STEAM Ahead

~ Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math (STEAM) ~

Check out the following information for ...

• Events & Activities
• Contests
• Resources for Families & Educators
• Volunteer Opportunities

Click on pictures and/or links for more information!

UAF Summer Sessions & Lifelong Learning created the 365 SMART Academy,
which provides virtual and in-person enrichment courses for K-12 students to supplement their academic curriculum.

Virtual courses consist of YouTube videos, weekly Zoom class meetings, and course kits with materials to provide hands-on activities at home. In-person courses will take place either on UAF Campus or at one of our local (Fairbanks) homeschool partner locations.

For more information, click here!

The University of Alaska Fairbanks Geophysical Institute is offering weekly free public tours through September 5, 2023. Tours take about 1.5 hours and start at 1 p.m. Wednesdays at the entrance of the Elvey Building on UAF’s West Ridge.

Visitors will learn about exciting science from monitoring whale populations with unmanned aircraft to how the iconic satellite antenna atop our building downlinks remote sensing data, and much more! These tours are family-friendly, educational, and offer insight into world-class research happening at the University of Alaska Fairbanks with local and global impacts.

For more information, to request accommodation, or to learn about other attractions for UAF visitors, visit www.gi.alaska.edu/about/visitor-information or the Geophysical Institute’s Facebook event page. Contact the GI Public Information Office at 907-474-7787 or uaf-gi-public-info@alaska.edu. Tours are free and for the public. All ages are encouraged to attend. No registration required.

Come Walk with a Doc! We are walking every Thursday, 7 pm at the Big Dipper Indoor Track.

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION NATIONWIDE CALL FOR STUDENT PERFORMING ARTISTS

The U.S. Department of Education is seeking student performing artists (such as bands, choirs, color guards, dancers, drumlines, poets/spoken word artists, soloists, theatrical performers) currently enrolled in elementary, middle, or high schools, who exemplify resilience, diversity, and excellence and are interested in showcasing their talent. No formal training or experience is necessary.

FREE admission.

Pre-registration required. Register Online

Museum Education & Public Programs staff invite teachers and administrators to an annual evening of discovery and networking.

EXPLORE THE MUSEUM

• Visit the galleries.
• Explore special exhibits.
• Examine kits and objects available for checkout.
• Try out hands-on activities.
• Pick up activity sheets.
• Plan a field trip.

DISCOVER OPPORTUNITIES

Learn about other UAF outreach activities and resources. Meet representatives from other campus departments.

RECHARGE
Enjoy complimentary hors d’oeuvres and refreshments.
Win door prizes.
Network with your colleagues.

FREE admission. Pre-registration required. Please register by September 21.

Teachers, classroom support staff, and administrators invited.

From national anthems to your favorite pop beat, we can likely agree that music connects people; but have you ever used music to connect to a STEM concept? The Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE) wants to see how you combine STEM and music!

We ask that you create a music video of a song with self-written lyrics that addresses at least one concept in STEM! TWELVE prizes will be awarded with three winners per grade band— three for K-2nd, three for 3rd-5th, three for 6th-8th, and three for 9th-12th.

Deadline: on or before 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time, Saturday, September 30th, 2023
Enter here!

Are you a young person between the ages of 10 and 29 with an idea of how digital tools can be used to help improve other young people’s well-being? Do you have ideas about how we could creatively use technology to increase young people’s knowledge around issues that impact them? The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is looking for creative innovators with solutions to pressing issues around well-being. Is this you? If so, apply today for the Youth Well-Being Prize Competition! To apply, please fill out the application form and submit here.

For more information: click here!

Deadline: Open until 09/29/23 07:59 PM AKDT

Challenge type: Ideas

Total cash prizes: $50,000

The photography contest is open to all ages.

The photography theme is: “Innovation Right Here.”

Geoscience innovations are all around us. They shape the ways we interact with the Earth, water, atmosphere, and other living things, often right in our own backyards. How are the geosciences exploring new technologies or practices where you live? Use your camera to capture an image that shows how geoscience innovation is improving life in your community.

Download entry form

Deadline: October 13, 2023
For more information, click here!

The video contest is open to all ages.

Submit a brief, 30-90 second, original video on how people are exploring new Earth science technologies and practices that can lead to healthier, more sustainable communities around the world.

Your video entry might take almost any form. A public service announcement? An animated cartoon? A video incorporating your own original music? An audio interview with a family member or even a professional geoscientist? Some other format? You decide. Show how people of various backgrounds around the planet are pushing the barriers of geoscience for Earth and people!

Deadline: October 13, 2023
For more information, click here!

The visual arts contest is open to any interested person in grades K-5.

The visual arts theme is: "Earth Science Innovations."

“Innovations” are new inventions, actions, and ideas that can improve people’s lives. Earth scientists are always trying out innovations to change and improve how people interact with land, water, air, and other living things. Some innovations deal with areas such as food, water, clothes, buildings, energy, recreation, natural hazards, and many others. Use your artistic skills to produce an original work of art that shows how Earth science innovations improve how people interact with planet Earth.

Deadline: October 13, 2023
For more information, click here!

The essay contest is open to any interested person in grades 6-9.

The essay should focus on the topic “Geoscience Innovations Solving Problems.“

The world faces challenges in several areas including health, safe water, agriculture, infrastructure, energy, climate change, industrial development, and poverty.

Geoscience professionals are continually innovating with new technologies and practices — affecting the geosphere, hydrosphere, atmosphere, and biosphere — to solve problems and create healthier, more sustainable communities. Describe how one geoscience innovation is making the world a better place.

The essay must be no more than 300 words. Longer essays will be rejected unread.

Download entry form

Deadline: October 13, 2023
For more information, click here!

Are you ready for this year’s NASA TechRise Student challenge? From researching Earth’s environment to designing experiments for lunar and planetary exploration, schools are invited to join NASA in its mission to inspire the world through discovery. If you are in sixth to 12th grade at a U.S. public, private, or charter school – including those in U.S. territories – your challenge is to team up with your schoolmates and develop a science or technology experiment idea for one of the following NASA TechRise flight vehicles:

• High-Altitude Balloon with approximately four hours of flight time at 70,000 feet and exposure to Earth’s atmosphere, high-altitude radiation, and perspective views of our planet
• Rocket-Powered Lander that will fly for approximately two minutes at an altitude of 80 ft (~25 m) over a test field designed to look like the Moon’s surface

STUDENT INSPIRED

The Congressional App Challenge is the most prestigious prize in student computer science. Participation in the challenge has grown exponentially and has reached underserved, diverse, and rural student populations.

CHANGE CONGRESS

The Congressional App Challenge is transforming how Congress views computer science and STEM. Since the challenge was first announced, Congress’ mentions of computer science and coding have increased 2,000%!

For more information, click here!

Using the Engineering Design Process (EDP) and project management skills, students showcase their solutions to a citywide sustainability issue. This year’s challenge asks students to build 100% electrically powered city with energy generated from sources that keep your citizens and the environment healthy and safe.

For more information, click here!

Students form teams of 2-4, led by an adult Team Advisor, and select a problem in their community to investigate with science or solve with engineering.

eCYBERMISSION aligns with NGSS, CC, and state science standards and teaching resources are available for free at www.ecybermission.com/AdvisorHelpCenter. Students receive prizes at the state, regional, and national level in the form of Savings Bonds.

For more information, visit www.ecybermission.com or contact us at missioncontrol@ecybermission.com.

FNSBSD Educators!

Check out the Stealth Science Student Engagements (Guest Speakers) Resource List!

The National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB) is seeking to spur and reward the development of lesson plans that introduce the concept of biomedical engineering to students in grades 6-8.

Participants in this Challenge will be required to create and submit a lesson plan for at least two 90-minute classes. The lesson plan should be able to be adapted into four 45-minute classes and be customizable to different learning levels. Activities should require easy to obtain resources/materials.

Click here to submit your lesson plans on Challenge.gov.

Submission Deadline: June 20, 2023 to September 30, 2023, 11:59 PM EDT

Judging Period: October 9, 2023 to December 1, 2023

Winners Announced: December 11, 2023

Questions? Contact info@nibib.nih.gov

Department of Education and Early Development is excited to announce that the availability of 'Coding in Minecraft' at NO COST to all public schools in Alaska has been extended through the 2023 - 2024 school year!

Coding in Minecraft uses Minecraft: Education Edition to teach block-based coding at levels suitable for students in upper elementary, middle, and high school. The program is designed so that teachers with little or no experience coding can incorporate it in their classrooms.

Many professional learning workshops for Coding in Minecraft are available at no cost to Alaska teachers year-round. The workshops take place over three two-hour sessions, going over the basics of Minecraft, exploring Coding in Minecraft from the perspective of the students, diving into the Coding in Minecraft portal in detail, and presenting best practices on using the immersive program with the students. Teachers can also earn CEU credit by participating in the workshops and post-workshop activities.

Teachers who want to use the program in their classroom can sign up for workshops at https://codingcredentials.com/ak/.

For more information, please contact Faye Tanner (faye.tanner@alaska.gov)

Title, Dates/Times, Registration Link

September PD Option 1 from 4 pm – 6 pm on Tuesday, September 5th, Tuesday, September 12th, and Tuesday, September 19th

Register Here

September PD Option 2 from 4 pm - 6 pm on Wednesday, September 20th, Monday, September 25th, and Wednesday, September 27th

Register Here

‘Back to School’ Info Session Option 1 at 5 pm on Wednesday, September 6th

Register Here

‘Back to School’ Info Session Option 2 at 1:00 pm on Wednesday, September 13th

Register Here

Accepting applications now! - Deadline: September 15, 2023

CHS Foundation provides $500 grants each year to pre-kindergarten-12th grade teachers who have classroom projects that use agricultural concepts to teach reading, writing, math, science, social studies and more. Eligible projects include classroom and schoolyard gardens, embryology projects, aquaculture projects and agricultural literacy reading programs to name a few. Teachers have until June 1 the following year to complete the project and submit a final report. Only state-certified classroom teachers employed by a school district or private school teachers are eligible to apply.

The CHS Classroom Grant application deadline is September 15, 2023.

• Online application form
• CHS Foundation Classroom Grant Guidelines and Application

We will explore the importance of questioning to build a culture of Inquiry and the importance of students formulating their own questions.

Young children are natural question-askers but as students move into upper grades research shows that questioning starts to decline. As questions start to decline so does possible engagement. In this workshop we will not only be diving into the importance of questioning but also a strategy to help students formulate their own questions. We will explore the importance of thinking broadly and creatively, synthesizing and analyzing, and finally thinking about one’s own learning and how this relates to formulating questions and becoming self-directed learners. Join the TGR Educator Community as we explore these strategies in a FREE live event on Thursday, September 21st at 3pm (AK time).

Register here!

The Clearinghouse for Military Family Readiness at Penn State developed online learning modules for school personnel to increase understanding and awareness related to the unique challenges faced by military-connected students and families, and to provide school personnel with strategies and resources to support military-connected students. For more information click here!

Email: georgia.sandgren@k12northstar.org
Website: k12northstar.org/military
Location: 520 5th Avenue, Fairbanks, AK, USA
Phone: (907) 452-2000
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/militarystudentsupport