America’s Got STEM Talent!
Posted on March 14th, 2018 by Mary Lord
One developed a mathematical model that predicts the spread of potato blight. Another examined the response of lung cells to electronic cigarettes. The teens who topped this year’s Regeneron Science Talent Search come from 31 schools in 15 states. But all underscore the importance of elementary science instruction – an advantage few U.S. students currently enjoy, a new report notes.
Filed under: K-12 Education News, K-12 Outreach Programs, Special Features | Comments Off on America’s Got STEM Talent!
Tags: Education Commission of the States, Grades 9-12, Intel Science Talent Search, movies, Regeneron Science Talent Search, research for students, Resources for Teachers, Science Fair Projects, STEM education, Videos
AFS and energy giant BP have teamed up to create a new study abroad scholarship for high school STEM students that covers travel, housing, and program costs for BP Global STEM Academies in Brazil, Egypt, and the United States this summer. Apply by March 31, 2018.
OK Go is a wildly popular band that “likes to make stuff.” AnnMarie Thomas, a University of St. Thomas engineering educator and amateur circus aerialist, likes to make stuff, too. Put them together and the result is OK Go Sandbox, a free, video-rich repository of design challenges, curricula, and other resources that put the *fun* in fundamental STEM concepts while fostering creativity. 
Working in pairs, students in grades 6 to 8 follow the engineering design process to create the strongest truss bridge using a fixed amount of plastic drinking straws and tape. Let the competition begin! 
Nominate an outstanding K-6 mathematics, science, or computer science teacher for the 2018 Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching (PAEMST). Nominations are due April 1, with applications due May 1.
Do you know a young high school woman who enjoys engineering and could serve as an inspiring role model for other girls? Encourage her to apply to be a National Academy of Engineering’s EngineerGirl Ambassador. Ambassadors receive up to $250 to fund their project, a paid round-trip to the Society of Women Engineers national conference in Minneapolis, and leadership development and mentors. Apply by May 31, 2018.
The road to becoming an engineer is rarely easy, but for Dr. Pamela McCauley Bush it was especially challenging. A welfare-supported teenage mother in high school, she repeatedly was told that higher education and a successful career were too much to hope for. Undaunted, she worked persistently towards her goal of becoming an engineer, ultimately earning a Ph.D. in industrial engineering and becoming a leading authority on ergonomics and disaster relief at the University of Central Florida.
The National Science Foundation’s Engineering Directorate sponsors paid summer research experiences for teachers (RET) at university labs across the country. Studies show that these authentic, hands-on experiences can have profound effects on teacher effectiveness and student learning. Apply today!
Students in grades 3 to 12 explore the effects of gravity, friction, and air resistance upon acceleration by using the engineering design process to design, build, and test their own bobsleds with the aim of reducing run times with each attempt.
