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August 1, 2018

Lauraine Genota of Education Week interviewed Dr. Carol O'Donnell, director of the Smithsonian Science Education Center, to get her opinion on a new project-based learning program called "Geospatial Semester" as a way of engaging high school students in authentic STEM experiences. The program originated at James Madison University (JMU) in Virginia, where faculty guide high school students through STEM project and award them college credit upon completion. According to Dr. Bob Kolvoord, Dean of the College of Integrated Science and Engineering at JMU, a student's project could be focused on something as hyperlocal as traffic on school grounds or as global as children's health around the world. The goal is for students to develop an understanding of spatial concepts and refine their critical thinking skills while using geographic information systems technology to solve problems within their community. NSF has awarded a $2 million grant to JMU, Northwestern University, and the Chicago public schools to implement the program in the 370,000-student school system, the nation's third-largest.

Sometimes there is nothing more refreshing than a cold drink. You walk into a restaurant, get your plastic cup of soda, and stab a plastic straw through the lid. The drink is gone in probably an hour at the most, but that cup and straw will be hanging around in a landfill or ocean long after that.

What is it?

What are these things made of that make them stick around for so long? Most drinking straws are made out of polypropylene, a commonly used polymer. A polymer is a very long chain of molecules all bonded together. Most plastics that you use are polymers. Polypropylene is made using propylene gas, a fuel made up of hydrogen and carbon atoms. The gas goes through a chemical reaction (polymerization), and a lot of the propylene molecules form one very long chain called polypropylene. This makes your drinking straws. Another polymer is polyethylene terephthalate. This is the plastic in soda bottles and is made of long chains of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen atoms.

How do we use it?

Plastic has become a large part of our life ever since it came into popular use in the 1960s. It is used everywhere, from hospitals to shoes to food containers. It is inexpensive and easy to shape and use in a variety of ways. Medical use of plastic allows for making better artificial limbs. Sterile plastic packaging cuts down on the risk of infections. Plastic in the home keeps our houses at more reasonable temperatures and cuts down on energy costs. Using plastic to preserve food keeps it good and fresh for longer.

But with all this plastic use, where does it all go after we are done with it? Plastic can’t decompose like other natural materials. In the future, there will be a need to make better plastics and be more careful with how we use it.

Plastic syringes for medical use. Airman 1st Class Dillon Audit, United States Air Force

From July 8^th to 13^th, 2018, 17 educators from all over the country came to Washington, DC, to participate in this year’s Energy Smithsonian Science Education Academy for Teachers (SSEAT). Californians, Texans, and Washingtonians alike spent the week going behind the scenes of Smithsonian museums and facilities to learn more about the history of energy, current energy production and consumption, and alternative forms of energy for today and the future. The week was a whirlwind of experiences at Smithsonian museums and other field trips. Participants saw the exhibitions of the National Museum of American History and the backrooms of the National Museum of Natural History, the neutron research facility of the National Institute of Standards and Technology, and test drives in a fleet of electric and hydrogen fuel vehicles provided by the Electric Vehicle Association of Greater Washington, DC. These trips were supplemented by the expert knowledge of researchers and scientists from the Smithsonian, the Naval Research Laboratory, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the US Department of Energy, and the National Institute of Standards and Technology who provided in-depth information on the complexities of energy.

The station director gives a presentation about the operation of a power plant. Smithsonian Science Education Center

August 8, 2018

The Smithsonian Science Education Center's game of global freshwater resources, Aquation: The Freshwater Access Game, has received four out of five possible stars in a review from Common Sense Media. In particular, the review praises the global-scale systems thinking, player self-reflection, and engrossing gameplay demonstrated in Aquation, which was also featured on Common Sense Media's lists of "Global Awareness Games," "Free Educational Games," and "Social Studies Games." Common Sense Media is the leading family-focused reviewer of games, apps, movies, TV shows, and other digital media. Aquation is a single-player digital-strategy game that enables students to study the science that guides the hydrosphere as it relates to the global availability of freshwater.

August 9, 2018

North Central Educational Service District (NCESD) Managing Director of Science Education Mechelle LaLanne has recently returned from a week-long training at the Smithsonian Science Education Center’s Strategic Planning Institute in Washington D.C. LaLanne attended as an invited observer, with the intent to return to NCESD districts with the presented LASER model. During the July 23-27 training, she was also asked to help answer questions about the next Smithsonian Science for the Classroom curriculum modules, which are being implemented by the NCESD STEM Materials Center. Two additional teams from Washington and four from Mexico also attended. The SSEC’s Science Education Institute for Leadership Development and Strategic Planning convenes leadership teams comprised of state-level leaders, district and school administrators, teachers, and community partners. Teams represent key stakeholders that are integral to the success of a new science education program.

August 10, 2018

Politico discusses the history of the Smithsonian and the role of President Polk, who inaugurated the Smithsonian complex on August 10th, 1846. Politico mentions the Smithsonian Science Education Center as one of the Smithsonian’s many organizations, including its 19 museums, 9 research centers, 5 education centers, 21 libraries, 3 cultural centers, and a zoo. After a decade of often heated debate, Congress in 1846 on August 10th passed the Smithsonian Institution Act. It was signed into law by President James K. Polk. An independent federal trust, the Smithsonian has become the world’s largest museum, education and research complex, and the Smithsonian Science Education Center is proud to be a part of it all.

August 12, 2018

After classroom piloting by 31 teachers during recent months, ESD 105 will be offering five new engineering-based science instructional kits for 1st-5th grade classes through their Science Co-op starting this fall 2018. Science teachers will be able to implement some or all of the new units for 2018-2019, or can wait until 2019-2020. The new curriculum modules are from the Smithsonian Science Education Center’s "Smithsonian Science for the Classroom" curriculum and include titles such as, "How Can We Send a Message Using Sound?” (for 1st grade, which will replace the STC Weather unit), "How Can We Keep Soil from Washing Away?” (for 2nd grade, which will replace the STC Soils unit), and "How Can We Protect Animals When Their Habitat Changes? (for 3rd grade, which will replace the STC Rocks & Minerals unit).

Have you ever considered mosquitoes and the illnesses they transmit from an ethical perspective? For example, do you think it’s ethical to kill all mosquitoes if that would protect humans from mosquito-borne diseases? You could also consider the issue from an environmental or social perspective. Should travel be restricted for people leaving countries where mosquito-borne diseases are currently present? Perhaps you have never thought about mosquitoes in these contexts. More than likely, you might have considered the economic cost of mosquitos, either to prevent them from biting you or to treat an illness caused by a mosquito-borne disease. But what about these other perspectives? Are they not also equally important to consider when working toward local and global solutions? If we only consider the economic impact of mosquitoes, we will never truly address all of the complexities within the global challenge to ensure health for all from mosquito-borne diseases. This is the issue students from across the globe will address with Mosquito!, the Smithsonian Science Education Center’s new curriculum module.

Mosquito! Community Research Guide: How Can We Ensure Health for All from Mosquito-borne Diseases? Smithsonian Science Education Center

August 21, 2018

In this article, Melissa Rogers, science curriculum developer for the Smithsonian Science Education Center, talks about the 180th anniversary of the birth of Ferdinand Adolf Heinrich August Graf von Zeppelin. Zeppelin was an engineer whose self-named company made the first successful rigid airship. The path from his inspiration during a balloon trip in Minnesota in 1863 and the successful flight of Zeppelin LZ1 in 1900 is a great example of the engineering design process in action.

August 26, 2018

Under the leadership of Dato Lee Cheong, Chair of InterAcademy Partnership (IAP) Science Education Programme (SEP) Global Council, SSEC Director, Dr. Carol O’Donnell, and colleagues from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), attended the “Exclusive Forum on Promoting Science Literacy through the National Museums of ASEAN Countries” in Nonthaburi, Thailand. During O’Donnell’s presentation, she addressed the role of museums in promoting science literacy onsite, in communities, in schools, and online. O’Donnell shared with attendees, information on the Smithsonian Science for Global Goals project, which uses the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as a framework to encourage youth ages 8-17 to engage in sustainable actions that are student-defined and implemented.

Still preparing for the new school year? We've got you covered! We have curriculum, professional development, and digital media resources to help you start the new school year off right!

Smithsonian Science for the Classroom

Curriculum | Grades 1-5

Smithsonian Science for the Classroom was designed from the ground up to meet the Next Generation Science Standards.

Smithsonian Science for the Classroom is a new curriculum developed by the Smithsonian Science Education Center. It is designed to engage, inspire, and connect your students firsthand to the world around them. The curriculum has been developed in consultation with teachers and field tested in a range of schools with diverse populations.  It draws on the latest findings and best practices from educational research.

For decades, the Smithsonian Science Education Center has been a leader in providing curriculum, professional development, and leadership development in support of inquiry-based science education.

September 3, 2018

A blog post authored by Catapult X reports on its STEM focus group findings, which can be downloaded here, and then circulated the findings to a few colleagues in science and STEM education. In the blog, it cites Dr. Carol O'Donnell, Director of the Smithsonian Science Education Center, who suggested that Catapult X add a definition of STEM education as opposed to just STEM and she shared with the author a definition from Carnegie Mellon University. Read the STEM Report blog to learn more.

September 5, 2018

Given the rapid growth of technology, Coding Dojo authored an article on the "7 Coding Tips for Parents" and cites facts from the Smithsonian Science Education Center. Coding Dojo is the first school in the world to teach three full stacks of software development in 14 weeks: an ability only acquirable through years of refinement and only enabled by a staff of seasoned web developers through decades of programming experience.

September 5, 2018

Big Deal Media highlighted Smithsonian Science for Global Goals as a free resource for educators that creates inquiry-based learning experiences that focus on sustainability. Big Deal Media identifies top-quality resources and open-educational resources (OERs) for schools and K-12 classrooms. It is a content-rich collection of trusted print and electronic publications that offer the information and tools K-12 educators need-all vetted through the prism of the curriculum. It delivers lists of resources and funding opportunities, and has done so since 1995. It has more than 50 educational organizations as distribution partners.

Read more at https://www.bigdealbook.com/newsletters/k-12_technology/?sho...

September 6, 2018

The News-Democrat did a story on Carroll County High School science teacher Mr. Eric Tharp, who was one of 38 teachers from eight states to participate in the 2018 Dow-Jacobs Smithsonian Teacher Scholar Program, a collaboration between The Dow Chemical Company, Jacobs Engineering and the Smithsonian Science Education Center. Mr. Tharp traveled to Washington, D.C., for the six-day Smithsonian Science Education Academies for Teachers. Since 2007, Dow has supported more than 310 teachers through its partnership with the Smithsonian Science Education Center, part of the Smithsonian Institution, the world’s largest museum, education, and research complex, according to a news release. This year’s involvement of Dow’s strategic business partner Jacobs Engineering allows employees from both companies to contribute to the teachers’ growth experience.

People once thought the red panda, also known as the lesser panda, was related to bears or raccoons, but they are actually their own genus, Ailuridae. Within the genus, there are two species: fulgens fulgens and fulgens refulgens. Both species live in Eastern Asia, in high-altitude, temperate forest.

Red pandas are especially cute*. They grow to be 22-24 inches with a 14-18 inch tail and weigh 8-13 pounds, which is roughly similar to a large house cat. Red pandas have russet and white fur with distinct face markings. Their fur is very thick on their body and tail, which helps keep them warm in the mountainous habitat.

A red panda at Smithsonian's National Zoo. Katie Fancher, Smithsonian Science Education Center

September 15, 2018

The American Geophysical Union (AGU) Annual Meeting will be held December 10-14, 2018 in Washington DC. Andre Radloff, lead curriculum developer for the Smithsonian Science for Global Goals project, will discuss his recent publication called "Mosquito! How do we ensure health for all from mosquito-borne disease?" during a panel called "Mosquito! Using NASA Citizen Science to bring Global Goals to Local Learning and Action" (453137). Andre will be joined by lead presenter, Theresa G Schwerin and Russanne Low from the Institute for Global Environmental Strategies in Arlington, VA. This panel is part of a session designed to make connections with NASA science activation, collaboration, and learning initiatives. By fostering communication and collaboration across the STEM learning ecosystem, NASA seeks to share new ideas and methodologies and together with collaborators such as the Smithsonian, advance STEM learning and literacy for all learners.

Smithsonian Science Education Center & Thailand

September 24, 2018

The "SDGs In Action Forum" is an annual high-level event that brings together leaders from the private sector, United Nations (UN) Member States, UN agencies, and international organizations so that they can leverage their experience, access to market, and resources towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The private sector is well-positioned to bring sustainable long-term solutions to achieving the SDGs by the 2030 target. Likewise, the SDGs present significant opportunities for the private sector to open up new markets and attract new private investments in sustainable development. As one of 9 invitational speakers, Dr. Carol O'Donnell, Director of the Smithsonian Science Education Center, will present on SSEC's "Smithsonian Science for Global Goals" project, which uses the UN SDGs as an instructional framework to help youth ages 8-17 focus on sustainable actions that are student-defined and implemented.