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Vice President Tasks Department to Create Plan for STEM Office
During the September 9 National Space Council meeting in Houston, TX, Vice President Kamala Harris requested (@1:22 mins) that the U.S. Department of Education develop a plan in 90 days to establish a STEM office to lead its STEM activities, build relevant public and private partnerships, and increase pathways for STEM and space careers (@1:22 mins.). Deputy Secretary Cindy Marten (@56 mins) represented the Department in the Space Council meeting which included a discussion on how federal agency partnerships with educators can inspire and prepare students for space careers. The National Space Council issued a White House Fact Sheet regarding public and private commitments to inspire, prepare, and employ the Space Workforce. Stay tuned for more details.
National Park Service Partners with 21stCCLC Sites
In partnership with the National Park Service (NPS) and the Department’s 21st Century Community Learning Center (21stCCLC) grant program, the National Environmental Education Foundation (NEEF) announced the awardees of this year’s NPS-21stCCLC Greening STEM Grant. This marks the third consecutive year, NEEF has partnered with the NPS and the Department of to deliver STEM programming that engages youth from under-resourced and/or under-represented communities in citizen science, environmental monitoring, and other STEM activities at NPS sites across the country. All resources and related content developed under these grants will be made available via the Department’s You4Youth professional learning portal.
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ICYMI – The Pathway to Convergence Education
Climate change, biotechnology, infectious disease, space, and entrepreneurship are all topics that require educators to lean into more than one discipline. Students are more likely to enjoy learning, retain knowledge, and build skills when taught in a transdisciplinary fashion embedded in real-world socio-scientific challenges and opportunities relevant to their experiences.
On September 16, the Department hosted a STEM webinar called The Pathway to Convergence Education for more than 2,000 registrants to learn more about this pedagogical style that promotes scientific and systems thinking, student engagement, and innovative solution-creating and how you can implement it in your educational settings. Panelists included classroom educators practicing convergence education who shared promising practices to engage today’s youth. All archived STEM briefings can be located here.
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Teacher Quality Partnership Grants Awarded
The Department recently announced new awards to help recruit, prepare, develop, and retain a strong, effective and diverse teacher workforce for classrooms across the country through the Teacher Quality Partnership (TQP) grant program. This year’s investment includes 22 new five-year TQP grants totaling $24.8 million. The TQP program funds teacher preparation programs in high-need communities at colleges and universities for the undergraduate, “fifth-year” level, and for teaching residency programs for individuals new to teaching with strong academic and professional backgrounds. The award recipients include three Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and one Minority Serving Institution (MSI).
Supporting Effective Instruction State Grants Report
The Department recently released a report detailing how states and districts spent funds under Title II, Part A of the ESEA in school year (SY) 2020-2021. The Title II, Part A program provides more than $2 billion annually to states and districts to improve the quality and effectiveness of their teachers, principals, and other school leaders. This is a key opportunity to support STEM educator professional development.
Professional development was the most popular use of Title II-A funds among districts. Eighty percent of districts reported this use of funds. In total, they spent $1.0 billion, or 57 percent of all district Title II-A allocations for this activity (Appendix Exhibit B.1).3 The next most common use of Title II-A funds was for activities related to recruiting, hiring, and retaining effective educators, reported by 34 percent of districts, and representing $301.4 million, or 17 percent of allocated Title II-A funds.
New Federal STEM Leadership Announcements
On September 22, the U.S. Senate voted to confirm Dr. Arati Prabhakar as the next director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), making her the first woman, immigrant or person of color to nominated and confirmed to serve in the position. The OSTP director will serve as the President’s Chief Advisor for Science and Technology, a co-chair of the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST), and a member of his Cabinet since the President elevated the position at the start of his term. Previously, Dr. Arati Prabhakar served as director of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), and at 34, she became the first woman to lead the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).
The U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) has selected James L. Moore III to head the Directorate for Education and Human Resources (EHR), which supports research that enhances learning and teaching, and broad efforts to achieve excellence in STEM education at all levels and in all settings. Since 2018, Moore has been vice provost for diversity and inclusion and chief diversity officer at The Ohio State University. In this role, he has managed a robust diversity and inclusion portfolio, serving more than 6,000 undergraduate, graduate, and professional students and a myriad of faculty, postdocs, and staff throughout the university.
NASA App Design Challenge for Middle and High School Students and Educators
Join the Artemis Generation! This October NASA is launching the next NASA App Development Challenge (ADC). In this coding challenge NASA presents technical problems to middle and high school students seeking student contributions to deep space exploration missions. The challenge begins on October 5, 2022 and concludes with video submissions on December 14, 2022. To participate in the ADC, lead educators must register their student team by September 28, 2022.
During the challenge, teams will participate in live virtual connections with NASA subject matter experts to learn more about coding, app development, space communications and navigation. Teams with favorable submissions advance to present their app in an interview with engineers and scientists working with NASA’s Space Communications and Navigation (SCaN) team. After interviews, NASA will select the Top Team(s) for a culminating event experience in April 2023. Download the NASA 2023 App Development Challenge Handbook and email NASA’s ADC team at JSC-ADC@mail.nasa.gov with any questions.
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NSF Entrepreneurial Fellowships
The U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) announced a new $20 million investment in Entrepreneurial Fellowships through a multi-year cooperative agreement with Activate.org. The Activate Fellows supported by NSF will be scientists and engineers from a variety of backgrounds and regions across the U.S. who will translate research breakthroughs to new products and services with broad societal benefits. The Entrepreneurial Fellowships will help make entrepreneurship more accessible for people in less-developed innovation ecosystems, expanding geographic diversity and increasing participation of women and others who have been traditionally underrepresented in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. To learn more about Entrepreneurial Fellowships including how to apply, visit here. Applications are due October 31, 2022.
InventEd Conference 2022
In collaboration with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), the 2022 InventEd convening will take place in person and online November 15-17, 2022. InventEd’s vision is to cultivate the inventive mindset that exists in everyone. We invite all individuals and organizations who are new to Invention Education to join us virtually for a curated set of programming designed to kickstart your engagement in Invention Education. Visit the website and check out the agenda for more details
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National Space Council Educator Resources
The White House Space Council Fact Sheet announced, among other space-related efforts, the creation of the “Your Place in Space” Online Resources Hub. Your Place in Space, a new website launched by Federal agencies and the Smithsonian Institute includes free space-related resources for K-12 educators. The website also promotes career awareness through the Space Career Resource Guide which showcases space career opportunities across the U.S. Government and the diversity of the space STEM professionals.
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National Institutes of Health (NIH)
STEM Resources
In addition to the NIH STEM Teaching Resources, the NIH and National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) launched the Educator’s Corner, a collection of free and carefully curated Biomedical Beat blog posts, designed to align with existing STEM content from Pathways for middle and high school students that offers educators additional tools and ideas to enhance lesson plans. You can also find and follow on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
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Presidential Awards for Excellence in STEM Teaching Now Open
The U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) administers Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching (PAEMST), created by Congress in 1983, on behalf of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP). The awards are the nation’s highest honors for teachers of STEM, including Computer Science. This year's (2022-2023) awards will honor science, technology, engineering, or mathematics teachers working in grades 7-12. Nominations close on January 9, 2023. Applications must be completed by February 6, 2023.
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X-STEM All Access Video Series for Middle & High School Students and Teachers
Presented by the U.S. Air Force, U.S. Space Force, and Discovery Channel, X-STEM All Access is a free virtual conference series by the USA Science & Engineering Festival organizers for middle and high schoolers designed to get students excited about STEM. The 2022 series will include seven episodes showcasing the exciting careers and inspiring personal journeys of diverse STEM role models. Each 30-minute episode will feature a STEM role model telling their story through a lively Q&A session with a fellow STEM professional.
Join the next X-STEM All Access episode featuring NASA Climate Scientist Josh Willis, aka Climate Elvis! Get to know Josh and learn about his career studying global sea level rise through a Q&A session hosted by Environmental Engineer and NOAA Research Scientist, Dr. Tracy Fanara. All new NGSS and CASEL aligned lesson plans will be available with this X-STEM All Access episode. Register today.
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