The Latest From ITEEA's Facebook Page...
 The Inaugural USA Science & Engineering Festival, hosted by Lockheed Martin, will be the country’s first national science festival and will descend on the Washington, DC area October 10-24, 2010. www.usasciencefestival.org/
Granville Middle School students are high-tech. They proved that this spring when those in Dan Sansuchat’s Technology Education class participated in the Student Exhibit Contest at Thomas Worthington High School. Sansuchat was recognized with ITEEA's "Teacher Excellence" Award in Charlotte. www.newarkadvocate.com/article/20100510/COMMUNITIES02/100510023
What’s Important to Girls – Lessons Learned.
Celeste Baine's thoughts, perceptions, and ideas about marketing engineering education.
www.engineeringedu.com/celestes_blog/2010/05/lessons.html
Sign up to "friend" ITEEA today! http://www.facebook.com/itea.stem |
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WGBH Boston's Design Squad Competition and Webcast
 Trash to Treasure
Design Squad recently launched its second Trash to Treasure Competition. The contest challenges kids to take everyday recycled materials and re-engineer them into functional projects. Three grand prize winners will win a trip to the development lab at Continuum to build a prototype of their winning design and appear on Season 4 of Design Squad. Complete information is available at http://pbskids.org/designsquad/contest/index.html
Design Squad/NASA Webcast
Join NASA and PBS’ Design Squad for a FREE Webcast on May 26, 2010 from 4-5pm ET during which we’ll discuss why and how to introduce the design process to your students. We’ll watch never-before-seen clips of the design process in action, hear from educators who have ignited their students’ interest in STEM, and explore Design Squad resources you can use to do the same using low-cost materials. No registration is necessary. Just mark your calendars and head to http://dln.nasa.gov/dln/ from 4-5pm on May 26th! |
Utah State University Wins Think Award at VEX World Championship
 The Department of Engineering and Technology Education at Utah State University (USU) sponsored a robotics team to compete in the VEX Robotics World Championship 2010 held in Dallas, Texas April 22-24. The USU team took first place in “autonomous programming and sensor use” winning the Think Award; second in the Excellence Award, “top all around team”; and fifth in tournament play. Way to go, USU!
Left to right: Steve Williams, Trevor Robinson, Bryan Helm, Ben Thatcher, Andrew Deceuster, Gary Stewardson, and Bryan Rudes
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AFCEA Education Scholarships for Teaching Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM)
 The AFCEA Educational Foundation will offer scholarships of $5,000 to students actively pursuing an undergraduate or graduate education degree for the purpose of teaching STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, or Mathematics) subjects at a U.S. middle or secondary school. At least 35 scholarships will be awarded annually. The scholarships are made possible by a generous contribution from AFCEA International.
In addition to the STEM Teacher Scholarship, each graduating AFCEA STEM Teacher Scholar will receive a $1,000 AFCEA Science Teaching Tools grant per year for three years, on the condition they continue to teach a STEM subject. Grants can be used for a variety of purposes including: purchase of STEM-focused classroom supplies, purchase of hardware/software, or to support STEM extra-curricular activities and clubs.
Check www.afcea.org/education/scholarships/undergraduate/TeachersScholarship.asp for eligibility and additional information. Questions? Email Norma Corrales at scholarship@afcea.org Application Deadline: June 10 |
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Professional Development Opportunities
 • July 7-9, 2010 Tech Ed Concepts, Inc. (TEC) will host its 16th Annual Accredited TEC Summer Institute for Educators in Concord, NH. Exclusively designed for Educators, TSI provides 24+ instructional hours of hands-on training, classroom materials, and innovative curriculum designed to assist technology educators by increasing their knowledge of CAD, Laser Technologies, and Rapid Prototyping. The three days of hands-on training are taught by certified professional instructors. Course offerings feature Envisioneer™ 3D Architectural, Interior, and Landscape Design software, KeyCreator™ CAD/CAM software, Laser Technologies with GCC Lasers as well as Desktop Rapid Prototyping with RapManUSA™. Educators who participate also have the opportunity to earn graduate credits accredited through the University System of New Hampshire.
For additional information regarding the 16th Annual Accredited TEC Summer Institute for Educators, contact TEC at 1-800-338-2238, visit www.tecedu.com or email: info@tecedu.com. Online registration is also available at www.tecedu.com/user_help/tecsummerinstitute.shtml.
• August 8-11, 2010 The first NYS STEM Education Summer Institute, “STEM: Links to the Future” will take place at SUNY Oswego. Technology education teachers are strongly encouraged to participate in this institute. Technology education teacher participation and presentations can significantly strengthen Tech. Ed.’s role among the recognized STEM disciplines and within the fast-moving, wildly popular STEM initiatives. Our NYS STEM Education Collaborative invites you to join us for this groundbreaking summer institute. Presenters from all four disciplines are going to be on hand to demonstrate how learning can become more universally relevant and exciting through the integration of STEM activities and concepts. Technology education is a natural delivery system for supporting STEM education instruction. Expert STEM Education presenters are coming from New York State, Maryland, Texas, Virginia, and Canada. Everyone will gain many neat ideas and strategies to begin using this coming Fall. Our vendors will provide instructional resources and strategies for Math, Science, Engineering, and Technology Education with STEM education delivery in mind. The institute is jointly run and organized by STANYS, NYSTEA, NYSSPE, and AMTNYS. For information about our Collaborative, STEM Education, and how to register for this institute, please go to: www.nysstemeducation.org.
• November 26-27, 2010 The First International Conference of STEM in Education will be held at Queensland University of Technology in Brisbane, Australia. The importance of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) in Education has been emphasised in numerous government policies both in Australia and overseas. The First International Conference of STEM in Education creates an opportunity for educators and researchers from schools, universities, businesses, industries, and other private and public agencies to share and discuss innovative practices and research initiatives geared towards the advancement of STEM education. You are invited to submit a conference presentation: http://stem.ed.qut.edu.au/
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Important Deadlines: Paper Submission – June 18, 2010; Early Bird Registration – August 31, 2010; All Registrations – October 10, 2010. |
New Children's Engineering Book
 Children’s Engineering: Beyond the Basics
by Ginger Whiting & Marcia Hickey
A follow-up to Children’s Engineering: A Handbook for Elementary Educators, this guide helps elementary educators recognize the technology already in their curriculum and introduces Standards for Technological Literacy: Content for the Study of Technology (ITEA 2000/2002/2007), including K-5 Benchmarks. Plus, it includes 12 ready-to-use activities that can tie in across the curriculum: Technology All Around Us – The Nature of Technology, Technology & Society, Design, and The Designed World; Integrated Lessons – Everyday Connections (Structures, Systems, History, and Symbols); and Ready-to-Use Activities – Applied Knowledge, Critical & Creative Thinking, Hands-on Learning
Click here for ordering information.
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Newsletters to Note
 Technology News [New Zealand], April/May 2010
New Brochure: Technology Education: A Great Start
Techlink's new brochure promotes the many career opportunities that are presented to Technology students and highlights how Technology can be a useful prerequisite for a wide range of tertiary study. Former Technology students share their thoughts about how Technology has helped them in their careers and why they believe it has offered them an invaluable learning experience. This brochure is a great way to show your students and their parents the varied and exciting career paths that Technology students can follow. To order copies of this brochure, please visit Techlink's ordering page.
eGFI News For Teachers, April 27, 2010
from the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE)
Complexity Rules
At the annual Rube Goldberg Machine Contest at Purdue University, students compete to build complicated contraptions for the simplest tasks. This year's challenge: dispensing hand sanitizer. The winning entry from Thorp High School in Thorp, WI, required 65 steps. Learn More
Also in this edition of eGFI, learn all about speed in the article “Rumble and Zoom,” the “Rocket Racer” lesson plan, and the spotlight on a “Speedway Pioneer.”
Join the thousands of teachers receiving fresh lesson plans and activities, news, feature articles, and web resources every week by email. Check out the archive of teacher newsletters and then sign up here. Each week, the eGFI student newsletter presents fun and interesting engineering innovations – great discussion topics for class. Sign up for the student newsletter and encourage your students to do so, as well. Check out past student newsletters here.
NSTA Express, Week of April 26, 2010
NASA and NSTA Send Teachers Flying in Microgravity
NASA and the National Science Teachers Association have selected high school teachers from Alabama, Delaware, Georgia, Missouri, New York, North Carolina, and Washington to fly an experiment in microgravity. This flight opportunity will allow high school teachers and students to propose, design, fabricate, and evaluate an experiment the teachers will fly in a reduced-gravity environment. The overall experience will include scientific research, hands-on design, and test operations aboard a modified Boeing 727 jetliner. Zero-Gravity Corp. of Las Vegas will conduct the flights the week of July 29 to August 7 in cooperation with the Reduced Gravity Office at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston.
The Pre-Engineering Times, April 2010; Issue #84
from the Junior Engineering Technical Society (JETS)
Discover Engineering as a Career
Students tell us what they like and don't like to do, and we create a personalized profile that gives them a glimpse into the types of engineering majors and careers they may wish to pursue. Visit Assess... today! |
Congratulations to the Winners!
 New Jersey Students Earn Top Honors in USA TODAY/
NASA No Boundaries Competition
Competition Explores NASA STEM Career Opportunities
USA TODAY and NASA have announced the winners of the 2010 No Boundaries National Competition. The winning student teams hail from all over the country and excel in the areas of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM).
The winning student teams include:
• First place: “Let’s Get Materialistic” – Saddle Brook Middle School in Saddle Brook, NJ, Kristine Baltazar, Elka Chowdhury, Jenna DiRito, and Neil Montwani
• Second place: “Exogeology ROCKS!” – Sahuaro Girl Scout Council in Tuscon, AZ, Zoe Bentley
• Third place: “Astronomy: No Boundaries” – Enterprise High School in Redding, CA, Ronnel Boettcher and Cory Smith
No Boundaries helps students explore future careers in science, technology, engineering, and math and introduces them to specific career opportunities at NASA. The program requires student teams to present their completed career research projects to a group of their peers. The 2010 No Boundaries National Competition first-place team chose to focus on the topic of materials engineering and won the competition with an old-fashioned styled black-and-white art portfolio. For more information, visit www.noboundaries-stemcareers.com.
ExploraVision Competition Announces 2010 National Winners
Future scientists and inventors from Kindergarten to 12th grade envision a future where algae may help solve the world’s energy problems, a first-aid kit might better be called a virtual “doctor in a box,” and amputees might be able to regrow their missing limbs. These are just a few of the winning student projects announced recently by the 18th annual Toshiba/National Science Teachers Association ExploraVision Awards Program. The program’s eight National Winners for 2010, including four First Place and four Second Place student teams, envisioned new technologies that could make the future safer, healthier, and more eco-friendly. Reflecting a variety of topics that are top-of-mind with many of today’s young people, such as improving health care and advancing medical technology, the students’ winning projects reflected ongoing research in fields ranging from energy-harnessing techniques to genetic research, nanotechnology, GPS technologies, and more. Notably, female ExploraVision entrants made a strong showing of their science prowess this year, with half of the top-winning teams comprised of all girls. See www.exploravision.org/winners/ for the complete list of winning entries.
Connecticut and San Jose Students Take Top Prizes in JETS' TEAMS Competition
More than 10,000 High School Students Solve Global Water Shortage Problem
Tackling one of the world’s most pressing problems – the global water shortage – from an engineering perspective, students from The Taft School in Watertown, CT., took the top national honor for the 11/12th grade level, while those from the Harker School in San Jose, CA., were named the national 9/10th grade winners in the 31st annual national TEAMS competition sponsored by the Junior Engineering Technical Society (JETS). The 2010 winners competed against more than 10,000 ninth- through twelfth-grade students from 42 states across the country.
The relevance of this year’s competition theme, “Water, Water, Everywhere,” was highlighted earlier this year as the students watched earthquake victims in Haiti struggle to find clean water, a problem that affects nearly one billion people, according to the World Health Organization.
The purpose of TEAMS is to encourage more American students to pursue engineering by showing them just how engineering impacts everyday life and how engineers help solve social and community problems – from building roads and bridges, to developing water purification systems for developing countries, to inventing alternative sources of energy to fuel our cars and keep our homes warm and cool. For more information, please visit www.JETS.org. |
Executives Say the 21st Century Requires More Skilled Workers
 Critical thinking and problem solving, creativity and innovation, collaboration, and communication skills will become more important in a fast-paced, competitive global economy
As the U.S. economy begins to show signs of improvement, executives say they need a workforce fully equipped with skills beyond just the basics…Proficiency in reading, writing, and arithmetic has traditionally been the entry-level threshold to the job market, but the new workplace requires more from its employees. Employees need to think critically, solve problems, innovate, collaborate, and communicate more effectively—and at every level within an organization. According to the AMA 2010 Critical Skills Survey, many executives admit there is room for improvement among their employees in these skills and competencies. Read the full article.
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Green Technology
 • Rainmaker Wins $100,000 Lemelson-MIT Award
BP Agrawal, founder of Sustainable Innovations, has won the $100,000 Lemelson-MIT Award for Sustainability.
The award goes to an individual's overall achievement in improving the lives of others through science or engineering innovation, not for one particular invention. Read more.
• 147,000 Teens Show Their School Spirit by Going Green This Spring
DoSomething.org announced the winners of the 3rd annual “Increase Your Green” campaign, which mobilized over 147,000 teens to find innovative ways to conserve energy and reduce waste at their schools. Between February 1 and Earth Day on April 22, teens from over 1,300 schools across the country recycled over 650,000 pounds of paper and 330,000 pounds of plastic, and saved 5.6 million kWh of energy, enough energy to power over 500 American homes for a whole year. Out of thousands of amazing projects, one Grand Prize winner has been chosen to receive $5,000 to continue their greening efforts, with three additional schools being awarded $1,000 grants for their school programs. All winning projects also receive an HP Artist Edition notebook to help carry out their plans. Visit www.IncreaseYourGreen.org to view the winning schools’ projects.
• NEA Member Benefits and Target to Sponsor the National Education Association’s Green Across America Grants Program
$50,000 in Grants for Educators to Promote Environmental Initiatives
The National Education Association and Target are partnering in a new program that will award $50,000 in grants to educators to implement innovative activities, lessons, or events that get students excited about “going green” and raise awareness of school-based environmentalism. The first annual NEA’s Green Across America Grants program is a national competition aimed at helping educators and students design activities that raise environmental awareness and develop eco-sustainable behavior. Green Across America grant applications are now available at www.neamb.com/green.
• Kids Are Curious About the Oil Spill – NWF Supplies Answers for Educators
Teachers might be stumped when their students ask questions about the oil spill. How do you answer those questions in terms children will understand? How can the oil spill be incorporated into lesson plans to provide teachable moments? Are there hands-on classroom activities that will give kids a better understanding about the impacts an oil spill has on sensitive wetland eco-systems? National Wildlife Federation’s Eco-Schools team has developed a useful website with lots of information for kids and educators. Check it out and share it with your students so they can be better informed about this environmental crisis with long-lasting effects: www.nwf.org/oilspill/kids.
• Hydrogen Nearly Ready for Prime Time?
With Toyota's announcement in mid May that they expect to price their first mass-market hydrogen fuel-cell vehicle at $50,000, it's starting to look a tiny bit as though hydrogen is edging closer to the mass market. This price reflects cost cuts of about 90 percent since the mid 2000s, according to the company. The car would have zero emissions and the range and refueling time of a gas-powered vehicle.
Source: Hybrid Owners of America, Friday, May 14, 2010 |
Thank You!
 ...to all those who voted for the NASA Climate Change website (http://climate.nasa.gov/). It won the 2010 People’s Voice Webby Award for Science. Congratulations!
Read about the Webby at: www.webbyawards.com/webbys/
current.php?season=14#webby_entry_science |
Summer Opportunities From NASA
 • NASA Hosts RockOn! 2010 University Rocket Science Workshop in June
U.S. university faculty and students are invited to a weeklong workshop to learn how to build and launch a scientific experiment into space. NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia is hosting the RockOn! 2010 workshop June 19-24, in partnership with the Colorado and Virginia Space Grant Consortia. The hands-on workshop teaches participants to build experiments that fly on sounding rockets. During the week, participants will work together in teams of three to construct and integrate a sounding rocket payload from a kit in four days. On the fifth day of the workshop, their experiments will fly on a NASA Terrier-Orion sounding rocket expected to reach an altitude of 73 miles.
For more information about RockOn! and to register online, visit: http://spacegrant.colorado.edu/rockon.
Questions about the workshop or the registration process should be directed to Chris Koehler by email at koehler@colorado.edu or by telephone at 303-492-3141. The registration deadline for the workshop is May 31, 2010.
• NASA MICI seeks Undergrads and Faculty
The mission of the Minority Innovation Challenges Institute is to create a virtual training ground where minority undergraduate students learn how to compete in NASA technical challenges for both prestige and significant cash prizes. This NASA-funded program is managed by Florida Agricultural & Mechanical University. MICI provides a year-round virtual conference platform where students from across the country can participate in free, interactive, educational sessions of their choosing. Many sessions will focus on competitions within NASA’s Centennial Challenges program, which provides cash prizes ranging from $50,000 to $2 million. Students will learn how to compete in other NASA-sponsored competitions created specifically for universities. These competitions include the Fundamental Aeronautics Student Competition for Colleges/Universities, the NASA University Student Launch Initiative, the University Business Plan Contest for Engineering Technology, and the Great Moonbuggy Race. Students and faculty are encouraged to learn more about it by visiting www.NASAMICI.com. Please email questions concerning this program to mary@nasamici.com.
• NASA Opportunity for Students in Grades 9-12: INSPIRE
High school students throughout the United States are invited to participate in NASA's Interdisciplinary National Science Program Incorporating Research Experience, or INSPIRE, through the program’s Online Learning Community.
Applications are being accepted through June 30, 2010. NASA will make selections for the program in September.
Selectees will participate in an online learning community in which students and parents have the opportunity to interact with their peers and NASA engineers and scientists. The online community also provides appropriate grade-level educational activities, discussion boards, and chat rooms. Participants and their families also gain exposure to the many careers and opportunities at NASA.
Students selected for the program will have the option to compete for unique grade-appropriate experiences during the summer of 2011 at NASA facilities and participating universities throughout the nation. INSPIRE is designed to encourage ninth- through twelfth-grade students to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering, and math. The summer experience provides students a hands-on opportunity to investigate education and careers in those disciplines. INSPIRE is part of NASA's education strategy to attract and retain students in the science, technology, engineering, and math disciplines critical to NASA's missions.
For more information about this opportunity, visit www.nasa.gov/education/INSPIRE.
If you have questions about this opportunity, please email your inquiries to INSPIRE Project Manager Steve Chance at steven.h.chance@nasa.gov. |
International Technology and Engineering Educators Association
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