
National Hispanic Heritage Month 2021
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This year’s ITEST PI conference falls during National Hispanic Heritage month. A time Hispanics, Latinos, Latinas and Latinx come together to celebrate the histories, cultures, and contributions of American citizens whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean and Central and South America.The theme for this year: Esperanza: A Celebration of Hispanic Heritage and Hope, “invites us to celebrate Hispanic Heritage and to reflect on how
10 Ways to Prepare Today’s Students for Tomorrow’s Workforce
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This is a reposting of a blog originally published on Education Development Center, Inc.'s website. Dr. Malyn-Smith serves as a senior advisor to the STEM Learning and Resource (STELAR) Center. The world of work has drastically changed from when I was young. When I was seeking my first jobs, we were at the tail end of an industrial era. Today, we are in an information age. With the exception of service occupations, shift work and assembly lines
Developing a Competitive ITEST Proposal: Tips from the STELAR Center 2021
BlogAs the resource center for the NSF ITEST Program, STELAR assists both ITEST grantees and those interested in submitting a proposal. Each year we host solicitation webinars on behalf of NSF, which allow program officers to provide direct information and answer questions from participants. While the archived webinar materials are crucial to understanding the requirements of the program, we would like to highlight additional tools, resources, and
World Oceans Month
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The oceans cover more than 70 percent of our planet and it’s one of earth’s most valuable natural resources. Not only does it produce more than 50 percent of the world’s oxygen, but it also absorbs approximately 30 percent of carbon dioxide emissions produce by human activities. The oceans currents distribute heat across the globe, regulating temperature and weather and absorbing over 90% of the heat. Did you know that bacteria, found in the
Project Spotlight: Teaching for Equity in Appalachia in Mathematics and Science
BlogNSF's ITEST and Noyce programs both focus on improving STEM education by exposing, immersing, and engaging students and educators in varied educational settings. This month we explore Appalachian State’s Teaching for Equity in Appalachia in Mathematics and Science (TEAMS) Noyce Project's work in STEM engagement, teacher preparation, and workforce development in rural settings.
Recognizing ITEST projects focusing on educators helping shape the lives of students worldwide
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Teacher appreciation day originated in 1953 but it wasn’t established as a weeklong celebration until 1999. Many people aren’t aware that Mattie Whyte Woodridge, an African American teacher in Arkansas is the pioneer of teacher appreciation day. She wrote to every governor in the United States and eventually one of her letters landed on the desk of Eleanor Roosevelt, the rest is history.Being a teacher has its complexities, and we often don’t
Project Spotlight: Morehouse College's iSTEM-Xe Program
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Morehouse College iSTEM-Xe is an academic program designed for grades 6-8 that offers a rigorous, stimulating curriculum of project- and inquiry-based learning activities that explore principles related to STEM education and careers.What strategies have you found most effective and productive to broadening participation by engaging diverse underrepresented populations in STEM programs and careers? The iSTEM-Xe innovation component is student
ITEST Proposals Move to Research.gov
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NSF has formally announced that FastLane will no longer accept any proposals to either the Innovative Technology Experiences for Students and Teachers (ITEST) or the Discovery Research pre-K—12 (DRK-12) Programs.
Earth Day 2021: Improving our planet one ITEST project at a time
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Earth Day is a chance to bring awareness about the state of our planet and how we can improve it. The first Earth Day took place on April 22, 1970, and inspired 20 million Americans to take to the streets to demonstrate against the impacts of 150 years of industrial development which had left a growing legacy of serious human health impacts. Since then, over 190 countries have engaged in action to bring long term awareness to focus areas such as
Celebrating Mathematics
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This week we celebrated a fun mathematical holiday invented by the “Prince of Pi,” physicist and science communicator Larry Shaw. While working at San Francisco’s science museum, the Exploratorium, Shaw made the connection between the mathematical constant (P) and the date in March. The first Pi day was a small celebration, but it grew into an annual public event for the museum. Despite being created in 1988, it wasn’t until 2009 that it was