NetSci High: Network Science for the Next Generation
BlogThis summer, twenty four students had an opportunity to meet Dr. Alex “Sandy” Pentland from MIT’s Media Lab, Dr. Gene Stanley from Boston University’s Center for Polymer Studies, and other researchers to learn about current applications in network science.
Project Spotlight: Fueling the Ocean STEM Workforce Pipeline
BlogSTELAR recently had the opportunity to interview Jill Zande from the MATE ROV Competitions: Providing Pathways to the Ocean STEM Workforce project to learn more about the project’s current work. The MATE ROV project just held its annual international competition at the end of June.
Reflections on Youth Motivation in STEM Webinar
BlogWhat role does community, family, and culture play in the motivation to learn? What motivates young people to participate in STEM learning experiences? What do these experiences teach them about STEM educational and career paths?These are just some of the questions explored by presenters on the STELAR webinar on Youth Motivation. Webinar attendees heard successes, challenges and lessons learned from three ITEST projects that are using distinctive
Cracking the Code of Cyberlearning
BlogWhen I mention my work with the Center for Innovative Research in Cyberlearning (CIRCL), people often ask, “So, what exactly is cyberlearning?” It’s a good question with a broad answer.
Project Spotlight: Energy for ME
BlogSTELAR recently had the opportunity to interview Ruth Kermish-Allen from the ITEST Project Energy for ME to learn more about the program's impact. Energy for ME is an energy education program of the Island Institute, involving ten island and coastal communities. Students in grades 6-12 – and their families – are learning how to better understand their communities' energy-consumption habits, as well as how to develop effective strategies to
STELAR Reception at NSTA
BlogOn April 2, 2014 the STEM Learning and Resource Center (STELAR) hosted an outreach event to introduce the goals of STELAR, celebrate the launch of our website, and to make new connections in conjunction with the NSTA conference in Boston.Participants were new to the ITEST community and joined the event to learn more about STELAR and the ITEST program. Attendees were introduced to the ITEST program and to STELAR’s goals to support the research and
Cultivating a STEM-Savvy Workforce
BlogToday’s world is a global marketplace driven by technology. Rapid advances in technology have changed both the work we do and how we do it. With the new affordances of the “cyberinfrastructure” we now have access to vast amounts of information online. We also have very sophisticated tools, such as visualization tools that help us see things that are not visible to the naked eye—for example, what protein folding looks like—that we can use to
STELAR Center Launches
BlogThe National Science Foundation (NSF) has selected EDC to continue its role as the resource center for the ITEST (Innovative Technology Experiences for Students and Teachers) program. The new resource center—STEM Learning and Research Center (STELAR)— represents a partnership between EDC and the EdLab Group, which brings a wealth of expertise in outreach and broadening participation to STELAR. Our technical support work will be largely focused on