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Welcome to Brainstorms!, the monthly e-newsletter of the MSU Science Math Resource Center. We share cool opportunities for Montana STEM educators of all grade levels, subjects and settings, including upcoming professional development workshops through MSU and our partners; grant applications and STEM resources; STEM events and contests for students; and more.
Please forward to a colleague and encourage them to subscribe – including your school administrators and school counselors, too! For questions or ideas, contact the MSU Science Math Resource Center.
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Congratulations, RET teachers! | |
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And that's a wrap on Cohort 2!
Will you be with us for Cohort 3 next summer?
12 teachers from across Montana were chosen by competitive application for the Summer 2023 Research Experience for Teachers (RET) at MSU called Culturally Responsive Energy Engineering Education in Rural/Reservation Elementary Schools. In the six-week energy-themed program, elementary teachers gain hands-on experience in state-of-the-art engineering research labs and visit energy facilities such as a hydroelectric dams. The field trips include visits to nearby American Indian cultural sites and discussions about Indigenous perspectives in engineering, with a focus on integrating STEM with Montana's Indian Education For All curriculum. RET is funded by the National Science Foundation and hosted by the Montana Engineering Education Research Center (MEERC) with support from the Department of Education and Science Math Resource Center.
The program includes a stipend, all room and board, travel reimbursement, classroom supplies, and free registration to the STEM Summer Institute. If you'd like to apply for Summer 2024, visit http://www.montana.edu/ret and click the Subscribe for Updates button to join our interest list. Applications will open in late fall and are due in February 2024.
Back row, L to R: Nick Lux (MSU), Mandie Steele (Valley View / Polson), Jeremy Wells (Browning), Becky Hammack (MSU), Brenda Clouser (St. Ignatius), Mia Troska (MSU pre-service teacher), Leric Eaton (St. Labre), Allison Stevens (MSU pre-service teacher), Paula Richards-Fox (Hardin), Summer Johnston (SKC pre-service teacher). Front row: Jill Joyce (MSU), Kelly Silk (Great Falls), Nathan Ziegler (Cut Bank), Hilary Lozar (Ronan), Savanna Wolff (Roundup), Paul Gannon (MSU), Suzi Taylor (MSU).
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Teachers....do you have any students coming to MSU this fall? Please connect them to the Science Math Resource Center
Your students can be connected right off the bat to cool STEM opportunities (even if they don't major in STEM), including our new Science Olympiad club, jobs and internships, citizen science and other volunteer opportunities.
Tell your students to look for Science Math Resource Center or Science Olympiad at Catapalooza on Friday, Aug. 25, OR, send their email addresses to smrc@montana.edu and we will send a special welcome from MSU. We are here to make SMRC their home away from home at MSU!
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Earn free graduate credits from MSU this fall: Oct. 16 start
In-service teachers and school leaders can take EDU 591, Competency-Based Education, at NO CHARGE. This course is online and offered online Oct. 16-Dec. 14.
A multitude of schools, districts, and entire states, such as New Hampshire, are shifting away from the traditional, time-based, Carnegie model of instruction. These innovators, including some rural schools in Montana, are developing and implementing what the Federal Department of Education identifies as Competency-Based Education (CBE).
CBE includes personalized, mastery, project-based, and blended and/or virtual teaching/ learning. This course will introduce future and practicing educators to these various teaching/learning modalities and prepare educators to compete for employment in these schools and districts or prepare educators to implement these modalities in their own classes/districts.
EDU 591 is offered in Fall 2023 starting Oct. 16. You must register ahead of time, though, so please express your interest now.
- Fall 2023 -second 8 weeks (Oct 16 - Dec 14)
Fill out the interest form here and you will be sent information on how to register for free.
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STEM opportunities for educators | |
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Work with NASA researchers on climate change initiatives
NASA is recruiting STEM teachers and graduate students to participate in NASA’s Climate Change Research Initiative program at the NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies and NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center. Application deadline is August 25, 2023.
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OPPORTUNITY: Maya the Engineer is a children's book that follows the journey of Maya, a young girl with a passion for engineering and problem-solving. Through her story, girls are introduced to different types of engineering and are encouraged to pursue their own dreams. Author, Amanda Green, is offering to provide virtual read-aloud sessions to K- 5 grades in summer, out-of-school, and classroom programs across the country. The virtual sessions are half an hour long and include a reading of the book and Q & A with youth. If you would like to schedule a session, please contact Amanda Green, at yesshecanllc@gmail.com. Her book can be purchased on Amazon | | |
Leap Into Science combine sciences and literacy for students aged 3-10; free resources available!
Leap into Science is a nationwide program that integrates open-ended science activities with children’s books, designed for children ages 3-10 and their families. We empower educators to offer programs in community settings like libraries, museums, and out-of-school time programs to engage underserved audiences in accessible and familiar settings. All the Leap Into Science training videos and curriculum resources are now available for free - no log-in is required! Access the resources here
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Last call: Get a free Arduino kit and learn to use it at your own pace, plus earn the chance to score an entire kit for your classroom
The Sensing for Science program explores how to use Arduino and create an electrical device that will help collect data on water quality. This simulates the research being done by Montana scientists and engineers who are part of the National Science Foundation-supported CREWS project (Consortium for Research on Environmental Water Systems). All resources are free for educators to use and download. If you are a Montana teacher interested in bringing this program to your classroom, you can get an Arduino kit to use while you learn. Then, if you complete Level 1 of the program and share some information about how you will use the materials, we will send you a Sensing for Science classroom kit to use with your students.
Visit Sensing for Science for Teachers
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Are you ready for the solar eclipse on Oct. 14?
Even though Montana will not be in the path of totality, everyone in the 48 contiguous United States will be treated to a PARTIAL solar eclipse on Oct. 14, 2023. This is an excellent time to take advantage of the many resources from NASA and other educational sources.
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Back-to-School digital icebreakers from Tech & Learning
Back to school time is here and it’s essential for educators to start building a comfortable and secure atmosphere in their classrooms from day one.
One way to ease into the new year is with icebreakers - shared exercises and activities that help students shed their first-day anxieties and get to know their new classmates. Teachers can also learn about their new classes through icebreaker activities, which carry none of the usual stress of assignments and exams. Read the article here
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Do you know a Montana STEM teacher interested in cool opportunities? Please share this newsletter so they can follow along for next year. Or, they can subscribe at bit.ly/smrc-news | | | | |
