STEMdaily
STEM Directory State By State About Us STEMblog
 
Friday, May 22, 2015
Government
House passes scientific research funding (The Hill)
The House passed legislation on Wednesday to reauthorize $33 billion for federal scientific research programs. Passage by a vote of 217-205 fell largely along party lines. The bill would establish grant funding and programs through 2020 across multiple agencies, including the National Science Foundation (NSF), Department of Energy and National Institutes of Standards and Technology. Democrats charged that the GOP was underfunding necessary research programs in a manner that would undermine efforts to increase American scientific competitiveness. The measure would, among other provisions, cut NSF's funding for social behavior and economic sciences research by 55 percent compared to current enacted spending levels. "You could argue that this is not an investment in the 21st century at all. It's a throwback bill to the 20th century," said Rep. Donna Edwards (D-Md.).
Computer Science
Microsoft Facilitates Computer Science Education in High Schools Through Volunteers (Geek Dad)
Microsoft?s YouthSpark initiative for education has many, many branches, but one of the most interesting to me is the TEALS program, which helps high schools be able to offer computer science classes. What is TEALS? TEALS (Technology Education And Literacy in Schools) is a grassroots program that recruits, trains, mentors, and places high-tech professionals from across the country who are passionate about computer science education into high school classes as volunteer teachers in a team teaching model where the school district is unable to meet their students? computer science (CS) needs on its own.

Code.org partners with College Board for nationwide CS education (Software Development Times)
Code.org, the nonprofit computer science education organization behind Computer Science Education Week and the Hour of Code campaign, has announced a partnership with the College Board to bring computer science courses to school districts nationwide. The partnership is intended to encourage high schools in 35 of the nation?s largest districts, including New York City, Chicago and Los Angeles, to offer Code.org?s computer science course this fall. Targeted specifically toward getting more female and minority students involved in CS education, Code.org will offer not only the curriculum, but also tools, on-site training and funding to qualifying school districts.
Diversity in STEM
Ga. Tech Project Encourages Minority Students In STEM Fields [AUDIO] (WABE)
There?s a big push underway at Georgia Tech to get more minority students into [STEM]. The university has partnered with three Atlanta public high schools with the goal of doing just that through a program called Project ENGAGES. ENGAGES is a competitive and intense high school science education program. Students involved in the program receive 12 months of research experience ? which includes working full-time in Georgia Tech labs in the summer and 15 hours a week during the school year. Project ENGAGES students Amadou Bah and Qwantavious Stigger and Ga Tech Professor Emeritus Bob Nerum discussed the program on ?A Closer Look.?

'The Next MacGyver' competition aims to encourage more women to pursue STEM (Fox News)
Back when she was growing up, Veronica Eliasson used to be rooted in front of her family?s television watching ?MacGyver? with her younger brother. The long-running action-adventure series followed the exploits of an American secret agent who came up with inventive solutions to difficult problems by engineering tools out of everyday things. Think objects like duct tape, for instance. The show had worldwide appeal, and for the young Eliasson, whose father always told her she should become an engineer, it opened her eyes to the fact that science could be fun ? and exciting.

Bucks County girls get a lesson in STEM [VIDEO] (Bucks County Courier Times)
Hundreds of girls throughout Bucks County were treated to lessons in [STEM] during Thursday?s #girlSTEM conference at Delaware Valley University. The fourth annual event focused on helping girls in grades six through 10 learn about STEM-related professions that are typically male-dominated, according to Marissa Christie, chief development officer of the United Way of Bucks County. In an effort to show girls how STEM topics impact their lives and could be part of their future careers, sessions at the conference focused on hands-on learning and included sessions such as working with animals, reverse engineering a Pez dispenser, magic tricks using chemistry and video game creation.
Higher Education
UC Davis hosts annual C-STEM day (The Aggie)
UC Davis? annual C-STEM day, to be held this year on May 30, includes various competitions and award announcements for California students from middle schools, high schools and community colleges. C-STEM stands for ?computing, science, technology, engineering and mathematics,? and the annual competition brings students together to test their skills in each of these components. ?This is a curriculum-based competition, meaning they?re learning about it at their school,? said UC Davis C-STEM Program Manager Heidi Espindola. ?It can enter the curriculum in a variety of ways. It can be an after-school or an elective course, or it could be that the teacher is implementing it in a math or science course, and they?re doing it as a supplement to the curriculum they already use.?

Educating STEM Educators: uTeach. iLearn. weHappy (Florida Today)
I?ve just returned from the 9th annual uTeach conference that took place in Austin, Texas. uTeach is a national program to prepare the next generation of [STEM] educators. There is a national shortage of graduates entering STEM career fields, and there is a corresponding shortage of teachers prepared to help students study STEM topics in K-12. The uTeach program directly addresses the latter need, with the hopes of indirectly addressing the former. I was impressed with the passion that educators from across the country displayed in teaching their students STEM topics to foster interest in these fields. Biology, mathematics, and physics were particularly well represented. Lesson plans, lecture notes, and other classroom materials are shared by teachers from over universities nationwide.
Sports and STEM
5 Teachable ?Deflategate? Moments: Connecting Football to STEM (Getting Smart)
As the Patriots and the NFL work to resolve penalty issues from Deflategate, we can?t help but think about what we can learn from the situation. Whether you believe there was foul play or not, the media?s attention to ?Deflategate? has been both overwhelming and intriguing. The silver lining to this attempt of continuing the football conversation long after the season has ended (and 110 days before the season starts) is that there is a golden opportunity for some solid STEM conversation. We reached out to an NFL veteran and some fellow math and science enthusiasts to develop a list of 5 Deflategate moments that can and should be connected to STEM.
Massachusetts
The Hall's 2015 Massachusetts STEM Teacher of the Year finalists selected (Patriots)
The Hall at Patriot Place presented by Raytheon?s Massachusetts STEM Teacher of the Year Committee has announced its five finalists for the 2015 Massachusetts STEM Teacher of the Year award. The finalists are Ann Butler from Franklin High School, Gary Garber from Boston University Academy, Diane McDonough from John J. Ahern Middle School in Foxborough, Kerry Murphy from Oliver Ames Middle School in Easton, and Maureen Parker from Locke Middle School in Billerica. Those candidates will be interviewed by the committee after which a winner will be announced and then honored at the 2015 Massachusetts STEM Summit in the fall. The winner?s school will also be awarded $5,000 to be used for STEM education.
Pittsburgh
Developer plans to turn North Side's Allegheny Center into technology hub (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)
A New York developer unveiled plans today to convert the Allegheny Center mall on the North Side into a technology hub and campus to be known as Nova Place. The multimillion-dollar project being undertaken by Faros Properties will include an extensive renovation of the 1.2 million-square-foot complex, making it one of the largest redevelopment projects in the country, officials said. Under its redevelopment plan, Faros intends to establish a technology incubator in the complex to advance and promote the entrepreneurial community in Pittsburgh. Faros is expected to announce the signing of another tech company tenant later today or tomorrow.
STEM Innovation
EDCOE innovation grants propel student achievement (EDCOE)
During the 2014-15 school year, El Dorado County Office of Education (EDCOE) Innovation Grants helped more than a dozen classrooms across the county enhance student engagement, provide high-quality instruction and close the achievement gap. After a thorough application process last spring, EDCOE awarded grants up to $12,000 straight to classrooms. Teachers in El Dorado County built their individual vision and framework for these unique classroom grants and have brought their ideas to life for their students. ?These annual grants capitalize on both emerging technologies and new approaches to education and assessing student learning,? Superintendent of Schools Jeremy M. Meyers said.

Stay Connected

STEM ConnectorSTEM BlogFacebookTwitterYou TubeLinkedInGoogle+
STEMconnector?
North Carolina Recommends Accelerate Learning's STEMscopes K-12 Science Curriculum for State Science Adoption
Accelerate Learning today announced that STEMscopes(TM) North Carolina, its comprehensive, digital K-12 science solution built specifically to meet the North Carolina science standards, has been recommended by the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction for use in science classrooms across the state. Additionally noteworthy is the fact that STEMscopes North Carolina is the only curriculum that was selected for all grade levels, K-12. Developed by Accelerate Learning and Rice University, STEMscopes North Carolina was built from the ground up based upon North Carolina?s Essential Standards and Clarifying Objectives outlined in the Department of Public Instruction?s Standard Course of Study. Accelerate Learning?s custom state versions have gained popularity among school districts throughout the United States and are currently used by nearly 2 million students across the country.

Does Your Organization Need STEM Mentors? Does Your Company Mentor?
During these two calls, Million Women Mentors will offer a strategic overview of the movement, including our five suggested pathways to mentor, an update of the State of the States (30 teams mobilizing across the nation), and a deep-dive on the new MWM web-portal, powered by Tata Consultancy Services. Hope you can join us for whichever call is most aligned withy our needs. For Non-Profit Organizations and Higher Educational Instructions: Need STEM Mentors TownHall will take place on May 26th at 2PM ET. The TownHall for Corporations and STEM Professionals: Utilizing the Web-Portal for Corporate Mentoring Initiatives will take place on June 3rd at 3PM ET.

Reasoning Mind wins Deloitte RightStep(TM) Innovation Prize

Deloitte, as part of its ongoing commitment to developing tomorrow?s leaders, announced the winner of its RightStep(TM) Innovation Prize, Reasoning Mind, an organization committed to providing a first-rate math education for every child. Learning math skills has proven to be a critical step in preparing students for college. For example, studies show that students who complete at least Algebra II in high school are twice as likely to complete a four-year college degree. However, 74 percent of our nation?s 12th graders are not proficient in math. Reasoning Mind seeks to address this issue head on by changing the way students learn math skills. Deloitte?s cash award and pro bono services will help the organization scale their proven solution to reach more students across the country.

Watch, Re-Watch or Share our How the Internet of Things (IoT) is Changing Business and Our Future Workforce Town Hall!
Thank you to everyone who joined us on Google+ for today's #STEMIoT TownHall. We'd especially like to thank our excellent panel of speakers from PTC, Verizon, Cisco Systems, the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation, Monsanto, Beck's Hybrids, and TE Connectivity and everyone who joined the conversation on social media. You can watch, re-watch, or share any of the videos from our TownHall series on the STEMconnector YouTube Page!