Join us at our next Book Club meeting 

Monday, April 19th at 8:00 pm ET

when we'll discuss:

Tales of Two Planets

In A Tale of Two Planets John Freeman draws together a group of writers from around the world to help us see how the environmental crisis is hitting some of the most vulnerable communities where they live. This is a literary all-points bulletin of fiction, essays, and poems about the most important crisis of our time.

Find all upcoming Planet Stewards books and Book Club meeting dates here.

The discussion is open to all. To join, dial 866-662-7513 (toll free!), then, use the pass code 1170791#

Share this invitation with all interested colleagues and networks.

Countdown to Earth Day and NOAA's Unlocking of  a Citizen Science "Project of the Day."  

April is Citizen Science Month! In celebration, NOAA will be highlighting one citizen science project from NOAA and our partners from now until Earth Day on April 22.

Find out how you can be a citizen scientist for NOAA

NOAA's 2021 Marine Debris Calendar is still available for you to download! This year’s calendar features artwork from thirteen students in kindergarten through eighth grade from nine states and two U.S. territories, all winners of the “Keep the Sea Free of Debris” art contest.

Learn More

April 21, 3-4 pm ET: Whale Sharks of Hawai’i

Very little is known about whale sharks (Rhincodon typus),  - the largest fish in the world - with some individuals measuring 20 meters (60 feet) long and weighing around 40 tons The researchers at the Hawai'i Uncharted Research Collective started this non-profit organization to learn more about these amazing animals. Tune in and register for the webinar here.

April 22, 4 - 5 pm ET: Kid Power - How North Carolina Kids Took On Marine Debris

Join Jenna Hartley, North Carolina State University PhD student, as she details her research project involving the power of young people as community change-agents on the topic of marine debris. Hear how 2,500 North Carolina 4th & 5th graders, across the state from the mountains to the sea, collected thousands of pounds of trash. Learn how they delivered creative presentations to the public and won over the hearts and minds of their local officials and politicians across the state. Also, get access to the freely-available educational marine debris curriculum used in the project, which was developed by the Duke University Marine Lab Community Science Initiative.  Register here to attend!

NOAA is offering educator professional development workshops at National Estuarine Research Reserve System locations all across the country - or virtually - from May 5 to July 30. These FREE hands-on workshops offer research and field-based training. By participating, you will :

• Explore coastal habitats and conduct field studies;
• Interact with local scientists and experienced coastal
       educators;
• Integrate local and national monitoring data into the classroom; and
• Learn hands-on field activities highlighting Estuary Education Resources.

Check the website for more information and registration deadlines. 

WSTA Creates a safe forum for teachers to explore the challenges created by the pandemic and opportunities for growth into the future. Join these one hour forums, each led by a WSTA Regional Representative. Follow up discussion sessions are available for each forum, which includes:

• Creating 3D Learning on a 2D Medium - Virtual, Hybrid In Person | April 15
• Ungrading as a Path to Meaningful Science Learning | May 6

Learn more & register> 

Online citizen science hub SciStarter will hold free online events throughout April, including weekly webinars every Thursday on Zoom to share ideas with educators and help engage learners in citizen science projects that can be done safety from home, backyards, and online. Educator Webinars happen on Thursdays at 8 p.m. Eastern Time (ET). SciStarter will share and discuss citizen science projects, resources, and ideas for remote and distributed learners.

• Citizen Science Educator Webinar Series #3 (April 15): Science in the Schoolyard!
• Citizen Science Month Educator Webinar Series #4 (April 22): Earth Day Edition!
• Citizen Science Month Educator Webinar Series #5 (April 29): Citizen Science in Action!

Join the education team at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory virtually in Southern California for an interactive workshop for educators. Participants will explore biology, oceanography and geology concepts through the lens of NASA's search for life beyond Earth. Hear about current NASA missions and research in these fields. Follow along to explore activities and demonstrations aligned to Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) that are ready for virtual or in-person classrooms. Participation is limited, and registration is required here.

Have you heard about Youth Climate Summits? These exciting, youth-driven events provide opportunities for students to learn about climate change and design their own climate action plans for their schools and communities. With The Wild Center’s free resources, you have everything you need to plan and host your own Youth Climate Summit, either in-person or virtually. At this event, learn more about these resources, get advice from other summit organizers, hear from youth leaders who are passionate about taking climate action, and ask the questions to jump start your Youth Climate Summit journey!

Click here to register.

The Towson University Center for STEM is excited to offer an online professional development workshop focusing on climate literacy aligned with Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) for secondary science teachers in grades 6–12. This year's workshop will be completely online, with both synchronous and asynchronous meetings.In order to be considered, you must complete the application and principal support forms. The application deadline is June 4, 2021. More details can be found here.

As wildfires continue to ravage the west, burning more and more of the landscape, many are left wondering, what happens next?  New research shows that patterns of ecological succession are changing due to increasing drought. Developed by scientists and curriculum developers at the University of Colorado Boulder, The Future of Forests is a MS/HS storyline curriculum centered around the driving question, How do landscapes recover after a wildfire? with each  lesson tied to NGSS Life Science standards. Through NASA and US Forest Service online interactive, authentic datasets and citizen science protocols, learn how to have students gather evidence they'll use to model and explain changing patterns of ecological succession.

• Workshop #1: June 22-23 from 10 am - 2 pm MT each day
• Workshop #2: July 27-28 from 10 am - 2 pm MT each day
  Participants will receive 10 PD hours and the option to purchase 1 graduate credit ($80)

In celebration of April’s Math Awareness Month, Domino Data Lab and the National Science Teaching Association have joined forces to spark excitement for careers in data science among elementary school students nationwide. Enjoy free access to Domino’s new children’s e-book, Florence the Data Scientist and Her Magical Bookmobile, a supporting classroom-ready lesson plan for K-5 educators, and the “Be a Data Scientist” activity sheet for students.

Download Florence the Data Scientist and Her Magical Bookmobile to read with your students today. Download the “Be a Data Scientist” activity sheet to help your students record and analyze data. Completed student activity sheets can be submitted here for a chance to win a laptop and $5,000 for college!

Students ages 14-25 and passionate about finding solutions to climate change have an opportunity to attend the 2021 United Nations Climate Summit (COP-26) in Glasgow, and even win up to $2,000 in cash!

The ClimateScience Olympiad is a global climate competition engaging 10,000 youth (ages 14-25) in an effort to find solutions to some of the most challenging climate problems. REGISTER. 

Join Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary and Guest Presenter Rebecca Lewis from Pacific Whale Foundation in this fun GET UP AND MOVE (or migrate)J humpback whale obstacle course!

Register to take part in the webinar.

Join Dr. Ellen Prager, glaciologist Jim White, and The Weather Channel meteorologist Paul Goodloe for this exciting discussion about climate change.
Hear why Ilulissat, Greenland and climate change were chosen for the backdrop and address what’s based on real science versus pure fiction. Jim White will talk about what it’s like to conduct climate change research on Greenland’s ice sheet and glaciers, and Paul Goodloe will help everyone to understand how climate change impacts our weather. There will be plenty of time for questions and answers.

Woods Hole Sea Grant and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution are teaming up with Earthwatch Institute for the Girls in Science (GiS) Fellowship. The week-long fellowship promotes diversity in STEM and exposes young women to a variety of marine careers. Who is eligible? Young women who are currently sophomores or juniors from Massachusetts high schools.

This program is offered at no cost to attendees. Food and accommodations will be provided if the program is held in person. Two sessions will be offered this summer:: August 8–14, 2021  and  August 15–21, 2021.

Click here to apply to the Girls in Science Fellowship.

EarthEcho International is now accepting applications for their 2021 youth leadership programs!  Young environmental leaders ages 15-22 from the United States are invited to apply for a position on the EarthEcho Youth Leadership Council (YLC)!  To learn more visit: https://www.earthecho.org/youth-leadership-council.  

Youth ages 14-22 from the United States are invited to protect our water planet as an EarthEcho Water Challenge Ambassador! Through this unique experience, Ambassadors become community scientists and lead ongoing water quality monitoring efforts through the EarthEcho Water Challenge, To learn more visit: https://www.monitorwater.org/ambassadors.

Applications are open through May 3, 2021.

• an overview of multibeam sonar
• four case studies to explore a variety of multibeam sonar
       3-D image files
• guides for student exploration
• step-by-step usage tool guides for the Ocean Exploration Digital Atlas (a searchable,
       interactive expedition data map) and a free version of Fledermaus (a powerful 3-D
       interactive mapping data visualization software used by ocean explorers)

How's My Waterway (HMW) is produced by the Environmental Protection Agency and provides a comprehensive overview of water quality data and information in the US on three different scales: community, state and national. HMW pulls data from several sources with the goal of answering questions about aquatic life, eating fish, swimming, drinking water, restoration and protection. 

Information on EPA’s HMW: https://www.epa.gov/waterdata/hows-my-waterway 

Access HMW here: https://mywaterway.epa.gov/

See a video about HMW: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hqSLARmxHCM&feature=youtu.be

Check out the National Phenology Network for access to nation-wide data on changing phenology, as well as lessons connecting flora and fauna phenology to existing curriculum.

Provide students with outlets to learn about phenology and how climate change is impacting their own backyards. Use apps like Nature’s Notebook and Ebird to connect students to citizen science and see how the movement of birds, mammals, and plants have changed over time.

Many communities and cultures still rely on the natural cycles of animal migration or seasonal production of fruits and vegetables. Explore how climate change is impacting peoples’ ability to maintain their way of life.

And explore the University of Maine’s Signs of the Seasons program for lesson plans that connect phenology to climate change, while also creating opportunities to explore phenology not just in science, but also in the arts through life cycle drawings.

A collection of 10 lessons are included from the Nature Conservancy for grades 9–12, Lessons include accompanying teachers guides and videos and address topics such as urban runoff, biomimicry, and climate change. In addition, a Virtual STEM Career Fair promotes dynamic careers in those fields.

Visit the website for descriptions of all the available Nature Lab lessons and access the relevant Teacher Guides.

The Endangered Species Conservation Site (www.esconservsite.org) was developed to provide background, special resources, and action ideas for anyone interested in learning more about/helping to protect threatened and endangered species. Teachers and others working with students of any level should be interested in this educational resource. In addition to endangered species-related news and facts, the website's special features include *A For Teachers page that includes instruction ideas and sample lesson plans for teaching about ES, *A Resources page with a variety of materials and other information, *For Young People page, and *A translate button that will provide translations in numerous languages.

In celebration of Earth Month, KISS THE GROUND: FOR SCHOOLS and the National Science Teaching Association (NSTA) have partnered to bring new, science-based lesson plans and resources to K-12 teachers nationwide. 

The lesson plans and related resources discuss regenerative agriculture and provide students opportunities to use data from multiple sources—including data they collect themselves—to develop explanations about how saving the soil can have far-reaching, positive impacts on Earth’s environments.