Welcome to NSTA’s national conference!! Where should you begin? Join us for an exploration of the conference app and NSTA’s social media. You will learn how to maneuver and conquer the conference and leave feeling energized.

TAKEAWAYS:
Learn how to get the most out of your conference experience in addition to becoming an engaged learner.

SPEAKERS:
Elizabeth Mulkerrin (CEO: No City, No State)

Animal movement patterns are phenomena that students can make sense of and explain. A variety of animal movement data sources will be shared with participants, along with strategies for assisting students in data organization and interpretation. During the presentation, participants will engage as students exploring data to answer questions about specific animal movements. Since this is an elementary session, there will be connections made to trade books and disciplinary text, as well as connections to math and geography standards with an emphasis on integration of disciplines that will assist students in making sense of problems and phenomena of animal movement. Examples of data sources include: Movebank, eBird, Journey North, Department of Fish and Wildlife, Tagging of Pelagic Predators, etc.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will learn how to access data related to animal movement and migration, along with strategies that enable students to make sense of that data in explaining phenomena.

SPEAKERS:
Elizabeth (Betsy) O'Day (Retired Educator: Kansas City, MO)

Sponsoring Company: 3D Molecular Designs

What happens when you cook an egg? Is it possible to un-cook it? Investigate the characteristics of amino acids, the levels (and rules!) of protein folding, and how denaturing a protein alters its function, in an engaging hands-on modeling investigation using the Amino Acid Starter Kit ©.

SPEAKERS:
Mark Arnholt (3D Molecular Designs: Milwaukee, WI)

Sponsoring Company: Carolina Biological Supply Co.

With the transition to 3-dimensional learning and NGSS, is there still a place for dissections in the classroom? The answer is yes! As you dissect a frog, we will demonstrate how to integrate the 3 dimensions of learning while highlighting adaptations and the relationship between structure and function.

SPEAKERS:
Patricia Kopkau

Sponsoring Company: Edvotek

There’s a break-in at the lab. Your students become forensic scientists as they walk into a crime scene. Analyze samples for blood and then catch the criminal with DNA fingerprinting. This exciting workshop will include ways to incorporate biotechnology and gel electrophoresis into your classroom.

SPEAKERS:
Danielle Snowflack, PhD (Edvotek Inc.: Washington, DC), Tom Cynkar (Edvotek Inc.: Washington, DC)

Sponsoring Company: miniPCR bio

Engage students in authentic research through Genes in Space: the experimental design competition that launches experiments to the International Space Station. Learn about free educational resources, including lesson plans, classroom activities, explainer videos, and biotechnology equipment loans.

SPEAKERS:
Marc Bliss (miniPCR: Cambridge, MA)

Sponsoring Company: Edvotek

The gene-editing tool CRISPR is one of the most exciting biotechnology breakthroughs of the past decade. In fact, this technique won the Nobel Prize in 2020! In this hands-on workshop, we’ll explore CRISPR biology using fast, easy experiments that model the development of a cure for Cystic Fibrosis.

SPEAKERS:
Danielle Snowflack, PhD (Edvotek Inc.: Washington, DC), Tom Cynkar (Edvotek Inc.: Washington, DC)

Sponsoring Company: miniPCR bio

Link physical science concepts like circuits and charged particles to the essential biotech method, gel electrophoresis. Build a reusable gel electrophoresis system with the Bandit STEM Electrophoresis Kit, and use it to separate colorful dyes. Also, add the A to STEAM with creative pipetting art!

SPEAKERS:
Kristin Hennessy-McDonald, PhD (miniPCR: Cambridge, MA)

Sponsoring Company: 3D Molecular Designs

Give your students a deeper understanding of what is happening inside those tiny tubes during PCR, endonuclease digest, and incubation wait times through hands-on modeling. This workshop will feature the use of the Biotechnology Kit © and focus on plasmid ligation.

SPEAKERS:
Mark Arnholt (3D Molecular Designs: Milwaukee, WI)

Sponsoring Company: Edvotek

Explore the science of candy colors! We will extract food dyes from candy and separate them using agarose gel electrophoresis and paper chromatography. By separating the different colors, students learn about complicated mixtures, charges on molecules, and how science relates to everyday life.

SPEAKERS:
Danielle Snowflack, PhD (Edvotek Inc.: Washington, DC), Tom Cynkar (Edvotek Inc.: Washington, DC)

Sponsoring Company: miniPCR bio

A purrfect introduction to genetics! Track inheritance in a family of cats using Punnett squares. Then, use gel electrophoresis to examine the gene that controls that trait. Students connect Mendelian genetics with our modern understanding of genes! No stains or extra visualization equipment needed.

SPEAKERS:
Kristin Hennessy-McDonald, PhD (miniPCR: Cambridge, MA)

“Rockets Away '' curriculum revealed that the predominantly female staff was uneasy and hesitant to use launching equipment. A “Science Squad” assisted the teachers with the physics knowledge, building, and launching of the rockets. Then the creation of videos to show the proper techniques for rocketry and voice overlay ppt to ensure the accuracy of the physics concepts. Teachers became certified in Rocketry. Many 3rd-grade teachers provided inquiry science in the form of dioramas for their life science unit. The introduction of “Chickquest” was essential to providing inquiry-based learning. Early on, a “Science Squad” dressed in white coats, funny chick glasses, and hats assisted the teachers in the classroom with setting-up incubators, candling eggs, and troubleshooting student questions to WebCams for students to witness the live hatching 24/7. These STEM activities evolved into humanity lessons such as students reading to the chicks and sharing their hatches with each other.

TAKEAWAYS:
How to leverage technology & personnel for elementary teachers to engage students in authentic science and engineering concepts.

SPEAKERS:
Johnna O'Neal (Instructional Specialist: No City, No State), Katrina Halasa (Akron Public Schools: Akron, OH)

Sponsoring Company: Lab-Aids

Students use diagrams to create a three-dimensional clay model of some of the organs and structures in the human torso. The concepts of structure and function are introduced as students begin to think about how the organs can be grouped into body systems based on their function within the human body. Come experience this hands-on interactive session and take home your own Lab-Aids human torso model!

Sponsoring Company: PASCO

Microscope Scale activities to build skills for better interpretation of what they view in the eyepiece. Techniques help teachers use any equipment to establish scale for further investigations across organism kingdoms.

Sponsoring Company: Edvotek

Creating colorful bacteria with transformation is a memorable way to teach the central dogma of molecular biology. Take it a step further and have your students create art with the colorful cells! In this workshop, we’ll share tips for transformation success and create bio-art with microbial paint!

SPEAKERS:
Danielle Snowflack, PhD (Edvotek Inc.: Washington, DC), Tom Cynkar (Edvotek Inc.: Washington, DC)

Sponsoring Company: miniPCR bio

Discover a new way to study DNA and enzymes! Use fluorescence to see changes to DNA structure and enzyme activity with your own eyes. Explore how temperature, pH, and genetic sequence affect DNA base pairing. Then, see inhibitors, concentration, temperature, and pH affect enzymatic reaction rates.

SPEAKERS:
Allison Nishitani, PhD (miniPCR: Cambridge, MA)

Sponsoring Company: 3D Molecular Designs

Examine how modeling deepens student engagement. Explore carefully designed models to discover basic features of DNA structure and function using an atomically accurate model. Model nucleotides, DNA and RNA polymers, genetic sequences, genetic engineering,...and epigenetics.

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

During this workshop small group work with pill bugs set the stage for exploring the SEP’s through a discovery-based investigation. An anonymous poll will be taken at the beginning of the workshop to identify JEDI (justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion) hurdles teachers are facing. During the investigation, technology and non-technology based methods will be explored. After the investigation, participants will share in a facilitated discussion on modes of dismantling barriers. Review handouts of SEP’s & CCC’s identified and applied during the investigation will compliment elementary level DCI’s. Discussion will drive beyond just the facts of finding an answer to the investigation question, but to take an examination into knowledge of helping illustrate how the SEP’s and CCC’s can serve as an entry point at the elementary level to build science literacy and help move us beyond just facts but deepen our understanding and discovery of the world around us.

TAKEAWAYS:
Teachers struggle with access and affordability when designing discovery-based investigations. With minimal to no cost, this ready-to-use complete elementary LS investigation will demonstrate ways to increase equity in science sensemaking practices through standards-based hands-on investigations.

SPEAKERS:
Kim Burnett (American University: Washington, DC), Ollie Bogdon (Missouri Western State University: Saint Joseph, MO)

Sponsoring Company: Carolina Biological Supply Co.

Add excitement to your class with live organisms! We will explore how organisms find food and interact with other organisms in their environment. For younger students: How creatures find food, and for older students: Social behavior and interspecies interactions will be discussed.

SPEAKERS:
Laurie Nixon (Watauga High School: Boone, NC)

Sponsoring Company: 3D Molecular Designs

Help direct student questions towards investigation and modeling several types of inheritance with the Chromosome Connection Kit©. Construct Punnett squares with gene sequences as alleles to connect the inheritance of traits to chromosomes at the molecular level.

SPEAKERS:
Ruth Hutson (3D Molecular Designs: Milwaukee, WI)

Sponsoring Company: Edvotek

Discover the awesome potential of the ELISA! This highly-sensitive assay allows for detection of low levels of antigens in biological samples, making it perfect to identify pathogens, allergens, and more. We'll also practice pipetting to improve accuracy and precision, ensuring experimental success.

SPEAKERS:
Danielle Snowflack, PhD (Edvotek Inc.: Washington, DC), Tom Cynkar (Edvotek Inc.: Washington, DC)

Sponsoring Company: miniPCR bio

Add a hands-on lab to your study of the central dogma! With the cell-free BioBits® system, students can watch as polymerases transcribe RNA and ribosomes translate it to make protein, all using fluorescent indicators. Now you can experiment directly with transcription and translation!

SPEAKERS:
Allison Nishitani, PhD (miniPCR: Cambridge, MA)

Sponsoring Company: 3D Molecular Designs

Participants will model the aspects of water and ion transport across cell membranes using the Phospholipid and Membrane Transport Kit © and our MIGHTY Model © Channel collection. 3-D models of Na+ and K+ channel proteins and aquaporin will help your students understand cellular transport.

SPEAKERS:
Mark Arnholt (3D Molecular Designs: Milwaukee, WI)

Sponsoring Company: Bio-Rad Laboratories

Join us for this fun, interactive workshop in which you will apply a molecular diagnostic test, basic principles of virology, and clues hidden within a restaurant to track the chain of infection of a novel norovirus. The results may just make you want to wash your hands…

SPEAKERS:
Leigh Brown (Bio-Rad Laboratories: Hercules, CA), Tamica Stubbs (Bio-Rad Laboratories: Hercules, CA)

Sponsoring Company: HHMI BioInteractive

Bring ecology to life for students as we explore free, hands-on resources from HHMI BioInteractive that model how keystone species regulate ecosystems through trophic cascades.

SPEAKERS:
Heather Peterson , Timothy Guilfoyle (Phillip O. Berry Academy of Technology: Charlotte, NC)

Sponsoring Company: Texas Instruments

A decomposing corpse is found in a field. Four possible missing persons fit the description. But who is it? Using clues near the scene will help determine identity. Forensic anthropologist Diane France helped to develop this free middle school and high school forensic science lesson.

Sponsoring Company: Vernier Science Education

Keep your students engaged by giving them opportunities to move and interact in class. Explore limb position and grip strength, balance, and EKG and EMG experiments designed to encourage students to think about the physiology of various human organ systems. Come ready to participate!

SPEAKERS:
Colleen McDaniel (Vernier Science Education: Beaverton, OR)

Sponsoring Company: miniPCR bio

Puppies are born to Molly the Labradoodle and students must use genetics to solve the paternity mystery. Use Punnett squares and DNA gel electrophoresis to track inheritance of the furnishings trait across the litter. Then decide who’s the daddy: Zeus the Poodle or Otto the Labradoodle?

SPEAKERS:
Kristin Hennessy-McDonald, PhD (miniPCR: Cambridge, MA)

First, participants will learn how to keep a worm safe and comfortable for handling. Then we will examine external structure, function, senses, and talk about how those connect to a worm's life style. We will even use flashlights to peek inside the worm to see their digestive system. Each activity will be tied to elementary NGSS on organisms, systems, environment, structure and function, and life cycles. The activities will come from my picture book, This is a Book to Read with a Worm (winner of the AAAS/Subaru Excellence in Science Books, 2020), but I will not promote the book. I just want to share the activities.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will experience a series of activities that will help them use earthworms as phenomena in elementary science. For each activity, we will discuss how to move from the specifics of worms into sensemaking on more general concepts that the worms illustrate.

SPEAKERS:
Jodi Wheeler-Toppen (Author/ Staff Development: Atlanta, GA)

Sponsoring Company: Visible Body

Lab time and access to specimens can be limited, expensive, or sometimes entirely out of reach. Visible Body’s 3-D content and Courseware platform provide a digital alternative to wet labs and 2-D textbook images and diagrams, allowing students to “cut” as many times as they need.

SPEAKERS:
Rachel Buchanan (Sales Director: , SC)

Sponsoring Company: Bio-Rad Laboratories

Is your food genetically modified? Learn three different hands-on activities that explore this topic. First, simulated PCR analysis using pre-amplified DNA (no thermal cycler needed), then DNA extraction and PCR, and next, quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR). Bonus activity: use ELISA to detect GMOs!

SPEAKERS:
Tamica Stubbs (Bio-Rad Laboratories: Hercules, CA), Leigh Brown (Bio-Rad Laboratories: Hercules, CA)

Sponsoring Company: HHMI BioInteractive

Inquiring minds want to know! Join us as we explore how BioInteractive Phenomenal Images and Data Points spark student questions and help them develop explanations.

SPEAKERS:
Amy Fassler (Marshfield High School: Marshfield, WI), Christina Bowers (Meridian School: Round Rock, TX)

Sponsoring Company: Texas Instruments

Bring a friend with you to attend, "Zombie Apocalypse!" Just make sure you can run faster! Zombies provide an excellent way to get students interested in understanding how diseases move through a population. Great for middle and high school students.

Sponsoring Company: miniPCR bio

Bring molecular techniques to Ecology and Evolution units. Join an expedition to Madagascar to decide if an extinct lemur species has been rediscovered! Test DNA with gel electrophoresis, build phylogenetic trees, and analyze authentic field data from the Duke Lemur Center.

SPEAKERS:
Allison Nishitani, PhD (miniPCR: Cambridge, MA)

Sponsoring Company: 3D Molecular Designs

Experience our new collection of protein models enhanced by molecular stories, digital resources, and augmented reality technology. Bigger, better… and more robust.

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

Discussion of culture is often missing in garden-based education. To share and validate the interests of our culturally diverse students, we will delve deep into the significance of culture as it relates to food and gardens and also as it relates to the diverse populations with whom we work. Through student voices and examples we will share the principles of culturally responsive garden education that honors diversity and inclusion. Join us as we explore ways to celebrate and center culture through garden-based learning. School gardens have many benefits for students which include helping students make nutritious choices, encouraging students to be environmentally conscious, and providing experiential learning. Research shows that students who participate in garden-based science curriculum score significantly higher on science achievement tests than students in a traditional classroom-based control group. This garden-enhanced achievement benefits both boys and girls equally.

TAKEAWAYS:
By their nature, gardens embody diversity. Garden education is increasingly recognized as an interdisciplinary approach that integrates academic goals, health and wellness, place-based education, and community connections and relationships.

SPEAKERS:
Lindsey Noonan (Topeka Public Schools USD 501: Topeka, KS), Rhonda Gadino (Topeka Public Schools: No City, No State)

School gardens are a fantastic way to transition from a more traditional classroom to an outdoor, experiential learning opportunity centered on student engagement and critical thinking. Students are able to physically connect with nutrition education, understand the process of growing healthy foods, and recognize environmental stewardship. A school garden can also be integrated into many subjects such as math, science, health, literacy and social studies. The school garden offers a place to enrich teaching efforts with powerful hands-on experiences that make learning come alive. Each school or youth garden is as unique as the school or community that plants it. Gardens may come in many configurations, ranging from a collection of container gardens or a grouping of raised beds to a half-acre of plowed land. Successful garden programs do have certain features in common, however, they are designed to meet local program needs, to be sustainable, and to use the physical site and resources.

TAKEAWAYS:
School gardens are a fantastic way to transition from a more traditional classroom to an outdoor, experiential learning opportunity centered on student engagement and critical thinking. A school garden can be integrated into many subjects such as math, science, health, literacy and social studies.

SPEAKERS:
Lindsey Noonan (Topeka Public Schools USD 501: Topeka, KS), Rhonda Gadino (Topeka Public Schools: No City, No State)

Sponsoring Company: HHMI BioInteractive

Join us as we explore free, classroom-ready HHMI BioInteractive resources to model how the species-area relationship impacts biogeography and conservation of protected areas.

SPEAKERS:
Jeannie Long (Teacher), Chris Monsour (Tiffin Columbian High School: Tiffin, OH)

Sponsoring Company: Bio-Rad Laboratories

Two out of three drug overdoses are due to opioids. Understanding the environmental & genetic links to drug dependency can reduce risk when opioids are prescribed to high-risk patients. Discover how math, genetics, & personalized medicine can determine the likelihood of addiction.

SPEAKERS:
Leigh Brown (Bio-Rad Laboratories: Hercules, CA), Tamica Stubbs (Bio-Rad Laboratories: Hercules, CA)

Sponsoring Company: miniPCR bio

PTC tasting is a classic way to link genotype and phenotype. Use PCR and gel electrophoresis to determine if students have taster or non-taster alleles for bitter perception. Learn about our all-new curriculum and see how easy it can be to bring molecular genetics to your class!

Sponsoring Company: Carolina Biological Supply Co.

Experience the versatility of Wisconsin Fast Plants®. These quick-growing plants engage students and are ideal for all grade levels. Easily integrate Disciplinary Core Ideas, Crosscutting Concepts, and Practices in life cycle, heredity & inheritance, variation & evolution, and environmental science.

SPEAKERS:
Laurie Nixon (Watauga High School: Boone, NC)

Sponsoring Company: 3D Molecular Designs

According to the CDC, there were 110,000 overdose deaths in the US in 2022. 75,000 of those were due to fentanyl, a powerful and dangerous synthetic opioid. Join us as we model action potentials, how fentanyl disrupts synaptic signaling, and how Narcan can stop an overdose.

SPEAKERS:
Mark Arnholt (3D Molecular Designs: Milwaukee, WI)

Sponsoring Company: HHMI BioInteractive

How can genetic studies in dogs inform human medicine? Using free HHMI BioInteractive resources, we'll explore how scientists identify genes that affect human traits.

SPEAKERS:
Sherry Annee (Brebeuf Jesuit Preparatory School: Indianapolis, IN), Catherina Sammons (Tates Creek High School: Lexington, KY)

Sponsoring Company: Bio-Rad Laboratories

Experience CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing experiments designed for your students' learning! In this hands-on workshop, edit a chromosomal gene, complete with essential experimental controls, using the same cut-and-repair technology used in medicinal and agricultural applications.

SPEAKERS:
Tamica Stubbs (Bio-Rad Laboratories: Hercules, CA), Leigh Brown (Bio-Rad Laboratories: Hercules, CA)

Sponsoring Company: Lab-Aids

Use a DQB to make phenomena meaningfully connected to science content. Pro-tips and exemplary DQB walkthrough – an experienced trainer will guide development of a sample DQB using a model lesson from our middle school program that looks at the effects of an introduced species on an ecosystem.

Sponsoring Company: Vernier Science Education

Engage your students in learning about the effects of climate change with this hands-on experiment. Using the latest Vernier data-collection technology, we'll define ocean acidification, determine how we can measure it, and discuss why it is bad for our marine ecosystems. Get ready to dive in!

SPEAKERS:
Colleen McDaniel (Vernier Science Education: Beaverton, OR)

Sponsoring Company: miniPCR bio

Sickle cell disease is an excellent model to discuss topics ranging from protein structure and function to inheritance and genetic diseases. Add an engaging hands-on activity that only takes one class period! This lab helps a fictional family obtain a molecular diagnosis using gel electrophoresis.

SPEAKERS:
Marc Bliss (miniPCR: Cambridge, MA)

Sponsoring Company: Anatomy in Clay

They will acquire the knowledge to engage science students with immediate, hands-on learning using a proven method that is nationally recognized to increase student retention and test scores. Come build the rotator cuff with us!

SPEAKERS:
Chuck Roney (ANATOMY IN CLAY Learning Systems: Loveland, CO), John-Paul Theriault (ANATOMY IN CLAY Learning Systems: Loveland, CO)

Using Mathematics and Computational Thinking is unfamiliar to many science educators because they didn’t engage in this practice in their own K-12 careers. Join us as we venture together into the unknown (unfamiliar) using grade-appropriate elements of Using Mathematics and Computational Thinking to build pieces of disciplinary core ideas and crosscutting concepts needed to explain an everyday phenomenon elementary students find curious and puzzling. Participants will reflect on what Using Mathematics and Computational Thinking is all about and how this practice relates to the practices of Developing and Using Models and Analyzing and Interpreting Data.

TAKEAWAYS:
Elementary students engage in Using Mathematics and Computational thinking everyday as they describe, make comparisons between, and test predictions about systems in the world.

SPEAKERS:
Kate Soriano (NSTA: Arlington, VA)

Presenters will discuss the Omaha Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium's Zoo Afterschool Program and the way in which they utilize their access to the zoo to broaden and deepen their student's understanding of the natural world by teaching lessons and then connecting those lessons to the student's observations of animals in the zoo. They will then discuss how participants in the workshop can translate the lessons that we have taught to the unique resources in their community.

TAKEAWAYS:
By focusing on how to best engage with your unique resources, you can enrich the lives and the learning of your students, and help them connect with their community.

SPEAKERS:
Mark Richter (After-School Site Coordinator: Omaha, NE), Kenzie Meegan (Omaha Henry Doorly Zoo: No City, No State)

Sponsoring Company: Bio-Rad Laboratories

Students often struggle to tie cellular respiration and photosynthesis together. Come and experience how algae beads help students easily visualize both processes in one experimental system. They can then extend their learning by changing light intensity, light color, and temperature...."

SPEAKERS:
Leigh Brown (Bio-Rad Laboratories: Hercules, CA), Tamica Stubbs (Bio-Rad Laboratories: Hercules, CA)

Sponsoring Company: HHMI BioInteractive

How do species coexist within an ecosystem? Come explore BioInteractive's niche partitioning resources that have students analyze data to understand ecological restoration efforts.

SPEAKERS:
Amy Fassler (Marshfield High School: Marshfield, WI)

Sponsoring Company: 3D Molecular Designs

Tour a crowded, active plasma cell to see how proteins are made and exported for use by the body. Explore how physical models foster an understanding of how the structure of DNA and RNA determines the structure of proteins, which carry out the essential functions of life.

SPEAKERS:
Ruth Hutson (3D Molecular Designs: Milwaukee, WI)

Sponsoring Company: miniPCR bio

Come practice hands-on, authentic CRISPR/Cas learning activities. From using Cas9 to target DNA in a test tube, to knocking out a gene in bacteria, our labs will put real CRISPR/Cas in your students’ hands. Free educational resources like CRISPR/Cas paper models will also be demonstrated.

Nature, we vacation near it, we immerse ourselves in it, we need it for survival. A student’s natural curiosity about nature and the world around them can drive science learning and outcomes. Investigating natural phenomena within your state and close to your school creates authentic and relevant opportunities for students to research their local ecosystems. Experiences with nature not only promotes learning, but can help close the achievement gap (Liberman, 1998. Closing the Achievement Gap.) Citing studies, we will discuss how spending time in nature is healthy for students, faculty, and staff. Nature can lower blood pressure, calm anxiety, and improve mood. Using Missouri Department of Conservation’s Discover Nature Schools Curriculum as an example, we will discuss how taking learning outside can meet NGSS Ecosystems: Interactions, Energy, and Dynamics and the Earth and Human Activity Strands. We will discuss ways to find and/or create nature experience near you.

TAKEAWAYS:
Nature is everywhere, accessible to everyone; from studying a crack in the sidewalk, where ants and other insects travel, to studying ponds, prairies, and forests. I can find and create nature study opportunities at my school, whether it is urban, suburban, or rural.

SPEAKERS:
Kathi Moore (Conservation Educator: HANNIBAL, MO), Sherri Russell (State Wildlife Veterinarian: Jefferson City, MO)

Sponsoring Company: 3D Molecular Designs

What happens when you cook an egg? Is it possible to un-cook it? Investigate the characteristics of amino acids, the levels (and rules!) of protein folding, and how denaturing a protein alters its function in an engaging hands-on modeling investigation using the Amino Acid Starter Kit ©.

SPEAKERS:
Mark Arnholt (3D Molecular Designs: Milwaukee, WI)

Sponsoring Company: American Farm Bureau Foundation for Agriculture

Learn how transfer tasks can be used as summative assessments to help students apply knowledge through authentic learning experiences through the context of food and agriculture. Open to all teachers K-12!

Sponsoring Company: 3D Molecular Designs

This session will preview a professional learning opportunity being developed by 3-D Molecular Designs focused on the prevention and treatment of infectious diseases.  This project is funded by an NIH SEPA award to 3-D Molecular Designs.

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

Within collaborative groups, team members work through age-specific engineering challenges based on the natural world. Participants engage in each step of the Engineering Design Process through free online Missouri Department of Conservation Discover Nature School curriculum. The Pre-K group will use recycled materials, creating bird feeders to test quantity and strength. The kindergarten group will create a model of a bear den, testing strength and weaknesses of weather conditions. The first grade group will analyze armor and behavior of living isopods, and research other common Midwest animals with protective layers. From this research, they will create their model and test its protective nature. Using seed dispersal as a phenomenon, the second grade group will model and test different seed dispersal methods as assigned for their specific seed to explore. Participants will share how to connect engineering and ELA within their classroom through supporting trade books.

TAKEAWAYS:
Through hands-on practice and application of the engineering design process, participants will engage in asking questions, building models to test shape and function of an object, and test and identify strengths and weaknesses within grade-level groups. Utilize local nature for engineering prompts!

SPEAKERS:
Gwendolyn Parrett (Anita B. Gorman Conservation Discovery Center: Kansas City, MO), Mary Beth Factor (Discover Nature School Curriculum Coordinator: West Plains, MO)

Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo & Aquarium is on the cutting edge of STEM education. We know that learning continues beyond the four walls of a traditional classroom. At Omaha's Zoo, the world is our classroom! We serve over 158,000 students annually and amplify the importance of bringing learning to life for all students. Through this share-a-thon, educators with Omaha's Zoo will offer insights into what Omaha's Zoo's students doing in our community and provide content that leads to stronger instruction, deeper engagement, and higher achievements. Participants will see how HQIM are used in our Zoo Academies, Zoo After-School Programs, Zoo Outreaches, and Citizen Science Programs. Participants will have access to grab-and-go content offered through Omaha's Zoo Education Department and gain meaningful ways to connect students to the world around them.

TAKEAWAYS:
Connect with Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo & Aquarium educators to uncover how we bring learning to life for all students. See what Omaha's Zoo's students are doing in our community with HQIM and take away content leading to stronger instruction, deeper engagement, and higher achievements.

SPEAKERS:
Kenzie Meegan (Omaha Henry Doorly Zoo: No City, No State), Brian Priesman (Outreach Coordinator: Omaha, NE), Leah Litz (Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo & Aquarium: No City, No State)

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has a clearinghouse of free STEM education resources covering a wide range of health and biomedical research topics for students in grades K through 12. On science.education.nih.gov, you’ll find links to great content from NIH, as well as materials developed through our education grants. The National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS, part of NIH) has created a section of its Biomedical Beat blog called the Educator’s Corner (biobeat.nigms.nih.gov/educators-corner) with a collection of carefully curated blog posts designed to align with existing NIGMS science education resources, such as its Pathways collection for middle and high school students. You’ll find tools and ideas to enhance lesson plans, building upon existing science education material that’s already available at no cost. We hope these websites will be useful tools to bring STEM materials into the classroom and to encourage students toward health science careers.

TAKEAWAYS:
The National Institutes of Health has a wide range of free curriculum resources for teachers in the health science space. Materials vary from online interactives, Kahoot! games, and blog posts, to free printed magazine copies with teacher guides. Find them all at science.education.nih.gov.

SPEAKERS:
Rachel Crowley (NIGMS, National Institutes of Health: No City, No State)

Attendees will learn techniques and strategies for incorporating scientific sketching and nature journaling into students’ science notebook routines by engaging in the activities themselves. Materials and natural physical specimens will be provided for journaling and sketching activities. Student examples and free resources will be shared. This workshop is appropriate for all K-12 teachers and informal science educators.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will be introduced to, and participate in, several nature journaling activities from the free John Muir Laws "How to Teach Nature Journaling" book, as well as receive some scientific sketching guidance from the California Academy of Sciences. Special attention to integrating math will be included.

SPEAKERS:
Dana Atwood-Blaine (University of Northern Iowa: Cedar Falls, IA)