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Reports
Study: Few STEM Educators View Next Generation Science Standards Negatively (Education Week)
A recent survey of 5,000 K-12 [STEM] teachers and supervisors found that 80% of respondents were familiar with the Next Generation Science Standards, and of those, 60% held a favorable view of them. Just 6% of all respondents had a negative impression of the standards. (Others had a neutral impression.) The 2015 Business Report: National Survey STEM Education, was conducted online in November and December 2014 by Interactive Educational Systems Design, Inc., along with STEM Market Impact, LLC, and MCH Strategic Data. The survey found that among respondents whose states had recently adopted new science standardseither the Next Generation Science Standards or otherwiseless than 10% planned to purchase a new curriculum.
NIE researcher aims to shed light on art of writing science answers (The Straits Times)
THEY may know their science, but some young students have not mastered the art of providing the answers that teachers look for in exam scripts. They end up using the wrong words, even when they know the correct answer. This is because they may not have grasped the precise nature of scientific language. A National Institute of Education (NIE) researcher is trying to fix this problem, which has long been a challenge in learning primary school science. Dr Seah Lay Hoon, a research scientist, started two projects in 2013 and this year, to see how teachers view students' language- related challenges in science. The studies are funded to the tune of more than $170,000 by the Education Ministry. 
Industry
Dow CEO Andrew Liveris Is On A Mission To Make Science Sexy (Forbes)
Leading a diversified chemicals company with 53,000 employees, Dow CEO Andrew Liveris is constantly on the hunt for new talent. So he has decided to send his companys employees and retirees into schools to spread one simple message: Science is sexy. Its a sexy industry. Its really cool to be a nerd and to be an engineer, Liveris yelled out from the stage at the Forbes Reinventing America summit in Detroit on Tuesday. Im sorry. I get a little excited about this. The problem, Liveris said, is that too many kids turn away from science and math in elementary school or middle school, without realizing how many companies like Dow have interesting careers that require math and science backgrounds.
Ford STEM Academies Tackle Real World Problems In The Classroom (Forbes)
Its 9 oclock, and 25 ninth graders at Jeffersontown High School in Louisville, Ky., are hard at work, trying to solve a vexing math problem: how to build a sturdy, life-size boat out of nothing but cardboard and duct tape. Its not just a math problem. Its a physics project, too, and a lesson in computer-aided design. Working in small groups, boys and girls are on their knees, or sitting cross-legged on the floor, cutting 30 square feet of cardboard sheet into parts they designed on the computer and then placing them at carefully planned angles before taping them into position. Their math, science and engineering teachers are circling the room, helping when needed. The kids at Jeffersontown High School are part of an innovative program started by Ford Motor Co. called Next Generation Learning to help prepare students for jobs in the 21st century, and meet the growing need for workers in [STEM].
Diversity in STEM
Big Oil funnels $1.5M to UT to hook women, minorities on STEM careers (Austin Business Journal)
The ExxonMobil Foundation has made a roughly $1.5 million donation to the University of Texas' business, engineering and geosciences programs in a bid to support the foundations' goal to get women and minorities involved in science, tech and engineering careers. It is the largest gift ever given to the school by the foundation. Since 1975, it has donated more than $60 million to UT. This year's gift is the result of a matching-funds commitment that the ExxonMobil Foundation has where it contributes $3 for every single dollar donated to UT by ExxonMobil employees, retirees, surviving spouses and directors. This year, donations from that group totaled $630,000.
Minecraft is finally fixing its huge gender problem (Washington Post)
When Pauline Stanley's 6-year-old daughter, Isabell, started playing Minecraft, she was excited to join her fellow first-grade players, who'd become obsessed with adventuring around the game's vast digital universe and building with Lego-like blocks. But there was one problem: In the boundlessly creative world of one of the most popular video games, the only character she could play was Steve, a bulky man with short, dark hair and a 5 o'clock shadow. If she wanted to discover and build as a girl, she needed to pay extra. But the makers of the "sandbox" game first released in 2009 now say they will let gamers play with a more feminine character, named Alex, free of charge.
Higher Education
Cal State L.A. awarded $5-million NASA research grant (LA Times)
Cal State Los Angeles was awarded a $5-million NASA grant to establish a new research center focused on the study of hydrology, climate change and other science and technology fields, officials announced Monday. The goal of the five-year grant is to train students in aerospace research and development and increase [STEM] degrees, especially for minority and low-income students. The new Data Intensive Research and Education Center in STEM will be housed in the Department of Geosciences and Environment and, along with water patterns and climate change, will explore such issues as computational physics and cloud computing that relate to NASA's mission.
SCSU and New Haven form biotech partnership aimed at STEM jobs (New Haven Register)
With the stroke of two pens, the city and Southern Connecticut State University on Monday signed a memorandum of understanding that seeks to inject the region with a bounty of biotechnology jobs. Standing before the construction site of the universitys new Academic Laboratory Science Building, Mayor Toni N. Harp told a crowd of education and business partners that the city became New Englands second-largest cluster of bioscence companies without us even watching. And it is poised to grow further, she added. We dont think small here. We can be a cluster of global significance.
K-12 Education
Santa Barbara High School Computer Science Academy Recipient of $100,000 Mosher Foundation Grant (Noozhawk)
Santa Barbara High Schools Computer Science Academy is delighted to announce that it has received a $100,000 grant from the Mosher Foundation to be used for curriculum development. The one year old SBHS CS Academy is paving the way for computer science education in California. It offers a range of innovative coursework for all students, from those who are interested in pursuing a career in computer science to those simply interested in gaining exposure to the world of CS that colors our everyday experiences. Edward Birch, president and CEO of the Mosher Foundation, notes, "We are pleased to support this exceptional initiative by the Computer Science Academy, which will bring coding and other essential learning opportunities to a greater number of high school students.
STEM Competitions
Five teams competing for $2 million ocean acidification XPRIZE (Mashable)
Five teams are still in the running to potentially win more than $1 million for sensors designed to help measure one of the most widespread but mysterious aspects of global warming: the oceans changing chemistry. The Wendy Schmidt Ocean Health XPRIZE was launched to find new ideas for sensors that will accurately measure ocean acidification. Emissions of carbon dioxide from burning fossil fuels and cutting down forests are altering the chemistry of the worlds oceans, potentially affecting the health of sea creatures, underwater ecosystems and the livelihoods of the people that depend on them.
Appalachian Science Experiment named state winner in 13th annual eCYBERMISSION STEM Competition (Avery Journal)
The US Army this week announced eighth graders of Avery Countys Appalachian Science Experiment as a state winner team in the 13th annual eCYBERMISSION competition one of several [STEM] initiatives offered by the US Army Educational Outreach Program. eCYBERMISSION, sponsored by the US Army and administered by the National Science Teachers Association, is a web-based STEM competition that is free to students and designed to help build students interest and knowledge in STEM. Students in grades six through nine are challenged with developing a solution to a real-world problem in their local community. Students compete on state, regional and national levels for monetary awards, with national winning teams receiving up to $9,000 in US EE Savings Bonds, valued at maturity.
Viewpoints
Here's the hard lesson people who raise money for hardware on Kickstarter must learn (Business Insider)
Just because you have a prototype, you don't have a product. Trust Ayah Bdeir, founder and CEO of littleBits, who knows the challenges that it takes to to go from idea to mass market product. LittleBits is a circuitry set that has been stripped of the scary wires and traditional yellow colors and turned into a simple set of modules that anyone from kids to entrepreneurs can use. Some people using littleBits have made everything from a marble sorter to a voice box that plays back a father's recordings. But making one of something isn't enough. "The hurdle between a one-off and a mass manufactured product is still pretty big," Bdeir said at the Bloomberg Businessweek Design conference.
New York City
De Blasio: $29M will be added to budget for STEM programs at CUNY colleges (NY Daily News)
The city will pump $29 million in the coming years budget into [STEM] programs at CUNY colleges, Mayor de Blasio said Monday. The STEM push will grow to $51 million the following year and will especially target community colleges, the mayor said in a speech at the TechCrunch Disrupt conference. We.. need a broader approach that gets more and more people, especially young people, the skills that will give them opportunities of all kinds in this industry, and CUNY is the perfect tool for realizing that, de Blasio said. CUNY will also pick up the cost of the tuition for STEM students to take summer classes, and will expand academic advising. |
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 STEMconnector®
Arva Rice (President & CEO, New York Urban League) Top 5 Reasons Why Black Families Should Learn More About STEM
 #1. STEM has already revolutionized how we live from our smart phones, to real-time traffic updates to being able to DVR our favorite shows so we can watch them at a later date. STEM is not a mysterious field that should be left to the engineers and tech geeks among us. There are STEM solutions everywhere, and local youth need to start creating some of those solutions. #2. STEM is where the jobs are. There was a time when even the most talented amongst us was kept from jobs where we could excel. While we still face glass ceilings and sticky floors, we must do all we can make sure the next generation is equipped to be active in the information economy. By 2020 more than one million new STEM jobs are expected to be added to the U.S. workforce, representing nearly 17% of new jobs. We want to ensure that ALL students have the proper access and equal preparation to obtain STEM degrees.
Apollo Education Group, University of Phoenix and EMC to Address IT Talent Shortage in Data Storage Industry
 With 61% of employers valuing certifications during the hiring process, second only to on-the-job training, Apollo Education Groups subsidiary University of Phoenix and EMC are developing a certificate program in information storage management through the University of Phoenix College of Information Systems and Technology and the EMC Academic Alliance program. Designed for military men and women transitioning to the civilian workforce, the Information Storage Management Path certificate will build on skills acquired in the military and position the veterans to pursue new opportunities with EMC, companies that employ EMC storage technologies as well as other organizations in the IT industry, protecting data critical to people and business.
The EdTech Weekly Report: May 5, 2015
 In this week's all-new EdTech Weekly Report, we cover Robert Morris' new online criminal justice degree, AT&T Aspire's 1st class in its new EdTech Accelerator, SF's EdTech-forward Alt-School, Amazon's free services for schools in Whispercast 3.0, President Obama's new program providing 10,000 free e-books through libraries, and much more!
Join our Internet of Things (IoT) Town Hall on May 20th!
 The Internet connects virtually everything. Over the last decade, however, Internet connectivity has migrated to "things" in addition to computers. From cars and mobile devices to thermostats and lawn mowers to power plants and stoplights, every aspect of the world around us is connected. This phenomenon, known as the Internet of Things (IoT), will have implications for our future workforce. This Virtual Town Hall will shed light on how industry is implementing this innovation into their business models and the implications for their workforce. The program will provide an overview of national trends followed by industry viewpoints. Viewers can watch live on YouTube and engage in a live dialogue on Google+ or on Twitter with the hashtag #STEMIoT. |
