Science Museum of MN 'Invention Crew' paves way for future engineers
NewsSaint Paul Public Schools is working with the Kitty Andersen Youth Science Center at the Science Museum of Minnesota, and Saint Paul College to bring a high level engineering program to students at Saint Paul public high schools. Students, who are interviewed and hired by the Science Museum, become a part of Invention Crew (an ITEST project also known as IDEA). Using professional equipment, the Invention Crew has designed a device that will help
Students say goodbye to CREST
NewsAfter five years, sixteen school partnerships, 75 community partnerships, 300 direct student and teacher collaborations, thousands of students reached indirectly, and over 40 community-based projects, CREST is winding down. This ITEST project has spent the past five years linking classroom technology with community needs while improving the learning experience for both student and teachers in the process. Student projects ranged from creating ABC
Awakening the 'tech' in girls' brains
NewsDeveloped in 2007, COMPUGIRLS is an ITEST project that serves 60 girls in underserved school districts in the Phoenix-metro area. The girls, who are predominantly Hispanic, Native American and African-American, can begin the program as eighth graders and participate in six distinct courses, meeting four times a week for five weeks. In addition to advancing techno-social skills, they learn to improve their writing, conduct interviews, draft
Bioinformatics education should start in high school
NewsBioinformatics data and programs that enable these data to be searched, compared, and visualized are readily available to all--including high school students. So why aren't more high school students using these data in school projects? The Northwest Association for Biomedical Research's mission is to promote an understanding of biomedical research through education and dialogue in their Bio-ITEST Bioinformatics Workshop for educators.
CT Science Center hosting Cyber-Challenge
NewsThe second year of the Connecticut Business & Industry Association's Education Foundation's Cyber-Challenge (also known as ITEST Project Opening Doors) places nearly 200 high-school students in teams to answer complex questions on health care, energy conservation, aerospace, and other issues posed by four of Connecticut's leading businesses. Industry representatives also serve as coaches and judges for the project.
Celebration showcases Pajaro Valley after-school programs
NewsHosted by Pajaro Valley Unified School District, the Seeds of Change event was part party, part showcase for programs sponsored by the district and agencies, ranging from the YMCA to city Parks and Community Services. During this event, which mixed education activities and activities that were purely for fun, featured computer games developed by student participants in a project known locally as Watsonville TEC, but also known as the ITEST
NCSU researchers build 'STEM Teams' for rural areas
NewsStudents who grow up in small, rural towns do not have the same exposure to high-tech jobs as their "big city" counterparts and may not be aware of what it takes to be a rocket scientist or video-game programmer, according to N.C. State University. With an increasing need for workers to fill STEM careers in the United States, educational researchers at N.C. State are finding ways to reach students at a time in their lives when research shows they
Helping students reach higher
NewsITEST project Reach for the Sky brings innovative curricula and activities in STEM disciplines to the White Earth students over a five-week span. This program is particularly beneficial because it makes STEM culturally relevant to local Anishinaabe youth.
Video game design program boosts interest in science careers
NewsDesigned to increase student interest in STEM subjects in traditionally underserved communities, ITEST project Game Design through Mentoring and Collaboration (GDMC) provides an environment in which students learn the basics of professional-level 3D modeling and animation software as well as the logic of game design and programming. Students also have the opportunity to become paid mentors, helping newer students hone their skills. Live Science
Fabricating the future: 3-D printing molds new K-12 STEM model
NewsVisionaries like Glen Bull, a professor of instructional technology at the University of Virginia's (UVA) Curry School of Education, are using 3-D printing systems to change the way teachers present science concepts and, in turn, how students learn and retain the material. In a lab school, elementary school students and teachers are invited to use engineering design and fabrication to teach and learn science and math concepts.