SCIENCE UPDATES
Week of February 9-13, 2015
Bio Teach
BioTeach – Save the Date
The Virginia BIO Foundation, a not for profit foundation created to connect bioscience companies with teachers and students to stimulate career interest in the biosciences (BioSTEM), is pleased to announce it will be hosting BioTeach events on March 19, 2015. The locations will be announced in the near future and will be shared with science educators through the Science Update and TeacherDirect.
Building Tomorrow’s Thinkers
Building Tomorrow’s Thinkers
The VAST Region 3 directors have organized the third annual Region Three Mini Conference featuring Kip Bisignano as the Key Note speaker. The conference will be held at the University of Mary Washington on March 14, 2015. New Date!
Audience - K-8 teachers
Time - 8:30 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
Registration open to all on the VAST website
Cost $25
Teacher Resources
African-American Scientists and Inventors Series
The Community Idea Stations is taking the opportunity this February to acknowledge and highlight achievements by black Americans, as society often did not value their genius. Each week, the CIS will offer another article to the series. The following are the articles from their first two weeks.
Week 1 - Mae Jemison: A Lady Outta This World
Week 2 - James West-Can You Hear Me Now?
Forest Products Presentation – We All Need Trees
The We all Need Trees presentation, offered during the VAST PDI, has been improved and posted as a PDF on the Virginia PLT website,www.cnre.vt.edu/plt. You will find the link in the first row of headings: We All Need Trees. The presentation is intended to support the Science SOL 4.9, but may also be useful for 2.8, 3.10, 3.11, 6.9, LS.11, ES.6, as well has history SOL 2.7, 2.9, VS.10, and CE.12.
Google Earth Pro Is Now Available For Free
Google has announced that Google Earth Pro is now available for free. Google Earth is a geospatial software application that displays a virtual globe, which offers the ability to analyze and capture geographical data. Google Earth was created after Google acquired CIA-funded Keyhole Inc. in 2004. Under Keyhole, the application was known as EarthViewer 3D. Visit Google Maps to learn more.
AAAS Science Assessment beta
The assessment items on this website are the result of more than a decade of research and development by Project 2061, a long-term science education reform initiative of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
Here you will find free access to more than 600 items. The items:
- Are appropriate for middle and early high school students.
- Test student understanding in the earth, life, physical sciences, and the nature of science.
- Test for common misconceptions as well as correct ideas.
This website also includes:
- Data on how well U.S. students are doing in science and where they are having difficulties, broken out by gender, English language learner status, and whether the students are in middle school or high school.
- “My Item Bank,” a feature that allows you to select, save, and print items and answer keys (requires site registration).
- A feature that allows you to create and take tests online using items from the item collection (requires site registration).
Intended primarily for teachers, these assessment items and resources will also be useful to education researchers, test developers, and anyone who is interested in the performance of middle and high school students in science.
Teacher Opportunities
Innovative Technology in Science Inquiry Webinar
Join the Innovative Technology in Science Inquiry (ITSI) team on February 17 for an hour of stimulating chat on using ITSI models in science inquiry activities. Members of the Concord Consortium’s Professional Learning Community will introduce you to model activities, answer your questions about using the ITSI tools and provide updates on the new HTML5 format. They will share their experiences, favorite models, and hot tips. Learn more » These are many of the same models you can find correlated to the Virginia Science Standards of Learning on the Virginia Science Activities, Models, and Simulations web page.
Library of Congress Accepting Summer Teacher Institute Applications: Primary Sources in Science
The application for the Library of Congress Summer Teacher Institute for Primary Sources in Science is now available. This week-long professional development opportunity, taking place July 20-24, 2015, is designed for K-12 educators who teach science or collaborate with science teachers. In the Science Institute, participants will explore the benefits of using historical primary sources in the science classroom, particularly around the nature of science, the practices of scientists, and the relationship between science and society. Participants will build skills in teaching effectively with photographs, manuscripts, drawings, maps, and other formats from the Library's collections. Full article
Join the National Park Service in Ringing “Bells across the Land: A Nation Remembers Appomattox”
National Park Services On April 9, 1865, Union Gen. Ulysses S. Grant met Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee to set the terms of surrender of Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia. In conjunction with a major event at Appomattox Court House National Historical Park, the National Park Service and its partners invite communities across the nation to join in this commemoration. The bells will ring first at Appomattox at 3:00 p.m. on April 9, 2015, coinciding with the moment the historic meeting between Grant and Lee in the McLean House at Appomattox Court House ended. After the ringing at Appomattox, bells will reverberate across the country. Churches, temples, schools, city halls, public buildings, historic sites, and others are invited to ring bells precisely at 3:15 pm for four minutes (each minute symbolic of a year of war). If you have access to any such organizations, please encourage them to participate.
Share how you observed it with #BellsAcrosstheLand2015. Stories will be compiled in one place to see how each one helps build our national story.
Please join us in the historic commemoration. Let bells ring across the land!
For additional information, please see the attached Press Release and the National Park Services Teacher Resource Packet titled “Bells Across the Land.” For further information or additional resources, please contact Amy Bracewell from Cedar Creek/Belle Grove National Historical Park at amy_bracewell@nps.gov.
Dominion to Award $1.2 Million in Environmental Grants
The Dominion Foundation will award up to $1.2 million in environmental stewardship grants to nonprofit 501(c)(3) organizations in communities served by Dominion companies (all Virginia localities eligible). The Dominion Foundation will consider grant requests up to $50,000 that focus on specific, short-term projects that promise measurable results to improve the environment. The projects should support one or more of the following priorities:
- Protecting and preserving natural habitats
- Monitoring and enhancing water quality
- Preventing pollution and improving open spaces
- Making nature accessible
- Educating the public about environmental stewardship
Application Cycle
- March 2 - Applications due by 5 p.m.
- April 13 - Notification to all applicants
- April 25 - Public announcements
How to Apply
To begin your application, first complete the brief eligibility quiz.
Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching (PAEMST) – Nominations Open – Grades 7-12
The Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching is pleased on announce that the 2014-2015 cycle for grades 7 – 12 has begun and the nomination process has been opened. Nominations close on April 1, 2015.
PAEMST are the nation's highest honors for teachers of mathematics and science (including computer science). Awardees serve as models for their colleagues, inspiration to their communities, and leaders in the improvement of mathematics and science education. Since 1983, more than 4,300 teachers have been recognized for their contributions in the classroom and to their profession. If you know great teachers, nominate them to join this prestigious network of professionals.