooms where students are able to make sense of the world around them; 2. Using a Daily Do, explore the four critical attributes of sensemaking: Phenomena; Science and Engineering Practices; Student Ideas; and Science Ideas; and 3. See what Professional Learning Units are and how they can help bring sensemaking to your classroom.

SPEAKERS:
Tricia Shelton (NSTA: Arlington, VA), Elizabeth Allan (University of Central Oklahoma: Edmond, OK)

Sponsoring Company: 3D Molecular Designs

This session introduces CRISPR-Cas9 in the context of DNA, RNA, and protein structure. Functional interactions in the natural system are explained as well as engineered improvements for sequence-specific targeting in the human genome.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. To update teachers’ knowledge of this new gene-editing technology; 2. To demonstrate how teachers can connect this new technology to basic concepts of molecular biology they are already teaching; and 3. To explore the potential and limitations of genome-editing technology applications.

SPEAKERS:
Christina Bowers (Meridian School: Round Rock, TX)

Sponsoring Company: STEMscopes by Accelerate Learning

Research has shown that the actual doing of science or engineering will pique students’ curiosity, capture their interest, and motivate their continued study. Combining this information with simple shifts in instructional sequencing will help students construct scientific meaning. Are you ready to open your eyes to a whole new world of scientific inquiry!

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Explore the research-based 5E instructional model with adaptations for acceleration and intervention; 2. Learn several techniques to embed hands-on learning experiences in various classroom environments; and 3. Learn how to make simple shifts in your instructional plan and sequence to foster better student understanding of concepts.

SPEAKERS:
Dr. Kenneth Heydrick (: Houston, TX), Stephanie Shield (STEMscopes by Accelerate Learning: Houston, TX)

Sponsoring Company: 3D Molecular Designs

Let's explore membrane transport and signaling support neuron function. This session covers the relationship between structures and the electrical changes during excitation along with strategies to deepen engagement and understanding.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will: 1. deepen their understanding of the molecular mechanisms that support neuron activation and signal propagation during an action potential; 2. become familiar with the specific impacts of neurotransmitters on the pre- and post-synaptic neurons; and 3. use foam models to explore approaches to learning that invite deep questioning, such as via making predictions of the consequences of specific mutations in the sodium potassium pump on neuron activity.

SPEAKERS:
Christina Bowers (Meridian School: Round Rock, TX)

This session will integrate programming/coding as a tool for use in a science classroom. Participants will use various tools, such as Scratch, to implement programming in their already designed science classes.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will: 1. learn how to integrate computer science into their science classroom; 2. experience resources they can use in their classrooms; and 3. develop a lesson using computer science in their classroom.

SPEAKERS:
Tammie Schrader (NorthEast Washington ESD 101: Spokane, WA)

Draw students into science literacy through a science fiction project! We will cover the history of sci-fi, a PBL unit, and resources for your classroom.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Science literacy is learned through formal and informal science learning; 2. Science fiction has historical value, current implications, and future applications ; and 3. Literary arts are made richer through scientific application.

SPEAKERS:
Erin Lark (Kognity: Stockholm, 0)