ISTA
Network News
Illinois
Building a
Presence for
Science
February 2014
Volume 9, Special Edition 2
ILLINOIS WILL HOST THE 2015 NSTA
NATIONAL CONFERENCE ON SCIENCE EDUCATION!
Chicago, March 12 – 15, 2015
Share Your Great Ideas!
Submit a Session Proposal
Deadline: April 16, 2014
http://www.nsta.org/conferences/sessions.aspx
In this special edition:
Presidential Award for Excellence Awardee from Illinois
NSTA New Science Teacher Academy Fellow from Illinois
Family Science Day
ASM Materials Camp
Illinois Basin Field Camp for K-12 Teachers
Forces and Interactions: NGSS for Physics and Physical Science Teachers
Fermilab Summer Workshops
Presidential Award for Excellence Awardee from Illinois
Recently, President Obama named 102 mathematics and science teachers as recipients of the
prestigious Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching (PAEMST).
The educators will receive their awards at a Washington, DC, event later this year.
Congratulations to Bryan Lake, Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary, Urbana, Illinois who
received this high honor.
The Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching (PAEMST) are
the nation's highest honors for teachers of mathematics and science. Awardees serve as
models for their colleagues, inspiration to their communities, and leaders in the improvement of
mathematics and science education. Congratulations to Bryan Lake, Martin Luther King Jr.
Elementary in Urbana for being the 2012 awardee from Illinois
PAEMST awards are presented annually to outstanding K–12 science and mathematics
teachers nationwide. The 2012 awardees named last month teach kindergarten through sixth
grade. They will receive a $10,000 award from the National Science Foundation and visit
Washington, DC, for an awards ceremony and several days of educational and celebratory
events, including visits with members of Congress and the Obama Administration. Nominations
Are Now Open
The 2014 Awards will honor mathematics and science (including computer science) teachers
working in grades K-6. Nominations close on April 1, 2014.
https://www.paemst.org/home/view
NSTA New Science Teacher Academy Fellow from Illinois
NSTA, in collaboration with The Dow Chemical Company; Lockheed Martin; the American
Honda Foundation; and the Bayer USA Foundation, announced the 199 middle and secondary
science teachers from across the country who will take part as fellows in the 2013–2014 NSTA
New Science Teacher Academy.
Congratulations to Myetta Ali, Crete-Monee Middle School, University Park IL who was
selected as one of the participants!
NSTA is currently accepting applications for the 2014–2015 New Science Teacher Academy.
http://www.nsta.org/academy/ Each Fellow will receive a comprehensive NSTA membership
package, online mentoring with trained mentors who teach in the same discipline, and the
opportunity to participate in a variety of web-based professional development activities,
including web seminars. In addition, each Fellow will receive financial support to attend and
participate in NSTA’s National Conference on Science Education.
Family Science Day
This year’s Family Science Day will take place on Saturday, April 5th, 2014 from 11 a.m. to 4
p.m. at Redbird Arena in Normal, IL. Thanks to generous support, this year’s event will be
FREE!
Family Science Day is a public outreach event to educate and inspire K-8 students in the
STEAM fields. The family-friendly event encourages scientific discovery through hands-on
activities, challenges, and demonstrations. In addition, the event helps to raise the awareness of
the importance of STEAM in our society.
This year’s event will again feature BotBrawl, one of the largest robotics tournaments in our
region. This year we are also highlighting “The Maker.” Visit our website to learn more about
the Maker Movement.
Here are some additional event highlights to share with your students:
•
Earn your Home Scientist of Detective Girl Scouts Badge
•
Get your hands messy with our hands-on exhibits
•
Enter to win great prizes
•
Use your FREE ticket to receive $1 off admission to the Children’s Discovery
Museum in Normal on April 5th or 6th. During the event, a free shuttle will run between
the Arena and the Museum every 15 minutes.
Finally, we have TWO Challenges this year. Both are open to EVERYONE (students and adults
alike):
•
FSD Image Challenge: What does science look like to you? Take a photo, draw a
picture, or create an image that represents science to you. Images can include, but
are not limited to: photography, microscopy, science-as-art, schematics, photos of
your own 3D printing, handmade drawings, and digital renditions. Must submit entry
by March 28th, 2014.
•
Marshmallow Tower Challenge: During the event, you will be able to compete on
teams of 4 to build the tallest freestanding tower using only the materials you have
been provided (20 pieces of spaghetti, 1 yard of tape, 1 yard of string, and a
marshmallow). The marshmallow has to go on top of the tower. You will have 10
minutes to plan and build your tower. When time is up, you must stop working and
measure the height of your marshmallow without touching your tower. We will keep
track of the tallest towers throughout the event, and the tallest of the day will win a
prize! NOTE: Teachers can download a lesson plan to complete this activity in the
classroom prior to our event. You must pick up a free timed challenge entry ticket
(first come, first serve) the day of the event to compete in our event challenge.
To learn more about our event, please visit www.familyscienceday.com. We hope to see you
there!
ASM Materials Camp
High School and Middle School Teachers: Would you like to excite young people in math and
science?
At the ASM Materials Camp, you can find out how to use low cost/no cost, simple labs and
experiments using everyday materials that can be integrated into your existing lesson plans to
actively engage students in applied science.
As an added benefit, you can earn CEU or graduate credits!
Where: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
When: June 23-27, 2014
Eligible Teachers: High school teachers in general science, chemistry, physics, math, or
technology; middle school physical science teachers
Schedule: This is a full day (8:00 to 5:00 PM) 5-day long workshop.
Cost: The camp is FREE, plus there is no registration fee.
Meals: Snacks and lunches will be provided.
Housing: Housing at a nearby residence hall (to include breakfast/dinner) will be provided for
teachers who are not within easy driving distance of Champaign-Urbana. A limited number of
rooms are available. Questions about housing should be directed to the Materials Science and
Engineering Department, not the ASM Foundation. For more information, contact Cindy Brya,
ph: 217-333-8312, brya@illinois.edu .
Continuing Education Units: 4 Continuing Education Unit (CEU) credits or 40 CPDU contact
hours for Illinois teachers.
Graduate Credits: 2 graduate credits are available (at participant’s expense) through the
University of Missouri-Kansas City at $250. (This is optional.)
Faculty: Primary faculty are two experienced high school “Master Teachers” who have taught
materials science courses for many years and helped develop this innovative approach to
hands-on learning of applied science principles.
To apply: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/PGHSWPB
Application Deadline: March 31, 2014.
Questions: Contact Jeane Deatherage (jeane.deatherage@asminternational.org) at ASM
International or Cindy Brya at (217) 333-8312 or brya@illinois.edu.
Illinois Basin Field Camp for K-12 Teachers
Illinois Basin Field Camp for K-12 Teachers will be held 15-19 June 2014.
Join The Geological Society of America on this 4-day field camp to discover the hidden
geological gems of the Illinois Basin in LaSalle County. This trip will be based from Peru, Illinois
which lies on the St. Peter Sandstone 125 feet above the Illinois River.
LaSalle County is possibly the most geologically interesting part of the layered Illinois Basin.
Every undergad geology student in the state visits the outcrops along the LaSalle Anticline.
LaSalle County is also now ground zero for the frac sand within the St. Peter Sand-stone. Three
mines have been producing this sand for 100 years and now two more are opening.
During this field camp you will have the chance to tour the underground Viper Coal Mine and the
iconic Silurian reef at the Thornton Quarry. Possible rock, mineral and fossil samples to collect
include: frac sand, limestone, shale, coal, pyrite nodules, gypsum, penn fossils, sand-stone,
dolostone, Silurian fossils and others.
Pre-service teachers welcomed! Contact Davida Buehler at dbuehler@geosociety.org for more
information.
Cost: $US 725 per person ($US 625 GSA teacher members)
Field Trip Flyer and registration form
Forces and Interactions: NGSS for Physics and Physical Science Teachers
Continuing education opportunity for Physics and Physical Science teachers to be offered at the
University of Wisconsin - River Falls, in conjunction with the American Association of Physics
Teachers' PTRA program.
This workshop will be of particular interest to teachers whose districts are already planning for
the adoption of the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS).
Forces and Interactions: NGSS for Physics and Physical Science Teachers
June 16-27, 2014
M-F
9:00 AM - 4:00 PM
The Physics department at the University of Wisconsin - River Falls and the American
Association of Physics Teachers' PTRA program have provided in service teachers with high
quality, in depth, and useful educational experiences for nearly 30 years. This two week
workshop focuses on teaching Physics and Physical Science courses that help students meet
and exceed the Next Generation Science Standards for Forces and Interactions.
Emphasis will be on Physics content knowledge, active learning techniques, and engineering
design applications specific to the NGSS. The course is jointly taught by university faculty and
AAPT's Physics Teaching Resource Agents (PTRAs). The workshop may be taken as
continuing education or to earn 3 graduate credits.
For more information and to register, please go to: www.uwrf.edu/PHYS/Summer.cfm
Please contact Lowell McCann ( Lowell.McCann@uwrf.edu ) with any questions about this
workshop.
Fermilab Summer Workshops
Visit our website – ed.fnal.gov For more details on programs, follow any of these links from the
home page:
"Quick Links to Programs" links to "Teacher Workshops." Use the "Calendar." "Search
Programs" lets you set the parameters for programs of interest to you. Use the "Educators"
tab or follow the links listed below.
Elementary Teachers
June 16-18 – The Prairie – Our Heartland
June 19-20 – Insects at Work in Our World
July 28-August 1 – Phriendly Physics
Middle Level Teachers
July 14-18 – Beauty and Charm
July 21-25 – Particles and Prairies
High School Teachers – Summer Secondary Science Institutes
June 16-20 – Summer Secondary Physics Institute - Engineering Applications
June 23-27 – Summer Secondary Physics Institute - Electricity & Magnetism
June 23-27 – Summer Secondary Biology Institute