Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM)

STEM Education Updates :

News, Events, and Additional Resources:
- Check out the monthly, curated STEM Resources here!
- StellarXplorers National Space Design Competition is a fun, hands-on competition that is inspiring our nation’s youth to explore education and careers in space, aviation, and other STEM disciplines.
  - To learn more about how to get involved, visit www.stellarxplorers.org/competition, or register to attend one of our upcoming 30-minute information sessions on Aug. 9 or Aug. 31. Session recordings will be shared with all registered attendees.
- Cool Science Festival: September 30 - October 15 in the Pike's Peak Region - Click here to learn more
- American Physical Society (APS) Division of Plasma Physics (DPP) will be hosting a FREE Student Expo (Nov 2-3, 2023) and FREE Teacher Day (Nov 1, 2023) in Denver Register Here
  - Bus reimbursement and Sub reimbursement available!
- Join the Colorado STEM Ecosystem !
- White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) releases Equity and Excellence: A vision to Transform and Enhance the US STEMM Ecosystem which focuses on maintaining the nation’s STEM leadership and emphasizes inclusion, diversity, and workforce development.
  - For more news and updates from the OSTP use this link

Awards and Funding Opportunities:
- If you have been a member of the Colorado Association of Science Teachers (CAST) for at least a year, consider applying for a CAST mini-grant.
  - Here is the grant application and more information. Fall applications due August 31, 2023. Spring applications due by December 31, 2023.
  - Here is more information about CAST
- BestColleges offering $6,000 scholarship for Black Women in STEM - Deadline September 30, 2023

Professional Learning Opportunities
- Check out AI 101 for Teachers – that Code.org co-launched alongside ETS, Khan Academy and ISTE. The program is a free, foundational online learning series for any teacher and educator interested in AI and its transformative potential in education.
- Colorado After School Program invites Colorado OST professionals and informal STEM educators to join a Community of Practice to share resources, ideas, and expertise related to OST STEM-based enrichment programs. You could earn a $500 stipend. Click here to sign up.
- *NASA Sparking Participation and Real-world eXperiences in STEM (SPARX)Registration is open for formal and informal educators of grades K-12 educators to join NASA this fall in Sparking Participation and Real-world eXperiences in STEM (SPARX). SPARX provides educators with hands-on, standards-aligned activities, training, and resources to help engage students in STEM learning in a way only NASA can. Throughout the experience, which will be available September 2023 - March 2024, student exposure to STEM careers is strengthened through opportunities to connect live to NASA subject matter experts.
- The CU Boulder team of STEM and science educators (Schoolwide Labs) is excited to invite middle school STEM and science teachers to a two-day in-person professional learning (PL) workshop in August, 2023 in Denver, CO

This PL workshop will introduce teachers to the Sensor Immersion unit, which teaches students how programmable sensors can help them learn about and explore their environment. The PL is appropriate for teachers new to programmable sensor technology and Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) aligned instruction to promote students’ computational thinking. Further details can be found in the linked video.

Fill out this interest form and we will reach out with more information. The total cost for the in-person workshop (two 8-hour days) is $500, which includes breakfast and lunch on both days. You will need to bring a laptop to work on the sensor technology.

STEM Definition

"An interdisciplinary approach to learning where rigorous academic concepts are coupled with real-world lessons as students apply science, technology, engineering and mathematics in context that make connections between school, community, work, and the global enterprise, enabling the development of STEM literacy and with it the ability to compete in the new economy."

-- Tsupros, Kohler, & Hallinen, 2009