Helping U.S. Students "Make the Grade" in Science and Math

On Tuesday, April 10, science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education experts from around the nation and the National Science Foundation (NSF) will convene a workshop at the University of Illinois at Chicago to discuss practices that can be immediately adopted by K-12 schools to help reform STEM education nationally.

In the past two decades, U.S. 15-year-olds have scored lower than the international average on mathematics assessments. They also tend to score at about the international average on science assessments, according to the National Science Board's Science and Engineering Indicators 2012.

Effective teaching and learning of STEM are key to developing a 21st-century workforce and sufficiently informed citizenry. Doing so will be critical for U.S. success in an increasingly knowledge-based and innovation-dependent economy and for addressing grand challenges facing the country. That's the message research and education scientists will convey to an audience of some 300 teachers and school leaders at the "STEM Smart: Lessons Learned From Successful Schools" meeting in Chicago.

Effective STEM instruction, equal access to quality STEM experiences, and support of STEM learning infrastructure are central to next-generation STEM curriculum and student success. These "active ingredients" of successful STEM education comprise the workshop's themes and are derived from the National Research Council's (NRC) NSF-funded report Successful K-12 STEM Education: Identifying Effective Approaches in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics.

The NRC report recommends evidence-based ways that community stakeholders can improve K-12 STEM education. It identifies effective approaches to STEM education modeled on existing research supported by NSF. New research will inevitably inform improved educational strategies as we continue to unveil, for example, how young children learn science and mathematics in and outside the classroom.

This is the second in a series of NSF regional workshops.  The next two will be held in Nevada and Maryland. Details on the Chicago event follow:

What:

STEM Smart: Lessons Learned from Successful Schools

A workshop hosted by the National Science Foundation

When:

Tuesday, April 10, 2012, 8 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.

Where:

University of Illinois at Chicago

UIC Forum

Media interested in attending and/or interviewing the educators in attendance should contact Bobbie Mixon at bmixon@nsf.gov (703) 292-8485

A list of presenters, an agenda and further details are on the Successful STEM Education Web site.

Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program Proposal Workshop

February 21, 2012 8:00 AM to February 21, 2012 2:00 PM
American Association for the Advancement of Science, 1200 New York Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20005

The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) is hosting an outreach workshop to provide information about submitting a proposal to the National Science Foundation (NSF) Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program. The workshop will take place:

Tuesday, February 21, 2012

8:00 A.M - 2:00 P.M.
Location: American Association for the Advancement of Science
1200 New York Avenue
NW Washington, DC 20005

More information about the NSF Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program can be found at http://nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=5733&org=DUE&from=home.

The 2012 NSF Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program Solicitation 12-525 can be located at http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2012/nsf12525/nsf12525.htm.

Who Should Participate in the Proposal Preparation Workshop?

This workshop is informational and is recommended for STEM faculty and education faculty who are considering submitting proposals to the Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program in 2012.  No more than two people from one institution may attend the workshop.  For Noyce proposals the PI, or at least one Co-PI, must be a faculty member in a mathematics, science, or engineering department.  Institutions eligible to submit proposals to the Noyce program are Universities and two- or four-year colleges (including community colleges) accredited in, and having a campus located in the US, or consortia of such institutions, or US nonprofit entities that have established consortia among such institutions of higher education.

How to Register for the Proposal Preparation Workshop

Registration for the workshop is now available at http://nsfnoyce.org/workshop-signup/.

The deadline to register for the workshop is Monday, February 13, 2012. Please register as soon as possible because there are a limited number of slots available. The registrant(s) will receive additional instructions via email once registration is confirmed; please watch for this email.  A proposal preparation webinar is also available for those who are unable to attend the workshop.

For questions about the workshops contact:

Betty Calinger
bcalinge@aaas.org
202-326-6629

For questions about the Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program contact:

Joan Prival
jprival@nsf.gov
703-292-4635

Meeting Type

Workshop

Contacts

Joan T. Prival, (703) 292-4635 jprival@nsf.gov

Related Agencies

American Association for the Advancement of Science

NSF Related Organizations

NSF-Wide
Division of Undergraduate Education

Science: Becoming the Messenger

The National Science Foundation (NSF) will be holding a workshop, "Science: Becoming the Messenger" on January 23, 2012, at the Waikiki Beach Marriott Resort & Spa Hotel, 2552 Kalakaua Avenue, Honolulu, Hawaii 96815.

We are extending an invitation to principal investigators (PI), early career researchers and engineers, graduate students and postdocs from institutions and universities in Hawaii who would like to learn to communicate effectively to a broad audience.

We are also extending an invitation to public information officers (PIO) communicating on behalf of the institutions and universities in Hawaii.

Today, across academia and the research community, there is a growing interest in science communication. Scientists are asking how they can share their knowledge and findings across an increasingly challenging information environment.

Seminars and training workshops are, accordingly, springing up to meet this need. But never before has there been a team like the one NSF has assembled to help members of the scientific community at all levels become more effective messengers.

Featuring three accomplished communicators and trainers--Emmy award winning television producer Joe Schreiber, former PBS executive Dan Agan and bestselling science author Chris Mooney--the NSF workshop "Science: Becoming the Messenger" provides one-stop shopping for those seeking to reach a broader public about their work.

Over the course of this full day of training, participants will learn how to craft a message and deliver it to a variety of audiences. They will also have the opportunity to experience live interview training, to develop writing and new media skills, to hone their public presentations and even to produce video.

Public information officers (PIO) will participate in all aspects of day one of the workshop and be able to participate with the researchers. They will attend a special breakout session designed to collaborate with NSF Public Affairs.

For a specially selected group of RESEARCHERS, there will be a second day on January 24, 2012. During this second day, they will refine their message further, train to talk to their colleagues, public audiences and the media. If you are interested in participating in the second day of the workshop and would like to be considered, please complete the questions on the registration form. If you are not interested or a PIO, simply type N/A in the box on the registration form.

There is no registration fee to attend but pre-registration is required. Please complete the registration form. The registration deadline is January 13, 2012.

PLEASE BE PREPARED TO ATTEND THE WORKSHOP FOR THE ENTIRE DAY SINCE THE SESSIONS BUILD ON ONE ANOTHER.

IF YOU ARE CHOSEN FOR THE 2ND DAY, YOU MUST ALSO COMMIT TO STAY FOR THE ENTIRE DAY.

Register for this event at http://www.nsf.gov/events/registrations_forms/index.cfm?wkshop_id=84&cntn_id=122653.