We sifted through and pulled out the educator-specific professional development opportunities and digital learning and teaching tools aimed at educators to create this list for Texas educators.  We will continue to update as we receive resources.

Find more Greater Austin STEM Ecosystem events here and TxGCP events here.

*NEW* Greater Austin STEM Ecosystem PD Day 2020

Join the Greater Austin STEM Ecosystem for a day of FREE virtual STEM professional development provided by local educators and organizations. Concurrent sessions will run 8:30 – 9:30 a.m., 10 – 11 a.m., 11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m., 1 – 2 p.m., 2:30 – 3:30 p.m., and 4 – 5 p.m. on Monday, August 10th. Session details will be shared the week of August 3rd. Participants may come and go throughout the day and participate in any sessions. Space may be limited based on technology capacity.

*NEW* STEM Teacher Leadership Network Webinar: Race, Equity and Mathematics Education

This panel discussion will address where we are and where we need to go in the mathematics education of African American K12 students. We will move beyond a discussion of the achievement gap and instead focus on how best to promote African American student success, curiosity and engagement in mathematics.

*NEW* WEPAN Webinar: Intersectional Identities and how this Influences Black Women’s Success in STEM fields

Despite the growing number of women and minorities in STEM occupations, underrepresentation of Black women in the STEM workforce persists as they hold only 2.4% and 2% of science and engineering jobs, respectively, though they make up 6.4% of the total population. Despite these numbers, the African American women who are in STEM fields have been shown to excel at exceptional rates. The purpose of this presentation is to discuss the findings published in the authors' 2019 book chapter “Societal Factors and Workplace Perceptions - Understanding Social Determinants of Professional STEM achievement and persistence for Black Women,” which examined existing data, strategies, and models that addressed social determinants of professional STEM attainment for Black women.

*NEW* Mayborn Connect Virtual Museum Program

Mayborn Connect is our new live virtual program for learners that lets teachers and (and others) connect directly to museum staff on a chosen topic! The TEKS supporting programs include real specimens, artifacts, and interaction with live members of the education team. It works great for both Face-to-Face learning, AND Virtual Learning for kids at home!  

*NEW* McDonald Observatory Educator Professional Development

Video modules of some of our favorite K-12 astronomy activities are now available online. The McDonald Observatory K-12 education team shares some of our favorite astronomy activities and demonstrations, all designed for teachers to facilitate in the classroom, or from home. 

*NEW* IF/THEN Collection: Library of women STEM innovators

Are you trying to inspire others with authentic and relatable images of women in STEM? THIS IS WHAT A SCIENTIST LOOKS LIKE™ We are pleased to offer the IF/THEN® Collection, a digital asset library of women STEM innovators, for educational and other noncommercial use.

*NEW* Texas Children in Nature Teacher Workshop

With COVID-19 restrictions and social distancing schools are looking for creative ways to address the needs of their students in the upcoming school year. Join experts in the field as they discuss the tips and tricks of taking your class outdoors. Also addressed will be best practices of outdoor lessons and how various subjects can be transitioned into outdoors learning. The workshop will feature breakout rooms and work with various experts in the field of outdoors learning. The workshop is going to be geared towards Early Childhood and Elementary teachers.

*NEW* Middle School Research Teachers Conference: Lottery for all-expenses paid

Bringing middle school research teachers of all experience levels together to share best practices, troubleshoot challenges, and learn more about Society for Science & the Public, DoD STEM competitions, and Broadcom MASTERS. This annual conference brings 50 middle school STEM teachers to Washington, DC, all-expenses-paid, for a weekend of peer-led professional development. The conference focuses on leading students in research projects that can be entered in local science fair, eCybermission, and other science research competitions. This year the conference will take place virtually, September 11-13, 2020. Sign up for the lottery for a chance to attend!

*NEW* High School Research Teachers Conference: Lottery for all-expenses paid

Bringing research teachers of all experience levels together to share best practices, troubleshoot challenges, and learn more about the Society for Science & the Public and the Regeneron Science Talent Search. Each year we invite 200 teachers to attend the conference in Washington, DC, all-expenses paid. The conference will most likely take place virtually, but an in-person gathering of some size is still a possibility. Signing up for the lottery does not obligate you to attend – if invited, anyone may decline with no penalty. If the conference takes place virtually, attending will not prevent future eligibility to attend in person. Signing up provides eligibility for year-round opportunities from the Society, so all high school teachers who have interest in student research should sign up! Lottery is open now until Aug 15.

The TxGCP eNewsletter is distributed approximately once a month. Visit the TxGCP web site for additional updates on upcoming events, resources and mini-grant information.