Join us at our next Book Club meeting on  

 Monday, October 18th at 8:00 pm ET

to discuss the non-fiction book:

How to Avoid a Climate Disaster

by Bill Gates

"It won't be easy, but it's possible." 
 
Dial 866-662-7513 (toll free) then use the pass code 1170791#.
The discussion is open to all so share with interested colleagues. Learn more here.

Understanding how carbon can be removed from the atmosphere by plants through photosynthesis is an important concept for students to understand. Instructor Shannon Othus-Gault had students measure dry and ash weights of a plant to estimate the amount of carbon sequestered during its lifetime. She paired this laboratory activity with the creation of a community garden that allowed students to measure how much carbon can be sequestered through an individual green space. This program \can be conducted at school or at home  - as Shannon realized during COVID. Read more and learn what's needed to replicate Shannon's Planet Stewardship Project here.

Hurricanes are one of the deadliest and costliest natural disasters in the world. Robots patrolling our coastal oceans are providing new opportunities to improve hurricane intensity forecasts and inform better response plans. In a newly posted archive presentation from NOAA Planet Stewards, you’ll learn how these heroic robots swim and survive into the eye of the storm to keep us safe. Find the webinar here.

–Presenter Dr. Travis Miles, Assistant Professor, Department of Marine and Coastal Sciences at Rutgers University, New Brunswick

Share your resources and events with the community of over 24,000 educators subscribed to NOAA Planet Stewards The Watch newsletter. Email us and include a short description of your announcement or resource and be sure to include (as applicable) the event's date and time, and image, plus a link for more information if available and/or to where it can be accessed.

Learn latest about the state of the climate from Deke Arndt, Chief of NOAA's Climatic Science & Services Division at the National Centers for Environmental Information Click here to register. 

You can register for this and other upcoming web seminars from NSTA (the National Science Teaching Association) here.

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The hurricanes of 2018 devastated coastal North Carolina. Not only did they cause significant damage to property and infrastructure, Florence and Michael also impacted coastal cultural resources. A systemic effort is now going on to document cultural resources damaged and threatened by hurricanes in coastal North Carolina. Learn more here and REGISTER! The webinar will also be recorded and a link will be provided after it airs here

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This American Geosciences Institute webinar series will cover an array of thought-provoking, timely topics related to the Earth Science Week theme: "Water Today and for the Future." These webinars are being presented for a general public audience:

• "Groundwater Exploration in Response to Humanitarian
        Crises," 1 p.m. ET, October 13, 2021
• "Water Supply Issues in the Delaware River System: A
       Tale of Tunnels, Transfers, Tumult, and Trout," 1 p.m.
        ET, October 14, 2021.
• "Perspectives on a Crucial Resource: The Importance 
        and Vulnerability of Our Water Supplies," 3 p.m. ET
        October 14, 2021
• "Earth Science and the International Year of Caves and
        Karst," 1 p.m. October 15, 2021

All webinars will have live question-and-answer sessions with presenters. Live captioning of webinars will be available for the hearing impaired. For more information, click here.

Grab your favorite beverage and join the University of Miami's Cooperative Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Studies for their Climate Cafe series of webinars. Learn about interpreting the past climate to forecast climate in our future. Register here. 

Register now for this CLEAN webinar series to enhance your knowledge and teaching about climate and energy education! The next webinar will be about “Teaching about Climate and Energy with CLEAN” presented by Karin Kirk.

REGISTER HERE.

Explore the spheres of the world from global to local scales through interactive maps. GIS powers professional earth scientists, and can power your students' learning on any connected device, anytime, anywhere. During the webinar you will:  Examine compelling data on natural hazards, river systems, landforms, and other topics and more! The webinar is free, but registration is required. Please visit this link for webinar registration.  

Educators can join CAVU for a free CIC teacher training on Thursday, Oct. 28th, 6:30-7:30 pm EDT. CIC is a NGSS-aligned STEAM program that challenges students to design unique strategies about how we can adapt to increasing climate impacts.  Students then create 2-4 minute films or videos to creatively showcase their designs. CAVU provides teacher training and in-class support. Check out the winning projects from last year to get a better sense of what students have come up with in the past.  

The International Arctic Research Center alongside the University of Alaska Fairbank’s eCampus are partnering to bring you this course. It will be free to audit, or pay-for-credit, last 4 weeks beginning in November, and take approximately 20 hours. The course and is designed to be approachable and useful for the general public, and will cover the land, ocean, atmosphere, and people of the Arctic. You can register here at their edX website.  More information can be found here.

The Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching (PAEMST) - including computer science, is now accepting nominations! The PAEMST is the highest honor the U.S. government bestows for K–12 mathematics and science teaching, honoring up to 108 teachers each year. Presidential awardees receive a certificate signed by the President; a trip for two to Washington, D.C. to attend recognition events; and $10,000 from the National Science Foundation.

Consider nominating a talented teacher or applying for the award yourself here. This year, teachers in grades K–6 are eligible. Nominations close on January 7. Applications will be due by February 6.

Looking for an after-school program that's fun, educational, ...and FREE!?! Towson University's Science Explorers Club is back! Their weekly online program for grades 3–5 is FREE and runs on Wednesdays from 4:00 to 5:00 PM ET. Students are welcome to attend every session or drop in when it fits their schedule. Meetings are virtual via Zoom. Interested?Students/parents must register to join. Sign-up now to get the meeting Zoom links! Learn more here.

In this 90-minute workshop, students craft their own climate story and share it with other participants, while engaging deeply with climate change as a vital personal and community issue. Discover the power of storytelling to confront the climate crisis.

Open to all participants, recommended age 12+. Please bring paper and writing utensils handy. Register to attend!

In the continued effort to highlight and amplify Black voices, Black In Marine Science (BIMS) has created two YouTube series that air Fridays at 1:00 pm ET and Saturdays at 11:00 am ET. These series, BIMS Bites and BIMS Bites Kids, focus on small “bites” of marine science topics presented by Black scientists to communicate science worldwide! Tune in to these upcoming episodes: 

• October 15: Harmful Algal Blooms by Rose Santana
• October 22: Microplastics by Quincy Augustine

Tune in here on YouTube!

The Global Environmental Education Partnership (GEEP) invites applicants from 15 to 30 years of age to propose a solution to address issues related to climate change, marine litter, or both, using environmental education as a key strategy. GEEP personnel are looking for solutions that are innovative, feasible, and informed by research. Your solution could win you a $1000 prize! Learn more >

The submission deadline for proposals is October 25, 2021 at 11:59 PM ET

NOAA's Western Region has launched the “Picture Climate Change'' student photo contest and is looking for images that showcase climate change in the western United States. Students can showcase their climate change experience through the camera  lens along with a short written narrative to highlight their climate change photo.  

Details are available here For more information about NOAA’s efforts to help people understand and prepare for climate variability and change, visit noaa.gov/climate.

Youth Ocean Conservation Summit (YOCS) participants and partners around the world will unite for a day of collective ocean conservation action on Dec. 5. When you register for the Youth Ocean Conservation Summit, you’ll be asked to commit to taking an action locally in your community on December 5 and sharing your impact as part of this global event. Participants may also have the opportunity to join fellow Summit attendees in person during the Day of Ocean Action events in select communities. Interested in organizing a YOCS Day of Ocean Action event for others in your community? Contact YOCS to register your event!

Cool Science is a free and public art competition held each fall for all K-12 artists. Cool Science is a collaboration between universities in Massachusetts, Kansas, Missouri, and Southern New Hampshire. 

For further information about the contest, visit this website.

Population growth is a threat multiplier – it makes other problems worse and more difficult to combat. This contest is open to Middle and high schoolers who should explain how population growth impacts one of the following global challenges and offer an idea for a sustainable solution.The global challenges are: agriculture and food, urbanization, or ocean health. Over 80 students will be awarded cash prizes of up to $1,200! Access rules and guidelines, and register, here.

The theme of Earth Science Week 2021 (October 10-16) is "Water Today and for the Future. This Year's event will emphasize the importance of learning how to understand, conserve, and protect water. Learn more at Earth Science Week 2021.

Earth Science Week 2021 includes these and many other events and resources:

•  Tuesday, October 12: "No Child Left Inside" (NCLI) is a dedicate a day to safe outdoor activities, enabling young people to experience the geosciences firsthand. Find the NCLI Day Guide, including the PDF version, online, then plan your own NCLI Day event;
  
  
• Earth Science Week 2021 is helping you estimate your water-usage habits with GRACE Communications Foundation's Water Footprint Calculator. This tool illustrates how our everyday activities impact water use and impact sustainability. The Water Footprint Calculator is available on desktop computers, as well as mobile and tablets.
  
  
• The Association for the Sciences of Limnology and Oceanography (ASLO)  offers a collection of free-access, peer-reviewed, up-to-date content that can supplement high school and higher education limnology or oceanography course materials. See ASLO Teaching Resources.

Explore Towson University's new ready-to-assign Digital Science Lessons for grades 3–6. Lessons are Google-Slides presentations, easy to download, and ready to assign to your students through a single link! Perfect for supporting in-person, hybrid, and remote teaching and learning. Select one of the new lessons below to download, or go to their Digital Learning Resources page to find a Digital Science Lesson that fits your curriculum!

The future is female. MWM is the premiere network of leaders from business, government, postsecondary, nonprofit and K-12 organizations who are committed to advancing women in STEM and building a diverse, robust and sustainable STEM workforce. Attend the 2021 Million Women Mentors Summit to learn more. Find out more and register here.

Key science-driven topics like vaccines, climate change, and energy policy have been transformed into political controversies hyper-charged through the distorting lens of identity politics. This summit is an opportunity to hear top experts discuss the challenges faced in communicating these polarizing topics and how to best communicate essential science messages and rebuild public trust in science.

REGISTER TO ATTEND. Visit here to learn more.

The NOAA Office of Education has issued a competitive funding opportunity for projects that develop the collective environmental literacy necessary for communities to take actions that build resilience to extreme weather and climate change in ways that contribute to community health, social cohesion, and socio-economic equity.

This funding opportunity is soliciting two types of projects through separate competitive priorities. Priority 1 will support new projects and Priority 2 will support the evolution of existing projects.

Deadlines and details can be found here.