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: NOAA

Learn to leverage freely available global data visualizations using NOAA’s SOS Explorer mobile application (available on Apple and Android devices and Chromebooks), and an observational technique used in art museums to increase critical thinking and time spent on visual and group thought analysis.

SPEAKERS:
Beth Russell (NOAA Office of Education: Silver Spring, MD), Hilary Peddicord (NOAA Earth System Research Laboratory: Lyons, CO)

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)

An extension of our previous NASA/JWST ambassador and NSTA workshops, this session empowers educators with deeper understanding of orbiting observatories and provides an inherently engaging hands-on activity which works from pure STEM/STEAM fun to serious exploration of multi-wavelength astronomy. We provide gel filters that participants use with their phones to capture monochrome images at three wavelengths (630nm, 530nm & 470nm for red, green and blue). Participants then open their images in a free, browser-based image processing app to combine them into a "color" picture. This locks in an understanding of how "color" results from image processing. Then, participants choose NASA image files from an archive and repeat the process -- only now, they are assigning RG&B to wavelengths that are not actually visible to the eye. The tool we use includes both presets to make this fun as an introductory activity, and an array of math-driven functionality for deep dives into image processing.

TAKEAWAYS:
Teachers will learn to process multi-wavelength image sets to create color images from space telescopes and your own devices. This leads to a deeper understanding of space-based astronomy and how space telescope images are made – and provides a classroom activity that is fun, rich, and economical.

SPEAKERS:
Donna Kaiser (Stamford High School: Stamford, CT), Vincent Urbanowski (Academy of Information Technology & Engineering: Stamford, CT)

This lesson focuses on radio astronomy data collected with a $50 student-built telescope. The telescope is not needed to do the lesson. Students collect information on the locations of neutral hydrogen. Easy to do and a primary focus of radio astronomy. The data collected can be used in the classroom to teach lessons on the Doppler Effect, Wave behavior, galactic velocity curves, and effects of gravity as well as other science topics. Many physics concepts can be taught in a highly engaging way by studying the concepts found in astronomy. Doppler effect, rotational motion, wave behavior, the EM spectrum are examples. The challenges to doing such lessons is the high cost of the telescopes and the challenges of collecting astronomy data during daylight hours. Plans for building and operating the radio telescope will be provided. Lesson plans for teaching the Doppler Effect via Red Shift/Blue Shift and for teaching how to work with galactic velocity curves will be included.

TAKEAWAYS:
Radio astronomy is done during class time as radio wave detection is not affected by daylight. Students will learn about the unique nature of galactic rotational behavior as compared to circular motion and planetary motion under Kepler’s Laws.

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

Sponsoring Company: Great Minds

In this workshop, participants interact with a 4th grade module to figure out how Balinese Rice farming has endured for 1,000 years. While exploring farming practices in Bali, participants uncover a new process for developing models in science.

SPEAKERS:
Sally Robichaux (Great Minds: Washington, DC)

OpenSciEd Chemistry units use a justice-centered storyline approach to help students figure out answers to their questions. The central focus of the Oysters unit is food sovereignty engineering design: how can people reclaim important foods that they’ve lost due to colonization and ecosystem disruption? In this session, participants will experience portions of the unit’s anchor in “student hat” before reviewing the unit as a whole in teacher hat. Participants will see how students develop engineering design solutions using NGSS-aligned chemistry and Earth and space science models and practices including the carbon cycle, acid-base interactions, reversible reactions, and stoichiometry (scale, proportion, & quantity). These lessons include testing pH of various solutions and concentration; using mathematical thinking to inform design solutions; and identifying how humans have impacted the carbon cycle.

TAKEAWAYS:
This unit supports students as they figure out understandings of reversible reactions through explaining changes in ocean chemistry to engineer solutions to prevent oyster die offs. Participants will see how students build these ideas and develop mathematical thinking throughout the unit.

SPEAKERS:
Nicole Vick (Northwestern University), Kerri Wingert (Good Question Research: Boulder, CO)

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)

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) collects hundreds of terabytes of data daily from satellites, buoys, weather stations, animal tags, and more. Though that may sound intimidating, much of this data is readily available to teachers and can be used in the classroom to teach about our natural world. Using scientific data in the classroom can be a great way for teachers to motivate students and for students to learn inquiry-based methods using real-world data. This presentation will highlight many of NOAA’s standards-supported resources, how to access them, and strategies for using them in the classroom. NOAA data spans Earth, life, and physical sciences, and comes in a variety of formats ranging from raw unprocessed real-time measurements and satellite images to processed visualizations, graphs, charts, and animations. Many resources are ready-to-go so you can bring data into your classroom tomorrow!

TAKEAWAYS:
What types of data are available from NOAA and how to find and use NOAA data in your classroom.

SPEAKERS:
Kayla Smith (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration: Silver Spring, MD)

TikTok is all the rage, and student spend a large amount of time on TikTok. Because of this, students do not always like traditional methods of receiving information (notes, lectures, demonstrations, labs). Additionally, according to Pew Research, 26% of 18-29 years old get their news (whether accurate or inaccurate) on TikTok. This number is probably higher for younger ages. Because students spend so much time on TikTok, they are used to getting short (less than 1 min) snippets of information in an engaging environment. In order to better serve our students, educators need to know how to use TikTok to their advantage to inform students. Tiktok can be used to share information with students (as photos or videos) and can serve as a great tool for formative and summative assessments (i.e.: students sharing information about their experimental results, taking polls, analyzing other TikTok's for their educational value).

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will learn how to use TikTok for educational purposes; including disseminating information to students via TikTok and using TikTok as a formative and summative assessment tool for high school and post-secondary students.

SPEAKERS:
Kelsey Mescher (Battle High School: Columbia, MO), Stephanie Coyle (Jefferson Middle School: Columbia, MO)

This session will introduce participants to a lesson designed to introduce high school students to cutting-edge research on planetary science. The lesson is designed around the critical aspects of sensemaking: students experience a phenomenon, engage in science and engineering practices, and share ideas to build and/or apply disciplinary core ideas and crosscutting concepts needed to explain how or why the phenomenon occurs. Sensemaking is in the vision of A Framework for K-12 Science Education -- “the doing of science and engineering is highlighted as a strategy that can capture students’ interest in science and motivate their continued study.” (A Framework for K-12 Science Education, pp 42-43). JHU Wavelengths lessons co-designed by NSTA and Johns Hopkins University provide opportunities for all students to engage in science learning that is meaningful to them.

TAKEAWAYS:
The Johns Hopkins Wavelengths lesson introduced in the session provides opportunities for secondary students to learn about cutting-edge planetary science research and figure out science ideas related to earth and space science, and physical science.

SPEAKERS:
Patrice Scinta (NSTA: Arlington, VA)

Presentational content will include a high level overview of NASA’s Great Observatories and other past and present orbiting telescopes, how their missions are coordinated, and how they work in concert to provide full spectrum data from across the sky in bands from gamma down to far infrared – almost all of which are invisible to the human eye. In the workshop portion, participants will access archived astronomical data from orbiting observatories using the same browser based tools used by astronomers. They will process their datasets using a variety of tools and techniques for reducing data, vetting objects, and generating results, such as Spectral Energy Distribution, Color-Color and Color-Magnitude plots. Teachers will bring this experience back to their classrooms adding depth of knowledge to astronomy content they may teach, as well as a deeper understanding of the conduct of science research.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will learn to access astronomical data such as monochrome images at various wavelengths and wavelength magnitude measurements for thousands of stars at a time just as professional astronomers do, and how to process such data for research using techniques of professional astronomy.

SPEAKERS:
Donna Kaiser (Stamford High School: Stamford, CT), Vincent Urbanowski (Academy of Information Technology & Engineering: Stamford, CT)

Sponsoring Company: Lab-Aids

Students use a river model to investigate how flowing water erodes and deposits sediments to create common landforms. They then design erosion control structures and use the river model to test them. Based on the results of their initial testing, students redesign and retest their structures.

An important and exciting focus of climate science addresses tipping points, which are non-linear reinforcing feedbacks within the climate system. Current climate research has identified at least a dozen different important climate tipping points that could possibly be triggered in the near future, with significant implications for human society; these include changes to glaciers, permafrost, ocean circulation, surface albedo, ocean acidity, and the biomass storage of carbon. This presentation will address what these tipping points are, why they are potentially dangerous, and how best to teach about them. The topic of climate tipping points aligns with several of the NGSS Earth and space science performance expectations and also strongly aligns with the NGSS CCC on the Stability and Change of systems. Ideas will be presented for phenomena and storylines addressing climate tipping points, which can be used in a chemistry, Earth science, environmental science, or physical science course.

TAKEAWAYS:
The subject of climate system tipping points is societally timely and important, and is an engaging topic for addressing NGSS several performance expectations in Earth and space science, and helping students understand the NGSS crosscutting concept of Stability and Change.

SPEAKERS:
Michael Wysession (Washington University in St. Louis: Saint Louis, MO)

Although there is extensive dissemination of the research and results obtained from deep-sea cores within the scientific ocean drilling community, less focus has been placed on the lives and experiences of those carrying out the research, including scientists, technicians, ship’s crew, and shore-based staff. This project documents the stories of those that have sailed on and supported scientific ocean drilling expeditions through a collection of audio narratives that showcase what goes beyond the “science” part of science at sea. By highlighting the human aspect of ocean expeditions and emphasizing the experiences of those involved, we make the field accessible to those who may have previously felt uninterested, disconnected, or alienated. We are also seeking feedback from educators in terms of what additional supporting materials (eg: images and maps, scaffolds, formative and summative assessments) should be added to the project to maximize the benefit to all students.

TAKEAWAYS:
Free multimedia classroom resources, including audio narratives from the people involved in scientific ocean drilling and associated activities and worksheets, allow students to interact with the people who participate in complex science and engage in sensemaking about geoscience concepts.

SPEAKERS:
Maya Pincus (Columbia University / U.S. Science Support Program: Palisades, NY)

This poster discusses the mutli-year implementation of a ‘Genius Hour’ project in a high school stellar astronomy course. Through multiple semester iterations of the project, the classroom teacher has refined the process to make it accessible to students of a variety of ages, learning styles, and abilities. The key take-away from this poster is that with appropriate scaffolds, ANY student can find success with this type of project, regardless of prior knowledge or success in the science classroom. This process, implemented over ten 40-minute periods in the classroom, is 100% student-driven, and allows students to pursue sensemaking and learning of a topic of their choosing as it relates to astronomy. From driving question development to public display, this poster discusses how to guide and motivate students, as well as how to grade the components and final result. In addition to multiple work samples and student achievement data, a framework for implementation will be shared.

TAKEAWAYS:
Key Point: YOU can do this in YOUR classroom! Learn the steps taken to implement Genius Hour successfully in the HS astronomy classroom, including the framework used, ideas for differentiation, and a variety of student work samples.

SPEAKERS:
Katie Mercadante (Montour School District: , PA)

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)

Most students in Missouri only take physical and life sciences to graduate leaving the Earth & Space Science strands of NGSS untouched. Most educators, additionally, do not have a strong enough earth & space science background to integrate these strands into their science classes. However, most of these Earth and Science strands can easily be adapted into a high school chemistry class (and biology, although my background is in chemistry) without having to give up core content. In this presentation, educators will be do a wet lab (Cleaning Up an Ocean Oil Spill) and receive access to additional labs (precipitation lab, acid rain lab, and viscosity of volcanoes) that meet the basic general chemistry class standards (PS NGSS strands) and incorporate earth and space sciences. Attendees will also learn of additional resources such as Gizmos and NASA that can be incorporated and hit the ESS science standards. Lastly, attendees will learn of books and resources for them to learn more.

TAKEAWAYS:
Learn how to integrate the Earth & Space standards into a basic chemistry high school class. Resources can be adapted for biology and middle school levels.

SPEAKERS:
Stephanie Coyle (Jefferson Middle School: Columbia, MO)

Sponsoring Company: Savvas Learning Company

Join Professor Michael Wysession in an inspirational session to reconnect you with the reasons you chose teaching as your profession. Through the lens of a modernized ancient concept (the Japanese “Ikigai”), participants will reflect on their teaching careers and rediscover the rewards (personal, societal, financial) of the teaching profession.

SPEAKERS:
Michael Wysession (Washington University in St. Louis: Saint Louis, MO)

Sponsoring Company: NOAA

Join us for a demo of our database of 1,200+ educational resources from NOAA. We host ocean, coast, Great Lakes, weather, and climate resources. Tour our lesson plans and activities and ask us your questions. Learn more at noaa.gov/education/resources. This session is appropriate for K-16 educators.

SPEAKERS:
Kayla Smith (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration: Silver Spring, MD)

Stars form in clouds of gas and dust in star formation regions, and follow sequences that end in their destruction. Plotting their changing physical properties on the H-R diagram shows their evolutionary progress. Plotting light curves on the H-D diagram determines instability regions as stars transition to the next stage. Stellar evolution provides the energy which drives the universe and determines its future. Nucleosynthesis creates the elements which will enrich the next generation of protostars and planets. The resources developed by UoL are a progression from understanding astronomical images to plotting stellar transitions through instability strips on the H-R diagram, to analyzing observational data with the same JS9 tools that scientists use to determine everything from the chemical composition of supernovas to determining whether a stellar core is a white dwarf or a neutron star. The JS9 investigations include links to the original research papers and archived data sets.

TAKEAWAYS:
All our knowledge of stars and galaxies is determined by spectroscopy -- the analysis of radiation emissions, including radio, infrared, optical, ultraviolet, gamma, and X-ray. Knowledge of spectroscopy is essential to understanding the processes producing the individual wavelengths.

SPEAKERS:
Donna Young (NASA/NSO/UoL Program Manager: Laughlin, NV)

SPIN, a FREE web-based notebook created with funding by NSF, has three customizable lessons for data-focused investigations in Earth Science on Sunspots, Tides, and Hurricanes. Teachers can also input their own lessons into SPIN. One of the teachers who created the lessons in the notebook will be presenting. The first 30 minutes presenters will give teachers accounts in SPIN and show how students can use the notebook and the metacognitive support features such as the Communication Hub, I’m Stuck button, and SPAARC prompts. Experiences of teachers and students who have used SPIN will be discussed. In the final 30 minutes, teachers will customize a lesson in SPIN or input their own lessons with help from the presenters. By the end of the session, teachers will be able to use SPIN effectively with the ability to share the notebook with all of the teachers at their school. Use of SPIN is free and is found at https://spin.cehd.gmu.edu/login. Biology, chemistry, and physics also available.

TAKEAWAYS:
Teachers will learn how to use SPIN to download and edit a lesson from the Global Marketplace or create their own lesson in SPIN. Teachers who have used SPIN note that it has helped their students understand data practices explicitly.

SPEAKERS:
Kevin Cabaniss (Teacher, Science), Erin Peters-Burton (George Mason University: Fairfax, VA)

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)

Rubin Observatory is a public US observatory funded by the NSF. Educational materials and services are freely available to all. “Coloring the Universe” is one of six free online investigations that offer a complete, classroom ready lesson. Designed to support the NGSS, it comes with a phenomenon, teacher guide, presentation slides, videos, and a variety of three-dimensional formative and summative assessments and scoring guides. Since the entire lesson cannot be completed in 60 minutes, we will adopt a drop in approach at various places of the phenomenon and online app, and role-playing from the student perspective.We will then visit the website to preview additional resources. This workshop will also model how the lesson can be incorporated in Earth-Space or Physics storylines, and will demonstrate formative assessment and inclusive learning techniques.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will learn how to use the free interactive Coloring the Universe online investigation and support materials designed for NGSS teaching and learning, as well as active learning and assessment strategies that support inclusive techniques for building student communication skills.

SPEAKERS:
Ardis Herrold (Vera C. Rubin Observatory: Tucson, AZ)

Stars form in giant molecular clouds of gas and dust in massive star formation complexes, and depending on their initial mass, usually follow a sequence that ends in their destruction in catastrophic collapses and explosions. The process of stellar evolution provides the energy which drives the universe, and thereby determines its future. During the last stages of evolution, nucleosynthesis creates the elements which will enrich the next generation of protostars and planets. formation of stars also sets the stage for possible exoplanets forming within the debris disks of young protostars as hydrogen begins to fuse in their cores. This basic sequencing activity is one of a series of activities designed to show how scientists view, study, and examine the process of stellar evolution. The card sets have descriptions and links and can be used as a pretest or a posttest, either individually or as a group. Multiple answers are acceptable. A scoring rubric is included.

TAKEAWAYS:
Stellar evolution is a cosmic cycle from the formation of protostars and stars in cold molecular clouds, through their final collapses into remnants and stellar cores. This process creates heavier elements and sets the stage for the formation of exoplanets and the next generation of star formation.

SPEAKERS:
Donna Young (NASA/NSO/UoL Program Manager: Laughlin, NV)

Sponsoring Company: Lab-Aids

How do we engage students to ask questions and develop evidence-based explanations? In this hands-on activity from the Lab-Aids EDC Earth Science program, discourse occurs authentically as you role-play a geologist testing various site extractions for molybdenum, a valuable mineral.

Many scientists argue that we live in a new geological epoch – the Anthropocene – named because human activity has become the most powerful driver of global change. That sounds intriguing… but what does it actually mean? Which human activities are driving global change? What changes are these drivers causing? How do those changes affect the biosphere? Interestingly, answering these questions – even in a brief presentation that restricts the number of drivers of change to a handful – often seems to “take the edge off” ideological bias that stubbornly impedes communication about the significance of climate change and other global change phenomena. This approach is also more scientifically accurate than ascribing all threats to ecosystem functions and biodiversity exclusively to climate change. As global human population rises toward 9 billion, understanding the multiple ways that our activities affect the biosphere is essential for efforts to find a safe operating space for humanity.

TAKEAWAYS:
Human-biosphere interactions offer relevant narratives and conceptual frameworks that integrate cause and effect; systems and system models; structure and function; and stability and change.

SPEAKERS:
Joseph Levine (Science Writer and Producer: Concord, MA)

It takes a ton of time to make your own 3-D lessons and assessments. Come learn where you can get a ton of great ones that you can use in your classroom right away. Materials for life science, physical science, and earth-space science, grades 3-12.

TAKEAWAYS:
Where to find great 3-D instructional materials and assessments.

SPEAKERS:
Victor Sampson (The University of Texas at Austin: Austin, TX)

NASA’s UoL STEM program connects the public to the discoveries, scientists, engineers, and educators working with astrophysics missions, such as Hubble, Chandra, Spitzer, GALEX, Fermi, Swift, and JWST. The program includes a nationwide network of partners who share and develop resources. The UoL projects and events are designed to inspire engagement and learning with STEM materials to promote science literacy. All materials are free and excellent astronomy resources for STEM education programs. One of the UoL STEM partners is the National Science Olympiad (NSO), a national non-profit organization dedicated to improving the quality of K-12 science education, increasing interest in science for all students, and creating a STEM-literate workforce. The UoL program supports NSO space science events, and all materials are freely available from the UoL or the NSO websites. Other UoL partners include AstroViz, Planet Search, STEAM, MicroObservatory, Planet Watch, and View Space.

TAKEAWAYS:
NASA’s UoL team connects the public and learners to data, discoveries, and experts from NASA’s Astrophysics missions. The team of scientists, engineers, and educators have direct connections to these missions, and provide a range of projects and interactive activities for any educational setting.

SPEAKERS:
Donna Young (NASA/NSO/UoL Program Manager: Laughlin, NV)

Changing global and local climates have perceptible impacts on communities, so teachers need to be able to develop lessons based on reliable date and research-based reports that their students can access and analyze to inform future decision-making. In this session, I will share some examples of use.

TAKEAWAYS:
Available climate data exists to be used in developing lesson plans to guide student decision-making.

SPEAKERS:
Michael Passow (Dwight Morrow HS (retd): Englewood, NJ)

This is a full tour of an astronomy research project done through NITARP (NASA Infrared Teachers Archive Research Program), which pairs Caltech astronomers with STEM teachers for authentic research using data from various observatories. The project presented here is a search for Young Stellar Objects (YSOs) in IC417 (the “Spider and Fly”) nebula. We’ll share how candidate objects were found, how object lists were generated and downloaded, how objects were identified and confidence values assigned. We’ll share how to make and interpret color-color plots, color-magnitude plots, spectral energy distribution plots and more. Most importantly, we’ll share how the astrophysics of star formation reveals itself in spectral data. And how confounding factors, such as dust in the interstellar medium, also show up in the data and can be compensated for. By attending this presentation, educators will be able to share a truer picture of the work of astronomers with their students.

TAKEAWAYS:
The participants will step through an entire astronomical research project from inception through data gathering, data vetting and processing, results, and publication. This will deepen the participant’s understanding of research and equip them to bring astronomical research to their school.

SPEAKERS:
Donna Kaiser (Stamford High School: Stamford, CT), Vincent Urbanowski (Academy of Information Technology & Engineering: Stamford, CT)

Many students experience high school science without considering the interconnectedness of different domains. By leveraging the Energy and Matter crosscutting concept and uniting this lens with a forces perspective, we consider how a Matter-Energy-Forces (MEF) triangle can help students apply core principles of physical science across multiple domains. We explore the MEF triangle’s use in three different units that highlight Earth and Space Science alongside Biology, Physics or Chemistry to make explicit connections to the crosscutting concept of energy and matter and core life and physical science Disciplinary Core Ideas. Examples include fires, polar ice melt, tectonic plate motion, and meteors. We also consider how this tool could be useful for students over the course of many units and how it can increase access to more difficult life and physical science concepts through the use of this routine. Participants will practice applying the MEF triangle to phenomena in their contexts.

TAKEAWAYS:
The Framework calls for “a common use of language about energy and matter across the disciplines in science instruction.” The MEF triangle uses cues and prompts to draw attention to interactions between matter, energy, and forces to help students make sense of complex phenomena across domains.

SPEAKERS:
Whitney Mills (BSCS Science Learning: Colorado Springs, CO), Jamie Noll (BSCS Science Learning: Colorado Springs, CO), Dan Voss (Northwestern University: Evanston, IL), Diego Rojas-Perilla (BSCS Science Learning: Colorado Springs, CO)

Since the first interplanetary probes were launched, the data that have been returned by these probes have been both fascinating in the insight they have returned, but daunting in their sheer volume, making their use by classroom teachers limited. Yet engagement with planetary phenomena rarely cease to generate “wows” among students. A free software package, JMARS, allows GIS-based imagery and chemical data for planetary bodies to be accessed to address the questions of classroom-based investigations. This presentation will show how JMARS, coupled with the broad range of Mars rover photography (Spirit, Opportunity, Curiosity, and Perseverance) available online, can be used to design virtual field trips on Mars, and mesh with the NSTA Sensemaking framework by generating student questions about another planet, as if they were standing on it themselves. Attendees are encouraged to bring a laptop device and download the software appropriate to their computer at https://jmars.asu.edu/.

TAKEAWAYS:
Space exploration seems to be an abstract concept to many students, so placing them as close as possible to the available data, including not just images but chemical and physical information as well, allows them to gain a deeper understanding of Earth phenomena and processes.

SPEAKERS:
Eric Pyle (James Madison University: Harrisonburg, VA)

Rubin Observatory is a public US observatory funded by the NSF. Educational materials and services are freely available to all. “Expanding Universe” is one of six free online investigations that offer a complete, classroom ready lesson. Designed to support the NGSS, it comes with a phenomenon, teacher guide, presentation slides, videos, and a variety of three-dimensional formative and summative assessments and scoring guides. This workshop will model scaffolded teaching and assessment techniques to help students achieve success in making sense of abstract concepts presented in the lesson. Since the entire lesson cannot be completed in 60 minutes, we will adopt a drop in approach at various points by using portions of the phenomenon and the online app, and role-playing from the student perspective. We will then visit the website to preview additional resources.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will learn how to use the free interactive Expanding Universe online investigation and support materials designed for NGSS teaching and learning, as well as scaffolded teaching, and as formative assessment strategies to ensure that all students may achieve a successful learning experience.

SPEAKERS:
Ardis Herrold (Vera C. Rubin Observatory: Tucson, AZ)

The GISP2 H-Core was collected in 1992 adjacent to the Greenland Ice Sheet Project Two (GISP2) drill site. The GISP2-H 125.6-meter firm and ice core is a record of 430 years of liquid electrical conductivity and nitrate concentrations. The liquid electrical conductivity sequence contains signals from a number of known volcanic eruptions that provide absolute dates. The terrestrial and solar background nitrate records show seasonal and annual variations and unique events. Several major nitrate anomalies within the record do not correspond to any known terrestrial or solar events, and there is compelling evidence that some nitrate anomalies within the GISP2 H-Core could be a record of supernova events. This investigation provides participants with a better understanding of the scientific process of analyzing data, developing models, constructing knowledge, and defending the results. Sometimes there is no answer key. This investigation is closely aligned with NGSS cross-cutting concepts.

TAKEAWAYS:
In constructing knowledge, there is no definitive answer, only plausible conclusions based on constructing, analyzing, and comparing data and research from multiple disciplines. This investigation provides a better understanding of the scientific process of developing models and defending results.

SPEAKERS:
Donna Young (NASA/NSO/UoL Program Manager: Laughlin, NV)

The presentation will cover the basics of high-altitude ballooning as done at Fort Hays State University. Attendees will be introduced to the FHSU website that we use with school groups who contact us to help with their launch. These cover physics and chemistry involved in launching a balloon, the FAA rules, where to find materials, tracking and recovery systems, designing an experiment, and processing data. We will also introduce the teachers to the technology that can be flown to collect data which includes cameras, data loggers, and how to make and code data collection devices with Arduinos. The presentation will include information about NASA resources on high altitude ballooning. We will also share the high school curriculum developed by Shepherd-Adams that she uses in her classroom for an aeronautics CTE course. Examples of student projects and presentations will be presented. The project aligns with NGSS standards related to engineering, earth and space science, as well as physi

TAKEAWAYS:
Learn how to prepare and launch a high-altitude balloon that integrates science and engineering.

SPEAKERS:
Cheryl Shepherd-Adams (Teacher: Hays, KS), Paul Adams (Fort Hays State University: Hays, KS)

This presentation will focus on how our STEM education center educated students and the public about the upcoming solar eclipses. Presenters will share how the Center incorporated sensemaking through the phenomenon of solar eclipses by engaging students with the SEPs of modeling and constructing explanations. The outreach will primarily focus on standard MS-ESS1-1, but the goal of the outreach aligns with the goals of the Framework to educate all students in science and engineering and to provide foundational knowledge for our future scientists, engineers, technologists, and technicians. Attendees will engage in an activity that they can share with their classroom in order to safely view the 2024 solar eclipse, including the creation of a solar eclipse viewer. Presenters will also share teaching strategies that make use of modeling and online simulations for eclipses. Time will be included for participants to share their own ideas of effective solar eclipse teaching strategies.

TAKEAWAYS:
Educators will take away ideas for educating their classes about eclipses and ideas for educating the public on what causes eclipses and how to view them safely. This information will be a result of our STEM education center's eclipse outreach and its effectiveness.

SPEAKERS:
Alice Steimle (Director: University, MS), Christian Clark (University of Mississippi: University, MS)

The session will suggest ways in which to reach out of the science classroom and into the heart to connect climate science to the human factor of the climate crisis. Specific pieces of writing (fiction and essay), art, photography, poetry, music, and multimedia will be shared with audience members. These will be provided as examples of the science-humanities connection and how to leverage the emotions present in the work to underscore the severity of the climate crisis. The presentation will suggest entry points in the NGSS Standards to integrate the interdisciplinary approach. The session will also highlight artwork from diverse cultures, some of which will feel the impact of Climate Change earlier than industrialized nations (i.e. Marshallese or other Pacific Islanders). Resources and lists of potential works linked to Climate Change will be provided so attendees may select the works that would best connect to their unique student populations.

TAKEAWAYS:
Teachers can use writing, art, photography, poetry, and other forms of expressions from our global culture to supplement a student's scientific understanding of the potential and current effects of Climate Change. If you humanize the problem, advocacy follows.

SPEAKERS:
Peter Knutson (Department of Defense Education Activit;y: No City, No State)

In this session, we will introduce teachers to a standards-unpacking document Kansas Department of Education is developing to provide teachers with unpacked standards and ideas to guide NGSS planning. Using appendices E (K-12 DCI), F (K-12 SEP), and G (K-12 CCC) from the NGSS Framework supports vertical alignment of each of the three dimensions which allows teachers to identify the grade-band aligned experiences that students need in order to reach the full level of the standard through three-dimensional sensemaking. We will use the tool to identify what is new and unique to the focus grade-band to ensure grade-level appropriate learning experiences and expectations. We will show teachers how the unpacked standard tool promotes using their own students’ interests and experiences to plan to incorporate local phenomenon as a key part of three-dimensional sensemaking. We will provide teachers with access to and/or copies of the standards unpacking tool.

TAKEAWAYS:
We share a tool used to unpack standards for foundational concepts & key experiences that students need to make sense of all three dimensions of a standard. Participants will be able to consider their own students’ interests and identities to plan to support sensemaking for their student population.

SPEAKERS:
Stephanie Alderman-Oler (Washington High School: Kansas City, KS), Sarah Evans (Olathe South High School: Olathe, KS)