STEM Newsletter

The STEM Next Opportunity Fund is launching the application process for its fourth Flight Crew cohort. The Flight Crew aims to uplift young voices in STEM from across the nation to inspire their peers and demonstrate that STEM is for everyone and takes place everywhere.

The Flight Crew is a highly visible youth ambassador program of STEM Next, elevating youth from every state who can speak about the power of STEM learning outside of school. ALL youth ages 13-18 are encouraged to apply! The selected 2025 Flight Crew will enroll in 9 months of virtual programming providing communications and advocacy support, mentorship, access to role models and an elite alumni network.

Youth will discuss:

· Their first-hand and meaningful STEM experiences occurring outside the classroom

· The challenges they have faced and overcome, their desire to address community issues, and how they inspire their peers' interest in STEM.

· Their experiences in building STEM skills through teamwork and problem-solving.

· Their ability to connect STEM experiences to real-life situations and STEM careers.

Selected Flight Crew members will exemplify a STEM mindset, be committed to enhancing afterschool STEM learning to create a brighter future for youth everywhere, and serve as youth ambassadors for OST STEM and STEM career pathways. Applicants must be actively engaged in an out-of-school STEM program, like afterschool programs, programs on the weekends, or virtual experiences that meet more than once a year.

https://stemnext.org/flight-crew/

Applications will be accepted until March 12, 2025.

The AQ-IQ Contest is open to all seventh-grade students in North Carolina. Students investigate and create a project to answer the essential question: What are the effects of air pollution and what are some solutions to North Carolinas Air quality challenges? Students will research an air quality problem, look at solutions to that challange, and make a project to educate others. AQ-IQ projects will all be submitted through the on-line registration form. The projects can be turned in at any time, but are due by, March10, 2025.

Project Catagories:

• Artistic Projects – paintings, poems, stories, songs -- be creative but remember the goal is to engage and educate
• Minecraft, Web-based, or Online – Minecraft environments, interactive web pages, online games: You can submit a Minecraft environment as a narrated video. Other on-line projects, like Kahoot quizzes or other games can be submitted as a link.
• Posters – posters, project and experiment reports, infographics: It is important to take good pictures of your posters, so we can read the words and see the legends to any graphs.
• Videos – music videos , newscasts, investigations and interviews, plays and stories: Shorter is usually better. Try not to use background music that has a copywrite, it will keep us from sharing your work.

For details about how to enter, deadlines, general information and past project examples, please visit the NC Environmental Education webpage.

https://web.eenorthcarolina.org/resource/about.aspx?s=121764.0.0.37430

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Keith Bamberger at keith.bamberger@deq.nc.gov, or Janina Millis at janina.millis@deq.nc.gov.

The Kenan Fellows Program for Teacher Leadership at N.C. State University is excited to introduce our free online professional learning series, Not Your Average PD.

Our sessions cover timely issues and deliver content that is immediately applicable to the classroom. Guided by instructors who are Kenan Fellows Program for Teacher Leadership alumni, each session is relevant and interactive and provides opportunities for experiential learning.

March Session Details

The Curious Case of the PBL

Elevate your Project-Based Learning (PBL) approach and secure stronger student engagement. Discover how to drive your PBL projects forward with more powerful questioning techniques. Learn how to use mystery tables and craft compelling driving questions to energize and focus your PBL units.

When: 5:00-6:00 PM Eastern, Thursday, March 20, 2025

Instructor: Eric Eaton

Bio: Eric Eaton is a National Board Certified Teacher (NBCT) at Polk County Middle School in Western NC. He holds a BS in History-Secondary Education from Appalachian State University (’93) and is a recipient of the NC Teaching Fellows and 2023-2024 Kenan Fellowship. Recently named Polk County Schools Teacher of the Year, Eric is passionate about creating engaging, impactful learning experiences for his students.

For more information: https://kenanfellows.org/nyapd/

2025 Pre-K - 12 STEM Education Conference: SOAR into STEM on Tuesday, June 24, 2025 from 8 AM to 4 PM at UNCW’s Watson College of Education. This year’s keynote speaker will be Captain Barrington Irving. Watch Captain Irving’s latest feature on The Today Show!

Registration:

• Early Bird Fee [through 4/22]: $40.00
• Standard Registration Fee [4/23-5/26]: $65
• Late Registration Fee [5/27-6/15]: $100
• Credit: 0.6 CEUs
• All registration fees are non-refundable after 5/26
• Registration Link [Directions can be found at the end of this email.]

Middle and high school science teachers and community college instructors are encouraged to apply for the 2025 NIEHS Science, Teachers, and Research Summer (STaRS) Experience. STaRS 2025 is a two-week professional development program, designed and conducted by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS).

The goals of the program are:

• To enhance participants’ understanding of basic research in the environmental and biomedical sciences and its applications in biotechnology; and
• To enable participants to transfer knowledge received from this program into classroom applications and to better support their students.

The program will be held at NIEHS in Research Triangle Park from Monday, July 7, to Friday, July 18 (excluding Saturday and Sunday), from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. each day. STaRS participants receive a $2,000 stipend to offset costs associated with lodging, meals, transportation and time spent during the program.

Requirements:

• Applicants must currently teach science in a middle school, high school or community college;
• Applicants must be available for the full two-week program (July 7-18, 2025 - excluding Saturday and Sunday); and
• Applicants must have reliable transportation and be willing to travel to Research Triangle Park (which may include overnight stays at a hotel in Research Triangle Park on Sunday through Thursday each week).

Applications are due by 11:59 p.m. on Monday, March 17, 2025.

Teen Science Cafés Are For Teens And Led By Teens. They Bring Students Together In An Informal Setting To Learn About Science And Technology.

Cafés happen from 6:00pm – 7:30pm one Friday a month. Each café will include a scientist presentation, an interactive activity relating to the discussion, a Q&A session, and time to meet other teens that enjoy science. This program is recommended for participants ages 13–18. This is a FREE event and pizza will be provided! Once the capacity of 30 students has been reached, submissions will no longer be accepted. Pre-registration required. Registrations will be accepted until 12pm the day before the program. Registrations for each month be will open on the 1st of each month.

Upcoming program dates:

March 14

April 11

May 09

For additional details and registration: https://sturgeoncity.org/teen-science-cafe/