Hello and happy summer! I hope that you are all finding respite from the heat and a pause to refresh. We at the Hub are hard at work this summer bolstering projects we began in our first ten months since we got up and running last August as well as planning for a number of new initiatives.
STEM Innovation Grant Funding
We’re looking forward to partnering with other Oregon STEM Hubs to bring investments in Early Learning STEAM Education, Career-Connected Learning, Computer Science and Digital Literacy, Rural STEAM Leadership, and STEM Beyond Schools for out-of-school educators. These Innovation Grant-funded projects will reach educators and learners across the P-20 continuum during the 2021-2023 biennium, with a particular focus on equity. More info to come on these opportunities as fall approaches.
Closing the Gap
We’re also looking to expand our Closing the Gap project to include student's voices. Do you have students in journalism or digital media who might be interested in partnering with us to interview, podcast, and help bring awareness to women in our region working in STEM and the Trades? Let us know!
Educator Lending Library
Another big project we’re looking forward to launching in the fall will be our lending library of STEM and CTE equipment and supplies for educators. We’ve also got a great lineup of trips and tours around the state to visit makerspaces and CTE spaces to learn from other great STEAM-minded educators and innovators.
When not working, I am looking forward to enjoying as many river floats, homegrown tomatoes, and good summer books as possible. We’ll keep you posted on all of this and more right here in the monthly newsletter and on our online channels.
Be well and stay hydrated!
Sarah Whiteside, Director
Mid-Valley STEM-CTE Hub
|
|
Mid-Valley STEM-CTE Hub awards
third round of microgrants
|
|
The Mid-Valley STEM-CTE Hub recently awarded their third round of Educator and Community-Based Organizations microgrants. With ample evidence that COVID-19 is widening the existing systemic education and inequality gaps, our aim is to partner with educators and local non-profits to develop projects that reduce barriers and support students. Through this support, students will gain more access to meaningful science, technology, engineering, math (STEM), and career and technical education (CTE) opportunities.
A total of $90,592.98 was awarded to fund a total of 40 equity-focused, STEM-CTE-related projects or initiatives.
These microgrants are made possible by the Mid-Valley STEM-CTE Hub, with funding and support from the Oregon Department of Education, the Ford Family Foundation, the Oregon Community Foundation, and the John and Ginger Niemeyer Foundation.
|
|
Closing the Gap: Savannah Herrell |
|
On June 14th, we sat down with Savannah Herrell for our latest Closing the Gap podcast installment. Savannah is a local electrician, we discussed her experience in the industry and how her journey into an electrical career began.
This will be the last episode of Closing the Gap for the summer, but we will be back in September with a new episode, just in time for school.
You can listen to Savannah’s interview as well as, our complete back catalog on our website, and for free on Podbean. |
|
iINVENT Camp spots available in Sweet Home, Lebanon, and Philomath |
|
Camp space available for students in 6th-8th grade |
This summer, take advantage of this FREE camp opportunity to develop your invention skills. Improve lives through invention by working with a community of inventors and OSU students! This year, iINVENT is an in-person camp following safety protocols in line with guidelines from the Oregon Health Authority and OSU.
Registration Links:
(To download PDFs of the registration forms in English and Spanish, please visit our website.) |
|
|
|
Professional Development for Educators |
|
Science Friday’s Educator Phenomena Forum (July 21-22) |
The Educator Phenomena Forum is a FREE professional development series from Science Friday that connects classroom phenomena-focused practice with contemporary STEM research. This summer, we’re kicking it off with four, 60-minute sessions for K-12 teachers. During these sessions, educators will:
- Learn about fascinating STEM research—brimming with phenomena to explore—directly from outstanding STEM experts;
- Explore a new education resource created about the research;
- Share strategies for engaging STEM learners in a variety of settings using phenomena;
- Make connections with fellow educators to debrief and discuss;
- Earn professional development certificates with every session you attend!
|
|
Rural STEAM Leadership Network (Facilitation Workshop) |
|
The Rural STEAM Leadership Network is an opportunity for K-8 educators and administrators to join together in creating new educational leadership opportunities in Oregon by leveraging the Oregon Science Project model of educator leadership and a Rural Learning Collaborative model of collaboration to increase STEAM opportunities and access for Oregon's rural and remote communities. |
|
STEM Beyond Schools Opportunities for out-of-school educators |
|
Summer is a busy and exciting time for out-of-school educators -- and this summer is no exception. STEM Beyond School (SBS) is offering real-time supports and professional development for out-of-school educators.
Want to know more about the practices of the Next Generation Science Standards, and how you can amplify or add them in your out-of-school (OST) time programming activities? Curious about Math practices and how you can support your youth in mathematical learning through existing programming? Want access to a network of other OST-STEAM practitioners statewide to share ideas and problem solve?
SBS has several supports for you and your fellow educators who serve Oregon youth, primarily in grades 3-8 who are navigating poverty, youth of color, English language learners, and youth with disabilities. SBS includes educators located throughout the state and reimburses for time to attend.
View a description of summer opportunities here.
If you're new to SBS, this is a good time to become more acquainted and participate! Sign up here. |
|
How to Better Utilize Your Social Media:
#Hashtags
|
|
Use hashtags to expand the reach of your content |
Social media is an important tool to help grow your voice and expand your reach in your community. It’s important to understand how social media works in order to properly engage and build your audience.
Using hashtags is a great way to expand the reach of your content. A hashtag is a label used on social media platforms like Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok to help users find content that they are interested in viewing. If you are interested in consuming content related to space exploration you may use hashtags like #NASA, #SpaceX, and #Astronomy for example. Likewise, if you are creating a post you want to search out some hashtags that directly relate to the content of that post. The Hub supports and promotes increasing the number of women in STEM careers and educations so we like to use hashtags like #WomeninSTEM to help viewers who are also interested in this topic find us and our work.
Posting on social media without hashtags is a lot like fishing without bait. The audience can’t be hooked if they can’t find the bait. If you’re having trouble finding proper hashtag bait for your engaging posts you can always do some research into similar organizations’ accounts. Observe what they are using and what is working for them and emulate it in a way that is authentic to your organization’s voice.
|
|
News, Resources, and Events |
|
|
|
Plastic Free July is a movement to help people do their part to find a solution to plastic pollution, through reducing personal use of single-use plastics and instead go with clearer and more sustainable alternatives.
Even small actions like using reusable grocery bags and carrying bamboo reusable travel utensils can make a big difference in the amount of plastics being dumped in our oceans and in landfills.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Our ever-growing website full of resources just got a little bigger. In June, we launched our STEM Book List. This book list features all of our favorite STEM books and where to find a copy for yourself. This is a great resource to keep coming back to as we continually expand and add to the list. We have great children's books recommendations and a huge project-based learning section along with much more. |
|
|
|
|
|
Summer STEM Book Club: Daily STEM |
We'd like to continue that discussion by hosting a book club using his book, "Daily STEM." We have 50 copies available for loan so you don't have to purchase your own! Please fill out this interest form by Friday, July 16th. |
|
|
|
|
|
Uncovered mammoth tusk found in Corvallis |
This June, utility workers in Corvallis discovered a woolly mammoth tusk while digging on NW Ninth Street. This is the second time in the last 5 years that woolly mammoth remains were found, the first being near Reser Stadium. Local expert on the scene, Loren Davis, an anthropology professor at OSU, speculates that the mammoth was probably buried in the great Missoula floods of the Pleistocene era.
You can read the full story here. |
|
|
|
|
|
For more events highlighting STEM & CTE Educational opportunities, please visit our Events page. Most events are free and virtual.
If you know of or have a STEM/CTE event of your own to submit, please send it to
|
|
|
|
To keep up on the latest MVSCH news, follow us on our social media networks: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
