In this engaging session, we embark on a transformative journey, equipping educators with the tools and knowledge to instill a growth mindset in themselves and their students, enriching the educational experience, and nurturing future generations of resilient, adaptable, and lifelong learners.

TAKEAWAYS:
Teachers will self-assess and evaluate students' mindsets, while discussing resources to foster resilience, embracing challenges, and nurturing a lifelong love for learning in any classroom.

SPEAKERS:
Luciana Girgulsky (Northlands: No City, No State)

School leaders play an important role in the adoption of high quality instructional materials and can serve as catalysts for smart adoption processes. Participants will learn how to develop and use local priorities and instructional vision to drive the instructional materials adoption process.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will learn how to develop local priorities and establish an instructional vision, engage with EdReports reviews of instructional materials to make informed decisions based on local context, and leave with materials to support replicating this process with their local educators.

SPEAKERS:
John-Carlos Marino (Science Lead), Shannon Wachowski (EdReports.org: Fort Collins, CO)

Participants will engage in the development of a PBL Life Science unit— from start to finish for any secondary student. Several examples of successful PBL Units will be shared and participants will have the opportunity to create their own PBL— specifically Brownfields, Env. Disasters, etc.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will be able to walk away with a partial or entire PBL unit.

SPEAKERS:
Margaret Busker-Postlethwait (Teacher/presenter: Akron, OH)

Life is diverse, the way we teach biology can honor and highlight diversity in gender, sex, and sexuality. In this session, we will share classroom-ready lessons and resources for teaching about diverse bodies, identities, and families.

TAKEAWAYS:
LGBTQ+ students, and all students, can benefit from teaching about gender diversity in evidence-based, ongoing, and positive ways.

SPEAKERS:
Sam Long (Denver Public Schools: No City, No State)

With support from a sponsored organization and the DoD, DoD STEM Ambassadors are prepared to promote equitable education in their communities. Resources and strategies will be shared to encourage other teachers to utilize DoD STEM resources.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will learn how DoD STEM Ambassadors increase STEM education and opportunities for disadvantaged students in their communities. Presenters will review DoD STEM resources and show how attendees can also serve their classrooms to close the achievement gap, with support from DoD STEM.

SPEAKERS:
Eric Botello (Byron P. Steele II High School), Josephine Mesina (International High School at Largo: Upper Marlboro, MD), Thanh Le (Montebello High School: Montebello, CA), Nicole Rosen (The Ingenuity Project: Baltimore, MD)

Educators and researchers from the inquiryHub partnership between DPS and CU Boulder share their experiences as they co-designed (and co-redesigned) the iHub Biology curriculum, professional learning to accompany it, and other classroom tools to support its use.

TAKEAWAYS:
Teachers partnering with researchers can yield engaging curriculum materials that support more equitable teaching and learning.

SPEAKERS:
Douglas Watkins (Denver Public Schools: Denver, CO)

Engaging in culturally responsive teaching requires that teachers shift their perspective by building relationships within the communities they serve. We present cases of science teachers who partner with communities to design curricula that affirm the assets of students while aligning with the NGSS.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will learn about ways to meaningfully connect with communities outside of school to critique systems of oppression in science education and shift deficit perspectives. Participants will be empowered to advocate for their communities and engage in transformational teaching practices.

SPEAKERS:
Jeff Spencer (Illinois Regional Office of Education: Chicago, IL)

Discover fresh teaching horizons: surprise yourself, collaborate actively, plan consciously, and enhance communication. Enjoy a transformational opportunity to stifle enthusiasm for differentiation and revitalize teaching with diverse strategies that will inspire and motivate students.

TAKEAWAYS:
Teachers will obtain a range of meaningful and easy-to-apply differentiation strategies for their classrooms.

SPEAKERS:
Luciana Girgulsky (Northlands: No City, No State)

Essential Element standards for grades 9 and 10 were used for an integrated science unit regarding traits in life science. It was designed to facilitate learning with students who qualify for alternative assessment and for students with physical needs who may use communication devices.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will discuss the process of unit design, intentional use of inquiry teaching practices, essential element standards, assistive technology, and preparing the teacher. One high school level unit and middle school sequence will be shared to use in their own teaching spaces.

SPEAKERS:
Mandie Sanderman (Central Rivers Area Education Agency: Cedar Falls, IA), Chelsie Byram (Central Rivers Area Education Agency: Cedar Falls, IA)

Climate change and other drivers of change in global systems are complex, interdisciplinary phenomena. Learn about a conceptual framework that connects drivers of change with global systems to help students understand the science behind the headlines.

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)

A session dedicated to addressing the unique challenges faced by new teachers, especially alternative path teachers. We will explore strategies to retain talented educators in the field by demystifying education language and providing key tools and resources for a successful first year.

TAKEAWAYS:
Leaders will gain actionable insights into establishing robust support systems for new science teachers, resulting in improved teacher retention and implementation of science and engineering practices.

SPEAKERS:
Eric Rhoades (Collaborative Science Teaching and Learning Group Consulting: Midlothian, VA)

OpenSciEd Biology's 3rd unit explores who gets cancer and why and where we should focus efforts on treatment and prevention. Learn how students build understanding of inheritance and variation of traits through modeling, investigations and cause and effect thinking.

TAKEAWAYS:
This unit supports students as they figure out understandings of inheritance and related ideas. Participants will see how students build these ideas through a series of investigations.

SPEAKERS:
Kate Henson (University of Colorado Boulder: Boulder, CO)

A session dedicated to addressing the unique challenges faced by new teachers, especially alternative path teachers. We will explore strategies to retain talented educators in the field by demystifying education language and providing key tools and resources for a successful first year.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will gain actionable insights into establishing robust support systems for new science teachers, resulting in improved teacher retention and a more resilient and passionate science education community.

SPEAKERS:
Eric Rhoades (Collaborative Science Teaching and Learning Group Consulting: Midlothian, VA)

Little is known about how the framing of phenomena impacts students’ interest and sense of relevance. We share findings from a study where we asked students to rate how relevant and interesting they found four phenomena either described using an engineering, a local, a neutral, or a justice framing.

TAKEAWAYS:
Framing a phenomenon as an engineering design problem, a social or environmental justice issue, a local event, or a neutral problem influences students' perception of interest and relevance, which can influence how they engage as learners.

SPEAKERS:
Diego Rojas-Perilla (BSCS Science Learning: Colorado Springs, CO), Zoe Buck Bracey (Senior Science Educator and Director of Design for Justice: Colorado Springs, CO), Jamie Noll (BSCS Science Learning: Colorado Springs, CO)

What might seem like student apathy and lack of engagement may be a student simply needing connection, community, and care. Join high school teachers as they share instructional practices and strategies used to create a positive and equitable classroom that can improve student outcomes.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will be led through a variety of engaging activities and instructional practices put together over the past 3 school years. The activities are aimed at building engagement within the classroom with special attention to student trauma and equitable practices.

SPEAKERS:
Sydney Recknagel (Reeths Puffer: No City, No State), Kari Parnin (Science Consultant)

This session is a panel discussion about an innovative partnership. Panelists include teachers and district staff from the innovation zone within a highly diverse urban school district, and preservice teachers and faculty from a teacher preparation scholarship program at an urban commuter university.

TAKEAWAYS:
This interactive session will serve as an exchange about ideas for both preservice and inservice professional learning that is focused on closing STEM opportunity gaps. Session attendees will have ample time to interact with panelists.

SPEAKERS:
Christina Perez (Brighton 27j School District: Brighton, CO), Mahexabel Garcia Nunez (Metropolitan State University of Denver: Denver, CO), Janelle Johnson (Metropolitan State University of Denver: Denver, CO)

The story of the double helix is standard fare, but it is usually told in a cursory and superficial way. The actual story, however, can be brought into the classroom in a way that excites students and shows the scientific process, warts and all, in a manner that promotes equity and inclusion.

TAKEAWAYS:
We will ask students to do the difficult work of placing themselves into the narrative in a way that enables them to address some of the scientific and ethical choices made by the various parties to the discovery of the double helix.

SPEAKERS:
Kenneth Miller (Brown University: Providence, RI)

Designing and implementing meaningful sustainability-focused learning involves all stake-holders in a community. Join CSSS members as they share their use of the Building Awareness for Sustainability Education (BASE) framework to advance equitable sustainability education in their communities'.

TAKEAWAYS:
Decisions about advancing sustainability education in a region should be made at the local level and include all local stake-holders.

SPEAKERS:
Carol O'Donnell (Smithsonian Science Education Center: Washington, DC), Lori Henrickson (Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction: No City, No State), Deb Morrison (University of Washington)

Curriculum implementation requires a robust professional learning program to support teachers in making the shifts called for in NRC’s Framework. This experience leverages BSCS’s new instructional model, Anchored Inquiry Learning (AIL), and an immersion model of professional learning.

TAKEAWAYS:
Leaders can support teachers with making the instructional shifts called for in the NRC’s Framework through immersive, curriculum-based professional learning programs.

SPEAKERS:
Jenine Cotton-Proby (BSCS Science Learning: Colorado Springs, CO)

Learn to integrate science and engineering practices into proficiency scales for evaluating student performance in assessments. Explore how classroom educators calibrate student assessments and how to report scores into a gradebook that communicates to all stakeholders.

TAKEAWAYS:
Educators will learn how to integrate the SEPs into proficiency scales that can be used in a standards-based model, including instruction, assessments, and in PLCs through calibration and reporting.

SPEAKERS:
Erin Sinner (Davies High School: Fargo, ND), Alexandra Kollman (Fargo Public Schools: Fargo, ND)

In today's tech-driven world, with abundant information and limited planning time, achieving both content-rich and inclusive lessons can lead to "analysis paralysis." Break free from overwhelm with our practical tool for evaluating resources. Join us!

TAKEAWAYS:
By the end of this lesson, educators will be able to apply effective strategies to critically evaluate a range of resources, thus enhancing the overall sense of inclusivity and belonging within their classroom communities.

SPEAKERS:
Jailyn Jenkins (Manager of Resident Development, Innovation, Coaching: , CO)

In my AP Physics 1 class I have a student who can’t rearrange simple equations alongside a student who got a 5 on AP Calc BC. I have the star of Honors English Lit and a new international student who doesn’t yet understand simple directions in English. How can I reach and challenge every student?

TAKEAWAYS:
Learn how to cater for every student in your classroom using my three guiding rules: facilitate self-paced learning, emphasize mastery, and playing to students’ strengths. This will ensure all students get a solid conceptual foundation and have the support that they need to reach their full potential.

SPEAKERS:
Abigail Vega (Physics & Chemistry Teacher: , CA)

How do we cultivate students’ voice & agency through civic action? Through a partnership between UC Irvine and Anaheim Union High SD, we co-designed equity/justice-centered, NGSS-aligned units and created a civic engagement matrix. We'll share how to use this tool to support students' civic action.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will learn a civic action matrix that can be used to guide students' projects and empower students to become agents of change in their communities.

SPEAKERS:
Daniel Lieu (Magnolia High School: Anaheim, CA), Jessica Yett (AUHSD: Anaheim, CA), Hosun Kang (University of California, Irvine: Irvine, CA)

Learn to use Explicit Instruction (EI) to teach Python programming as part of a science course or a standalone course. EI can help reach ESL, lower socio-economic backgrounds, and special education students. It can also keep ALL students engaged in the lessons as it involves hands-on practice.

TAKEAWAYS:
Develop an Explicit Instruction (EI) lesson for Python ‘if statements’ and have the knowledge to develop a full EI curriculum in Python programming to reach all students, including underserved students.

SPEAKERS:
Gargi Adhikari (Holland Brook School/Readington Township Schools: Whitehouse Station, NJ), Mary O'Donnell (Penn State University)

To deepen our connections with our students, community, and place, educators must be committed to social justice and culturally sustaining pedagogies. In this session, educators will have an opportunity to cultivate new perspectives and skills to provide a meaningful science education.

TAKEAWAYS:
One main takeaway is that educators will understand that Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) and that teaching science can be aligned to indigenous knowledge systems, different languages, community assets, and indigenous/cultural values.

SPEAKERS:
Phillippe Fernandez-Brennan (Halau Ku Mana Public Charter School (Hawai'i Department of Education): Honolulu, HI)

This presentation is aimed at providing an overview of the six tenets within the Cultural Wealth Model, each including activities and strategies that can be implemented within the classroom to promote social justice, equity, and cultural relevance.

TAKEAWAYS:
This presentation will provide teachers with resources to begin constructing culturally relevant lessons with ease, while building community in the classroom and resisting oppressive structures within education.

SPEAKERS:
Maizie Dyess (Graduate Assistant: , NV)

Educators and researchers from the inquiryHub partnership between DPS and CU Boulder share their experiences as they co-designed (and co-redesigned) the iHub Chemistry curriculum, professional learning to accompany it, and other classroom tools to support its use.

TAKEAWAYS:
Teachers partnering with researchers can yield engaging curriculum materials that support more equitable teaching and learning.

SPEAKERS:
Douglas Watkins (Denver Public Schools: Denver, CO)

Storylines led by phenomena improve student engagement and understanding of overarching biological concepts. We will model using phenomena to anchor and lead instruction.

TAKEAWAYS:
Storylines provide an equitable, culturally-responsive learning experience that support long-lasting learning for all students.

SPEAKERS:
Michele Koehler (Riverside Brookfield District 208: Riverside, IL), Shane Cullian (Whitewater High School: Whitewater, WI), Kathlyn Van Hoeck (St Xavier University: Chicago, IL), Charlie Pozen (Gateway High School, Aurora CO: No City, No State)

Join us to explore how our science Teacher Leader Institutes empower educators to excel in subject matter knowledge, pedagogical skills, and leadership acumen. Discover the transformative impact of this initiative on educational capacity and professional growth.

TAKEAWAYS:
During the session, participants will discover how the Teacher Leader Institute was created using freely available resources and how it has been improved over time as new groups join and more professional development opportunities are introduced.

SPEAKERS:
Andy Weatherhead (National Science Education Leadership Association (NSELA): Downingtown, PA), Kammas Kersch (Chester County Intermediate Unit: Downingtown, PA)

Discover a 360-degree VR intervention implemented in inclusive biology classrooms, showcasing significant score differences between students with and without disabilities. Gain insights into data analysis, limitations, practice implications, and future research plans.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will leave with the six free resources used in the study and expectations to support their use in the classroom.

SPEAKERS:
Shalece Kohnke (Auburn University)

Reflections of a book study of Leadership for Increasingly Diverse Schools. Presentation is about how the book study is focused on race, poverty, disabilities, LGBTQ, gender, multilingual learners, religion, family, and community advocacy.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will be given an equity audit tool to use in their district to see where there may be areas of inequities to focus on. Users of the tool can create action steps to increase a more diverse school community. Attendees will be given resources and strategies to help support them.

SPEAKERS:
Tonyea Mead (Science Education Associate: Dover, DE)

Members of NSTA’s Urban Advisory Panel share ideas about leveraging community partnerships to obtain resources, curriculum, and learning activities.

TAKEAWAYS:
Simple, easy, and inexpensive methods for urban teachers to create an NGSS-aligned science curriculum or lesson, even in a district without extra resources or outdoor space. We can help you partner with local museums, universities, historical societies, and other community sources.

SPEAKERS:
Wendy Jackson (The Lawrence Hall of Science: Berkeley, CA), Latanya Brandon (SUNY New Paltz: New Paltz, NY), Adrine Williams (Jackson State University: Jackson, MS), Rebecca Kurson (Collegiate School: New York, NY), Selene Verhofstad (Albert Einstein Distinguished Educator Fellowship: No City, No State), Brad Rhew (Guilford County Schools: No City, No State)

Preparing and supporting teacher candidates with coherent and engaging learning experiences requires the collaborative efforts of different sectors of the education system. We will discuss the strategies and resources developed and implemented to ensure K-5 science teachers are classroom-ready.

TAKEAWAYS:
Gain concrete strategies and resources to consider a similar collaborative process within your regional and local context.

SPEAKERS:
Tana Luther (Louisiana Dept. of Education: Baton Rouge, LA), Susan Gomez Zwiep (BSCS Science Learning: Colorado Springs, CO), Nancy Hopkins-Evans (BSCS Science Learning: Colorado Springs, CO)

This session provides K-12 Colorado educators information about the Science Standards Review and Revision process beginning in the Spring of 2025 and concluding in June 2026. In addition to the background on the five stages of the process, educators will learn how they can apply to participate.

TAKEAWAYS:
By the end of this session, participants will describe the five main stages of the Standards Review and Revision process and identify opportunities for educators to participate in the process.

SPEAKERS:
Samantha Agoos (Colorado Department of Education: Denver, CO)

STEP UP is a national community that designs lessons to inspire women to pursue physics in college. Learn about our Careers in Physics lesson, including tools you can use to match students’ interests with physics-related careers and increase enrollment in the physics classes your school offers.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will learn about and practice using STEP UP’s Careers in Physics online career matching tool and options for using it in their classroom. Participants will also learn ways to increase interest and enrollment in high school physics programs.

SPEAKERS:
Kori Bowns-Kamphuis (Lindblom Math and Science Academy: Chicago, IL)

Combating the loud noises of systemic oppression often faced by students of color in the Alabama Black Belt entails creating space for them to rely on their cultures, their lived experiences, and their talents to address environmental problems that disproportionately affect their communities.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will learn how to make the concept of sustainability culturally relevant to their historically marginalized student groups living in impoverished areas.

SPEAKERS:
Eshwaa Godfrey (Selma High School: Selma, AL), Venecia Eaton (Selma High School: Selma, AL), Mashika Tempero (Selma High School: Selma, AL)

To engage and retain more students in STEM courses and to improve diversity in STEM among underrepresented groups, The Governor’s School for Science and Technology has developed a mentorship program available to all students. The program was implemented by establishing community partnerships.

TAKEAWAYS:
The presenters will share how The Governor’s School establishes community partnerships, develops the research course curriculum, provides faculty advisors, and showcases the students’ research.

SPEAKERS:
Laura Vobrak (Research Instructor/Mentorship Coordinator: No City, No State)

The Everyday Actions Guide includes a self-reflection for teachers and suggestions for actions in and out of the classroom to foster a strong physics class community. Come learn about strategies to help all students, especially those historically left out of physics, see themselves as “physics people.”

TAKEAWAYS:
The STEP UP Curriculum includes two NGSS-aligned lessons proven to encourage women and other marginalized groups to consider pursuing physics. The Everyday Actions Guide is filled with suggestions for encouraging all students to pursue physics and improve their physics identity throughout the year.

SPEAKERS:
Bree Barnett Dreyfuss (Physics teacher, Science Department Chair; STEP UP Ambassador Program Coordinator: Pleasanton, CA)

This session will emphasize the power of connecting with nature through the sharing of instructional modules. These modules have been thoughtfully designed to foster relationships between herbaria and high school students with the primary objective of underscoring the significance of plants.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants in this session will gain a deep appreciation for nature's wonders and the vital role plants play in our ecosystem. By exploring our free instructional modules, they will discover innovative ways to connect high school students with the natural world.

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

Do you want your students to see themselves as scientists? Learn about an innovative approach to promoting equity in your classroom by having students research scientists and researchers in your field to discover unsung heroes in science!

TAKEAWAYS:
Teachers will learn how one science teacher modified a national project and competition to reach students in her marine science classes and help build a set of women and people of color who have contributed to our understanding of the world around us.

SPEAKERS:
Tami Lunsford (Newark Charter School: Newark, DE)

We integrated WIDA ELD science standards into our 9th-grade biology curriculum using an APA-style lab report framework, making it adaptable for teachers. ChatGPT accelerated alignment work with iterative prompts. Our process and products will be presented for consideration.

TAKEAWAYS:
Each section of the APA lab report (Introduction, Materials and Methods, Results, and Discussion) features unique language functions and features described in the WIDA ELD standards. By focusing on one section per quarter, we can cover all standards through a predictable and transferable structure.

SPEAKERS:
Velvet Karg (Round Lake High School: Round Lake, IL), Bryan Rolfsen (Round Lake High School: Round Lake, IL)

Competency-based education at Mount Vernon revolutionized science learning through personalized, mastery-driven paths. Hear how CBE engaged and empowered students.

TAKEAWAYS:
Teachers will leave inspired to reimagine science instruction through competency-based models that empower student-driven mastery.

SPEAKERS:
Lisa Lariscy (The Mount Vernon School: Atlanta, GA)

This session will provide K-12 Colorado science teachers support with aligning classroom instruction to the Colorado Academic Standards for Science by unpacking the components of the standards and providing free, evidence-based instructional resources.

TAKEAWAYS:
By the end of this session, participants will recognize the three dimensions of the Evidence Outcome Statements outlined in the Colorado Academic Standards for Science and leave with evidence-based instructional resources to support them in aligning their science instruction with the standards.

SPEAKERS:
Samantha Agoos (Colorado Department of Education: Denver, CO)

Join us to learn about a university-led program that sought to bridge the gap between high school and college-level biology. We will share the concepts where our students struggle–at both the high school and first-year college level–and explore best practices to support their learning.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will learn how to build partnerships between universities and high schools to support the final tier of vertical articulation for our students. We will also share the content and study skill gaps that persist from high school through college, and specific strategies to address them.

SPEAKERS:
Kyle Houser (Coordinator, STEM Student Success: No City, No State), Cathlene Leary-Elderkin (National Board of Medical Examiners: Philadelphia, PA), Drue Stapleton (Associate Professor: lawrenceville, NJ)

Participants will gain tools for reducing marginalization in the physics classroom. This session begins with STEP UP’s Women in Physics curriculum and ends with resources and strategies for having difficult but necessary conversations about equity and inclusion.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will gain resources and strategies for having DEI–related conversations in the classroom.

SPEAKERS:
Praisy Poluan (STEM Teacher & Education Researcher: , CA)

Join the classroom culture conversation in this session as we discuss strategies for promoting inclusivity in the science classroom through adaptability, community building circles, responsiveness, and collaboration.

TAKEAWAYS:
Explore welcoming routines, as well as content and non-content prompts used in community building circles that foster a positive and safe environment. Sample newsletters will be available to share ideas for collaboration among the learning community that support inclusive science education.

SPEAKERS:
Dr. Yajaira Fuentes-Tauber (Rocky Mountain High School: Fort Collins, CO)

Teams of youth living next to Uganda’s Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, home of mountain gorillas, are becoming solutionaries with their STEAM conservation projects that help the forest, the gorillas and other wildlife, and people. This program is with Dr. Gladys Kalema-Zikusoka, NatGeo Explorer.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will understand that these solutions-based STEAM conservation projects are designed by youth to create systemic and beneficial change for people, the environment, and non-human animals. The projects are empowering many marginalized youth with knowledge, life skills, and confidence.

SPEAKERS:
Laura Arndt (Global GreenSTEM: Franktown, CO)

My first years of teaching Physics at Title 1 schools in Memphis were challenging. Many of my students were very behind, especially in math. However, I developed 3 strategies to make learning physics engaging and accessible.

TAKEAWAYS:
Teachers will come away from this session with a list of labs and strategies that they can immediately implement in their classrooms to make physics more accessible and engaging, especially for their lower-level learners.

SPEAKERS:
Jack Replinger (FormerTeacher / Founder: , WA)

In 2020, New Jersey adopted the New Jersey Student Learning Standards for Climate Change Education, interdisciplinary standards that were the first of their kind in our nation. Join us to learn more about their implementation and current expansion efforts.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees at this workshop will gain insight into the development and implementation of the New Jersey Student Learning Standards for Climate Change Education. We’ll share high leverage resources and programs that may be used to support similar efforts across the country.

SPEAKERS:
Ross Gary (New Jersey Department of Education: No City, No State), Sarah Sterling-Laldee (New Jersey Department of Education: No City, No State)

Instructional coaching is a way to build reflective practices in teachers to drive instructional change. The relational nature of coaching techniques allows the coach to provide specific, context-based suggestions that could be used to address inequitable structures in classrooms.

TAKEAWAYS:
Individuals who work with teachers can make specific and intentional moves to help science teachers reflect on and challenge structures of power, narratives, and values of science, and what science participation looks like from within specific classroom structures.

SPEAKERS:
Jeff Spencer (Illinois Regional Office of Education: Chicago, IL)

Viruses such as COVID and HIV that infect multiple species evolve by interacting with all members of their infectious ecosystem. The term "zoonosis" appears in virtually no state standards, but it describes most infectious diseases that challenge medicine and global public health.

TAKEAWAYS:
Evolution, ecology, and human activity, including social and economic factors, drive the emergence and spread of new diseases. Controlling pandemics requires scientific literacy to enable citizens and public officials to make wise decisions in personal behavior and public policy.

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

DEI session focuses on ACES (Adverse Childhood Experiences) & how they affect children’s education. Participants will gain a foundational understanding of how ACES affect behavior & learning, how educators can promote a safe classroom environment, & rehearse coping strategies for use in the classroom.

TAKEAWAYS:
ACEs contribute to toxic stress that changes the brains of the affected. This interrupts quality health, behavior, and of most importance, learning. In order to maximize student achievement, educators must learn to recognize the effects of ACEs and how to foster resilience.

SPEAKERS:
Rachel Eades (Midland Trail High School: Charleston, WV)

This session will provide an overview of the National Girls Collaborative Project, a robust network of educators and other professionals, our high-quality, research-based resources and professional development focused on engaging and inspiring girls in STEM, and how to connect with our network.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will learn about the National Girls Collaborative Project, our research-based resources, and professional development opportunities focused on building educators’ capacity to engage and inspire girls in STEM, and how to connect and collaborate with our robust network.

SPEAKERS:
Karen Peterson (National Girls Collaborative Project: Seattle, WA), Brenda Britsch (National Girls Collaborative: Seattle, WA)

Meet a group of science teachers using their power as master practitioners to advance science education through community engagement & strategic partnerships with government & business that raise money to promote science awareness, develop STEM programs for urban youth & train teachers.

TAKEAWAYS:
Teachers will learn how to harness their unrealized power as experts in classroom science to grow beyond the classroom and become leaders, advocates, and ambassadors of science education at the local, state, and national levels.

SPEAKERS:
Yishan Lee (PS/MS 219: Flushing, NY), Dianna Gobler (Westhampton Beach High School: Westhampton Beach, NY), Lawrence Perretto (STEM Leadership Center: Larchmont, NY)

Most people have many misconceptions about ethnicity, race, genetics. This session focuses on the genetic similarities of humans, genotypic variation within Africa, the founder effect, and the subsequent reduction in genotypic variation outside of Africa; including lesson ideas for the HS Classroom.

TAKEAWAYS:
Abuse of public trust in science and the application of pseudoscientific methods by trusted figures has created the modern illusion that race has a scientific definition. HS biology students can apply understanding of genetics along with the nature of science to engage in argument based on evidence.

SPEAKERS:
Maria Powell (Henry M. Gunn High School: Palo Alto, CA)