Smithsonian Science Education Center Director, Dr. Carol O'Donnell, delivered the commencement speech at the University of Pittsburgh December 2022 Graduation. Dr. O'Donnell is at 1983 graduate of the University of Pittsburgh's teacher education program. Details on the graduation can be found here: https://www.education.pitt.edu/student-services/graduation/d...
Smithsonian Science Education Center Director Carol O'Donnell co-authored a public report on convergence education. The report is titled Convergence Eduation: A Guide to Transdisciplinary STEM Learning and Teaching on STEM Education and was released by the Interagency Working Group (IWCG) on Convergence Federal Coordination in STEM Subcommittee Committee on STEM Education of the National Science and Technology Council. In the report the IWCG developed a definition and overarching guidance related to convergence education.
Director of the Smithsonian Science Education Center Carol O'Donnell delivered the lightning talk, "ESD for ESG: Education for Sustainable Development," at the 2022 Global Talent Summit in Washington, DC, on October 5, 2022. The Global Talent Summit (GTS) is the premier space for multi-disciplinary stakeholders from the private sector, policy, academia, and innovation to come together to discuss the trends and solutions for the future of work and education.
Description: Today, educators are using the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to help
The new CoSTEM 5-year Strategic Plan was released at the White House on Tuesday December 4th, "Charting a Course for Success: America's Strategy for STEM Education." Dr. Carol O'Donnell, Director of the Smithsonian Science Education Center (SSEC)--and a member of the National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) SubCommittee on Federal Coordination in STEM Education (FC-STEM)--was one of many cross-agency authors of the plan. Smithsonian Secretary Skorton sits on the NSTC Committee on STEM (CoSTEM) and was one of the speakers at the event.
Digital technology is quickly becoming a central part of our lives. But in our digital world, we cannot lose sight of the importance of tactile experiences in a science classroom. Dr. Carol O’Donnell argues that it’s not about resisting the shift to digital, instead, it is about finding ways for object-driven learning and digital learning to complement one another.
More than 300 educators from across Central New York converged on Nov. 8 for a "Lesson Study Elementary Science Conference"--perhaps the first of its kind in the US--that offered four “live” research lessons based on SSEC units in which students and teachers engaged in practices aligned with New York's State new science standards while participants observed and took notes.