Save the Date! Massachusetts STEM Summit: November 13, 2013

The 10th annual Massachusetts STEM Summit will take place on Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2013 at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough MA. Hosted by the Massachusetts Governor’s STEM Advisory Council, the Massachusetts Business Roundtable and the UMass Donahue Institute, the Summit will bring together leaders in business, government, and education to discuss the goals, plans, and progress of STEM education. Additional information will soon be posted on the 2013 STEM Summit website: http://www.mass-stem-summit.org/.

Save the Date!  Massachusetts Advanced Manufacturing Summit: June 25, 2013

For conference details and registration information, please visit: www.ampitupma.com/summit2013

Next generation science standards released

(Originally published in U.S. News & World Report, April 15, 2013)

By Kelsey Sheehy -- Science education in the United States is not up to snuff.  Most high schoolstudents can scratch the scientific surface – follow instructions, conduct experiments – but few succeed at analysis and explanation, two critical components of real-world inquiry, studies reveal. The Next Generation Science Standards aim to change all that. Released last week, the standards follow in the footsteps of the Common Core State Standards for math and reading by setting a uniform benchmark and encouraging depth over breadth in science curriculums. [Read more....]

$10,000 Afterschool STEM Impact Awards

(As published on The Afterschool Alliance's website)

The Afterschool Alliance is recognizing exemplary afterschool STEM programs serving young people in grades 4 through 8 with two $10,000 Afterschool STEM Impact Awards.  Applicants will be judged by the impact of their program on participating youth.  Winners and other notable applicants will be recognized in nationally-released issue briefs, invited to present at national conferences and will be highlighted as model programs.  The Afterschool Alliance is especially excited to discover programs that are having a significant impact on youth, but may not have been recognized with awards before. One award will be given in each of the two categories:

• Afterschool programs that are a strong partnership between an afterschool provider and a STEM-rich institution(s), which include science centers or museums, nature centers, universities, government labs, STEM-related businesses, or other similar institutions.  Programs may focus on any STEM topic.

• Afterschool programs that have a strong computing and/or engineering component.  Computing programs should focus on helping young people acquire the skills and knowledge required to create technology, not just to use it.  Engineering programs should be rooted in the engineering design process, and students should be developing and building a solution to a problem.

Applications are due May 15, 2013.  For additional details and to apply, click here. If you have any questions about the application process, please contact Melissa Ballard at mjballard@afterschoolalliance.org or call (202) 347-2030.

White House seeks nominations for 2014 presidential award

The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy and the National Science Foundation seek nominations of individuals and organizations that have demonstrated at least five years of excellence in mentoring students, trainees, and/or early career scientists and engineers from groups that are underrepresented in STEM, including women, people with disabilities, underrepresented racial and ethnic minorities, as well as individuals from low socio-economic backgrounds and some geographic regions (such as urban and rural regions). Awardees of the Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics, and Engineering Metntoring (PAESMEM) will receive a $10,000 honorary Presidential award and are invited to participate in recognition events and meetings with STEM policy leaders in Washington, D.C. For more information visit: http://www.nsf.gov/publications/pub_summ.jsp?ods_key=nsf13044

U.S. Department of Energy has launched a new online feature, Women @ Energy

 Women @ Energy, showcases a few of the talented and dedicated employees at the U.S. Department of Engergy who are helping change the world, ensuring America’s security and prosperity through transformative science and technology solutions. The feature enables you to view profiles of women across the country, read about what inspired them to work in STEM and what excites them about their work at the Energy Department, share ideas for getting more underrepresented groups engaged in STEM, offering tips, and more. For more information please visit: http://energy.gov/diversity/listings/women-energy

Massachusetts' "WOW" Initiative

As part of the 8th Annual Massachusetts STEM Summit, Lieutenant Governor Timothy Murray announced the launch of the “WOW Initiative”, a statewide public awareness campaign designed to engage, educate and “wow” Massachusetts students into realizing the opportunities in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) careers. As part of the project, Massachusetts schools will receive a series of videos highting various opportunities, as well as individuals who are applying their STEM skills, such as Boston Red Sox statistician Bill James, Harmonix Music Systems video game designer Jim Toepel and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute’s ocean researcher Amy Kukulya. This video introduces the WOWsters. http://www.youtube.com/embed/s9zQ6-CYLq0?

Major report on manufacturing in Massachusetts released

“Staying Power II: A Report Card on Manufacturing in Massachusetts 2012" is an update of a 2008 study that onveys positive news about the resiliency of the state’s sector. Click here to access the report.

Massachusetts State Science & Engineering Fair seeks judges, mentors, advocates, students

The Massachusetts State Science & Engineering Fair, Inc. (MSSEF) is a non-profit organization committed to increasing awareness of, exposure to, and participation in inquiry-based learning through the development of science and engineering projects by middle school and high school students.  Through its Curious Minds Initiative, MSSEF offers graduate courses for teachers leading to the STEM Certificate in Inquiry at Framingham State University.

Ways to get involved:

1. Be a science fair judge. Opportunities exist at the middle and high school levels and for statewide,  regional, and school district fairs.

2. Mentor science fair students and science teachers.

3. Help develop a science fair program in a school.

4. Become a STEM education advocate. Promote the need for students to choose STEM education and careers.

5. Enter your students in a fair! Massachusetts State Science & Engineering Fairs are open to students in grades 6-12 from all public, private and parochial schools throughout the state.

For additional information please visit: www.massscifair.com, or email info@scifair.com.