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Biotechnology Courses at the BTC Institute – stipends available

 

Looking to incorporate more biotechnology into your curriculum?  The BTC Institute in Madison is offering 2, one-week summer courses to help you reach that goal!  We are planning for Biotechnology: Beyond The Basics in-person (July 11-15, 2022), and Biotechnology: The Basics in-person (July 25-29, 2021). 

 

Find out why one 2021 participant wrote: “This was such a valuable week.  I would recommend this workshop to any colleague interested in the topic.”  

 

Both courses are offered for stipends and optional graduate education credit.  See: https://www.btci.org/k-12-programs/programs-for-teachers/ for details and registration.

 

If you are a middle school teacher of STEM and interested in spending time in Washington DC this summer, check this out. 

My NASA Data
Have you been discussing the recent volcanic eruption and related tsunami waves from Tonga in class this week? If so, the following NASA data lessons may be of interest to you and your students: An Island Forms and Changes and Observing Erosion and Deposition of an Island.

Genes in Space
This free competition asks 7th-12th grade students to propose research projects for space! Winners could  have their experiment carried out on the International Space Station. Applications are currently being accepted. Find judging rules and the application here: Genes in Space 2022 application. Any questions can be sent to: genesinspace@minipcr.com.

3-D Thursdays! First Thursday of each month starting Feb 3rd at 7pm CT. Hosts are Rachael Arens, Associate Researcher at NASA/NAU Planets and Michael Guarraia, Albert Einstein Distinguished Educator.

Have you been searching for ways to better support your neurodiverse learners? Join us as we learn about NASA Neurodiversity Network (N3) that develops resources and internships for youth on the autism spectrum.

Register at: https://forms.gle/SBZpcrGDptBXRZPZ7

Hello Educators,

Please find a NDSGC Roundup below. The first item is a job opportunity from NDSGC; high school seniors attending a NDSGC affiliate school in the fall may want to apply for a STEM Ambassador position.

1.)    NDSGC STEM Ambassador Program

NDSGC STEM Ambassadors are undergrad and graduate students that conduct hands-on activities to North Dakota students, families, and communities. This can include K-12 classroom visits and informal education events. Seniors planning to attend a NDSGC affiliated school in the fall are encouraged to apply. Application deadline to be a Fall 2021 STEM Ambassador is June 1^st, 2021. Apply here.

2.)    NASA Virtual Chats

Formal and informal educators can request a virtual chat with a NASA Artemis Team member. Chats will be held from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm (CT), Monday through Friday, from June to September. Chats can be up to 60 minutes in length. There is a minimum requirement of 30 audience members.  Requests for a virtual chat must be received by June 4^th. Contact Patricia Moore (Patricia.L.Moore@nasa.gov) to request a virtual chat.

3.)    ASP 2021 Summer Symposium

The Astronomical Society of the Pacific’s day-long virtual symposium will focus on astronomical perspectives of climate change through a series of panels and workshops. If you are interested in attending, please contact the North Dakota Space Grant as we can sponsor up to 20 attendees. Contact the NDSGC Coordinator, Tori McIntosh (tori.mcintosh@und.edu) for more information. First come, first served.

 

4.)    Zero Robotics Program

The Zero Robotics program will run from July 12^th – July 30^th, 2021. This is a free, virtual coding competition for middle school students! Mentor and educator training will take place before the competition. Find more information about the trainings here. If you are interested in guiding a team, please sign up for the May 26^th, 2021 informational meeting here.

5.)    Space Teams

Astronauts 12 years and older can be part of a virtual competition challenging students to conduct a human space exploration mission. Missions will begin June 14th and run through August 28th. Please find additional information here. Registration fees are $279 per child.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me.

Tori McIntosh
she/her/hers
Coordinator
ND Space Grant Consortium &
ND NASA EPSCoR
O: 701-777-4897
tori.mcintosh@und.edu
Follow the NDSGC on Social Media

Today, NASA is announcing the NASA TechRise Student Challenge, a competition enabling student teams in 6-12th grade to gain a deeper understanding of Earth’s atmosphere, space exploration, coding and electronics. Students will have the opportunity to engage with NASA and technology communities, and learn about careers in science, technology, and space exploration fields.

Right now we want to help prepare teachers for the contest. NASA and Future Engineers will host a series of workshops and presentations before the school year begins. Please see the press release below for more information, and to show your audience where to pre-register for the contest or sign up for the workshops. 

Best,

Mia for Future Engineers

Teaser video

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New NASA Challenge Encourages Hands-on Student Tech Development

 

NASA will initiate a new competition for the 2021/2022 school year, providing student teams a chance to design, build, and launch experiments on suborbital rockets and high-altitude balloon flights. NASA and Future Engineers, the challenge administrator, will offer a series of virtual events for educators to hear from agency experts and learn more about this exciting opportunity for students.

 

The NASA TechRise Student Challenge will begin accepting entries in August. Teams of sixth- to 12th-grade students can submit ideas for climate or remote sensing experiments to fly on a high-altitude balloon, and space exploration experiments to fly aboard a suborbital rocket.

 

The winning teams each will receive $1,500 to build their payloads, as well as an assigned spot on a NASA-sponsored commercial suborbital flight. Balloon flights will offer more than four hours of flight time, while suborbital rockets will provide around three minutes of test time in microgravity conditions.

 

"This competition is an exciting opportunity for students across the country, whether they're already passionate about space exploration or looking for a new challenge," said Jim Reuter, associate administrator for NASA’s Space Technology Mission Directorate (STMD). "Student teams will get hands-on experience creating and building their own experiments and then get to see them fly to suborbital space, just like NASA engineers and university researchers."

 

The contest aims to inspire a deeper understanding of Earth’s atmosphere, space exploration, coding, and electronics, as well as a broader understanding of the value of test data. The challenge will also allow students to engage with NASA and technology communities, and expose them to potential careers in science, technology, and space exploration fields.

 

Before the competition opens in August, educators can hear from NASA experts and learn more about the opportunity through a series of virtual activities.

 

·         The challenge kick-off event, part of the Department of Education’s eighth annual ED Games Expo, will occur Tuesday, June 1, at 6 p.m. EDT. Educators can register to participate in the event. The two-hour session will stream live at:

https://www.nasa.gov/live

 

·         NASA TechRise educator summer workshops will dive into the basics of electronics, coding, and designing for flight. The first workshop will take place July 28 and repeat Aug. 11.

 

“NASA is committed to providing students with hands-on experience and real-life problems the agency faces,” said Mike Kincaid, NASA associate administrator for STEM engagement. “These challenges are a fun and educational experience for the future STEM workforce to develop the necessary skills for NASA to continue to be successful. I am confident they will go on to accomplish great things.”

 

NASA is working with three flight providers to support the competition. The student payloads will fly on one of the following:

 

·         Blue Origin’s New Shepard rocket

·         UP Aerospace Inc.’s SpaceLoft rocket

·         Raven Aerostar’s Zero Pressure high-altitude balloon

 

The NASA TechRise Student Challenge will be open to student teams affiliated with U.S. public, private, and charter schools, including in Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and all other U.S. territories. NASA’s Flight Opportunities program, based at the agency’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, and part of STMD, manages the challenge.

 

For challenge details and to pre-register for the competition, visit:

 

https://www.futureengineers.org/nasatechrise

 

-end-

 

Clare Skelly / Katherine Brown

Sede de la NASA, Washington

202-515-6654 / 202-358-1288

clare.a.skelly@nasa.gov / katherine.m.brown@nasa.gov

 

Megan Person

Centro de Investigación de Vuelo Armstrong, Edwards, California

661-276-2094

megan.person@nasa.gov

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Dr Phillips is presenting from July 12 to the 16, with a field event July 14 at a ranch in Hazelton.  It focuses on carbon and agriculture.  Here are the details:  https://www.ndsu.edu/dce/k-12/info/18371.  The July 14 event only is free.  Register here:  https://www.eventbrite.com/e/ranching-carbon-and-climate-how-agriculture-can-be-part-of-the-solution-tickets-155818887487?aff=ebdssbdestsearch

Learn  how we can improve carbon literacy by thinking of new ways to build carbon more explicitly into the curriculum.

 

This July, educators from across the nation are coming together virtually to gain new skills for teaching climate change. We’d love to have you join us.  

 

CLEAN is leading a cohort of educators to the Summer Institute for Climate Change Education, hosted by Climate Generation in partnership with NOAA’s Climate Program, and The Wild Center’s Youth Climate Program. This July 28–30, you will gain the skills, tools, and resources to teach climate change concepts and empower students in all subject areas, and receive on-going support throughout the year.

 

Here are the details: 

When: July 28–30, 2021
Where: Online! Register here: go.climategen.org/summerinstitute2021 

Scholarships Available - apply here.

Graduate Credits Available - course description
Who: Climate Generation: A Will Steger Legacy, The Wild Center’s Youth Climate Program, NOAA’s Climate Office, and educators across the nation!

This three-day experience is full of powerful and engaging keynote speakers, meaningful discussion about the intersection of social justice and climate change, and collaborative conservations between a national network of climate change education leaders. Leave feeling reinvigorated for the new school year and prepared to educate your students to be global citizens.

 

Let me know if you have any questions about this workshop. Hope to see you there! 

 

Katie Boyd (CLEAN Program Manager)