In this interactive lesson, participants become health advocates, analyzing and interpreting scientific research to propose effective solutions for barriers to prenatal care access.

TAKEAWAYS:
In this interactive session, participants will use scientific research to uncover how socioeconomic factors and policies impact healthcare while developing a deeper appreciation for the intersection of science and society and the role of scientific knowledge in addressing societal needs.

SPEAKERS:
Ashley Burkart (Estrella Mountain Community College: Avondale, AZ)

Do you want a quick and easy activity to foster invention education in your classroom? SCAMPER is a great way to engage learners of all ages (K-12) and encourage creative thinking. Come join us for innovative ways to learn with every day objects.

TAKEAWAYS:
You will walk away with a fun, easy to use, relevant lesson you can teach the next day. This lesson is easily adaptable to any age group.

SPEAKERS:
Christine Lawlor-King (MIT, InventEd, Invention Convention, STEMisED: Manchester, CT), Denise Henggeler (Northeast Nodaway: Parnell, MO)

This workshop looks at Newton’s Laws of Motion in the movement of everyday objects.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will walk away with immediate lessons and activities for their classrooms that can be adjusted to their grade level needs.

SPEAKERS:
Krystal Swain (Dutchtown Middle School: Geismar, LA), Dawn Perret (Sherwood Middle Academic Magnet School: Baton Rouge, LA)

This workshop delves into the environmental consequences of flooding. Participants will explore resources and activities that highlight the chain reaction of events triggered by floods, including soil erosion, the spread of pollutants, and the effects of these on overall soil health.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will explore resources to understand that floods disrupt the delicate balance in soil impacting soil health and structure.

SPEAKERS:
Sequoyah McGee (American Geosciences Institute: Herico, VA), Lindsay Mossa (American Geosciences Institute: ANNAPOLIS, MD)

Our ecosystems are changing. We need to nurture climate-resilient learners through a transdisciplinary approach. By reconnecting with nature in urban areas we can leverage existing resources to discover new strategies for all educators that are not only actionable, but are inclusive.

TAKEAWAYS:
This interactive workshop emphasizes the importance of rebuilding relationships with nature in urban settings, and teaches strategies to leverage existing resources to build sustainable schools. It aims to provide educators with strategies to support students in addressing climate change.

SPEAKERS:
Kelleigh Huey (PAST Foundation: Columbus, OH), Jessa Goldner (Assistant Director of Student Experiences: Columbus, OH)

Explore the complexities of the electric grid by building series and parallel circuits! This hands-on workshop will provide educators with tools and strategies to help students grasp circuity and energy-related concepts.

TAKEAWAYS:
This hands-on, standards-aligned workshop will show the influence of engineering, technology, and science on society and the natural world. Participants will leave the workshop with concepts and strategies to implement a similar lesson with their students.

SPEAKERS:
Bahar Pahlevani (The Energy Coalition: Irvine, CA), Tess Hooper (Project Manager: Irvine, CA)

Students explore Newton’s Laws of Motion as a member of an automotive engineering team preparing for the Egg Dash. These collaborative engineers investigate speed and velocity while thinking critically and creatively to design and optimize a model race car capable of beating a rival team’s racer.

TAKEAWAYS:
This hands-on session will present a micro- and macro-look at a dynamic, 21-Century unit in collaborative science. This STEM unit encourages students to communicate their findings, think both critically and creatively, and collaborate to produce a successful racer in a final performance assessment.

SPEAKERS:
Samantha Meehan (Classroom Teacher: Brookline, NH), Gregory Snoke (Brookline School District: Nashua, NH)

Keep your pets safe from being left in hot cars by using automatic sensors to design an alarm that could save their lives.

TAKEAWAYS:
Solve a real-world problem with coding and engineering design; no prior experience needed.

SPEAKERS:
Stacy Thibodeaux (Southside High School: Scott, LA), Jessica Kohout (Educational Consultant: Ellicott City, MD)

We will go through a set of hands-on, physical and digital experiences to learn how objects vibrate and make sound, and how that sound can be turned into music. Participants will get access to free curriculum resources and digital tools created by music neuroscientist and sound artist, Victor Minces

TAKEAWAYS:
You will learn how to use everyday objects and free digital tools to explore the science of sound and music. You will create beats and sound compositions, and tune an orchestra made with beakers and water as an anchoring phenomenon to bring to your students.

SPEAKERS:
Alec Barron (UC San Diego)

This session will provide a conceptual framework for transdisciplinary learning and share a template for designing project-based learning tasks, in which students assume a role to create a product for an authentic audience and in response to a real-life question or problem.

TAKEAWAYS:
Educators will learn how to create a transdisciplinary task that can be tailored to meet diverse students' interests and needs, utilized in practice with students, and shared with colleagues in their school building.

SPEAKERS:
Stefanie Holloway (Greater Oregon STEM Hub: La Grande, OR)

Attendees use acoustic data from marine soundscapes to assess the ecological dynamics, functions, and resilience of coral reef ecosystems. The activities incorporate concepts from physics, technology, and biology enabling learners to address conservation challenges using authentic data.

TAKEAWAYS:
Sounds can be analyzed by frequency and amplitude - measures that serve as a “fingerprint” of a sound’s source including species identification and behavior. Because ecosystem health is entwined with biodiversity, bioacoustic monitoring is especially effective in marine environments.

SPEAKERS:
Jocelyn Miller (E.O. Wilson Biodiversity Foundation: Chapel Hill, NC)

Designed to empower teachers with knowledge and tools to address issues facing coastal communities in the Mississippi Delta, this immersive experience combines place-based exploration and the engineering design process to strategize solutions to foster resiliency and sustainability in the Gulf.

TAKEAWAYS:
This immersive experience combines place-based exploration and the engineering design process to strategize solutions, foster resiliency and sustainability, and empower teachers.

SPEAKERS:
Michelle Sanchez (Tulane University: New Orleans, LA), Erica Smith (Tulane University: Addis, LA)

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)

Students collaborate in small groups to design and develop a sustainable island with a universal theme utilizing various subject areas, seamlessly integrating STEAM standards. It fosters cross-curricular learning and real-world applications through project-based learning activities.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees learn how to implement project-based learning, cross curricular concepts, and real-world scenarios to actively engage and assess students throughout the year.

SPEAKERS:
Katharine Kintz (Needlessly Nerdy: Allenhurst, GA)

Prepare for an exhilarating journey as you work to save the crew of a spacecraft in jeopardy. Work with a team on the ground to communicate a life-saving solution to the crew in space. Come be one of the great minds to save our crew! Ready-to-use lesson and chance to win a prize!

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will receive a lesson that encourages communication and teamwork from their students. By participating in the activity, participants will have a first-hand look at how to conduct the lesson.

SPEAKERS:
Sabrina Ketter (Charleston Middle School: Charleston, AR), Missy Stubblefield (Charleston Middle Schoool: Charleston, AR)

Looking to get involved with community partners? Learn how school districts partner with Louisiana Sea Grant to co-create customized place-based explorations in community wetland areas where students apply scientific principles to locally relevant phenomena.

TAKEAWAYS:
Hear from formal and nonformal educators about how to co-create place-based learning experiences for students which enhance K-8 curriculums, explore hands on learning with a locally relevant context, and take away resources, tips for success, and lessons learned.

SPEAKERS:
Nathan Cotten (Terrebonne Parish School District: Houma, LA), Vanessa Van Heerden (Engagement Specialist: Baton Rouge, LA), Cheyenne Autin (Education and Outreach Coordinator | AmeriCorps: Baton Rouge, LA), Alvera McMillan (Louisiana Sea Grant: Saint Francisville, LA)

Be a structural engineer for the day! Come design, build & test an earthquake proof structure while learning about Earthquakes. In this session we will review the MS ESS standards related to earthquakes & utilize the Engineering Standards to compete in a tallest earthquake proof tower challenge.

TAKEAWAYS:
This session will ignite a love for engineering while focusing on structural engineering as a career. We hope that teachers will be able to turn key this with their own students with these simple materials.

SPEAKERS:
Nicole Jessie (Haverstraw-Stony Point CSD: Garnerville, NY)

In this workshop you will learn how to incorporate the world of STEM into any discipline from ELA and Social Studies to Art. You will get a hands-on experience along with ideas ready to use in the classroom. You will see how one idea can be used in multiple academic and non-academic classes.

TAKEAWAYS:
You will leave the workshop with ready to use materials and ideas of how to incorporate hands-on STEM ideas into your classroom

SPEAKERS:
Cynthia Messina (Teacher: West Haven, CT)

Students often struggle with connecting STEM concepts to their everyday experiences such as deciding on healthy food options in the cafeteria. Teachers will participate in a model lesson incorporating STEM and social justice pedagogy ultimately advocating for their stance on an issue.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will learn to merge STEM with social justice in teaching, empowering students to critically assess the complexities of healthy eating and school nutrition through diverse perspectives including health experts, students, parents, and food vendors.

SPEAKERS:
Augusto Macalalag, Jr. (Arcadia University: Wyncote, PA), Joseph Johnson (Mercyhurst University: Erie, PA), Dylan Fedell (Palisades High School: Kintnersville, PA)

Explore global, environmental challenges with hands-on lessons that build skills in science, math and social sciences, while applying learning to authentic problems. Engage in collaborative problem solving, simulation and 3D modeling related to Human Impacts on Earth’s Systems.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will come away with interdisciplinary strategies for addressing ecology topics in the middle school classroom, with an emphasis on 3D learning, data literacy and student inquiry. They will also be able to align the presented activities to NGSS.

SPEAKERS:
Chantal Correll (Ascension Parish Schools: Prairieville, LA)

Join Girls Who Code for strategies and tools on how to a) recruit and retain girls and BIPOC students in STEM, b) design inclusive holistic programs that build life skills, c) keep your curricula relevant with emerging tech and ai, and d) access free resources for 3-12th graders of all genders.

TAKEAWAYS:
Join Girls Who Code for strategies and tools on how to a) recruit and retain girls and BIPOC students in STEM, b) design inclusive holistic programs that build life skills, c) keep your curricula relevant with emerging tech and ai, and d) access free resources for 3-12th graders of all genders.

SPEAKERS:
Kibret Yebetit (Girls Who Code: New York, NY)

Hands-on activities to help introduce students to the ways in which we use energy in buildings. Explore thermal energy transfer, electricity, lighting, and learn how to use the school as a living laboratory to conduct an educational energy audit with your students.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will learn the difference between energy efficiency and energy conservation and be provided with free curriculum to help their students understand these concepts and be able to save energy at school and at home.

SPEAKERS:
Kimberly Swan (The NEED Project: Manassas, VA)

How can we create a visual representation of sound waves? This session will explore a cross curricular PBL unit that takes students through the process of creating visual art from a sound recording.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will explore an overview of a cross-curricular PBL unit on creating art from sound waves created in the Audacity app. Attendees will practice creating and exporting a sound wave and then using a graphic design app to create an art piece. Student samples of 3D artwork will be displayed.

SPEAKERS:
Cheryl Szurkowski (Ursuline Academy: Aston, PA), Eileen Koenig (Ursuline Academy: Cochranville, PA)

Poll results are in the news during an election year. We will discuss the science and math behind polling and sampling, and engage in an inquiry activity in which small groups will design a procedure based on random sampling, collect data, and draw inferences about a population.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will be able to confidently facilitate an inquiry investigation with their own students that teaches the statistical concepts behind random sampling/sample size and the applications to polling and experimental design.

SPEAKERS:
Ellen Schiller (Grand Valley State University, Robert C. Pew Campus: Nunica, MI)

Students will explore the wonders of STEM skills using various genres of books! A cross-disciplinary approach to learning STEM is also an excellent way to build students' literacy skills. Participants will engage in hands-on activities that incorporate science and literacy skills into their lesson.

TAKEAWAYS:
How to incorporate more reading, writing and creativity into STEM lessons/activities which will support and build students’ literacy cross disciplines.

SPEAKERS:
Katrin Smith (East Baton Rouge Parish School System: Baton Rouge, LA), Nikita LaCour (Scotlandville Pre-Engineering Magnet Academy: Ventress, LA), Rochelle Darville (West St. John High School: gonzales, LA)