2023 Kansas City National Conference

October 25-28, 2023

Additional sessions will be added as they are accepted and confirmed over the next several weeks.
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Rooms and times subject to change.
19 results
Save up to 50 sessions in your agenda.

Decoding Starlight—From Photons to Pixels to Images—Using Science and Art

Thursday, October 26 • 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM

Kansas City Marriott Downtown - Lester Young A



(Only registered attendees may view session materials. Please login with your NSTA account to view.)
Decoding Starlight - paper and pencil version
Decoding Starlight - student version
Decoding Starlight Presentation
Js9 Astronomy Image Analysis Software
Making 3 Color Composites with js9 - student handout

STRAND: STEM Haven

Show Details

To analyze data from space and ground-based telescopes, scientists rely on computers, not only to do calculations, but also to change numbers into images. Scientists and programmers go through painstaking calibration and validation processes to ensure that computers produce technically correct images. Visual representation of X-ray data, and radio, infrared, ultraviolet, visible, and gamma, involves the use of representative color techniques where colors in the image represent intensity, energy, temperature, or another property of the radiation. This activity creates models from numerical data. Each model will be unique, depending upon how the photon intensity and energy data was processed – binned and assigned color values – and then analyzed. Artistic representations of this data will be made "by hand" and also by using web-based js9 imaging and analysis software. This is one step in allowing students to do their own astronomy research using real data sets.

TAKEAWAYS:
Scientists learn about astronomical objects from the light they produce. Colors in images are based on data from this light and are used to highlight different features.

SPEAKERS:
Pamela Perry (Lewiston High School: Lewiston, ME)

STEM Outreach for Families: Plan an Engaging and Meaningful Event

Thursday, October 26 • 2:20 PM - 3:20 PM

Kansas City Convention Center - 2208


STRAND: STEM Haven

Show Details

This will give information that will enable participants to replicate a STEM outreach event with various theme ideas. The activities are all low-cost and adaptable across student ages and generations of family members. The activities are meant to provide opportunities for students and families to experience success in a fun and enriching way while engaging with STEM concepts from the NRC K-12 Framework. We will also discuss how we used this event as a way for our preservice teachers to experience and practice implementing informal education strategies. This event was hosted at our local STEM Center, but we will also discuss ways that it can be implemented at school STEM nights, at community events, or even as neighborhood "pop-up" events to reach diverse learners in equitable ways.

TAKEAWAYS:
STEM Outreach events can be a way to engage students and families in equitable STEM learning to encourage and support all learners. This will provide information on how to replicate a STEM outreach event we hosted at our local STEM Center along with ideas about implementing it in different formats.

SPEAKERS:
Kelly Moore (Tennessee Tech: Cookeville, TN)

Analyzing X-Ray Pulses from Stellar Cores Using Physics and Web-Based NASA Data, and STEM Image Analysis Tools

Thursday, October 26 • 2:20 PM - 3:20 PM

Kansas City Marriott Downtown - Lester Young A



(Only registered attendees may view session materials. Please login with your NSTA account to view.)
Analysis of Two Pulsating X-ray sources js9 (revised).pdf
Analysis of X-Ray Sources with Js9 presentation
Js9 Astronomy Image Analysis Software
X-Ray Spectroscopy of SNRs js9 presentation

STRAND: STEM Haven

Show Details

Participants will use light curve graphs and image analysis software tools located on the web to investigate stellar objects at the centers of supernova remnants, and determine if the objects are white dwarfs or neutron stars. Two sets of data from the Chandra X-Ray public archive will be used to plot brightness versus time to determine the rate of rotation of the object. Centripetal acceleration and Newton's Universal Law of gravitation calculations will then be applied. This activity is designed for physics and/or astronomy classes and integrates STEM analysis tools with the crosscutting concepts, physical science core disciplinary content and engineering concepts embodied by NGSS. Students may also use tools learned in this activity to use js9 to do further research projects using publicly available astronomy data sets.

TAKEAWAYS:
Light curves generated from web-based js9 image analysis software can be used to determine the period of rotation and identify objects as white dwarfs or pulsars using Newton’s Universal Law of gravitation and centripetal acceleration calculations.

SPEAKERS:
Pamela Perry (Lewiston High School: Lewiston, ME)

Talk like your cell phone does (an inquiry lab)

Thursday, October 26 • 2:20 PM - 3:20 PM

Kansas City Marriott Downtown - Jay McShann B


STRAND: STEM Haven

Show Details

Working in teams, students take a short analog message and convert it to binary code for cell phone transmission. Students then send those zero’s and one over a carrier wave using a form of amplitude modulation to another team. At the other end the message is decoded and rewritten in analog form. which message was first? How close was it? A discussion of challenges the students’ faced in acting like a DSP (digital signal processor) lets student see some of the challenges of the original binary code and how subsequent forms of coding came about to address some of those challenges. Students discover the binary code they used was Morse code. Students then code and send a different message using the original 5-digit computer code. After racing to send their messages, students are guided through a follow-up discussion on the pros and cons of the new (Baudot) computer code used.

TAKEAWAYS:
Students will understand some of the challenges faced in digital signal processing as sending digital information evolved by completing a lab activity where they will code and decode messages into a digital format for transmission and receiving, similar to how cell phones work.

SPEAKERS:
John Clark (Volusia Online Learning: Port Orange, FL)

Build a STEM Slide Whistle

Thursday, October 26 • 2:20 PM - 3:20 PM

Kansas City Marriott Downtown - Mary Lou Williams


STRAND: STEM Haven

Show Details

Participants will build their own digital slid whistle. They will experiment with a motion sensor and use that data to convert to sound frequency by creating a regression equation. This activity is a simple one to two day activity that can be completed in the classroom as an enrichment or as a stand alone activity that can be developed over several class sessions.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will leave with a simple STEM project that will engage students and can lead to incredible enrichment discussions!

SPEAKERS:
Brad Posnanski (Comsewogue High School: Port Jefferson Station, NY)

Use NSTA resources to integrate science, computer science, and Artificial Intelligence in the science classroom

Thursday, October 26 • 3:40 PM - 4:40 PM

Kansas City Convention Center - 3501 C



(Only registered attendees may view session materials. Please login with your NSTA account to view.)
Slides - Using NSTA resources to integrate CS, AI and Science in your classroom

STRAND: STEM Haven

Show Details

Learn about free NSTA resources that support integrating learning in Life Science, Computer Science, and Artificial Intelligence. Experience programming your own Artificial Intelligence device on your laptop. Discover the free professional learning available to support implementing the lessons.

TAKEAWAYS:
Learn code to program a simple dialogue with an AI Device. Discover how NSTAs free lessons authentically integrate Life Science, Computer Science, and AI. Learn about free professional learning that supports the lesson materials.

SPEAKERS:
Rob Wallace (: Kenner, LA), Michelle Phillips (NSTA: Arlington, VA)

"H-Two-Poo": Contextualizing High School Science Through Wastewater Testing and Public Health

Friday, October 27 • 1:20 PM - 2:20 PM

Kansas City Marriott Downtown - Basie Ballroom B


STRAND: STEM Haven

Show Details

In this session, participants will experience part of an NGSS-aligned unit on wastewater testing and COVID-19. This six-lesson unit utilizing the 5E learning approach was developed through the collaboration of educators, engineers, scientists, medical doctors, and public health experts within an NIH-funded project. Attendees will participate in the fourth lesson of the sequence, entitled “H-Two-Poo.” Participants will first test the quality of different water samples to answer the driving question “how do you know if water is safe to use?” Participants will then learn about sources of wastewater, methods of wastewater management, and the development of a wastewater testing protocol to detect the presence of COVID-19. The experiences of high school students and teachers who have participated in the implementation of this phenomenon-based unit will be shared, including data from student surveys and handouts, along with photos of field trips to the community wastewater treatment facility.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will utilize science and engineering practices to collect and analyze water quality data. They will further learn how science and engineering have been used to develop wastewater testing techniques that inform public health decisions in our communities.

SPEAKERS:
Sahar Alameh (University of Kentucky: Lexington, KY), Jeff Chalfant (Missouri University of Science and Technology: Rolla, MO), Sagan Goodpaster (University of Kentucky: Lexington, KY)

Exploring Marine Hydrokinetics

Friday, October 27 • 1:20 PM - 2:20 PM

Kansas City Marriott Downtown - Julie Lee


STRAND: STEM Haven

Show Details

NEED’s Exploring Marine Hydrokinetics (MHK) is an exploratory unit for secondary students that includes teacher and student guides containing comprehensive background information on energy, the properties of fluids and waves, electricity, hydrokinetic technologies, and careers in the emerging industry of MHK. Participants will have the opportunity to apply the science of the oceans and electricity generation as they learn about the many types of MHK technology, explore case studies, consider siting a project, and build their own sample wave generator model. The curriculum is available for free and includes hands-on, inquiry-based explorations, group presentations, and cooperative learning activities.

TAKEAWAYS:
The energy of moving water can be harnessed and converted into electricity in many ways, including technologies for harnessing the energy in ocean tides, waves, and currents. Participants will learn activities for students that explore these concepts and best practices for implementing.

SPEAKERS:
Don Pruett, Jr. (Washington Science Teachers Association: Everett, WA)

Do Your Students Really Understand Chemical Equilibrium?

Friday, October 27 • 2:40 PM - 3:40 PM

Kansas City Marriott Downtown - Basie Ballroom C


STRAND: STEM Haven

Show Details

Chemical equilibrium is a central topic to the understanding of both Chemistry and Biology, yet students have many misconceptions. The NGSS standard HS PS1-6 covers this important topic. In a recent AP Chemistry Exam, the vast majority of students did poorly on the topic and had misconceptions about equilibrium; 73 % of the students received a zero or had no response to the equilibrium question. Students are most familiar with equilibrium problems and experiments where the K value is small; usually less than one. Exam questions dealing with a large K value cause the majority of students to do poorly. In this presentation, participants will take part in a “hands-on” inquiry activity with an equilibrium having a large K value. Participants will learn methods to overcome student misconceptions of equilibrium. Join this workshop to take an inquiry lab back to use in your classroom. Handouts will be provided. There will be time allotted for participant questions.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will learn to use Inquiry to overcome student misconceptions about chemical equilibrium.

SPEAKERS:
Gregory Dodd (George Washington High School: Philadelphia, PA)

Dumpster Dive with STEM

Friday, October 27 • 2:40 PM - 3:40 PM

Kansas City Marriott Downtown - Andy Kirk


STRAND: STEM Haven

Show Details

Connect the human impact of trash pollution to engineering design. Get your students thinking critically and creatively as they collaborate in real-world problem-solving. The global real-world issue of human-generated trash polluting local bodies of water is the main focus of this hands-on session. Using our partnership with the Howard County Conservancy, our students learn about their local watersheds and contribute to a Watershed Report Card. Students see how trash that is often found on our local schoolyards can affect our watershed, and they design a working model for trash removal in a local tributary. Basic coding will be used to design programs that will control sensors and motors through a microcontroller, thus removing the trash from the water source. The model will utilize solar and water power to move the trash into a separate receptacle. Various sensors will also be used to monitor water levels and determine the outcome of the program.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Connecting the human impact of single-use plastics and their effect on aquatic ecosystems; 2. Exposing students to basic coding and engineering design in an NGSS-focused content classroom; and 3. Developing a project that enhances STEM skills in students such as collaboration, curiosity, and creativity.

SPEAKERS:
Jessica Kohout (Educational Consultant: Ellicott City, MD)

Star Formation in the Cartwheel Galaxy with Web-Based NASA Data and STEM Image Analysis Tools

Friday, October 27 • 2:40 PM - 3:40 PM

Kansas City Marriott Downtown - Jay McShann B



(Only registered attendees may view session materials. Please login with your NSTA account to view.)
Cartwheel Galaxy js9 (revised).pdf
Cartwheel Galaxy js9 Presentation
Js9 Astronomy Image Analysis Software

STRAND: STEM Haven

Show Details

Participants will use web-based image and data analysis software and real data sets to compare the Cartwheel Galaxy in optical and X-ray bands to determine the sources of the ultra and hyperluminous X-rays in the galaxy. This investigation can be done on smart phones, laptops, and tablets with an internet connection. The unusual shape of the Cartwheel Galaxy is most probably the result of a collision with one of the smaller nearby galaxies several hundred years ago. The collision produced compression waves within the galaxy which triggered bursts of massive star formation. Participants will use the location of the U/HLXs on the x-ray image and optical image, as well as information about expansion rates and the life cycles of stars to determine what these objects might be. This is a great introduction to the software that astrophysicists use. Participants will also learn about the possibilities for other kinds of investigations and research with the software and the thousands of available data sets.

TAKEAWAYS:
Astrophysicists use light in all bands of the electromagnetic spectrum to determine the nature of an object. Web-based software will be used; the same tools used by scientists. This software can be used by students to do their own investigations in astronomy with real data sets.

SPEAKERS:
Pamela Perry (Lewiston High School: Lewiston, ME)

The Vitamin C Workshop: Quantitative Analysis of Vitamin C in Juice and Vitamins - The Perfect Integration of Chemistry and Mathematics

Saturday, October 28 • 8:00 AM - 9:00 AM

Kansas City Convention Center - 2201



(Only registered attendees may view session materials. Please login with your NSTA account to view.)
0-Workshop NSTA VitC Titration Handout GraphPaper.pdf
0-Workshop NSTA VitC Titration Handout Instructions.pdf
1-NSTA Vit C Titration Handout.pdf
2-NSTA Vit C Clock Handout.pdf
3-NSTA Red Cabbage Handout.pdf
4-NSTA Foot to Hand.pdf
5-NSTA Milk Lab Handout.pdf
NSTA Pic.jpg

STRAND: STEM Haven

Show Details

Adventures in Laboratory Science is a theme-based physical science course for non-science majors designed to expose students to the basic principles of chemistry and mathematics using common household substances. In addition to "non-science" college students, this workshop is appropriate for teachers of students in the 3rd through 12th grades. Attendees will work in groups of 4 to complete two experiments: the titration of vitamin C with iodine and the iodine clock reaction. The experiments will include the titration of standard vitamin C solutions to produce a linear curve which will be used to calculate the vitamin C content in juice samples. After collecting all data, participants will analyze and interpret the results using Excel and basic algebraic principles. The goal is to have participants do the Vitamin C project with their students and then enter the data into a shared file to create a national collaborative publishable work between the presenter and the attendees.

TAKEAWAYS:
Learn how to integrate math into the vitamin C project and customize the project to meet the academic standards of your students and to join a collaborative research project for students in 3rd through 12th grade.

SPEAKERS:
Sharron Jenkins (Georgia Gwinnett College: Lawrenceville, GA)

Engineering Connects Classrooms to STEM Careers

Saturday, October 28 • 1:20 PM - 2:20 PM

Kansas City Convention Center - 3501 C


STRAND: STEM Haven

Show Details

Looking for ways to integrate engineering in your science curriculum? Join us to become familiar with freely-available, high-quality instructional materials that create opportunities for students to apply science ideas to solve real-world problems, gain confidence and see themselves in STEM careers.

TAKEAWAYS:
Learn how to engage students in learning that centers on addressing pressing social challenges and be able to describe transdisciplinary approaches to education.

SPEAKERS:
Rob Wallace (: Kenner, LA)

Copper: Two Inquiries to Begin and End the School Year

Saturday, October 28 • 1:20 PM - 2:20 PM

Kansas City Convention Center - 3501 G


STRAND: STEM Haven

Show Details

Copper is used in plumbing, coinage, and electrical wiring; yet we often take this element for granted. Copper has been known since at least 9000 BC, but many of its reactions and properties have only been determined in recent centuries. This inquiry requires students to: research the chemical reactions of copper (redox, double displacement, and decomposition), apply prior knowledge of stoichiometry and conservation of matter, analyze a copper solution using spectroscopy, and use proper laboratory techniques and skills. NGSS standards HS PS1-2, HS PS1-5, and HS PS1-7 will be addressed. Participants will: research and design an Inquiry experiment, use technology to collect/analyze data, & visualize what occurs on the submicroscopic level by employing particulate drawings. Join this workshop to take home a two-unit inquiry lab which is a perfect beginning-of-year lab and end-of-course lab practical. There will be time allotted for participant questions. Handouts will be provided.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will take part in a “hands-on” Inquiry experiment, use technology to collect/analyze data, and visualize what occurs on the submicroscopic level in copper chemical reactions by employing particulate drawings.

SPEAKERS:
Gregory Dodd (George Washington High School: Philadelphia, PA)

The Color and Sound of Temperature

Saturday, October 28 • 1:20 PM - 2:20 PM

Kansas City Convention Center - 2503 A


STRAND: STEM Haven

Show Details

Participants in this workshop will use a temperature sensor/probe to measure the temperature of a liquid. They will then design and code a program that will display the temperature and also incorporate other multi-sensory devices to indicate if the liquid is safe for drinking. This workshop will allow participants to go through the engineering design process and create a working model by the end of the session. No prior coding knowledge is required, just a willingness to create, learn, and have fun doing it.

TAKEAWAYS:
Create a multi-sensory temperature detector. Implement coding in Python into the STEM/Science/Mathematics classroom. Learn how to give students ownership in their projects.

SPEAKERS:
Jessica Kohout (Educational Consultant: Ellicott City, MD), Brad Posnanski (Comsewogue High School: Port Jefferson Station, NY)

Engaging Students in Healthy Choices- Nutrition and Dietary Supplements

Saturday, October 28 • 1:20 PM - 2:20 PM

Kansas City Convention Center - 3501 F


STRAND: STEM Haven

Show Details

How do you teach students to make healthy food choices? Learn some simple hands-on activities that teach students how to understand the Nutrition Facts label to help them to make better choices when eating at home and when dining out. Content is based on the free FDA curriculum: Science and Our Food Supply: Using the Nutrition Facts Label to Make Healthy Food Choices Teachers will leave with the tools to help them teach nutrition activities, as well as learn about the newest FDA curriculum, Science and Our Food Supply: Examining Dietary Supplements. Learn how dietary supplements are defined and regulated so you can arm students with the knowledge to avoid dangers and make wise choices. Participants will engage in activities about the physiological effects of caffeine on the body. We will also look at resources to teach students about supplements banned by athletic organizations. Presenters will share with participants exciting opportunities for free professional development.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will learn about fun hands-on labs and activities to engage students in the science of nutrition and dietary supplements, how to use free FDA resources to teach about healthy food choices, and how to engage students in activities about the psychological effects of caffeine on the body.

SPEAKERS:
Susan Hartley (Hinkley High School: Aurora, CO)

Integrating Food Safety and Biotechnology into your Science Classroom

Saturday, October 28 • 4:00 PM - 5:00 PM

Kansas City Convention Center - 1501 C


STRAND: STEM Haven

Show Details

Presenters will share the FREE FDA curriculum, Science and Our Food Supply: Investigating Food Safety from Farm to Table. Participants will learn about labs that are easy to conduct in the classroom, to teach students the SCIENCE behind why we wash our hands, avoid cross contamination, cook foods to the appropriate temperatures and use pasteurization. They will also learn about the most common food borne pathogens by creating their own booklet with stickers of bacteria to match the pathogens involved in foodborne illnesses. Teachers will look at the FDA’s curriculum: Exploring Food Agriculture and Biotechnology. Participants will engage in an activity regarding how new cultivars of produce are developed. They will gain the knowledge to lead their students through activities involving genetic engineering practices that affect our food supply. Presenters will also share with participants exciting free professional development opportunities.

TAKEAWAYS:
You will learn how to access the FDA’s FREE curriculum; ways to incorporate Food Safety and Biotechnology into your everyday curriculum, and about FREE. There will be asynchronous professional development opportunities.

SPEAKERS:
Susan Hartley (Hinkley High School: Aurora, CO)

Making Physics Accessible: A Pedagogy For Engaging High School Students Using Socio-Scientific Issues (SSI)

Saturday, October 28 • 4:00 PM - 5:00 PM

Kansas City Convention Center - 1501 B



(Only registered attendees may view session materials. Please login with your NSTA account to view.)
Dylan Fedell - NSTA23 Workshop Presentation
NSTA23 - Activity1_AllAboutSpeed.pdf
Students gather information on the SSI using teacher-selected articles. The KWL helps students organize information to include in their posters and during the jigsaw activity.
NSTA23 - TakeaStanceActivity.pdf
Students elucidate their initial positions using this CER document.

STRAND: STEM Haven

Show Details

By reframing curricular content already taught by the teacher, a debatable issue introduces and guides each curricular unit by engaging students at the intersection of their current level of scientific understanding and the world outside of the classroom. Students are then navigated through this multi-step process, which deepens their understanding of physics while at the same time developing their stance on the issue using evidence to support their claim. New learning in both transdisciplinary content and student agency aspects allows students to leave the classroom experience empowered to make real changes to their surroundings.

TAKEAWAYS:
Teachers will leave this workshop with hands-on experience engaging in the SSI process from a learner’s perspective, and with a framework for developing and implementing their own.

SPEAKERS:
Dylan Fedell (Palisades High School: Kintnersville, PA)

Integrating Nature-Inspired Invention and Engineering into the Biology Classroom through Case-Based Learning

Saturday, October 28 • 4:00 PM - 5:00 PM

Kansas City Convention Center - 3501 F


STRAND: STEM Haven

Show Details

Case, project-based, and invention education lessons for high school students provide context for the learner through real-world scenarios that engage students in inventing while teaching NGSS cross-cutting concepts, scientific processes, engineering, and design. Participants in this workshop will learn how to engage students in nature-inspired invention, engineering, and intellectual property protection through a transdisciplinary lesson about the invention of Velcro. Biological systems and evolutionary adaptations inspire innovations and inventions that spark inventors to solve complex human problems. Participants will learn how to engage their students in creating nature-inspired inventions using resources provided by the US Patent and Trademark Office.

TAKEAWAYS:
Learn how to integrate engineering design with biological concepts through nature-inspired invention and transdisciplinary learning by implementing case, project-based, and invention education.

SPEAKERS:
Jorge Valdes (U.S. Patent and Trademark Office: Alexandria, VA), Reginald Duncan (U.S. Patent and Trademark Office: Alexandria, VA), Kathy Hoppe (STEMisED, Inc)

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