January 8, 2020
Virtual
Free live broadcast for students and teachers! Visit a state forest without leaving school and meet natural resources professionals in the field. Students will learn how and why drones and other technology are used to help manage forests, respond to natural disasters, and even help an endangered woodpecker species. This program will be broadcast live from the W.G. Jones State Forest in Conroe. Visit the Region 4 web site to register your classes.
January 15, 2020, 4:00 p.m. CT
Virtual
Attend our webinar and hear from teachers and librarians on how they engage students in STEAM. All registrants get an engineering activity packet. We're fast approaching Engineers Week and Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day. Are you looking for inspiration, ideas or advice to spice up your plans?
Attend this free and informative webinar where a high school math teacher and public librarians will address engaging students in engineering, the power of collaboration, and resources that work.
Applications Due January 15, 2020
The National Science Foundation (NSF) on behalf of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) is seeking applications for the 2020 Presidential Awards for Excellence in Science, Mathematics and Engineering Mentoring
January 20-21, 2020
Virtual
In this 50-minute videoconference program, students are given a brief introduction to the UT McDonald Observatory, make live telescope observations of our star the Sun with telescopes equipped with special video cameras and solar filters, complete their student sheet, and learn about the solar features they’ve seen by watching unique science demonstrations. Students can ask their questions to your videoconference facilitator during the Q/A period at the end of the videoconference. Telescope views will be real time; in case of inclement weather or equipment problems, recorded views will be provided.
Registration required by January 24, 2020
Join the Artemis generation! This December we are launching the NASA WEAR STEM Challenge. This opportunity gives middle and high school students the task to design wearable radiation countermeasures for deep space exploration. Protecting Artemis astronauts from high-energy charged particles and solar particle events (SPE) are important to exploration. You and your team can join the challenge and participate in NASA’s exploration of deep space. During the challenge, teams will participate in webinars to learn more about deep space radiation and the development of countermeasures. The challenge ends with the submission of video proposals from registered teams. The top proposals will receive invitations to participate in the culminating event at a NASA center.
Austin-area (or neighboring districts) teachers for grades 2-12
Applications due January 31, 2020
We are now recruiting upper elementary, middle and high school STEM teachers for our summer Research Experiences for Teachers program at UT Austin (NASCENT/CDCM). Applicants should be from the Austin area, or neighboring school districts. Please share this information with interested teachers. The NASCENT Engineering Research Center and the CDCM MRSEC at the University of Texas at Austin is actively recruiting science, technology, engineering and math teachers (grades 2-12) from Austin ISD and surrounding areas to participate in the NASCENT Research Experiences for Teachers Program during the summer of 2020. Each summer, STEM teachers from local schools participate in a 7 week program where they work alongside faculty and graduate students, participating in graduate-level research projects within the field of engineering, physics, chemistry and materials science. In addition to the research component, RET staff and faculty will guide teachers to develop and teach science/engineering-based lessons that connect current research in science/engineering to k-12 curricula in the classroom, and promote science/engineering as an exciting career that allows k-12 students to apply their math and science education to real-world problems.
Applications Due January 31, 2020
The Presidential Cybersecurity Education Award will be presented to two educators, one elementary and one secondary, who instill in their students the skills, knowledge and passion for cybersecurity and related subjects. Award recipients will embody the expertise and dedication of educators who are critical to strengthening the nation’s cybersecurity workforce.
Mysteries of the Universe, Dark Matter, Galaxies and More (8-12) - June 10-12, 2020
Explore Our Solar System (K-8) - July 22-24, 2020
Explore our Solar System for UTeach students and alumni (K-8) - July 27-29, 2020
Explore our Milky Way and Beyond (8-12) - August 6-8, 2020
McDonald Observatory offers a spectacular setting for teacher workshops in the Davis Mountains of West Texas. Our workshops help teachers sharpen their astronomy knowledge-base so that they can guide their students through an inquiry-based journey of our universe. Workshops take place over three days and two nights and include telescope tours, discussions with resident researchers, and nighttime observations. Educators engage with inquiry-based activities aligned with science and mathematics teaching standards, practice astronomy skills under the Observatory’s dark skies, and work with nationally recognized astronomy educators. Participants receive Continuing Professional Education credits. Summer workshops are open to educators currently teaching in K-12 classrooms in the United States as well as UTeach students. Due to overwhelming interest in these workshops, an application is required.
Applications must be submitted by February 7, 2020.
Applications Due February 15, 2020
One $5,500 award will be presented to a middle school, high school, or college instructor who is using Vernier sensors to introduce engineering concepts or practices in an innovative way.
Applications Due May 1, 2020
The National Science Foundation (NSF) on behalf of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) is seeking applications for the 2020 Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching.
Virtual
Technovation Girls is a free global technology entrepreneurship program for girls 10 to 18. Over a 12 week period, girls from all around the world create teams and come up with ideas to solve problems in their community then bring the solution to life through a phone app. -- This can easily be added to as part of an existing STEM club. Last year alone, Technovation Girls participants across the United States submitted over 303 app ideas (2,000 apps submitted worldwide) ranging from helping people with depression to better task and time management, from reducing our carbon footprint to homelessness awareness. These are just a few of the countless out-of-the-box solutions and ideas that Technovation girls bring to life each year.
There are multiple studies looking at why women leave engineering and technology paths. But what if we turned this around and asked: What are the common factors that motivate girls to pursue—and then persist—in engineering education and careers? DiscoverE is pleased to share Despite the Odds: Young Women Who Persist in Engineering, a comprehensive literature review conducted in partnership with Concord Evaluation Group. Released on December 10, 2019 at a meeting of industry peers, the Despite the Odds report is an opportunity for everyone working to achieve gender parity in engineering to come together and: build on what’s working; collaborate and improve on what we can do better; investigate unanswered questions; and continue the conversation about girls and women in engineering and technology.
