Search Results

June 10, 2017

The Alexander Robertson School embraces new and energizing programming, and cites the Smithsonian Science Education Center Science and Technology Concepts (STC) curriculum as one of its proud programming offers.

June 13, 2017

This article, published by NSTA and ASTC, discusses how the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) created a network focused on collaboration in STEM education to design and deliver projects, resources, and professional learning opportunities in a testbed environment. Other Founding Members of the Mid-Columbia STEM Education Collaboratory include Delta High School, Washington LASER, and MESA—which are all interested in promoting STEM education in the Mid-Columbia region and beyond and have been successful in doing so within their niche areas. WA LASER originated at the Smithsonian Science Education Center in Washington, D.C., and has developed a wide system of support and resources to help educators successfully integrate STEM subjects into their classrooms. LASER assists districts in identifying and implementing locally appropriate strategies for their student populations (e.g., implementing the Science Resource Center, which provides ready-to-use science modules for teachers in K–8 classrooms throughout southeast Washington). Districts select those strategies that best fit the needs of their students and curricula.

June 14, 2017

George Washington University is engaged in several programs to advance the STEM teaching workforce. GWTeach is a GW undergraduate program that prepares STEM majors to become teachers; a new partnership between GWTeach and the Smithsonian Science Education Center; along with GWNoyce, an NSF-funded program where students majoring in STEM will receive two years of tuition in exchange for teaching after graduation in a high-need school district, are all expected to reach more than 500 GW students by 2022. 

June 14, 2017

AlejAndro Anastasio of "One Hand Speaks" has spoken in Malaysia, Singapore, Finland, Estonia, Austria, the Czech Republic and across the United States. In this podcast, AlejAndro shares his unique perspective of resilience, resolve, and flexibility and the beauty of rainbows, drawing on the content from the SSEC STEMVisions Blog, "The Science of Rainbows." Having a unique perspective on overcoming obstacles, AlejAndro has spoken and inspired people of all ages by helping them realize the power of their thinking. Born and raised in Indiana without his left hand, AlejAndro has decided to look at all the benefits of a one handed life through the power of thinking.

NextGen Teacher Leader Celebration

June 20, 2017

A group of 38 teachers from eight states will benefit from world-class training as a partnership between The Dow Chemical Company, CH2M, and the Smithsonian Science Education Center is renewed for another year. Participants in the 2017 Dow-CH2M Smithsonian Teacher Scholar Program will participate in the six-day Smithsonian Science Education Academies for Teachers (SSEATs) in Washington, D.C., then continue on a year-long growth experience tailored to expanding science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) excellence.

June 20, 2017

A study published in April 2017 by a Stanford research fellow claims to have solved part of the problem of how to boost student performance in schools. It's not just studying alone. It's how you study that is the real key. In this article, learn more about Stanford research which shows that a simple intervention can help students think about their own thinking before exams. See their reference to the SSEC Good Thinking webisode, "That's so Meta(cognitive)."

When I ask someone, “How was your day?”, they often respond that “It felt long.” Sometimes, if it was a really tough day, they will go as far as claiming that it felt like “the longest day of the year.” On most days, 364 to be precise, that claim is factually false. Today, however, anyone in the northern hemisphere can correctly state that this feels like the longest day of the year.

June 24, 2017

Disaster Detector is named a 2017 Best App for Teaching & Learning by the American Association of School Librarians.

The American Association of School Librarians (AASL) announced its 2017 list of Best Apps for Teaching & Learning at the American Library Association (ALA) Annual Conference in Chicago. The list of apps provides technology resources for school librarians and their teacher collaborators. Now in its fifth year, the list is considered the "best of the best" by AASL.

June 26, 2017

Health experts says that there is a possible link between zika fever and microcephaly in new born babies by mother to child transmission. The Smithsonian Science Education Center, together with the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI), the InterAcademy Partnership (IAP), and the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), are developing a curriculum module called "Zika!" to help students better understand this virus and other mosquito-borne diseases. SSEC Director, Dr. Carol O'Donnell, is helping to spread the word about this free online module, with the hope of disseminating it globally after its release in May 2018. On June 23, 2017, Carol traveled to Miami to present information on "Zika!" at Miami City Hall, along with Miami's Mayor, in an event lead by Square Roots' CEO, Morad Fareed, who sits on the SSEC National Advisory Board. This event is the first of 40 to come to identify BIRTHMARK Cities committed to educating their community--including youth--about pregnancy health and wellness. "Zika!" is being funded by the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation and will be disseminated with the help of the Johnson & Johnson global network.

June 26, 2017

June 26, 2017

STC has lasting effects on elementary students understanding of physical science even after they enter High School, according to this 2018 article from the research journal, "Review of Education." Researchers from Sweden summarize their evaluations of SSEC's Science and Technology for Children (STC) Program on 9th graders' content and process skills in sciences. The Swedish version, called Natural Sciences and Technology for All (NTA), is predominantly employed in grades 1–6 in more than 40% of Swedish schools. A nationally representative random sample of almost 16,000 test‐taking students is coupled with multi‐level information about the NTA, and background factors. The researchers found statistically significant positive effects of NTA on 9th graders' national test scores (effect size 0.24), but not on their course grades, and on national test grades for physics, but not for biology or chemistry. The article explains these effects.

June 26, 2017

The Smithsonian Science Education Center will team up again with Diplomatic Courier as it organizes the fifth annual 2018 Global Talent Summit. Join us January 20, 2018 at ETH Zurich University in Switzerland as we convene educators from around the globe to discuss critical conversations that affect our nation and the world. Particularly, "How do we prepare our students for the future--a world of unprecedented change in the age of machine learning and artificial intelligence?"

June 26, 2017

With its breadth and depth of expertise in science, the arts, history, technology, and education, the Smithsonian Institution is uniquely poised to be a catalyst for convening a national conversation about the critical issues of the day. "Second Opinion" is an Institution-wide partnership to create a digital platform for thought leaders to explore challenges facing the nation and the world at large, from climate change to education, to technology, to the arts. Four times a year, the Institution convenes a panel of experts representing a spectrum of thought for a roundtable discussion on an issue facing the nation. This quarter's issue on climate change includes educational resources from the Smithsonian Science Education Center.

June 26, 2017

The June 2017 Smithsonian Research Highlights, prepared for the Board of Regents, describes an invited chapter authored by the Smithsonian Science Education Center (SSEC) and published in the anthology "Theories and Fundamentals of Inquiry Based Science Teaching." The chapter outlines results from SSEC's i3 validation study on LASER. The Smithsonian Institution was created by Congress in 1846 as "an establishment for the increase and diffusion of knowledge." Congress vested responsibility for the administration of the Smithsonian in a Board of Regents, consisting of the Chief Justice of the United States, the Vice President of the United States, three members of the United States Senate, three members of the United States House of Representatives, and nine citizens. The Board of Regents meets at least four times each year and typically convenes in the Regents Room. For more information on the Board of Regents, see: https://www.si.edu/regents

Have you had a chance to check out Showbiz Safari in the SSEC Game Center? In this life science game, students take on the role of assistant casting director for Walrus! He has three kinds of movies to cast – but different roles require different kinds of organisms! Using their knowledge of diverse plant and animal life, students must make sure that Walrus casts the prefect character for each of his movies. Keep reading to learn more about some of the super cool organisms from the game! 

July 10, 2017

Smithsonian Magazine's "Ask Smithsonian" series drew on the expertise of Senior Science Curriculum Developer, Dr. Katya Vines, when readers asked, "I was taught that there are three kinds of matter: solids, liquids and gases. But aren’t there others?" To read Dr. Vines' answer to this question and other questions like it from readers, go to:  http://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/do-animals-have-baby-teeth-more-questions-readers-180963688/#ffE5H6xr1T3SmoDY.99

July 10, 2017

 Dr. Amy D'Amico has been invited to speak at the Gender Summit, which has as one of its goals greater gender equality by increasing the number of women in scientific roles. Dr. D'Amico will participate in the panel, "Diversifying the STEM Community of Tomorrow: Educational, Extracurriculuar, and Community Influences." The panel will focus on the many factors influencing girls’ decisions to pursue postgraduate studies and careers in STEM. These factors include the way they are taught science and technology in school, the availability and quality of science-based extracurricular activities, and the effects of STEM experiences in the community in which they live. Together, such factors shape girls’ choices about their futures. The goal of this session is to explore ways to diversify the STEM community of tomorrow by understanding the impact of early-life STEM-related influences and by determining best practices that could help to increase the diversity of the STEM community.

July 10, 2017

SSEC hosts three Smithsonian Science Education Academies for Teachers (SSEATs) professional development academies in Washington, D.C. each year. The academies include: Biodiversity (June 18-23); Energy’s Innovations and Implications (July 9-14); and Earth's History and Global Change (July 30-August 4). This year, for the first time, the Smithsonian will collaborate with the National Museum of African American History and Culture to develop one day of programming for the Energy’s Innovations and Implications academy. The program will focus on the museum’s LEED (Leadership and Energy in Environmental Design) Gold certification, and participants will have an opportunity to take a behind-the-scenes look at the museum’s sustainability measures, including a green roof and water recycling system, and view the facility through the eyes of one of the museum’s architects and a structural engineer.