TECA Becomes TEECA

In April, the Technology Education Collegiate Association (TECA) voted to change its name to the Technology and Engineering Education Collegiate Association (TEECA).

• Nineteen of the 22 affiliated chapters voted, which yielded an 86% return rate.
• Fourteen Affiliated Chapters voted Yes = 74%
• Five Affiliated Chapters voted No = 26 %.

The Officer Team and Management Board are excited about the name change. The Officer Team will be working this summer on changes to the bylaws, as well as recruitment issues and competitive events. TEECA chapters are invited to share any of their ideas related the topics mentioned with the members of the officer team or on the TEECA Facebook page.

ITEEA Collaborates on Teacher Education for Next Gen Standards

ITEEA has been working with more than 25 universities, agencies, and education associations to consider how higher education can anticipate and prepare teachers for the coming Next Generation Science Standards. Discussions have been hosted by the Association of Public and Land Grant Universities (APLU).

The agenda for the first meeting included a look at lessons learned from implementing the latest version of the mathematics standards. Professors from Auburn University and the University of Virginia presented their views on the mathematics implementation process. This review was followed by a look at the new science framework, presented by Professor Helen Quinn of Stanford University, who is also the Chair of the National Research Council’s Board on Science Education. Discussion then followed on what is needed for STEM teacher preparation.

ITEEA’s interest in these discussions related to the technology and engineering section of the new standards and to the teacher development that must take place to properly prepare the science community for addressing this new part of its standards. Areas of alignment and coordination were considered, along with the opportunity to build on the science framework in undergraduate science courses. ITEEA made the point that, “a teaching workforce is in place” and can be further nurtured to address the new science standards as technology and engineering teachers address standards related to their own curriculum content.

There are two Next Generation Science Standards that address technology and engineering: (1) engineering design and (2) links among engineering, technology, science, and society. ITEEA feels that this is a limited view of the entire discipline of technology and engineering and realizes that the science community will have a difficult time of addressing these standards with their current teacher workforce.  

Questions can be directed to iteea@iteea.org or 703-860-2100.

Engineering byDesign™ Summer Institutes

ITEEA’s STEM±Center for Teaching and Learning will offer many professional development opportunities over the coming months. Two Engineering byDesign (EbD™) Summer Institutes are scheduled to be held in Columbus, Ohio: July 30–August 3, 2012 at Olentangy Liberty High School.

EbD™-trained Teacher Effectiveness Coaches will run the five-day Institute, covering the courses Invention and Innovation (Grade 7) and Technological Design (Grades 10-12) in depth as well as use of ebDonline™ and the student assessments. For more information, please contact Mike Miller at MMiller@worthington.k12.oh.us. To register, please go to www.engineeringbydesign.org and click on “PD Planner and Registration” in the top right corner, under the ebDonline™ logo. Please note that the deadline for registration is June 30.

Other upcoming EbD™ professional development offerings include:

• EbD-TEEMS: Grade 3
  August 6-9, 2012
  Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA and
  AJ Wittenberg Elementary School of Engineering, Greenville, SC

• EbD-TEEMS: Grade 4
  August 6-9, 2012
  Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA and
  AJ Wittenberg Elementary School of Engineering, Greenville, SC

• EbD-TEEMS: Grade 5
  August 6-9, 2012
  Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA and
  AJ Wittenberg Elementary School of Engineering, Greenville, SC

• Invention and Innovation, Third Edition (Grade 7)
  July 16-20, 2012
  Francis Tuttle Technology Center, Oklahoma City, OK and
  Olentangy Liberty High School, Columbus, OH

• Technological Design (Grades 10-12)
  July 30-August 3, 2012
  Olentangy Liberty High School, Columbus, OH

• Foundations of Technology, Third Edition (Grade 9)
  June 25-28, 2012
  Broadneck High School, Annapolis, MD
  July 16-July, 20, 2012
  Francis Tuttle Technology Center, Oklahoma City, OK
  August 6-10, 2012
  Reservoir High School, Fulton, MD and North Caroline High School, Ridgely, MD (Eastern Shore)

• EbD™ Assessment Item Development
  June 10-14, 2012
  California University of PA, California, PA
  July 22-26, 2012
  Old Dominion University, Norfolk, VA

• Integrative STEM Education Institute
  July 30-31, 2012
  Seneca, SC
  Mulitidisciplinary Teams of 3-4 accepted.

• Authorized EbD™ Trainer Opportunities: High School
  October 5-7, 2012
  Old Dominion University, Norfolk, VA
• Foundations of Technology, Third Edition
• Technological Design, Third Edition

• Authorized EbD™ Trainer Opportunities: Elementary School
  November 16-18, 2012
  Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA
• EbD-TEEMS™: Grades 3-5
• EbD-TEEMS™: Grades K-2

• Authorized EbD™ Trainer Opportunities: Middle School
  October 5-7, 2012
  Old Dominion University, Norfolk, VA
• Invention and Innovation, Third Edition

For additional information or to register for any of these Summer Institutes, click here. Registration for all programs is 30 days prior to the start of the program.

Mugan Scholarship Funding Request Update

Last month STEM Connections published a funding request for a scholarship in honor of Don Mugan, who is retiring from Valley City State University where he was an educator for 40 years. A mailing address for donations was not available at that time, but has since been provided:

Foundation and Advancement Office
Valley City State University
101 College Street SW
Valley City, ND 58072

Additional questions or concerns may be addressed to Jim Boe at Jim.Boe@vcsu.edu.

2013 CTETE International Travel Award

Request for Proposals

The Council on Technology and Engineering Teacher Education (CTETE) is proud to sponsor the CTETE International Travel Award. The award provides up to $1000 and is available to CTETE members who are technology and engineering education graduate students, full-time K-12 technology/engineering teachers, or technology and engineering teacher educators. The award will be used to help cover the costs associated with traveling internationally in 2013 in order to attend and present at a professional conference associated with science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) themes.

ELIGIBILITY

To be eligible for the research grant, applicants must meet all of the following criteria:

• Be a member of the Council on Technology and Engineering Teacher Education (CTETE).
• Be a technology/engineering education graduate student, full-time K-12 technology/engineering teacher, or technology/engineering teacher educator in a technology/engineering education program.
• Committed to presenting his or her results during a CTETE-sponsored session at the annual ITEEA conference within one to two years of completion of the international conference.
• Committed to submitting a three-page final report to the CTETE Research and Scholarship Committee about your presentation and experiences.

SELECTION CRITERIA

The CTETE Research and Scholarship committee will evaluate each proposal based on its relevance, clarity, feasibility, originality, and soundness. The award will be made by the CTETE Research and Scholarship Committee at the International Technology and Engineering Educators Association (ITEEA) conference during the CTETE Business Meeting.

PROPOSAL SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS:

1. Conference. Provide a description of the international conference you plan to attend to make a presentation. Include its name, location, conference dates, theme, its purpose, and the intended audience.
2. Conference Participation. Briefly discuss how you plan to participate in this conference (poster session, paper presentation, panel member, etc.). Briefly discuss (outline) your conference presentation topic. If a conference paper is required, please discuss details (e.g., the review process) related to it.  
3. Benefits. Briefly describe how this trip will enhance your professional development.
4. Funding. Briefly describe the entire proposed budget for this trip and how other costs associated with attending this conference will be covered.
5. Contact Information

INQUIRIES AND SUBMISSIONS: Completed proposals should be submitted electronically by November 23, 2012. The travel award will be granted by January 15, 2013, and the winner will be recognized at the 2013 CTETE Business Meeting. Submissions should be in the form of a Microsoft Word (.doc/.docx) file or a PDF file. All inquiries about the grant-proposal process, as well as proposal submissions, should be directed to:

Charlie McLaughlin, DTE
Cmclaughlin@ric.edu
401-456-8793
CTETE Research & Scholarship Committee Chair
Rhode Island College
Department of Educational Studies, HBS 222
600 Mt. Pleasant Ave.
Providence, RI 02908-1940 USA

New Content at ASCEville.org

Civil What?
How can earth hold back a mighty river? Where does the water go when workers are building a dam? How much concrete was used to build the Grand Coulee Dam?

ASCEville.org, the fun, online village that teaches kids about civil engineering, just added new content about building dams, bridges, and other amazing structures to help kids understand how civil engineers use math, science, and ingenuity to overcome the forces of nature and the laws of physics. 

The website acquaints kids in Grades 3-7 with civil engineering through engaging graphics, interactive activities, and interesting profiles about engineers and the projects they work on. Its fresh approach highlights the history of civil engineering, its many disciplines, and offers suggestions about what kids can do to prepare for this career pathway. Parents, teachers, and engineers will also want to explore the site to browse its educational content and a variety of resources that will help them engage kids in conversations about civil engineering.

For more information visit www.asceville.org.

What's New at NASA's Space Place Website

It was a dark and stormy August night in 1859…solar stormy, that is. A solar storm caused such bright Northern Lights that gold miners in the Rockies were frying up bacon and eggs at 1 a.m. thinking the sun was up.

Violent storms on the sun blast out charged particles and radiation that can damage satellites, power grids, and communication and navigation systems. In the new game “Shields Up!” you are in charge of protecting three satellites by putting them into safe mode whenever bad stuff is coming their way. The Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite – R Series, or GOES-R, monitors the sun’s surface and warns the other satellites when they need to get ready for the worst.

Put your "Shields Up!" and save those satellites at http://spaceplace.nasa.gov/shields-up.

NGCP Program Directory - Find Summer Camps!

The National Girls Collaborative Project Program Directory lists organizations and programs that focus on motivating girls to pursue STEM careers. The purpose of the directory is to help organizations and individuals network, share resources, and collaborate on STEM-related projects for girls. Search by summer camp offerings in your ZIP code. 
www.ngcproject.org/directory

Report Available from Girl Scouts of the USA

Girl Scouts of America recently released a publication from the Girl Scout Research Institute (GRSI) entitled Generation STEM: What Girls Say About Science, Technology, Engineering and Math. Executive summaries and other related materials for the publication can be downloaded from the Girl Scouts website at www.girlscouts.org/research/.

News from the National Engineers Week Foundation

• NAE President Discusses Why Engineers Are Important to Our Future
Speaking in February 2012 at the Newseum in Washington, DC, NAE President Charles Vest took as his theme "Why Engineers and Engineering are critical to our future, and therefore why we need 'change agents' like those we celebrate today." In this speech he discusses the next generation of engineers and poses the following questions, "Do we need more engineers? Who will they be? What will they do?"
To read Dr. Vest's entire speech, please click here. 

• Registration for 2012-2013 Future City Competition is Now Open
Future City is an engaging, project-based learning experience where teams of middle school students imagine, design, and build cities of the future. Over three months, students work with an educator and volunteer mentor to design a virtual city using SimCity software; research the problem, "Rethink Runoff: Design Clean Solutions to Manage Stormwater Pollution," and write an essay describing their solutions; build a model of their city using recycled materials; write a brief narrative promoting their city; and present their city before a panel of judges. Along the way, students apply math and science concepts to real-world problems, flex their problem-solving skills, develop good teamwork habits, explore engineering and its many career options, and become better citizens. Register today or learn more at www.futurecity.org. Future City is also looking for engineering and technical professionals who may be interested in serving as mentors. If you are interested in becoming a volunteer mentor in the Future City Competition, please visit: www.futurecity.org.

• Design Squad Nation Wins Parents’ Choice GOLD Award
Design Squad Nation won a prestigious Parents' Choice GOLD Award this month, placing it among the very best television programs that entertain and teach with flair, stimulate imagination, and inspire creativity. Parents' Choice Foundation has been reviewing and recommending quality children's media for more than 33 years. For more information please click here.

Source: National Engineers Week Foundation Newsletter #16

News from the Triangle Coalition

• CoSTEM Seeks Public Comment on STEM Education Design Principles
The National Science and Technology Council's (NSTC) Committee on STEM Education (CoSTEM) is currently accepting public comments on its recently released draft of Design Principles for Federal STEM Education Investments. CoSTEM is currently in the process of developing a five-year Federal STEM education strategic plan, as called for by the America COMPETES Reauthorization Act of 2010. This draft of design principles will inform the final version of the plan, which the committee plans to release later this year.

In December 2011, CoSTEM published an inventory of Federal programs and investments in STEM education. The inventory determined that Federal agencies are making 252 distinct investments in STEM education for a total of $3.4 billion. The portfolio concluded that no programs were duplicative, and identified only a few programs with similar objectives, target audiences, products, and STEM fields of focus. In February 2012, CoSTEM released a progress report that provided an overview of the strategic plan and its development process. The final strategic plan will “describe the approaches that will be taken by each participating agency to assess the effectiveness of its STEM education programs and activities.”

CoSTEM is now accepting public comments on the Design Principles draft online until June 15, 2012.

• 1,500 Young Scientists Compete for $3 Million at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair
The world’s largest high school science research competition, the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF), a program of Society for Science and the Public, announced this year’s top winners last week. More than 1,500 young scientists representing 446 affiliate science fairs and 70 countries and territories gathered in Pittsburgh, PA from May 14-18 to compete for more than $3 million in awards.

Fifteen-year-old Jack Andraka of Crownsville, MD won first place for his new method to detect pancreatic cancer. Jack received the Gordon E. Moore Award, named in honor of Intel co-founder, and $75,000. Two students, Nicholas Schiefer, 17, of Pickering, Ontario, and Ari Dyckovsky, 18, of Leesburg, VA, each received the Intel Foundation Young Scientist Award of $50,000. Nicholas was honored for his “microsearch” research, discovering ways to search the fastest-growing information medium—small amounts of content such as Tweets and Facebook status updates. Ari investigated the science of quantum teleportation to find methods for safely sending encrypted messages without running the risk of interception.

In addition to the winners mentioned above, more than 400 finalists received awards and prizes for their groundbreaking work. A full listing of finalists is available in the event program (beginning on page 57).

• New NRC Report Findings Could Improve Undergraduate Science and Engineering Teaching
Discipline-based education research (DBER) has generated insights that could help improve undergraduate education in science and engineering, but these findings have not yet prompted widespread changes in teaching practice, says a new report from the National Research Council. Science and engineering faculty, institutions, disciplinary societies, and professional societies should all support high-quality DBER and the adoption of the evidence-based teaching strategies that have emerged from it, the report says.

DBER is a collection of related research fields that investigate how students learn in particular scientific disciplines and identify ways to improve instruction. This research is emerging in many scientific disciplines, including physics, chemistry, biology, the geosciences, and astronomy, as well as in engineering. DBER combines the expertise of scientists and engineers with methods and theories that explain learning. A DBER scholar in physics, for example, might investigate how students learn concepts such as force or acceleration and try to identify effective ways for instructors to teach these concepts.

Scholars in all DBER fields share the goal of improving teaching and learning by using findings from empirical research. Although they have made inroads in terms of establishing their fields, the report says, these scholars still face challenges in identifying pathways for training and professional recognition. And findings from DBER have not yet led to widespread change in the teaching of undergraduate science and engineering.

Notable research findings from DBER on undergraduate teaching and learning include:

• Student-centered learning strategies can enhance learning more than traditional lectures.
• Students have incorrect understandings about fundamental concepts — particularly phenomena.
• Students are challenged by important aspects of the domain that can seem easy or obvious to experts.

The report recommends that institutions and professional societies support venues for DBER scholars to share their research findings. In addition, they should support faculty efforts to use evidence-based teaching strategies in their classrooms and work together to prepare future faculty who understand research findings on learning and teaching.

Future directions for DBER investigations should include research that compares learning among various student populations; longitudinal studies on how students acquire and retain understanding (or misunderstanding) of concepts; studies that investigate student outcomes other than test scores; and studies of organizational and behavior change that could aid the translation of DBER findings into practice. The study was sponsored by the National Science Foundation and is available for free download or purchase of a hard copy on the National Academies Press website.

Source: Triangle Coalition for Science and Technology’s STEM Education News - May 24, 2012

Eight winning student teams, ranging from 1st–11th Grade, recently showcased prototypes of their innovative ideas for fantastic future technologies. 

Winners include:

• The SMART Desk (North Reading, MA/K-3), boasting new wireless technologies and a special touchscreen, this future school desk will help students with learning disabilities.
• Hearing the World's Silent Side (Anaheim, CA/4-6), a special in-ear implant that utilizes nanofibers to allow sound to pass over the damaged auditory nerve and correct hearing loss.
• Thermoresponsive Hydrogel Injection (Vancouver, BC/Grade 7-9), a future-forward, minimally invasive new surgical procedure that will be used to treat trigeminal neuralgia.
• Amphipathic Films for Water Collection (Durham, NC/10-12), an easy, cost-effective water collection method to avoid groundwater depletion and provide safe drinking water.
• COOL PADS: Shoulder Pads that Keep Players Safe from Overheating (McDonough, GA/K-3) Breakthough sports technology that monitors body temps and keeps football players cool at hot summer camps!
• The S.M.A.R.T. School (Land O’ Lakes, FL/4-6), a school building totally powered by students' own kinetic energy! This eco-friendly building runs on all renewable energy sources.
• Radiclear — A System to Filter Radium from Water (Corning, NY/7-9), a filtration system utilizing “nanotubes” to separate dangerous radium from water, increasing the world’s water supply.
• LANAPT (Ligand Attached Nanoshells Assisting Photothermal Therapy) (Austin, TX/10-12), a forward-thinking medical treatment that integrates gold nanoshells and “biomolecules” to destroy only cancerous cells. 

Congratulations to all the winners and participants.

NASA News

Electronic Professional Development Network Courses
NASA’s Learning Environments and Research Network and the Georgia Institute of Technology have teamed up to create the electronic professional development network, or e-PDN, an initiative dedicated to preparing K-12 teachers to engage their students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, or STEM, through the use of NASA-developed learning materials and resources.

If you are looking for a way to enhance your instructional skills, meet your professional development goals, or find new and exciting resources to use in your learning environments, apply to one of our free courses today!

Applications are now open for the following courses:
• Using Robotics to Enhance STEM Learning — August 29–October 9, 2012
Learn how to build and program LEGO Mindstorm robots and use them to promote student engagement and conceptual understanding of mathematics, science, and engineering. Explore robotic manipulators and end effectors like the ones NASA uses on the International Space Station, and integrate multiple sensors into your robot to allow for systematic control. Join your colleagues in the Grand Challenge to design, build, and program a robot to explore an environment and return with a sample for investigation.

• Project-Based Inquiry Learning — September 26–October 30, 2012
Develop skills in designing and using project-based inquiry learning, or PBIL, to enhance conceptual understanding, critical thinking, scientific reasoning, and problem solving in standards-based classrooms. Experience and analyze two NASA-oriented PBIL projects firsthand; learn PBIL curriculum design strategies and methods; and design a PBIL unit for use in your classroom.

To learn more about these free courses and to apply online, visit http://nasaepdn.gatech.edu/course_schedules.php. For more information on the e-PDN and the resources it offers to K-12 teachers, visit www.nasaepdn.gatech.edu. Questions about these courses should be directed to Kristen Anderson at kristen.anderson@dlpe.gatech.edu.

Source: NASA Education Express Message — May 17, 2012