At the STEM SENC steering committee on January 15, 2020, we discussed some exciting new initiatives (e.g., Leap Into Science), work groups, and upcoming events. We participated in “SOARing with Watson College of Education” which provided an opportunity for us as external stakeholders to discuss the future of the UNCW Watson College of Education which so generously supports the work of STEM SENC. For more information, take a look at the meeting minutes saved on our
partner page.
We hope to see all of you at the next partner meeting on February 27 from 11am to 2pm at UNCW. The meeting will provide an update on ecosystem news, allow time for networking, and give our work groups time to start their work. Keep an eye out for the RSVP and for a chance to indicate your interest in participating in our work groups:
- Financial/Fundraising: Kim Jones (Brunswick Community College), Chair
- Communications/Marketing: Dave Glenn (New Hanover County Schools), Chair
- Professional Development for Educators: Michelle Chadwick (Onslow County Schools), Chair
- Career Pathways/Workforce Development: Chair TBD (Are you interested?)
The next steering committee meeting will be on March 18.
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Save the Date - STEM SENC Partner Meeting
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Date:
Thursday, February 27
Time:
11 AM to 2 PM
Location:
UNCW
Stay tuned for more information!
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Leap into Science - Cohort 3
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In a national competition, the joint application submitted by STEM SENC, CESTEM, The North Carolina Science, Mathematics, and Technology Education Center, STEM East, STEM West, the NC Center for Afterschool Programs, the North Carolina Science Network, and the State Library of NC was accepted to join the Leap into Science Cohort 3.
Developed by
The Franklin Institute Science Museum
and supported by the
National Girls Collaborative Project
,
Leap into Science is a series of evidence-based curriculum and training resources that integrate open-ended science activities with children’s books for children ages 3-10 and their families. The program designed to take place in community settings like libraries, museums, and out-of-school time programs to engage under-served audiences in accessible and familiar settings.
Leap into Science is scaling nationally through a train-the-trainer model, by establishing state leadership teams who will disseminate Leap into Science programs, targeting under-served rural and urban communities. Keep an eye out for more information!
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Spring 2020 Community of Practice Convening
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The 2020 Spring Community of Practice convening will be held on March 2-4 in San Antonio Texas. The theme is "The Future is Here, Embrace it Together". Sue Kezios (UNCW) and Susan Miller-Hendrix (Public Schools of Robeson County) will be representing STEM SENC.
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STEM SENC-Kramden Institute Partnership
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In an effort to bridge the digital divide, STEM SENC partnered with the Kramden Institute to provide free home computers to 360 families in New Hanover, Pender and Robeson County Schools. The computers were installed with an open source operating system and came pre-installed with over 100 applications including an offline encyclopedia with over 50,000 articles. In addition to learning how to set-up the computer and receiving a demonstration of the computer’s many installed programs, families also received information on how to access affordable internet service. This was an amazing partnership and we hope to be able to offer the opportunity to more STEM SENC students in the future.
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Women have been trailblazers in STEM, taking risks that have made impacts so great that they have shaped and changed the world we live in today. Yet, the recognition that these women receive are not on par with their innovative accomplishments and spirit. They are engaged in STEM every day, whether researching, teaching young minds or sharing their gifts in the arts. During the October 2019 Cleveland STEM Learning Ecosystems Community of Practice (SLECoP) Convening, attendees were guests at Women Living STEM, a special evening event developed by TIES to recognize Northeast Ohio women who lead and live STEM every day. It only seemed appropriate to use this platform to identify girls and young women throughout the STEM Learning Ecosystems footprint who are emerging as future leaders in STEM. Ecosystems were invited to nominate local young women who have demonstrated a commitment to pursuing further development of STEM skills and knowledge through coursework, extra-curricular activities, and career planning in STEM fields.
I am pleased to say that two young women in STEM SENC received awards:
- Sophia Sload, 12th grade at Isaac Bear Early College (New Hanover)
- Abbigal Nanney, 12th grade at Heide Trask (Pender)
They will be honored along with other students who have excelled in STEM education at the SMT Center Awards on April 25 in Raleigh. Each young woman selected a former teacher to receive a Pitsco Smart Buddies™ Customizable 4-Pack on their behalf.
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Study Group XVII on Rural Education
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T
he Public School Forum of NC is embarking on its 17th study group to highlight the unique strengths, challenges and opportunities facing rural North Carolina's students and to consider what it would take to provide every student in rural NC the opportunity to receive a sound basic education.
By convening subject-matter experts across North Carolina, the study group’s efforts will tackle one of our Top Ten Issues for 2019 by identifying new ways to address the needs of rural students and schools from school funding challenges, to improving rural teacher recruitment and retention strategies, and how to tackle the broadband access gap for our rural students, as well as other key considerations.
The work of the Study Group will continue throughout the 2019-20 year and culminate in a Spring 2020 report cataloging findings and recommendations on how to target rural North Carolina’s unique education challenges.
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Save the Date: 2020 CESTEM Student Competitions
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February 15, 2020
Southeast Regional
Science & Engineering Fair
March 7, 2020
Regional
Science Olympiad
Tournament
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2020 STEM Leadership Alliance Summit
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The 2020 STEM Leadership Alliance Summit will be held
July 12, 2020 - July 16, 2020 in Orlando, Florida. Join a broad-based coalition consisting of industry leaders, educators, non-profit organizations, out-of-school providers, museum, higher education and foundations to focus on:
-incorporating integrated STEM into K-12 curricula
-exploring opportunities for in school and out of school collaboration to integrate STEM
-identifying best practices and lesson learned in the development and effectiveness of STEM ecosystems
Don't miss this opportunity to spend four days with leaders in education as they address the most pressing challenges related to integrated STEM.
Click here to register.
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OPPORTUNITIES: For Educators
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Call for Participation: NCSSM Summer Accelerator 2020
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The North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics is excited to invite you to propose a course (or two or three) for its Summer Accelerator 2020 Program. Operating on three campuses and with three age groups, their accelerator programming will run six weeks in the summer of 2020. Instructors will be paid for prep and instruction.
Click
here for more information.
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The North Carolina Science Leadership Association (NCSLA) is partnering with
the Center of Excellence for Research, Teaching and Learning (CERTL) at the Wake Forest School of Medicine and UNC-Wilmington to provide a 3-day workshop this summer. The workshop is designed to provide K-12 teachers with inquiry-based lessons in Problem-Based Learning that integrate science, math, language arts and other areas of the curriculum. (Perfect for STEM). To qualify for attendance at this workshop, educators must be a member of NCSLA. The membership fee is only $40. To find out more about NCSLA, go to
www.ncsla.net.
Registration is expected to open February 1
st
.
Current NCSLA members may register for only $25. The non-member registration fee is $65. (This is a $500 value.)
Upon Completion of the workshop, participants:
- will have permanent access to hundreds of problems and projects to use in their classroom. (This means no additional fee, ever, even if you change schools!)
- may apply for up to 2 CEUs.
Workshop Sites/Dates:
- Asheville, NC - June 29-July 1
- UNC-Wilmington - July 22-24
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OPPORTUNITIES: For Students
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Cape Fear Museum of History and Science
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Cape Fear Museum is hosting a teen program with the Smithsonian about earth optimism and climate change on
Saturday, March 14, 2020.
The program will consist of a one-day event: a teen conversation with scientists, researchers, and activists. At a later date, teens will work with museum educators to develop a project that will help them make a positive impact in their community.
A museum staff member will go to the Smithsonian to present their project idea to obtain mini-grant funding. The program has a focus on teens of high school age (13-17) in urban and rural environments and in high-need locations.
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The North Carolina Gravity Games, a signature event of the NC Science Festival, are an opportunity for students to engage with STEM in a fun and hands-on way. Teams from across the state design, build and test gravity powered cars, then race them through the streets of downtown Lenoir, NC.
Produced by Google, the North Carolina Science Festival, Appalachian State University, and the City of Lenoir, this annual event combines a day of racing with a science-themed street festival to provide people of all ages the chance to engage with STEM in a fun atmosphere.
There are three primary divisions, which allow teams of varying levels of experience to compete:
- Kit: Introductory level, allows teams aged 7-14 to construct and race cars from approved kits.
- Engineered: Teams ages 10+ design and build their cars from scratch then get to race them down the streets of Lenoir.
- Challenge: Each year, Google engineers create a unique engineering challenge for teams. This is the most advanced division and is generally recommended for teams who have competed in the NC Gravity Games in previous years.
Suggested Timeline:
- January: Apply for sponsorship funds, register to complete
- February: Build and test the car
- March: Practice racing, make improvements to the car
- April: Complete in Gravity Games
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Have something you would like to
include in the next newsletter
? Email it to
stemsenc@uncw.edu
.
Have something to share that is more time sensitive or that you would like to discuss with the group? Post it on the listserv by emailing the item directly to
stem-senc@lists.uncw.edu
.
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