Sponsoring Company: Carolina Biological Supply Company

Take a tour through the mammalian heart and trace the path of a blood cell on its journey to oxygenation. Participants take blood pressure readings. Then dissect a preserved sheep heart to model blood flow and connect BP to heart anatomy. Don’t skip a beat - it’s going to be hands-on fun!

SPEAKERS:
Patti Kopkau (Carolina Biological Supply Co.: Hale, MI)

Sponsoring Company: miniPCR bio

Use gel electrophoresis to investigate if someone was wrongfully convicted. Based on the principles from the FBI’s CODIS system, this forensics investigation allows your students to make connections between DNA analysis and its uses in the criminal justice system. Inspired by the Innocence Project.

SPEAKERS:
Rose Chaffee-Cohen (miniPCR: Cambridge, MA)

Sponsoring Company: Carolina Biological Supply Company

Assume the role of a crime scene investigator to solve a realistic crime scenario. Students use fingerprint, hair analysis, tire track impressions, blood typing, forensic entomology, and a police log review to identify a primary suspect from a pool of 6 alleged perpetrators.

SPEAKERS:
Laurie Nixon (Watauga High School: Blowing Rock, NC)

Sponsoring Company: miniPCR bio

Experience an easy-to-implement genetic engineering lab with simple teacher prep - no starter cultures or incubator required! This robust lab allows students to visualize the transformation of bacteria from white to bright blue using a protocol that can be completed in a 45-minute class period.

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

Sponsoring Company: Carolina Biological Supply Company

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

SPEAKERS:
Patti Kopkau (Carolina Biological Supply Co.: Hale, MI)

Engage in hands-on exploration of a place-based drone curriculum co-developed with tribal communities for elementary students in Alaska. Access the free student and teacher lesson plans and educational videos, and identify place-based drone applications for your community.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will don "student hat" to participate in a hands-on lesson about how drones fly, learn how to access a suite of free resources for teaching about drones, and also learn tips for STEM curriculum co-production by Indigenous and Western institutions.

SPEAKERS:
Mariah McNamara (Education Specialist: Fairbanks, AK), Lori Schoening (Geophysical Institute: Fairbanks, AK)

Invention Education supercharges STEM for all K-12 students! Learn how the invention meets the needs of all learners and allows students to take control of their learning. Invention begins with students identifying problems in their own lives/community and solving these problems through STEAM.

TAKEAWAYS:
Experience the power of creative problem solving through hands-on activities to help educators prepare students to become inventors. Learn how invention becomes a vehicle for connecting your students with their community. The session will connect educators with a community of support and resources.

SPEAKERS:
Christine Lawlor-King (MIT, InventEd, Invention Convention, STEMisED: Manchester, CT)

Collaborating with regional workforce enhances the depth of career-focused education, forging valuable connections for both sides. Explore how the LASTEM initiative seamlessly integrates career exploration across K-20 classrooms, empowering learners with practical skills and real-world insights.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will leave equipped with the knowledge of key contacts within corporations for effective outreach projects. Additionally, they'll grasp the significance of aligning lesson plans with career exploration to deepen student comprehension.

SPEAKERS:
Clint Coleman (Louisiana Board of Regents: New Orleans, LA)

Under a NIIMBL grant, NC biopharma industries combined with NC STEM outreach organizations to create a fun and interactive activity to showcase the biotech career pathway.

TAKEAWAYS:
My Future in Biotech is a comprehensive pilot program which addresses the unprecedented growth and demand for a skilled workforce in the biomanufacturing industry. This presentation will go through the pilots, the activity, and what we've learned from the experience and students and teacher feedback.

SPEAKERS:
Courtney Behrle (BioNetwork: Greenville, NC)

Learn how upper elementary students created video research projects to interview a diverse field of professionals in a multitude of careers. Students learned how the experts “do science” in their jobs and explored research projects to expand how they view science and scientists.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will learn how to organize students for group research projects related to careers to provide learners with a library of engaging collaborative videos. Attendees will learn how to help connect students with experts to help broaden their career understanding, goals, and aspirations.

SPEAKERS:
Jennifer O'Sullivan (A. D. Henderson University School: Boca Raton, FL)