Students do best with applied hands-on experiential learning. The ‘After Dark’ theme of this workshop is intended to provide tangible resources for educators to take abstract concepts from their curriculum and make them accessible to students with glow in the dark, phosphorescent activities to take.

TAKEAWAYS:
Data collection and interpretation is an essential skill that hits-home the concepts students find in their textbooks. ‘After-Dark’ makes a miniature lab-course out of many of the bio/chem/phys/eng principles in ways which are memorable/relatable taking advantage of STEM tools for data collection.

SPEAKERS:
Will Collins (BioInnovation Dir: Halifax, NS, NB)

Get hands-on with sensor technology to uncover meteorological phenomena and discover how these tools can help make connections to weather and climate literacy for students in upper elementary-high school classrooms.

TAKEAWAYS:
There are affordable sensor technologies available to help turn students of all ages into data-collecting scientists and meteorologists.

SPEAKERS:
Harris Muhlstein (University of North Carolina Wilmington: Wilmington, NC)

Learn how the NASA TechRise Student Challenge helps students build and fly their own experiment ideas in suborbital vehicles (balloons and rockets), as well as how it helps inspire students across the nation to engage in STEM, research, and technology projects.

TAKEAWAYS:
TechRise's unique approach to STEM enables students and educators of all experience levels to learn tangible engineering skills including coding and working with electronics. The challenge aims to engage student teams across the U.S. in the technology experiment design and flight test process.

SPEAKERS:
Deanne Bell (Future Engineers: Burbank, CA), Lucas Moxey (NASA Outreach: Edwards, CA)

In this session, you will learn about how the Iowa Governor's STEM Council, CSTA Iowa, local area education agencies, and business partners came together to bring a collaborative approach for CS Education week to all sectors, not just educators, because CS Education week is about being all in!

TAKEAWAYS:
How to leverage partnerships to bring a collaborative, high quality computer science resources and professional development to educators as well as activities for students.

SPEAKERS:
Corey Rogers (Grant Wood Area Education Agency: No City, No State), Mauree Haage (Iowa Governor's STEM Advisory Council: No City, No State)

This session provides a “snapshot” of how to use the 5E model of instruction, along with children’s literature while learning the process of coding different bots.

TAKEAWAYS:
Prepare to focus your lens with highlighted lessons in ELA, Math, and Science. This session puts the “T" in STEM into action.

SPEAKERS:
Mary Headrick (AMSTI-University of Alabama, Huntsville: Huntsville, AL), Charles Holloway (The University of Alabama in Huntsville: Huntsville, AL), Cayce Perry (AMSTI-University of Alabama, Huntsville: Huntsville, AL), Shundra Morris (AMSTI-University of Alabama, Huntsville: Huntsville, AL)

Want your students to use more data in the classroom, but fed up with hacking a path through the spreadsheet jungle? Packed with classroom examples, tips, and easy-to-use tools, this show-and-tell panel will give you a roadmap to the best data analysis software available for science education today.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will understand the landscape of existing data analysis tools for science classrooms, along with their key characteristics, ideal use cases, and tips to get the most out of each tool.

SPEAKERS:
Harshil Parikh (Tuva Labs Inc.: New York, NY), Chad Dorsey (The Concord Consortium: Concord, MA), Aaron Reedy (DataClassroom: Charlottesville, VA), Zarek Drozda (Data Science 4 Everyone: No City, No State)

Provide students with the power of citizen science as they make scientific observations and analyze data to increase awareness worldwide about the impact of light pollution using NSF’s NOIRLab’s Globe at Night program. Students engage with authentic data to propose local solutions to light pollution

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will learn about the impacts of light pollution and walk away with resources and strategies to implement this citizen science campaign in their classrooms.

SPEAKERS:
Robert Sparks (NSF's NOIRLab: No City, No State), Justine Schaen (NSF's NOIRLab: Tucson, AZ)

Department of Energy national labs provide opportunities for students to interact with STEM professionals and learn STEM skills through research-based curricula. Berkeley Lab has developed a data science curriculum in which students apply data analysis and coding skills on datasets from researchers.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will learn how to integrate data science and coding into their STEM classes through an open source, research-based curriculum developed at Berkeley Lab.

SPEAKERS:
Faith Dukes (Director, K-12 STEM Education Programs: Berkeley, CA), Alisa Bettale (Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory: Berkeley, CA)

Learn about the PrimaryAI project and how it integrates artificial intelligence and computer science education into elementary life science.

TAKEAWAYS:
In this presentation, you will learn about PrimaryAI, a project that uses a rich, problem-based learning scenario in which students are tasked to gain experience with AI and apply their knowledge to help an endangered species.

SPEAKERS:
Adam Scribner (Indiana University Bloomington: Bloomington, IN)

A free online resource titled “Science as a Human Endeavor” provides an avenue to address diversity, equity, and inclusion. Learn practical ways to use this resource in your 7th–12th grade classroom to highlight diversity in STEM and to invite all students to participate in science.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will learn how to highlight diversity and foster inclusion in their classes by leveraging NGSS’s Connections to Nature of Science concept “Science is a Human Endeavor.” Participants will be introduced to a free online resource and receive guidance and examples for use in their teaching.

SPEAKERS:
Ben Koo (The Lawrence Hall of Science: Berkeley, CA)

Does your course homepage encourage the type of learning experience you wish to provide learners? Our mission was to create an intuitive and student-centered homepage. We will show you the evolution of our own homepage and invite you to consider how you can achieve similar outcomes on your homepage.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will consider our example of a universal and intuitive LMS homepage with insights into how to implement these features into their own educational settings.

SPEAKERS:
Erin Siverd (Virtual Learning Specialist: , PA)

This session will explore the application of online interactive laboratory simulations in secondary science courses. The presentation will overview different approaches and best practices to introduce virtual labs in blended learning environments.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will be able to implement virtual labs into their daily classroom lessons and apply different instructional practices.

SPEAKERS:
Giancarlo Perez-Flores (Teacher)

Need more support for STEM investigations and projects? Review a 3 year grant-funded STEM training to improve media specialists’ understanding of STEM as “thinking and doing.” Examine sample hands-on investigations, tools, and websites to help media specialists’ support of STEM at all grade levels.

TAKEAWAYS:
Media specialists have access to many different resources but may lack accurate understanding of STEM and the guidance students need for resources to promote STEM. This session will illustrate an effective all grades/subjects in-service program which could be adapted for use in a school or system.

SPEAKERS:
Gail Marshall (self-employed consultant: No City, No State), Melissa Johnston (University of West Georgia: Carrollton, GA), Judy Cox (N/A: No City, No State)

The Four Corners Science & Computing Club presents workshop based curricula for schools serving primarily Native American students. Raspberry Pi 400 computers and environmental data sensors are used to introduce students to Scientific Computing. Access to online curricula and resources provided.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will learn how to integrate low-cost, easy to build, data collection software and hardware into a STEM curriculum in order to engage students in scientific computing through hands-on problem-based education. Access to online curriculum and links to resources provided.

SPEAKERS:
Jeff Meilander (PhD student: FLAGSTAFF, AZ)

Participants experience three different digital design challenges using branching scenarios that provide student choice and data sets involving wind energy, electromagnetism, and the greenhouse effect. Each challenge is done in a different Google platform - Sites, Forms, and Slides.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will engage in three digital design challenges to test the efficiency of wind turbine blades, the strength of electromagnets, and the greenhouse effect on different land surfaces (polar region, water, and desert) using Google sites, forms, and slides.

SPEAKERS:
Rebecca Tonkinson (eesmarts: Hartford, CT), Sharyon Holness (eesmarts: No City, No State), Kathleen Brooks (eesmarts)

Use award-winning videos, crash-science demos and teacher tip-assisted activities including paper car crashes, egg drop cushions and stretchy slime to teach science and engineering concepts related to vehicle crashworthiness and highway safety.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participant will learn how to access inquiry-based lessons and video-supported activities integrating STEM concepts with vehicle crashworthiness and crash avoidance technologies.

SPEAKERS:
Pini Kalnite (Insurance Institute for Highway Safety Highway Loss Data Institute: Arlington, VA), Griff Jones (University of Florida: No City, No State)

As educators, we strive to bring meaningful and relevant learning experiences to our students each day, to connect the dots between what we're teaching and how it applies to the real world. We need to inspire the next generation of scientists and explorers, and there are no better role models than those who are on the frontlines of researching, documenting, protecting, and exploring our planet. Every scientist and explorer remembers when it happened, when their passion for their chosen pursuit was ignited. It may have been meeting someone, seeing a documentary, reading a book, or an inspirational educator. You can spark these 'aha' moments for your students by bringing the world into your classrooms through virtual connections with leading scientists and explorers around the world, and it's easier than you think! Join educator and National Geographic Explorer Joe Grabowski and dive into exciting resources, along with tips and tricks for engaging students before and after.

TAKEAWAYS:
Discover the benefits of bringing exciting scientists, explorers, and conservationists live into your classroom, while exploring how easy it is to do with exciting resources like Exploring by the Seat of Your Pants, Explorer Classroom, Google, and more!

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

This session presents an activity using the popular “escape room” format in which students solve clues using science knowledge to complete the challenge.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will experience and explore ideas to enhance in-person learning through competitive activities and gamification using and adapting a digital escape room format with an energy focus or their existing curriculum.

SPEAKERS:
Rebecca Tonkinson (eesmarts: Hartford, CT), Sharyon Holness (eesmarts: No City, No State)