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Hi Everyone!
Some of us were having a great conversation about careers in science under one of the Life Science threads. I thought perhaps we could put it out as a separate topic, since it is such an important one. David and Ruth were sharing some of their excellent resources available under The Science Teacher magazine's Career of the Month feature. What are some other resources being used in classroom across America? Please share any resources you have found helpful and how you have used them in your classroom to increase student knowledge of careers in science, technology, engineering and math.
Carolyn

Here is a resource to get us started:
http://learningcenter.nsta.org/products/symposia_seminars/fall08/SRS/webseminarI.aspx
This is the NSTA link to the web seminar entitled:
Sally Ride Science/NSTA Web Seminars: Igniting Students' Interests in Science Careers

This is the first of two webinars on this topic presented at a regional NSTA convention.
Carolyn

This is such a vibrant topic. Thank you, Carolyn, for opening this thread. I put together a collection of LC items that were of interest to me within the past several weeks and I will share it her for others to explore. The Journal articles are excellent and they speak to the importance of science and engineering education for girls as well as boys. Many of the ideas reflect on introducing the concepts of design and engineering in middle school. Waiting until high school is too late to involve students in open inquiry in the design and building of various projects, starting and/or only using what I call "string and sticky tape" and/or using NXT Robotics with Vernier's NXT connections, Lego Robotics, and the NI LabView programming language. For some reason, students don't learn programming and miss out on all of that great logic of getting some put together assemblage of parts to do what you want it to do. LabView is an age appropriate but powerful programming language for young engineers and STEM involved students in middle and high school. Patty R

Robotic Collection for Middle and High School (10 items)

The Scoop on Moon Dirt (Integrate this: Robotics and Env. Sci.)

- User Uploaded Resource

Podcast: Robotics Engineering: Big Toys, Big Fun: Video of Rover Airbag

- Podcast

Real World Robotics

- Journal Article

View All 10 Items

Regarding Adah's question:
I would love to know more about the STEM program. It is my understanding that it is a specific curriculum that requires certain courses in HS. I have a friend who is a STEM teacher. However, I do not know anyone who is a STEM teacher in middle school. Could someone describe what a student needs to accomplish to complete a STEM middle school vs a STEM high school program.
Thanks,

Hi Adah,
NSTA has a great deal of information about STEM. The historical implications 'stem' from our Federal government's push to improve students' learning in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics curricular areas. NSTA has a several informative resources on its 'Get Involved' page. If you go to the Home page and click on the second to the last blue tab 'Get Involved', there is a pull down menu. Click on 'Influence Federal Policy'. It is filled with excellent informational resources about STEM. I especially like how you can check out your own state to see what's is going on in promoting STEM education. Also, at this particular site - Summary of Stem Education Legislation... - you can review a summary of the STEM education related bills. If you want to see what your state is doing you can go to:
50 State STEM Education Report Cards.

In reference to your second question about how to embed STEM in middle school - I would suggest starting with a concerted effort to include STEM career information with every unit you teach. The NSTA Learning Center will provide many great resources for middle school. The sooner our students learn about all the opportunities, the greater the chance they will consider a career in one of the sciences.
I love having 'guest' speakers in my middle school classroom. I canvassed my parents at open house to see if any of them are scientists or working in scientific fields. I have had researchers from prestigious labs show my students how to spool DNA, Crime lab investigators show how science is used to solve crimes, geologists talk about the local geological treasures, etc.
I would love to hear some of your ideas on how to heighten students' interests in careers in middle school.
Carolyn

Hi Carolyn - I've taken both middle school and high school students to "Women in Science" career days at the local university. These are excellent opportunities for these young women to be inspired by working female scientists and to experience some hands-on science workshops. Dorothy

I agree that inviting guest scientists as speakers from local colleges/universities or local scientific businesses is a wonderful way for students to experience authentic science and to meet people who are enthusiastic and passionate about their careers. I also think that there is no substitute the motivation and excitement of hands-on scientific field experiences in natural environments, so it's critically important to get our students outside learning as much as possible (given current budget and class time constraints). Whenever possible, I think it is best to introduce students to new scientific concepts with an interactive inquiry approach (lab, field, research). Then the reading/text assignments have a better context for students and are more engaging. If educators can encourage a love of scientific discovery, then this will help to motivate students to explore STEM careers. Dorothy

Hi Everyone, I am working with a group of students who are planning a STEM Day for our school (7-8 grade, 850 students). The idea is to get presenters from the community to conduct hands-on workshops related to their work. The kids are very excited about planning for the day; we were hoping to have it coincide with National Lab Day but the date for National Lab Day has yet to be posted. Any ideas for how to make this event go smoothly?

Hi Everyone, I am working with a group of students who are planning a STEM Day for our school (7-8 grade, 850 students). The idea is to get presenters from the community to conduct hands-on workshops related to their work. The kids are very excited about planning for the day; we were hoping to have it coincide with National Lab Day but the date for National Lab Day has yet to be posted. Any ideas for how to make this event go smoothly?

Hello Thread Readers,
I found a new site for students, geared towards females, that are interested in pursuing a career in Computer Science related areas.

Check out dot...diva! The site includes forums for parents, educators and students and offers webisodes of academically strong and motivated teenage girls.

Enjoy, Alyce

National Lab Day was May 10, 2010 and is assumed to be in the same time frame for 2011. The organizers in Berkeley are moving away from a 'day' and toward a 'network' to provide stimulus for activities throughout the year and especially to allow school involvement in STEM activities if the school can not participate on a 'given' day. You are invited to browse the background for the newer initiative and to get connected --more importantly to get your students connected. Here is the url: http://www.nationallabnetwork.org/ Patty Rourke

Patricia,

Thank you for posting the information needed to participate in National Lab Day. I was active in the local organization of the event and have used several of their materials with my students. Even though our school is located in an area of high-tech jobs, Colorado Springs, I have never had a local name sent my way to mentor or speak.

I rely quite heavily on STEM related websites for my students to interact, gain knowledge, and post their questions concerning STEM related careers. I found a newly created site that I'll 'play' around in and hopefully be able to send my students' way.

You may visit at: http://www.pbs.org/teachers/scigirls/activities/?contactID=174427422&gwkey=DRF016N4QX

Enjoy your day, Alyce

Thanks for the additional site, Alyce. I will review it next week. I hear what you are saying about scientists etc reaching out uninvited. I found that things went best when I initiated the science-student contact either through a professional organization, a STEM related collaboration, or personal contact such as from my doing an internship, judging a competition, or talking with parents and others within the school community. This allowed me to interact with the scientist in an 'instructional-methods' way so that when she/he came to class she/he was more prepared to meet and to interact in very positive ways with my students. Often scientists and others wish to share their 'careers' but do not really know how to entice the students or even to keep their attentions. Good luck with your future career days and with STEM interactions. Do you do robotics or have scientists judge or work with competitions with the students. Do you place any of your students in internship positions in local labs? You certainly teach in a very active area. Thanks for your conversation and your sharing. Patty R

This topic has given me a great idea to use while my class is conducting science experiments. For example if my students are conducting a rock experiment then for that day call them geologist and give a summary of what a geologist does before we conduct our experiment. If we are doing an experiment involving salt water density, then for that day my students are oceanographers and give a summary of what oceanographers do before we conduct our lab.

Hello Readers,
Leroy, you will notice your students' level of respect for each other rise when you begin referring to them as scientists in various levels! In their discussion, you will soon catch them calling themselves a botanist or geneticist!

One activity I love to do around 2nd quarter is compile a three-ring binder from all my classes with 'Expert Scientist' biographies. (I'll look for the blackline and post it online.)

All students are encouraged to explore their passions, and choose an area where they could be considered an expert. Students complete an expert sheet if they have a collection (seashells, rocks), or have listened to a relative/adult discuss their STEM related jobs (maybe an uncle that is a bird watcher, or a parent that is in the military), maybe they've spent hours reading or watching discovery channel and have self taught themselves how to design and build skate board ramps! Most of my students are eager to discuss what field they are an expert in.

After the 'Expert Scientist' sheets are completed I give them a day to meet with others in their field of expertise. At this time I'll bring in former parents or specialists to sit and talk on a personal level with them, this activity is exciting to watch and is often the nudge so many students need to pursue a passion. Students who don't feel they have an expertise, are encouraged to choose a group for the day.

During 3rd and 4th quarter the students schedule times they can share their areas of expertise through a powerpoint, a collection display, or bringing in their own guest speaker.

I am fortunate to have many of my students through their three years of middle school. It's always exciting to watch them reflect and branch out in their personal growth.

Enjoy your day,
Alyce

I call all my students "scientist", but being more specific would be better!!!

LeRoy, that is such a great way to incorporate STEM careers with the activities our students are engaged in! Thanks for bringing that to our attention. I also loved your "Expert Scientist" biographies activity, Alyce. Incorporating the resources available at our local universities like Dorothy does by taking a group of young women to "Women in Science" Days also makes a lasting impact on our students. These are such great examples of how to make STEM careers more "real" to our students. Patty M., we will be excited to hear how your school's STEM Day goes. Our middle school counselor did a similar thing for a few years (Career Day). It was a major headache to create a schedule and provide students with choices for where they wanted to go during the course of the day. Limited space in most classrooms made it difficult to balance students' wishes and topic popularity. I wish you luck and would like to suggest inclusion of professions like county and local CSI/forensic investigators, people who work at nearby museums and pharmaceutical companies, as well as other companies and organizations. I was astounded at the parental resources available within our school. At the beginning of each year, I have had my parents provide information about their occupations and have asked them to circle "yes" if they would be willing to share what they do with my students. I was always pleasantly rewarded with a built-in pool of human resources! What are some other thoughts or ideas for Patty's STEM Day? How are you incorporating STEM resources in your classrooms?

I trained a group of students as 'Climate Change Specialists' for our National Lab Day celebration last year, and I am planning on doing the same thing this year.

I spent several weeks working with a small group of students using materials from Andrill.org I even took three students with me to the C2S2 (Climate Change Student Summit) last year at the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago. At the C2S2, they presented to other students and teachers on how to reduce the human factor in climate change through wind, water and solar energy use, and they were able to network with climate change scientists.

On National Lab Day - they were in charge! The spent the day presenting to their classmates through hands-on demonstrations and activities what they had learned about climate change, rock cores and Antarctica. I had a 'ton' of compliments on their presentations from administration, staff and students.

And I cannot over state how important they felt on that day ~ they truly were climate change specialists.

What other ideas or activities have others used to help inspire student interest in STEM careers?

Sue

Wow, Sue, the National Lab Day with students trained as Climate Change Specialists sounds awesome! Thanks for that great idea. Those of us in the Chicagoland area should be checking out the Museum of Science and Industry's resources and look into their Climate Change Student Summit. Is that something that occurs annually? Patty M. just shared a great website at another discussion thread that had gobs of STEM resources and activities for teachers AND students. I am attaching the downloadable webinar resource pdf of a top 10 list of STEM websites. If you have time checkout the Engineering is Elementary site among others. Excellent, excellent, excellent!!! As Sue said, "What other ideas or activities have others used to help inspire student interest in STEM careers?" AND If you notice anything especially noteworthy in the Top 10 weblist, share that info with us here! Thanks, Carolyn

Attachments

Siemens_STEM_Academy_Top_10_STEM_Resources.pdf (0.67 Mb)

The Climate Change Student Summit takes place every year, and for more information on the topic check out andrill.org My students loved it! I trained them with Andrill material for two months prior to the summit, and I worked with them for one more month prior their presentations at our National Lab Day. Both were a huge success!! And the Museum of Science and Industry offers several PD opportunities a year ~ you just need to watch the website or sign up for an educator newsletter. I love the Museum of Science and Industry. If you are in the Chicago area, you may have even seen me in a commerical for their teacher professional development workshops. My passion for teaching science overfloweth... :-) Sue

Here is a link to Andrill's education website: http://andrill.org/education And here is a link to the Climate Change Student Summit: http://andrill.org/education/c2s2/Welcome.html Finally, here is link to the materials I used to train my students: http://www.andrill.org/flexhibit/flexhibit/materials/index.html Look to the left and select either banner, activities or podcasts/videos. I used the activities found at this link: http://www.andrill.org/flexhibit/flexhibit/materials/activities/index.html The book can be copied directly from the website, or it can be sent to fedex through the university for a small fee depending upon what you want copied and whether you want it copied in color or black and white. Again, I know they presented at the National Conference in Philly last year, but due to schedule conflicts, I was unable to attend their workshop. Did anyone get to see it? I have trained with them two years in a row, and every time I learn something new... Sue

Hello to those sharing STEM comments. Today's NSRA's e-bulletin listed information on Google Launches a Global OnlineScience Fair. It describe a STEM competition that may be of interest. "Google has partnered with NASA, CERN, National Geographic, Scientific American, and the LEGO Group to create the Google Science Fair—a STEM competition. The Google Science Fair is a global competition that any student aged 13 to 18 is eligible to enter. Students can enter as individuals or teams of up to three. There is no entry fee and registration and submission will happen online. The Science Fair will culminate in a celebratory event at Google headquarters in California in July 2011, where finalists will compete for internships, scholarships, and prizes in front of a panel of celebrity scientist judges including Nobel Laureates and household names. The competition deadline is April 4, 2011." Google Launches a Global Online Science Fair I'm going to explore it a bit further. Patty If you are not signed up for NSTA Express, you might want to do so. It is a free weekly e-news announcement and I always find it very useful as a means of staying current with educational news. ~ patty

Hi everyone: Just wanted to inform everyone about a great educational opportunity for educators. Mr. Glenn Schuster, Director of U.S. Satellite, Inc. and founder of NASA Endeavor Fellows Program is a fantastic avenue for educators to gain STEM Certification, learn more about NASA and our space program, astrobiology, our environment and much more. I am a graduate of the first Cohort and it has propelled me to become a better teacher, better student, and better researcher. Anyone who is interested in STEM should definitely consider applying for the next cohort. I don't know when that is, but you can find more information on the web site below. Good luck and thanks for being energized about STEM!! www.us-satellite.net/nasa/endeavor nj

Hi Netosh (and Everyone)! Thank you for that information and link to the NASA Endeavor Fellows Program. I agree that it opens up another avenue to inform science teachers about STEM. I actually received an email from the project director, Glen Schuster, after I had sent an email asking a question about how to involve university instructors of preservice science teachers. He was very encouraging and helpful! I would like to pass that encouragement forward and invite others to visit the URL that Netosh shared.

Thank you all for sharing your resources. Netosh, I am excited to look into the STEM certification program you shared.
One of my favorite methods to expose students to various STEM related careers, is to setup an inquiry with a specialist Jigsaw. I attached a chapter Now You “Sea” Ice, Now You Don’t from the book Climate Change From Pole to Pole. This is a fantastic lesson where students role play different STEM specialist, to work as an interdisciplinary team. The interdisciplinary team has the goal to compile evidence in the formulation of scientific explanation of the climate change in the Antarctic Peninsula.

Attachments

Now You “Sea” Ice, Now You Don’t (Book Chapter)

Angie, What a great idea! I plan to use this activity with my science methods classes to help them experience how STEM careers and inquiry can be modeled in the classroom. I am so excited to have this new resource available for my students (and me!). Thank you for sharing. Did you purchase the book? From the free sections available on NSTA, I was impressed with the content knowledge on the science of climate change and how the authors focused on what scientists are doing to document current changes. I am putting it on my list of "must buys" for the next budget. I wonder if others have found and are using similar timely resources to promote STEM initiatives.

Peace and Blessings to all educators and each of you get a huge STAR!! I hope most of you will take the opportunity to investigate the STEM CERTIFICATION program offered by U.S. Satellite, Inc. with the Project Director, Mr. Glen Schuster and our dynamite professors. You will not regret it one bit!!!! In fact, NASA ENDEAVOR FELLOWS PROGRAM will energize you so much you'll also share its great paths for educators. good luck nj

Hello, Carolyn, the Chapter "Now You Sea Ice" from Pole to Pole is a free NSTA resource for members and non members! The lesson is a perfect combination of STEM career acquaintance, inquiry, and climate change literacy. It's the Science lesson plan trifecta! Netosh, I would love to sign-up for the STEM certification program but, the site stated the sign-up time was already closed. Is there a waiting list or a second cohort planned? I am excited to see our country's dedication to motivate and prepare our students for STEM careers. What are other engaging ways to give students incite into the STEM careers?

Hi Carolyn send me your email via my email and we'll chat [email protected] thanks nj

The SanFrancisco NSTA Conference must have been an outstanding experience for participants! The conference webpage is filled with free materials and information for teachers. Here is one I found that might be of interest to STEM teachers:

Presentation took place on Saturday, March 12 9:30–10:30 AM

Virtual Labs in the Earth Sciences: Melting Ice, Warming Climate, and Ballooning Through the Stratosphere

Moscone Center, 232 & 234


These activities employ computer-based simulations and interactive multimedia covering a range of earth science topics. CDs and handouts.

Presenter(s): Randy M. Russell (University Corporation for Atmospheric Research: Boulder, CO)

FORMAT: Workshop
SUBJECT: Earth Science
GRADE LEVEL: Middle Level-College
CONFERENCE STRAND: Embracing Technology in the 21st-Century Classroom
Presenter Materials for this Session
Virtual Labs in the Earth Sciences workshop resources
All interactives, animations, images, activity write-ups, and other resources used during this workshop.
List of STEM Education Games, Simulations, and Virtual Labs
This list of STEM Education Games, Simulations, and Virtual Labs includes materials from numerous sources.

The STEM educational games has resources from K-12 available. I plan on using several of the games on the smartboard. The NOAA games NOAA education games have games covering everything from marine life to environmental stewardship.

Angie, I wanted to tell you that I tried the "Now You Sea Ice..." activity with my class last night. I was delighted with how the students picked up on the need for collaboration within the science community. They were very engaged in playing their scientist roles and their graphs and group presentations were outstanding. Thanks for the idea (and it was FREE at the NSTA Learning Center). On another note, there was a NASA IDEA student web seminar about STEM careers this afternoon. Dr. Kimberly Ennico, a NASA scientist explained what she does, and students and their teachers were invited to ask questions. As I listened, I was impressed with the caliber of the students' questions and thought, "How wonderful it would be to have this kind of opportunity to talk with real scientists as a part of every classroom's curriculum every single year!" Why isn't it a requirement? Does anyone know of career banks or scientist speaker resources that local school teachers can tap into for contacts? Carolyn

My middle school Design and Engineering class is considered to be a STEM program in my district. In this class I feel really lucky because I get to share all of my passions, Science, Technology, Engineering and Math with my students. With all of the budget cuts and the focus being centered on mastering what students need to be successful on our state assessment, students don’t always get to experience the whole picture of how these subjects fit together. Many of the investigations we used to do in Science don’t get done anymore because they don’t fit in the schedule. In my class I’ve been able to develop really fun probability investigations with pinball machines, bull dogs that growl and snap if you push the wrong tooth down, bunny spinners, and a whole trunk more of really fun stuff. I’ve been able to develop a forensic unit from web resources as my background in law enforcement, including some new ideas from the posts in the forensic topic in this forum. Students love using the microscopes they only got to use for a week looking at amoeba, as a tool they can use daily looking at all sorts of stuff from gum to animal hair to spent bullet slugs and fingerprints. They get even more excited when I pull out the digital microscopes they can even use to take photos of their specimen they are studying. Bite marks in wax is fascinating. It’s always fun when I can get forensic specialists to come in to the class armed with their kits and tales of mysteries solved. While I love developing curriculum and creating new learning opportunities for my kids, a favorite every year is when the Boeing Engineers come into my class for a day during Engineer’s Week to share what Engineers do. The kids love the building projects they bring with them, which have ranged from building the tallest tower that have to stand unaided for 3 minutes or the infamous egg drop. Technology is always a favorite with kids as well. Some of the favorite guest speakers I bring in are video game creators, anime artists, and the lego master. Recently I’ve been spending time developing a network of folks we can chat with via Skype. Since we have no money for field trips, this has been an awesome avenue for students to get a chance to talk with a whole variety of Science and Math folks. So far, we’ve talked with a retired astronaut, an Engineer that works for a candy manufacturer, and a guy who is trying to build a car that will get over 100 miles to the gallon. I knew we had a winner when one of the students remarked, “I didn’t know there were so many ways you could grow up and use Science and Math. I thought all they did was play with calculators and wear lab coats.”

A new website I just discovered is http://www.yourstemcareer.com/. One of the features of this website that caught my eye was “Audio interviews” and “A day in the life” vodcasts available on the site. The first interview we used from this site was Ms. Margaret Proctor, a Mechanical Engineer from NASA’s Glen Research Center. I played it from my laptop in my classroom hooked up to a projector and middle level speakers. The video was clear and the audio easily heard. Also available on the site are tabs for STEM Careers, Resources for students and teachers, Discussion, and a “News to Know” section which has interesting recent articles in STEM and Science. There is also a box where you can “Ask an Engineer …”.

Just so thread readers will know, there is a STEM Education thread that has been started as well. It, too, will have information that STEM educators will find useful.

Hi Thread Participants,
I was perusing the STEM resources in the Learning Center Library, and I decided to update my 3 STEM Career collections. I thought I would share them in case anyone would be interested. They are by grade level:
STEM Careers - Elementary Collection
STEM Careers - Middle School Collection
STEM CAreers - High School Collection
If anyone has any ideas for resources to add that I may have missed, please let me know.
Thanks,
Carolyn

Hi Everyone,
I just watched a webinar on Innovative STEM projects for you Classroom that was found on the Seimens STEM Academy website. Three different teachers showed how they connected Science, technology, engineering and math with scientists doing authentic research. It is archived and easy to access. There is another one coming up on July 25th at 7 p.m. EST if anyone is interested. Here is what they say about the upcoming STEM webinar:
Following the webinar 'Innovative Projects for Your Classroom,' you are invited to join a few more of the 2010 Fellows to see additional innovative projects that integrate STEM in the classroom in new and exciting ways. Using Web 2.0 tools learned at the Institute, Fellows worked together across the country on projects that ranged from students collaborating across states to solve crimes using forensics and Web 2.0 tools to using STEM skills to design and engineer a remotely-operated vehicle (ROV) to study the waterways of the Tampa Bay. You'll learn how you can adapt the project to your own classroom to excite students about STEM.
I can't wait to watch this next one!

This article was in today's NSTA weekly blast to educators. STEM Teachers Thrive in Professional Learning Communities. Check it out:http://www.oklahomascienceteachersassociation.org/?p=2951 Visit the Professional Learning Community strand in ___ and chime in with your voice, too. Good PD to you! ~patty

Here's the fill-in-the-blank for the previous post. Professional Development Forum Our Shared Characteristics As a PLC We welcome your voice and anticipate that we can grow this conversation :} ~patty

Carolyn, Thank you for the webinar information on STEM technology and applications in the classroom and how to utilize collaborative outside personnel resources. This is great information and so cool that it will be offered again in July. The new Standards have an Engineering component (hopefully available from NSC and adopted by many states in 2012) and one of the key elements woven throughout deals with 'applications.' How students apply the science information and why it matters in the real world. Just knowing content, patterns, theories, and laws will not be sufficient. I know I will try to attend and if I can't, access the archived webinar resources and upload them to my personal library for reading and reflection. Thanks, again. ~patty

An article in the January 2012 issue of Science & Children highlights engineering skills that elementary students can practice in the classroom.
It is called, 'Landing Safely on Mars'.
The article includes 4th grade lesson plans that expose students to skills needed in engineering careers - making models, testing designs, and comparing the effectiveness of different models. I enjoyed reading about how students designed spacecraft that were launched from their gymnasium roof to simulate a safe landing on Mars' surface.
This is an excellent article for so many other reasons, too. It includes best practice teaching strategies that are embedded in the lessons. You will find a strong writing component, use of both fiction and nonfiction books, incorporation of graphic organizers, and examples of students using science journals. Needless to say, I thoroughly enjoyed reading about how these students were fired up to be student engineers!

Hi everyone. I just found the discussion here very enriching that I began searching for good resources in the web, and found these: http://stemcareer.com/tag/future/ http://www.esa.doc.gov/sites/default/files/news/documents/stemfinalyjuly14.pdf

Thank you for those URLs, Ronaldo. The second one was rich with STEM career resources. There are several upcoming webinars that might be of interest, too. Several are Engineering Design Challenges. To see the list and register for one or two or three ... go to NSTA Web Seminars. They are free!

I appreciate that Carolyn.