Ever wonder who sets STEM education policy – or yearn to influence it? Apply to become an Einstein Fellow and spend a year at the Department of Energy, National Science Foundation, NASA, NOAA, or a congressional office.

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Filed under: For Teachers, Grades 6-8, Grades 9-12, Grades K-5, K-12 Education News, Special Features | Comments Off on Einstein Fellowships for STEM Teachers

Tags: Department of Energy, Einstein Distinguished Educator Fellowship Program, NASA, NOAA, NSF, Programs for Teachers, Public Policy, Scholarships and Fellowships, STEM education, Teacher Resources, Teacher Training, Washington

What do 6th and 7th graders know about where energy comes from, how much we use, and how that affects our daily lives? EnergyTrends.org is hosting a video contest for public school students to find out. Deadline is midnight May 29, 2015.

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Tags: Common Core State Mathematics Standards, Competitions for Students, Contest, Energy, energyTrends.org, Lesson Plans, Lexington Institute, NGSS, power, STEM education, Teacher Resources, Video contest

What sparks invention? Find answers on the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office’s updated website for kids, teens, teachers, and parents. Highlights include a video series on innovation created with NBC Learn and the National Science Foundation that covers topics from 3-D printing to self-driving cars to synthetic diamonds. There also are videos showcasing teen inventors, inventor trading cards, and a “cool IP” timeline of historic patents.

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Tags: Innovation, Internet Resources, invention, patent office, Teacher Resources, USPTO, Web Resources

Applications for the 2014 Google RISE (Roots in Science and Engineering) Awards are due September 30. Organizations can receive up to $50,000 to expand successful K-12 computer science programs or include computer science in STEM programs aimed at girls and underrepresented minorities.

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Tags: award, Computer Science, Contest, funding, Google RISE, STEM education, Teacher Resources

Explore dead zones and learn about threats to undersea habitats in an engaging, video-rich education program from Earth Echo International designed to empower youth to help protect “our water planet.”

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Tags: Curriculum, Earth Echo International, ecology, Environmental Education, Environmental science, STEM education, Teacher Resources, Videos, Web Resources

Computer science has the highest pay for new college graduates, twice the national average job growth of more than double the national average, and applications that stretch from rock music to medicine. Yet 9 in 10 schools don’t teach programming. Code.org hopes to change that with a host of free resources to get kids as young as four creating websites and apps.

The answer is computer programming, and advocates from Microsoft founder Bill Gates to former president Bill Clinton are pushing to include it in the K-12 curriculum.

Far from being complicated algorithms only a geek could master, code writing can be learned by just about anyone — even four-year-olds. Code.org has compiled a host of websites, courses, and other free resources to help students hone programming skills from building websites to creating phone apps. There also are tips for using code writing and programming projects and activities in math or science classes to cover content standards.

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Tags: code writing, code.org, Computer Programming, Computer Science, Curriculum, Internet Resources, Lesson Plan, Resources for Teachers, STEM education, Teacher Resources, Technology for Learning, Website

To mark the Year of the Solar System, NASA and PBS’s Design Squad Nation have teamed up to create a series of fun, space-based engineering challenges for children in grades 4 to 8.

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Filed under: Class Activities, For Teachers, Grades 6-8, Grades 6-8, Grades K-5, Grades K-5, K-12 Outreach Programs, Web Resources | Comments Off on Mission: Solar System

Tags: Aerospace Engineering, Class Activities, Design Squad, Grades 6-8, hands-on activities, Mars rover, NASA, PBS, Solar System, Space, STEM education, Teacher Resources, Web Resources

Become the “go-to Person” for engineering and technology instruction – or simply provide better guidance to students interested in pursuing STEM majors and careers. Widener University, in Chester, Pa., is offering a free, interactive Introduction to Engineering Workshop for high school teachers, guidance counselors, and administrators from July 30–Aug. 1, 2013. Lodging, breakfasts, and lunches included.

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Tags: engineering workshop, Professional Development, Programs for Teachers, Summer Programs (Teachers), Teacher Resources, Widener University

Connecting your students to real-world science is just a mouse click away. Science Update, a daily online radio feature produced by the AAAS, offers 60-second news stories on the latest discoveries in science, technology, and medicine.

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Tags: AAAS, Internet Resources, online STEM learning, podcast, radio, Science Update, Teacher Resources, Web Resources