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As schools across the globe see students and teachers returning to the classroom or undertaking distance learning, the Smithsonian Science Education Center is supporting educators to engage students in exciting, transdisciplinary learning that can be done in or out of the classroom.

August 15, 2020

At the recently held ‘Virtual Consultation on Science for Resilience, Food, Nutrition and Livelihoods: Contemporary Challenges’, organized by the M S Swaminathan Research Foundation, a particularly relevant talk on science education was delivered by Dr. Bruce Alberts of the University of California at San Francisco, U.S. The theme was science communication and Dr. Alberts discussed how every child is a scientist, keenly observant. In his talk, he referenced the Smithsonian Science Education Center's project "Smithsonian Science for Global Goals" as an exemplar program that is transforming science into societal value by helping youth ages 8-17 discover, understand, and act upon the world's most pressing socio-scientific issues. Topics in this program include mosquito-borne diseases, food security, biodiversity loss, sustainable communities, and the protective behaviors needed to reduce the spread of diseases like COVID-19. To learn more, go to: https://ssec.si.edu/global-goals.

August 18, 2020

“Tami’s Tower: Let’s Think About Engineering” was featured in a Columbus Parent media review for recommended resources for kids. The author is a librarian from the Columbus Metropolitan Library and recommends the app as a way to learn perseverance and basic engineering skills. “Tami’s Tower” is a recipient of the Notable Children’s Digital Media award from the Association for Library Service to Children. The Columbus Parent is a an award-winning publication of Gannett for families in Central Ohio. Read the article: https://www.columbusparent.com/entertainment/20200818/media-reviews-inspirational-books-for-kids.

August 20, 2020

Leading school science supplier Carolina Biological launched digital remote teaching resources for the Smithsonian K-8 curriculum: Smithsonian Science for the Classroom™@HOME, and Smithsonian Science and Technology Concepts™ Middle School@HOME. Carolina updated its award-winning K-8 Smithsonian Science programs to support essential remote instruction in elementary and middle schools this fall, which are available now and designed to provide high-quality, Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) science instruction. Carolina enhanced Smithsonian curriculum with simplified digital teacher-planning features for robust remote science instruction, as well as a variety of live and online on-demand professional development called Get Ready! Professional Learning. Whether educators are teaching students from their classrooms or at home, they can maintain a high-quality science program, engage students online in three-dimensional learning, and continue to support English language arts and math.

As districts develop plans for their 2020-21 school year, science educators will play an important role in educating students about COVID-19 and the underlying science and social science of the pandemic.

As districts develop plans for their 2020-21 school year, science educators will play an important role in educating students about COVID-19 and the underlying science and social science of the pandemic. In this session, the Smithsonian Science Education Center will demonstrate some of the hands on activities science educators and families can do with children to help protect themselves and others from COVID-19 as they return to their “new normal” this fall.

The Summit will delve into complex topics related to the changing nature of work, such as talent competition in a virtual work environment, shifted hiring practices, new workplace norms, and many more. Each session will bring together experienced leaders from academia, the private sector, think-tanks, as well as representatives of a new generation of Minerva student-changemakers. Moderators include Minerva’s faculty and the Summit’s own MC Kelly Ryan Bailey, podcaster at “Let's Talk About Skills, Baby” and the Director of Open Skills at Emsi.

Launched by Scarisbrick Hall School in Lancashire UK in partnership with the World Health Organization and UNICEF aims to bring together the world’s school children across the globe to connect and have a voice during the COVID-19 global pandemic.

As districts develop plans for their 2020-21 school year, science educators will play an important role in educating students about COVID-19 and the underlying science and social science of the pandemic.

The Smithsonian Science Education Center (SSEC) developed “COVID-19! How can I protect myself and others?,” a new free guide for youth ages 8–17, which helps young people understand the science and social science of COVID-19 as well as help them take actions to keep themselves, their families and communities safe.

In this session, we discuss how we integrated citizen science into Smithsonian Science for Global Goals (SSfGG)--a series of free online Community Research Guides for youth ages 8-17, which contain carefully sequenced transdisciplinary science lessons interwoven with education for sustainable development.

The Price of Being a Minority Woman in Science: Dr. Shirley Malcom Reflects on 44 Years of The Double Bind [panel].

In the era of COVID-19, racial and gender inequities, climate change, and the digital divide, STEM educators play a critical role in helping students discover, understand, and act on real-world challenges that affect us. In this session, the Director of the Smithsonian Science Education Center, Dr. Carol O’Donnell, will discuss teaching inquiry-based STEM education (IBSE) in complex times and how the Smithsonian is using the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as a framework for helping students maintain high interest in STEM as a path to doing social good. Dr.

September 1, 2020

Lagos State Commissioner for Education, Folasade Adefisayo, released a statement to BusinessDay. In it, Adefisayo explained that her team participated in the SSEC's annual intensive week-long institute, the Smithsonian K-12 Science Education Action Planning Institute. The annual event, according to Adefisayo, is a forum where teams of educators, administrators and stakeholders from across the world converge to gain an in-depth understanding of the Smithsonian Science Education Center's Leadership and Assistance for Science Education Reform (LASER) model and apply it to strategic planning for their varied communities. According to Adefisayo, "Working on driving the infusion of the STEM teaching and learning methodology in the basic educational curriculum of Lagos State to encourage students to become innovators and problem-solvers instead of becoming sole consumers of knowledge remains crucial if we must prepare the students for the future”. The team was assembled and led by the Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on STEM Education, Adetola Salau.

Southern University and A&M College and the Smithsonian Science Education Center will host a two-day virtual professional development workshop for grades K-12 STEM teachers and their administrators funded by Shell Oil Company to:

September 8, 2020

The Smithsonian featured SSEC’s “COVID-19! How can I help myself and others?” module as a part of its Confronting a Pandemic: Research and Education Update. This institution-wide effort showcases the work of Smithsonian experts as they research the impact of COVID-19 on our communities. Our module helps students aged 8–17 understand the origins of this particular virus and how to utilize public health information to keep themselves and their communities safe.

As districts develop plans for their 2020-21 school year, science educators will play an important role in educating students about COVID-19 and the underlying science and social science of the pandemic.

In this session, the Smithsonian Science Education Center will provide an example framework for developing a sequence of lessons for your K-12 classroom, museum, or learning center that draws on the "Smithsonian Science for Global Goals" Community Research Guides, which help youth ages 8-17 discover, understand, and act on the most pressing socio-scientific challenges of our time (such as food security, renewable energy, biodiversity, and climate science).

September 16, 2020

Carol O'Donnell, Director of the Smithsonian Science Education Center, shares how she found her passion for teaching, paving her own path to being at home with her kids and working, and the amazing initiatives being led by the Smithsonian Science Education Center to bring science education to communities across the globe.

September 15, 2020

The Smithsonian Science Education Center was listed as a “favorite online resource” in a blog post by the biotechnology education company, Edvotek, in celebration of National Online Learning Day.

In the fall, leaves change color and apples and pumpkins are ripe. BrianAJackson/iStock/Getty Images Plus

Meteorological fall arrived on September 1. This is harvest season for many people in the Northern Hemisphere. Apples are ready to pick at orchards and pumpkin patches await visitors. Are you raking leaves yet? Are you enjoying delicious, warm apple cider as the temperature begins to cool?  The first day of astronomical fall in the Northern Hemisphere officially arrives September 22 when the Sun crosses the celestial equator going north to south, which is called the autumnal equinox. During an equinox the tilt of Earth’s axis and Earth’s orbit around the Sun are positioned such that the axis isn’t tilting one hemisphere toward or away from the Sun. Direct sunlight shines on the equator, so the length of day and night is nearly equal for both hemispheres.

September 18, 2020

SSEC’s graphic artist, Sofia Elian, is featured in a new Smithsonian American Art Museum Exhibit. The “Alexander von Humboldt and the United States: Art, Nature, and Culture” exhibition places American art squarely in the center of a conversation about Humboldt’s lasting influence on the way we think about our relationship to the natural world.

September 22, 2020

"The Global Classroom" held its 4th global event on September 22, 2020, with the theme "One Global Body." This event connected children and spokespeople from around the globe to give a better understanding of how to live a healthy lifestyle. This live broadcast event, which reached and connected over 14,000 children across 198 countries, featured Logan Schmidt, SSEC Science Curriculum Developer, who discussed "Task 3.1 Food Diaries" from SSEC's guide called "Food! How Can We Ensure Good Nutrition for All?" The event also hosted SSEC's colleague Dr Panagis Galiatsatos, a physician and Assistant Professor at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, who has significant experience in the field of health and wellness. Having published in excess of 40 research articles on health equity and health outcomes, Dr Panagis Galiatsatos shared his inspirational thoughts with students live.

September 22, 2020

Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution Lonnie Bunch, III highlighted the SSEC’s “COVID-19! How I Can Protect Myself and Others” module in an article from The Torch.

September 24, 2020

The COVID-19! How Can I Protect Myself and Others? guide for youth is having an impact with students and teachers in Mexico. The guide, which is based on the UN Sustainable Development Goals, aims to help young people understand the science and social science of COVID-19 as well as help them take actions to keep themselves, their families and communities safe.

September 25, 2020

Smithsonian Science Education Center Director Carol O’Donnell has been featured in an article by Salzburg Global Seminar for her transformative work with K-12 science education.

Through her work as a Salzburg Global Fellow and SSEC director, Dr. O’Donnell hopes to change the science education landscape by fostering the access of resources on an international scale. As noted in the article, SSEC and its community partners are diligently working to disseminate its content to educators and students across the globe to spark community change.