Science Fair Supporter Penny Noyce Appointed to MA Board of Elementary and Secondary Education

November 8, 2012 editor Girls, Women, and Minorities in STEM

Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick has appointed Dr. Pendred “Penny” Noyce to Board of Elementary and Secondary Education.

“Dr. Noyce’s lifelong experience and commitment to education in Massachusetts makes her an excellent addition to the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education,” said Governor Patrick. “I am confident she will continue to be a great partner in our efforts to close the achievement gap and ensure that all of our students are prepared for success, and I thank her for her willingness to serve in this capacity.”

A longtime supporter of the Massachusetts State Science & Engineering Fair (MSSEF) through the Noyce Foundation, which she helped establish, Dr. Noyce is a former doctor of internal medicine.  The daughter of Robert Noyce, co-inventor of the integrated circuit and co-founder of Intel, Dr. Noyce earned a degree in biochemistry at Harvard and a medical degree at Stanford.  With Barnas Monteith, Vice Chairman of the MSSEF board of directors, Dr. Noyce founded Tumblehome Learning, a company that provides tools for students to become inspired to learn more about the natural and man-made worlds around them.

“I’m honored and excited to serve the children of Massachusetts in this new capacity,” Dr. Noyce said. “I hope to learn a great deal as well as to share what I’ve learned in twenty years of foundation work trying to improve public education, especially in math and science.”
See on www.mass.gov

PASCO STEM Educator Awards

October 31, 2012 editor Inquiry-Based Learning

PASCO and the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) have teamed up to celebrate STEM educators who have created and are using effective STEM curriculum in the classroom.

A total of five 2013 PASCO STEM Educator Awards will be given to teachers exhibiting excellent in STEM education.  One elementary school educator and two teachers from middle and high schools will receive a prize worth approximately $4,500.

Consisting of experts selected by NSTA, the judging panel will be looking for entries that implement innovative inquiry-based, technology-infused STEM programs.  The best entries will be those that address a real-world application or problem, challenging students to use STEM skills to solve it.

To apply, fill out this application and submit it  by November 30th, 2012.

Good luck!
See on www.pasco.com

Innovative Project in Worcester Turns STEM to STEAM

October 16, 2012 editor Creativity and Innovation, Grants

The Art of Science Learning, a new initiative made possible by funding from the National Science Foundation, promises to enhance STEM education in Worcester through the arts.  Led by the Ecotarium in partnership with individuals from numerous Worcester organizations, the project is one of three in the country benefiting from the $2.7 million NSF Art of Science Learning grant. The other two projects are in San Francicso and Chicago.

MSSEF board member Sandra Mayrand, director and founder of UMass Medical School’s Regional Science Resource Center and director of the Central Massachusetts STEM Network serves on the advisory board.  “The collaboration of the Worcester art and science organizations, including the Medical School, greatly impressed the site reviewers,” said Mayrand. “A lot of people including representatives from government, business, education and the non-profit world quickly came together to present our case. It was obvious that we all had worked together many times.”

In recognition of her work on behalf of STEM education in the region, Mayrand received the 2012 Steve Mills Founders Award from the Worcester Education Development Foundation this month. She was cited for her leadership and her commitment to public education and the mission of the Foundation. She also received a key to city from the Worcester School Committee; the key was made by students at Worcester Technical High School.  She has won numerous awards for work in building partnerships that support students and teachers.

Mayrand sees big opportunities for graduate students afforded by the Art of Science Learning grant. “They are the next generation of educators,” she said. “Many of them are hungry for opportunities to teach.”
See on www.umassmed.edu

Samsung Solve for Tomorrow Contest

October 10, 2012 editor Education Technology, Grants

John McIntyre, Sustainability and Brand Manager for Samsung, notified us of the following opportunity for Massachusetts schools:

From now until October 31st, Samsung Electronics is accepting applications for a program called Samsung Solve for Tomorrow. By entering, schools have a chance to win up to $110,000 in technology grants.  The competition is open to public middle and high school classes… and there is not a limit on how many classes can enter from a particular school.  Also, applicants don’t have to be Science or Math teachers.  Any teacher and their group of students…specials, AT, etc., can submit an application.

The way it works is teachers are asked to complete a short application.

From all entrants nationwide, 75 are selected to participate. Each of these 75 are then equipped with a camcorder, laptop, and video editing software to create videos addressing the challenge, “Show how STEM can help the environment in your community.”

The top 15 finalists will win a technology grant worth at least $40,000.

Videos from those 15 finalists will be posted online for grand prize judging.  One will be selected as a “People’s Choice” winner while four will be selected by an independent judging panel.  These five grand prize winners will receive an additional $70,000 in technology and cash for a total of $110,000 each.

The teacher and student representatives from each of the five grand prize winning schools will be brought to an awards ceremony in Washington D.C. and will meet with their Congressional representatives.

The full contest rules and additional information are posted at: www.samsung.com/solvefortomorrow.  You can also see examples of submissions from previous award winners at that web site.

Good luck!

What Engineering Education Means for K-12

October 10, 2012 editor Engineering

It’s the “E” in STEM, but what is engineering education, really, at the K-12 level?  A series of discussions on The Opportunity Equation blog tackles that subject thoughtfully through conversations with engineering experts and educators.

Recently, Christine M. Cunningham, the Founder and Director of Engineering is Elementary (EiE) — a program of Boston’s Museum of Science — weighed in on the work that her organization does to engage students of diverse backgrounds and interests in the wonderful world of engineering. After seven years of research and testing, EiE has evolved into a 20-unit engineering curriculum for elementary schools.

The program also focuses on professional development through a “train the trainer” model.  Now used in all 50 states by more than 20,000 teachers, the program has reached upwards of 1.7 million students, Cunningham estimates. “The design and inquiry-based approach enables teachers to engage in truly open-ended instruction and learning where there is no single correct answer,” she said. “Our results suggest that integrating engineering concepts and challenges at the elementary level can help to educate the next generation of innovators, designers, and problems solvers.”
See on opportunityequation.org

Somerville High School Physics Teacher Michael Maloney Wins Cubist Educator of the Week!

October 3, 2012 editor Education Innovation

Michael Maloney, Assistant Director of the Massachusetts Region IV Science Fair, received “Educator of the Week” honors at the Sunday, September 30 Patriots football game through Cubist Pharmaceuticals’ Science Education Leadership Award program.

According to Somerville High School Assistant Principal Sebastian LaGambina, who nominated Mike for the honor, “Michael is an absolutely fabulous physics teacher… probably the best educator I’ve seen in almost 30 years of education.”

Mike’s recent accomplishments include:

  • Developing an ePortfolio template that will be implemented school-wide, in which all 1,300 students will have an electronic portfolio for displaying their best work.
  • Spending many hours of his own time developing a resource page to assist teachers and students with their ePortfolios.
  • Developing an honors-level Engineering course that has more than 40 students enrolled.
  • Serving as advisor to both the Science League Advisor and the Yearbook Advisor.
  • Mentoring physics interns from Tufts University.

Throughout the Patriots football season, a “Teacher of the Week” will be recognized and have his/her name read on-air during the New England Patriots radio broadcast. At the end of the season, one of these teachers will be selected as the recipient of the Cubist Science Education Leadership Award and win $5,000 for the teacher’s school science department.

Congratulations, Mike on this well-deserved honor!

Innovative MA Science Teacher Honored at Patriots Game

September 24, 2012 editor Creativity and Innovation, STEM Education

Science scored a touchdown at the Patriots game last night, when Kelly Graveson, an 8th-grade teacher at Douglas High School in Douglas, MA, earned “Teacher of the Week” honors through Cubist Pharmaceuticals’ Science Education Leadership Award program.  Throughout football season, the program will honor science teachers in middle and high schools throughout New England who are incorporating innovative techniques in the classroom that inspire and engage students in the world of science.

Kelly was nominated by Sandra Mayrand, director of the Regional Science Resource Center at UMass Medical School and a member of the Massachusetts State Science & Engineering Fair (MSSEF) board of directors.  “Kelly is a phenomenal teacher,” Sandra said.  “I have seen her classes come alive for all of her students with them working in teams solving science challenges, learning, and loving it.”

Kelly has attended graduate professional development courses offered through MSSEF’s Curious Minds Initiative.  In addition, her classes have been part of the Gelfand Endeavor in Massachusetts Schools (GEMS), which works in partnership with MSSEF’s CMI Initiative to help teachers and schools integrate real-world, inquiry-based learning activities into their existing curricula, and create school-based science and engineering fair initiatives.

The science fair program in Kelly’s school district is only two years old.  Despite its recent inception, the Douglas science fair program has seen impressive success: Ten 8th-grade projects and 10 projects from 6th and 7th grade entered the Worcester Regional Middle School Fair in 2012. Several of those moved on the the State Middle School Science & Engineering Fair, and one made it into the Broadcom MASTERS semi-finals — an achievement realized by a total of only nine students in the state.

In nominating Kelly for the honor, Sandra said that Kelly is “committed to providing relevant innovative science and engineering classroom experiences to raise student achievement and boost student interest in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) careers.”

Throughout the Patriots football season, a “Teacher of the Week” will be recognized and have his/her name read on-air during the New England Patriots radio broadcast. At the end of the season, one of these teachers will be selected as the recipient of the Cubist Science Education Leadership Award and win $5,000 for the teacher’s school science department.

Congratulations, Kelly!

Sixteen Ways the Environment Matters in STEM Education

September 20, 2012 editor STEM Education

How does environmental education factor into STEM?  According to a blog post on Edudemic, environmental science jobs are growing fast — faster than any other science jobs at the moment, in fact. Furthermore, 78% of companies highly value a candidate’s environmental knowledge in the hiring process.  Clearly, environmental science education is a niche with a big future.  An infographic from the National Environmental Education Foundation puts it all into perspective:

See on edudemic.com

Education Secretary to Visit Marlborough’s STEM Program

September 17, 2012 editor STEM Education

Marlborough High School will welcome a VIP tomorrow, when Massachusetts Secretary of Education Paul Reville will pay a visit. The focus of his visit will be the high school’s STEM Early College High School, which integrates project-based learning experiences and personalized portfolio assessment with community involvement and internships in STEM-related careers. Funded in part with Race to the Top money, the program supports closing achievement gaps, and has received praise from Gov. Deval Patrick.
See on www.metrowestdailynews.com

Obama and Romney Tackle 14 Science Questions

September 12, 2012 editor Science


Scientific American and ScienceDebate.org (which refers to itself as “an independent citizens’ initiative asking candidates for office to discuss the top science questions facing America) posed 14 questions about science and education to President Obama and Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney.  Their responses will be analyzed and graded in the November issue of Scientific American, available next month.

In the meantime, you can read what the candidates had to say on such subjects as education, climate change, biosecurity, and innovation on Scientific American online.

Are the candidates qualified to respond to such questions? “Obama and Romney spend a lot of time talking about the economy, yet neither is an economist…. They should be able to discuss science and how it impacts people and society, even though neither is a scientist, said Science Debate co-founder Shawn Otto. “They should be able to talk about education, even though neither holds a teaching license.”
See on www.scientificamerican.com

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