Sponsoring Company: Brain Chase

Dive into interactive, educational Escape Rooms, and learn how you can design your own programs using dozens of electives and different Escape Room themes. Plus, there will be a fun sneak-peek of our fun Escape Room experience with NSTA that is scheduled on May 6.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Using escape rooms and treasure hunts makes learning feel like an adventure for students; 2. Adventures incentivize learning, progress, and engages 21st-century skills; and 3. Hands-on projects to engage students add to a more robust experience that straddles virtual and physical worlds.

SPEAKERS:
Gracie Helms (Brain Chase: Austin, TX)

Sponsoring Company: PAEMST

Come learn about the highest recognition for STEM educators in the United States. We will discuss eligibility criteria, 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: Brain Chase

Dive into interactive, educational Escape Rooms, and learn how you can design your own programs using dozens of electives and different Escape Room themes. Plus, there will be a fun sneak-peek of our fun Escape Room experience with NSTA that is scheduled on May 6.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Using escape rooms and treasure hunts makes learning feel like an adventure for students; 2. Adventures incentivize learning, progress, and engages 21st-century skills; and 3. Hands-on projects to engage students add to a more robust experience that straddles virtual and physical worlds.

SPEAKERS:
Gracie Helms (Brain Chase: Austin, TX)

Sponsoring Company: BrainPOP

Learn how to build on the core concepts of WISE interventions to integrate social-emotional learning competencies into science teaching and learning with the new BrainPOP Science.

TAKEAWAYS:
Learn how to: 1. reduce ambiguity for students to build self-efficacy and confidence in science; 2. provide immediate and precise feedback for students through formative assessments incorporated throughout the lesson; and 3. incorporate reflection questions at the end of each science lesson, and pause points throughout the lesson to promote meaning-making.

SPEAKERS:
Maneeza Dawood (BrainPOP: New York, NY)

Sponsoring Company: University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point

In this workshop, participants will discuss how sustainability can be an integrative thread throughout STEM topics, such as climate change and environmental science. Participants will identify strategies for integrating sustainability into their existing curricula and will define sustainability in terms of systems thinking and future orientation. This workshop will be led by faculty and staff from the University of Wisconsin-Steven Point’s Ed.D. in Educational Sustainability Program.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will: 1. discuss how sustainability can be an integrative thread throughout STEM topics; 2. be able to identify strategies for integrating sustainability into their existing curricula; and 3. be able to define sustainability in terms of systems thinking and future orientation (e.g., beyond reduce, reuse, recycle).

SPEAKERS:
Elizabeth Potter-Nelson (University of Maine at Farmington: Farmington, ME), Erin Redman (University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point: Stevens Point, WI), Rachael Rost (University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point: Stevens Point, WI)

Sponsoring Company: Flinn Scientific, Inc.

This workshop will demonstrate an authentic engineering practice so compelling that science and engineering students create an average of 62 virtual design iterations of balsa wood bridges, gliders, mousetrap cars, wind turbines, drones, and many others before (optionally) building a physical model of their optimized design.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Time and money (nearly) prohibits science and engineering classrooms from presenting an authentic engineering practice; 2. WhiteBox Learning provides an authentic experience by utilizing powerful web-based tools with roots in industry that leverage gamification for motivation; and 3. It is possible to leverage familiar projects like balsa wood bridges, balsa wood gliders, mousetrap cars, and others to teach engineering in an authentic way. This is great news because the familiarity of these projects makes it easier for teachers to take on engineering.

SPEAKERS:
Tom Robertson (WhiteBox Learning: Louisville, KY)

Sponsoring Company: Texas Instruments

Learn how to create a project-based camp or classroom lesson that enable students to apply concepts, such as photosynthesis and the water cycle, to design a smart irrigation system. Inspired by real-world events, students are motivated to apply problem-solving skills and learn some basic programming to come up with innovative solutions to using water more efficiently.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Developing models to better understand a process; 2. Constructing explanations and designing solutions; and 3. Introducing students to coding to solve a science problem with an engineering solution.

SPEAKERS:
Jessica Kohout (Independent Contractor: Ellicott City, MD)

Sponsoring Company: Estes Industries

Give your students the opportunity to nurture their inquisitive nature with our Does Mass Matter? lesson plan. Learn more about how Estes is working with cool educational companies and industry professionals to provide you with hands-on, real-world learning experiences for your classroom. All participants will be entered to win our Green Eggs™ Starter Kit!

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Improve inquiry-based learning techniques; 2. Foster students' inquisitive nature with the PocketLab; and 3. Incorporate all four elements of STEM with the Does Mass Matter? lesson plan.

SPEAKERS:
David Bakker (PocketLab: San Jose, CA), Kathy Biernat (Zanilu Educational Services, LLC: No City, No State), Nicole Bayeur (Estes Industries: , United States)

Sponsoring Company: TCI

Designed to be engaging no matter where learning takes place, TCI’s Engineering Challenges get students thinking and acting like real-world engineers, but most importantly, excited about science. Discover the power of the TCI approach and get practical real-world tips for your classroom.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Explore TCI’s unique approach to engineering; 2. Learn to engage students anytime and anywhere with engineering challenges; and 3. Leave with practical real-world tips that can be immediately incorporated into the classroom.

SPEAKERS:
Brian Thomas (TCI: Mountain View, CA), Deanna Morrow (TCI: Mountain View, CA)

Sponsoring Company: Amazon Future Engineer

Give your students real-world computer science and career exposure through Amazon Future Engineer's new live, virtual, and interactive Fulfilment Center Tours! From our online store to doorstep, students will discover how computer science, state-of-the-art engineering, and incredible people deliver customer orders at Amazon.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will learn: how Amazon uses computer science, engineering, and amazing people to deliver customer orders around the globe; 2. how algorithms, sensors, cloud computing, machine learning, databases, and more all help make Amazon possible; and 3. what it's like to be an engineer at Amazon.

SPEAKERS:
Trinidad Cisneros (Amazon Corporate Affairs: Seattle, WA), Tony Wallin (Amazon Corporate Affairs: Seattle, WA), Hilah Barbot (Amazon Corporate Affairs: Seattle, WA)

Sponsoring Company: Discovery Education

The 16 units in Discovery Education’s brand-new Science Techbook for middle school are driven by engaging anchor phenomena that prompt students to ask driving questions. Students engage in storylines using the science and engineering practices to collect evidence that answers their questions, learning both core ideas and crosscutting concepts along the way.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Curriculum units should begin with an anchor phenomena that stimulates student questions; 2. A unit should be designed to allow students to collect evidence from investigative phenomena that they can use to answer their questions; and 3. Students should make sense of phenomena by engaging in practices that lead them to develop disciplinary core ideas and crosscutting concepts.

SPEAKERS:
Hailey Adams Mangum (Discovery Education: Chicago, IL), Ted Willard (Discovery Education: Silver Spring, MD)

Sponsoring Company: PAEMST

Come learn about the highest recognition for STEM educators in the United States. We will discuss eligibility criteria, 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: Estes Industries

Ready to take STEM learning to new heights? Join Estes and receive a FREE model rocket to build with us. We will cover model rocketry basics and how you can implement this exciting, low-cost STEM tool in your classroom!

Register here to receive your FREE rocket for this workshop.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will learn: 1. the basics of model rocketry; 2. how to use rocketry in the classroom; and 3. the benefits of hands-on, real-world science.

SPEAKERS:
Nicole Bayeur (Estes Industries: , United States)

Sponsoring Company: Brain Chase

Dive into interactive, educational Escape Rooms, and learn how you can design your own programs using dozens of electives and different Escape Room themes. Plus, there will be a fun sneak-peek of our fun Escape Room experience with NSTA that is scheduled on May 6.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Using escape rooms and treasure hunts makes learning feel like an adventure for students; 2. Adventures incentivize learning, progress, and engages 21st-century skills; and 3. Hands-on projects to engage students add to a more robust experience that straddles virtual and physical worlds.

SPEAKERS:
Gracie Helms (Brain Chase: Austin, TX)

Sponsoring Company: Amplify

What if coding were integrated into core science instruction instead of being an isolated, after-school activity for a select few? Join the curriculum developers from UC Berkeley’s Lawrence Hall of Science to experience cutting-edge and research-based instructional materials designed to make coding an interactive, collaborative, and science-based endeavor in service of students finding solutions to real-world problems. Explore how Coding Science Internships for Amplify Science grades 6–8 can play a prominent role in providing equitable access to coding and computational thinking for all students.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will: 1. experience how cutting-edge and research-based instructional materials can make coding an interactive, collaborative, and science-based endeavor in service of students finding solutions to real-world problems; 2. explore how Coding Science Internships for Amplify Science grades 6–8 can play a prominent role in providing equitable access to coding and computational thinking for all students; and 3. have access to strategies that aim to increase access to positive experiences in computer science learning.

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

Sponsoring Company: Discovery Education

Discovery Education’s brand-new Science Techbook for middle school provides multiple opportunities to assess students’ proficiency with all three dimensions. This session highlights the opportunities for formative assessments throughout the unit as students engage in practices, as well as a summative unit project and a set of performance-based assessments (PBAs) targeting every performance expectation.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Students' engagement in science and engineering practices provides an opportunity for formative assessments; 2. Assessments should be tied to phenomena; and 3. Assessments should be three-dimensional.

SPEAKERS:
Nikki Brassell Snyder (Montgomery County Public Schools: Christiansburg, VA), Ted Willard (Discovery Education: Silver Spring, MD)

Sponsoring Company: Estes Industries

Ready to take STEM learning to new heights? Join Estes and receive a FREE model rocket to build with us. We will cover model rocketry basics and how you can implement this exciting, low-cost STEM tool in your classroom!

Register here to receive your FREE rocket for this workshop.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will learn: 1. the basics of model rocketry; 2. how to use rocketry in the classroom; and 3. the benefits of hands-on, real-world science.

SPEAKERS:
Nicole Bayeur (Estes Industries: , United States)

Sponsoring Company: Brain Chase

Dive into interactive, educational Escape Rooms, and learn how you can design your own programs using dozens of electives and different Escape Room themes. Plus, there will be a fun sneak-peek of our fun Escape Room experience with NSTA that is scheduled on May 6.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Using escape rooms and treasure hunts makes learning feel like an adventure for students; 2. Adventures incentivize learning, progress, and engages 21st-century skills; and 3. Hands-on projects to engage students add to a more robust experience that straddles virtual and physical worlds.

SPEAKERS:
Gracie Helms (Brain Chase: Austin, TX)

Sponsoring Company: Flinn Scientific, Inc.

This workshop will focus on how to provide all students opportunities to use the science practices to understand things of interest to them and to construct knowledge. Ideas for simple hands-on activites, how to use digital media, and how to build straightforward simulations with free spreadsheet programs will be presented.

TAKEAWAYS:
How to: 1. do NGSS-aligned science; 2. promote scientific thinking skills in students; and 3. use hands-on activities, digital media, and spreadsheet programs to make science accessible to all students and to construct knowledge.

SPEAKERS:
Mike Marvel, Ph.D. (Flinn Scientific, Inc.: Batavia, IL)

Sponsoring Company: Amazon Future Engineer

Interested in exposing your students to the careers of the future? Join three Amazon Robotics Engineers as they discuss what it's like to build a future in technology. Then, sign up for our Class Chat Program to bring a virtual speaker to your classroom this spring!

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will learn: 1. what a robotics engineer does day to day at Amazon; 2. an idea of the potential career path required to become a robotics engineer; and 3. how to sign up to bring a speaker to their class.

SPEAKERS:
Erica Aduh (Amazon Corporate Affairs: Seattle, WA), Joe Lee (Amazon Corporate Affairs: Seattle, WA), Mikell Taylor (Amazon Corporate Affairs: Seattle, WA), Hilah Barbot (Amazon Corporate Affairs: Seattle, WA)

Sponsoring Company: Shell Science Lab

Come start your winning application for one of three Shell-sponsored programs. We'll walk through the application step by step and you'll be able to begin your application or nomination form live.

TAKEAWAYS:
Learn: 1. tips to complete a successful application; 2. who's eligible to apply; and 3. how to nominate a deserving teacher.

SPEAKERS:
Ruth Ruud (Cleveland State University: Cleveland, OH), Amanda Upton (NSTA: Arlington, VA)

Sponsoring Company: MSOE Center for BioMolecular Modeling

Using engaging and powerful kits, model how proteins are simply long linear sequences of amino acids that spontaneously fold into complex 3-D shapes, following basic principles of chemistry. Then explore how a stylized enzyme model can help students understand basic concepts while an accurate model leads to increased levels of complexity.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Teach protein folding with models; 2. Explore enzymes using models; and 3. Learn how AI is assisting in determining the shape of complex proteins.

SPEAKERS:
Tim Herman (3D Molecular Designs: Milwaukee, WI)

Sponsoring Company: Amazon Future Engineer

Give your students real-world computer science and career exposure through Amazon Future Engineer's new live, virtual, and interactive Fulfilment Center Tours! From our online store to doorstep, students will discover how computer science, state-of-the-art engineering, and incredible people deliver customer orders at Amazon.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will learn: 1. how Amazon uses computer science, engineering, and amazing people to deliver customer orders around the globe; 2. how algorithms, sensors, cloud computing, machine learning, databases, and more all help make Amazon possible; and 3. what it's like to be an engineer at Amazon.

SPEAKERS:
Tony Wallin (Amazon Corporate Affairs: Seattle, WA), Hilah Barbot (Amazon Corporate Affairs: Seattle, WA), Trinidad Cisneros (Amazon Corporate Affairs: Seattle, WA)

Sponsoring Company: Amazon Future Engineer

Interested in exposing your students to the careers of the future? Join four Software Development Engineers as they discuss what it's like to code at Amazon. Then, sign up for our Class Chat Program to bring a virtual speaker to your classroom this spring!

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will learn: 1. what a normal day looks like as a software developer at Amazon; 2. potential career paths that can lead to becoming a software developer; and 3. how to register to bring a virtual guest speaker to your class to talk about careers in technology!

SPEAKERS:
Hilah Barbot (Amazon Corporate Affairs: Seattle, WA), Maria Rocco (Amazon Corporate Affairs: Seattle, WA), Luu Tran (Amazon Corporate Affairs: Seattle, WA), Natalie White (Amazon Corporate Affairs: Seattle, WA), Michael Shao (Amazon Corporate Affairs: Seattle, WA)

Sponsoring Company: XR Guru

Integrate VR/AR science modules to help your students understand complex topics in an immersive engaging environment.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Learn the research on using VR/AR in education; 2. View sample science module content; and 3. View the teacher portal and receive immediate free access to all content.

SPEAKERS:
Doug Smith (XR Guru: Dublin, OH)