Modeling Protein Structure & Function: Pencil Transferase

Publications

The interrelationship of structure and function is a key theme of biology. One important example of this relationship involves how the three-dimensional shapes of proteins are related to the roles they play at the cellular level. The treatment of protein structure in many introductory textbooks, however, is cursory and focuses on the relationships among primary, secondary, tertiary, and quaternary structure without a clear link to how these levels of organization contribute to functional aspects of the protein. This short and engaging hands-on activity helps reinforce the connection between

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The Emerging Role of Science Teachers in Fostering Stem Career Awareness

Publications

Understanding how high school students become aware of STEM career options, how educators can help students translate awareness into pursuit of STEM careers, and how to provide students with the support and skills they need to succeed, are crucial elements in ensuring the future of our STEM workforce. One important factor is the role that high school science teachers can play in fostering STEM career interest and awareness. As part of our study, we conducted interviews and focus groups with over 70 high school science teachers and other science and career education experts. Teachers’

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Bioinformatics Education in High School: Implications for Promoting Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Careers

Publications

We investigated the effects of our Bio-ITEST teacher professional development model and bioinformatics curricula on cognitive traits (awareness, engagement, self-efficacy, and relevance) in high school teachers and students that are known to accompany a developing interest in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) careers. The program included best practices in adult education and diverse resources to empower teachers to integrate STEM career information into their classrooms. The introductory unit, Using Bioinformatics: Genetic Testing, uses bioinformatics to teach basic

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STELAR Webinar: Digital Badging in ITEST Projects

Video

On Tuesday, March 28, STELAR explored the use of digital badges in two ITEST projects. Like traditional merit badges, digital badges are earned by learning new skills, but unlike their embroidered counterparts, each digital badge contains an electronic record of the specific competencies that have

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Upcoming ITEST Symposia in 2017

News

Each year, STELAR collaborates with NSF ITEST project teams to submit session proposals to education and research conferences around the country. These sessions broaden awareness about the program and share the program's findings with others in the STEM education and research communities. We are thrilled to announce these two ITEST symposia sessions that have been accepted for presentation during Spring 2017. Look for us at these ITEST sessions

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SciGirls Strategies Using Gender-Equitable Teaching Strategies and STEM Video Narratives to Engage Girls in Nontraditional STEM Fields

Publications
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SciGirls Strategies is a National Science Foundation–funded project led by Twin Cities PBS (TPT) in partnership with St. Catherine University, the National Girls Collaborative, and XSci (The Experiential Science Education Research Collaborative) at the University of Colorado Boulder’s Center for STEM Learning. This three-year initiative aims to increase the number of high school girls recruited to and retained in fields where females are traditionally underrepresented: technical science, engineering, technology, and math (STEM) pathways. We seek to accomplish this goal by providing career and

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SciGirls Strategies: Using Gender-Equitable Teaching Strategies and STEM Video Narratives to Engage Girls in Nontraditional STEM Fields

News
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STELAR congratulates ITEST PI Rita Karl and project staff members Bradley McLain and Alicia Santiago of SciGirls Strategies: Gender Equitable Teaching Practices in Career and Technical Education Pathways for High School Girls for their recent publication in Connected Science Learning! The project is featured in the second issue of the journal, which is focued on professional development experiences. SciGirls Strategies appears as an "Emerging

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POD Program Fuels Student Enthusiasm for STEM and GIS

News
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Congratulations to ITEST PI Lori-Rubino Hare and her Power of Data colleagues on their article in Directions Magazine, the geospatial industry’s oldest and most respected source of information and news. The below is a brief excerpt, be sure to read the full article: http://www.directionsmag.com/entry/pod-program-fuels-student-enthusiasm… 27,000 middle and high school students rolling their eyes as they are asked the

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Education and The Barcode of Life (eBOL)

Curricular Materials

The Education and Barcode of Life (eBOL) Community Web Portal provides educators with the key tools needed to bridge biodiversity research and education, and place their students at the nexus of science, nature, and technology.

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