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May 9 - 22, 2013
Science Matters Network in Michigan eBlast
In this E-Blast
- Leadership
- The Science Matters Network in Michigan
- Another FREE Gift for You in the NSTA Learning Center – Citizen Science
- Who is David Bydlowski and What Does He Do?
- Michigan Teachers Win National Awards
- Michigan Teachers and Students Are Winners in the Siemens We Can Change the World Challenge
- Congratulations to the 2012-2013 eCYBERMISSION Michigan Winners
- Michigan Department of Education
- The Next Generation Science Standards Have Been Released
- A Message from Rodger Epp on Interim Assessments and Assessment with the NGSS
- Registration Now Open for NGSS Rollout
- Upcoming Deadlines
- Information for Students (and Parents too!)
- Summer Solstice Snapshot
- Earth Island Institute’s Brower Youth Award
- Free Fishing Weekend this June
- Upcoming Deadlines
- Grants and Opportunities for K-12 Teachers
- Potential Grants, Scholarships, and Awards Provided by Project WET
- Apply for a MI Learning MACUL Grant
- Supplement Your Stretched Budget
- NASA Galileo Educator Network PD Opportunity
- Classwish
- Action Research Project Grant for K-12 Teachers
- Upcoming Deadlines
- Information for K-12 Teachers
- Thirteen-Item Quiz from Smithsonian and PEW Research: What do you know about science?
- MSU Foundations of Science MOOC Registration Now Open
- Reading for Science Literacy
- Science Songs
- Send Your Name to Mars
- Be a Catalyst for Inspired Teaching
- Fuel the Creative STEM Process
- Reveal the Personal Side of Science
- Learn STEM by Doing and SMILE
- The Essential Principles and Concepts of Ocean Science
- Tree Identification Guide
- Upcoming Deadlines
- Ideas from the Twitterverse
- Information for High School Teachers
- MIT MOOC Mechanics Review
- High School Teachers Needed for Weather and Climate Assessment
- Vernier Summer Workshop in Detroit
- Upcoming Deadline
- Information for Middle School and High School Teachers
- Upcoming Deadlines
- Information for Middle School Science Teachers
- BSCS Recruiting MS Teachers to Field Test Allergies and Scientific Inquiry Materials
- Middle School Chemistry
- Upcoming Deadlines
- Information for Elementary and Middle School Science Teachers
- STEM Camp for Grades 5 - 8
- Science Humor –Funny Science Sayings Found on T-Shirts
- April Contest Winners
- May Contest – Win a $10 iTunes Card
Here are your science education resources and announcements for May 9 - 22, 2013 provided by the Michigan Science Matters Network. Please forward this eBlast on to other science educators in your school/district. If you have questions or comments, please forward them to:
David Bydlowski
Michigan Coordinator—Science Matters Network
or
Sue Campbell
MSTA Representative
Please Note: If you do not receive the full e-blast you can view it at:
or request a Word/pdf version by emailing:
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1. Leadership
“Building a great tradition is more rewarding than having one.”
J.R. Slaughter
Thank you to Herm Boatin, Science consultant and lecturer, University of Michigan-Dearborn, for contributing this leadership quote.
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The Science Matters Network In Michigan
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2a. Another Free Gift for You in the NSTA Learning Center – Citizen Science
I hope you will enjoy this free gift that you can access in the NSTA Learning Center. The gift is a set of resources on the topic of “STEM Clubs.” To access just visit:
Enjoy the following free resources:
- Be a Citizen Scientist
- Collaboration with Community Partners
- Why Societal Issues Belong in Science Class
- Community-Based Inquiry Lessons
- Environmental Research Puts Science Into Action
- Measuring River Pollution
- Saving the Salmon
If you have not joined the NSTA Learning Center yet, just look at your invitation, emailed to you on April 22, 2013. If you would like your invitation sent directly to you, just send an email to:
and an invitation will be sent directly to you.
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2b. Who is David Bydlowski and What Does He Do?
Over the past few years, I have been very happy to produce the Michigan Science Matters Network eBlast and be the State Coordinator for the Michigan Science Matters Network, but many people have no idea who I am. Recently, I presented a booth presentation for GLOBE at the NSTA Conference in San Antonio. GLOBE was nice enough to video it and present it online. If you have a few minutes, you might like to check it out. Thank you for being part of the Michigan Science Matters Network. It is a pleasure to be able to provide you with a communication link to MSTA and NSTA.
GLOBE Partner, David Bydlowski talks about a unique way of engaging students to learn about satellites and remote sensing through the use of kites and GLOBE Atmosphere and Land Cover protocols. To view the video, please visit:
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2c. Michigan Teachers Win National Awards
The 2013 NSTA Teacher Awards Program honors K–12 teachers, principals, professors and other science education professionals for their outstanding work and achievement in science education. NSTA presented its highest and most prestigious award, the Robert H. Carleton Award, to former NSTA President Dr. John E. Penick, professor emeritus, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina. The Robert H. Carleton Award, sponsored by the Dow Chemical Company, recognizes one individual who has made outstanding contributions to, and provided leadership in, science education at the national level and to NSTA in particular. The awards were presented at a special banquet and ceremony on Friday, April 12th, at NSTA’s National Conference on Science Education in San Antonio.
Another educator honored was June Teisan, Middle School Science Teacher at the Harper Woods Secondary School in Harper Woods, MI. She received the PASCO STEM Middle Level Educator Award.
Gary Koppelman, Science Teacher from the Blissfield Community Schools in Blissfield, MI and Bridgette Sparks, Science Teacher at Saline High School, in Ann Arbor, MI received the Shell Science Teaching Awards.
Congratulations to these great Michigan Science Teachers!
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2d. Michigan Teachers and Students Are Winners in the Siemens We Can Change the World Challenge
Congratulations to the grand prize winners of the fifth annual Siemens We Can Change the World Challenge, a national environmental sustainability competition that provides K–12 students the tools and inspiration to improve their schools, communities, and the world through project-based learning. This year's projects addressed a wide variety of topics, ranging from optimizing solar cells for sustainable use to developing a district-wide paper-recycling plan to creating a mosquito reduction initiative to decrease the population of mosquitoes.
Under the guidance of a teacher or mentor, K–12 students were tasked with identifying an environmental issue in their schools, communities or world and creating a replicable green solution using web-based curriculum tools. In addition to several other prizes, the high school grand prize–winning team received $50,000 in scholarship money to divide among team members and a chance to present their project at a prestigious venue. Each student on the middle school grand prize–winning team received a $10,000 saving bond and a Discovery adventure trip to Costa Rica. Elementary school winners received a Discovery Education assembly focusing on sustainability and a grant for their schools.
High School Third Place National Winners are:
The DTEP Design Firm
Skyline High School, Ann Arbor, MI
Students – Andrew Burns, Densu Dixon, and SwagatTripathy
Teacher/Mentor – Thomas Pachera
Description of Project -- The HydroPod is an innovative solar water distiller, which uses the heat and UV light from the sun to create clean, fresh drinking water. Made of 100% recycled plastic, the HydroPod evaporates water while collecting the condensed remnants, eliminating all deadly bacteria and viruses.
High School Finalists included:
The Honorable Mooses
Troy High School, Troy, MI
Teacher/Mentor – Roberta Zynda
Description of the Project -- In their project, they made multiple changes to their school’s lunches; they implemented new programs for the recycling of bottles in the lunchroom, recycling brown paper bags, and also providing plastic trays instead of foam plates. With these improvements, they were able to significantly reduce their school's trash output and increase recycling output, ultimately reducing the amount of trash put into landfills.
Middle School Finalists included:
St. John Fenton
St. John the Evangelist Catholic School, Fenton, MI
Teacher/Mentor – Jean King
Description of the Project -- Their project is broken into three parts; first the making of the compost material, second a new urban composting program that is derived from the collection of compost material from the community and incorporate it into their compost and in-earth process in large scale gardening/ farming, and third the main study using the compost material to prove that composting can make a difference. They will also discuss the biology of composting in the timeframe required to reach mature usable compost material for gardening.
Congratulations to all of the winners!!!!
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2e. Congratulations to the 2012 – 2013 eCYBERMISSION Michigan Winners
Nearly 300 student teams from across the country were named state winners in the 11th annual eCYBERMISSION competition, one of several science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) initiatives offered by the Army Educational Outreach Program (AEOP). The competition drew 21,345 students this year, and state winners' projects covered topics such as educational video games, garbage disposal, and improving safety at school. Here is a list of the Michigan Winners:
6th Grade Winners
1st Place: Fierce 4, Parcells Middle, Grosse Pointe Woods, MI
Team Advisor: Chris Geerer
Team Members: Joseph Rheaume, Vivian Liagre, Rachel Sexton, ChristopherLorelli
2nd Place: TicTok BOOM, Parcells Middle, Grosse Pointe Woods, MI
Team Advisor: Chris Geerer
Team Members: Connor Albrecht, Katelyn Loporto, Alexander Brown Baker, Nicolas Volpe
8th Grade Winners
**1st Place: Allergenies, Chander, Canton, MI
Team Advisor: BalaChander
Team Members: Harish Chander, ShrilaRajendran, Sameed Khan
2nd Place:Sour Patch Kidz, Saint Joseph School, Lake Orion, MI
Team Advisor: Sue Tyner
Team Members: Sarah Falkowski, Nicholas Marini, Olivia Packard, RyanTomaszewski
9th Grade Winners
**1st Place: BSN, Academic Center for Tech Sciences, Farmington Hills, MI
Team Advisor: Kumar Narayanan
Team Members: AshwathMuruganand, Prakash Kumar, Joshen Patel
2nd Place: Virtual Villans, Macomb Math Science Tech Center, Warren, MI
Team Advisor: Mark Supal
Team Members: Brendan Maletski, Philip Gutzman, MohammedSaquib
** Denotes a Regional Finalist Team
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Michigan Department of Education
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3a. The Next Generation Science Standards Have Been Released
After several rounds of public input, the first major overhaul of the national standards for science teaching in 15 years has just been released. The Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) call for sweeping changes in the way science is taught in the United States, emphasizing hands-on learning and critical scrutiny of scientific evidence. The standards are organized in three dimensions: key concepts, crosscutting concepts and practices. Key concepts are broadly important and teachable over a series of years, such as the subject of climate change, which gets more complex as students build on their knowledge. The second dimension is crosscutting concepts, ideas that span the scientific disciplines such as energy and matter, cause and effect or systems. Lastly, students will be expected to understand the practice of science, undertaking scientific inquiry and comparing the practices of science with those of engineers. Learn more about the Next Generation Science Standards by reading the FAQ, watching a video showing how to read the standards or checking out the document showing how content included in the standards progresses from kindergarten through grade 12.
To view the website and download the standards, please visit:
To access the FAQ’s, please visit:
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3b. A Message From Rodger Epp on Interim Assessments and Assessment and the NGSS
The following is a message from MDE's Rodger Epp:
"Should the State Board of Education adopt NGSS at its May 14th meeting (or after), that the upcoming Fall ’13 MEAP and Spring ’14 MME for science will remain aligned to the current science GLCEs and HSCEs. Full implementation of NGSS into Michigan science assessment would take about 3 years after Board adoption.
Also by the May 18th meeting, MDE will be close to, if not done, with the Spring ’13 pilot run of grade level 3 through 7 and the high school course Interim Assessment (IA). We plan to carry out further IA piloting come Fall among schools.
Lastly, the 30-day period for public comment regarding whether to adopt NGSS is currently running. The comment period runs through May 8th. Input from the public made through the survey link below will be compiled and provided to Board member before their meeting."
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3c. Registration Now Open for NGSS Rollout
Enroll Now and Spread the Word
May 28, 2013 7am-3pm
Kellogg Center
Michigan State University
East Lansing,MI
Register Now at:
Join science educators and leaders from throughout Michigan for this must-attend event! A day-long session will introduce the proposed Next Generation Science Standards, which are currently pending adoption by the Michigan State Board of Education in May. School administrators, teachers, teacher preparation/certification faculty, and other educational leaders should plan to attend.
The agenda will include:
* An overview of Michigan’s Next Generation Science Standards
* Interactive breakouts by grade level
* Subject-specific sessions to gain a deeper understanding of the standards
* Special presentations by: Stephen Pruitt, Achieve Inc., Joseph Krajcik, CREATE for STEM, Michigan State University, Mike Flanagan, Michigan Department of Education and other educational leaders.
CEUs will be available. For more information contact: Renee Bayer ()or Sue Codere ().
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3d. Upcoming Deadlines
May 28, 2013: Michigan NGSS Rollout at the Kellogg Center in East Lansing. Please visit:
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Information for Students (and Parents too!)
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4a. Summer Solstice Snapshot
The 2nd Annual Summer Solstice Snapshot is just around the corner! Are your trees in full leaf? Wildflowers blooming? As the summer solstice nears, join us in our campaign and use the extra daylight make and share observations of plants in your area! For more information, visit Summer Solstice Snapshot
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4b. Earth Island Institute’s Brower Youth Award
The Earth Island Institute’s Brower Youth Award recognizes youth aged 13–22 for their outstanding activism and achievements in the fields of environmental and social justice advocacy. The institute is looking for individuals with vision, motivation and leadership skills. The impact of their advocacy should be demonstrated by how their projects benefited the environment and community in terms of measurable results (e.g., acres of wildlife habitat protected or restored, number of people engaged in environmental issues because of the project, numbers of children no longer exposed to toxins). Each of the six recipients of the Brower Youth Awards will receive a $3,000 cash prize, a trip to California for the awards ceremony and a wilderness camping trip.
Deadline: May 13, 2013
Please visit:
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4c. Free Fishing Weekend This June
Michigan offers numerous outdoor recreation opportunities during the summer months – with a popular one being fishing. To encourage participation in this activity, they are gearing up for the annual Summer Free Fishing Weekend, to be held Saturday, June 8 and Sunday, June 9.
This annual tradition allows residents and out-of-state visitors to enjoy fishing on both inland and Great Lakes waters for all species for FREE! With no fishing license required, what better time to get outdoors to create your next fishing adventure? Please note all fishing regulations still apply during that time.
If you want to join a scheduled Free Fishing event, simply visit:
and click on the official event list link. Please note the event list is updated weekly.
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4d. Upcoming Deadlines
May 13, 2013: Deadline for students 13-22 to apply for the Earth Island Institute’s Brower Youth Award. Please visit:
May 30, 2013: Deadline for K-12 Students to enter the Popular Science Science Fair. Please visit:
June 8 – 9, 2013: Michigan Free Fishing Weekend. Please visit:
June 10, 2013: Deadline to apply for the Rachel Carson Sense of Wonder Contest. Please visit:
June 22, 2013: Great American Backyard Campout. Please visit:
June 25 – 27, 2013: Grandparents, Grandkids, Grand Valley Summer Camp at Grand Valley State University. Please visit:
July 1, 2013: Deadline for high school students to apply for the Secretary of Transportation’s Recognizing Aviation and Aerospace Innovation in Science and Engineering (RAISE) Award. Please visit:
July 31, 2013: Deadline to share a Summer Solstice Snapshot. Please visit:
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Grants and Opportunities For K-12 Teachers
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5a. Potential Grants, Scholarships, and Awards Provided by Project WET
The following grants, scholarships, and awards may be of interest to you. Please be award that many have rapidly approaching deadlines. This list is provided by Project WET. You can learn more about Project WET, by visiting:
Education Opportunities in NASA STEM (EONS) 2013-2014
WaterSMART: Cooperative Watershed Management Program Grants for FY 2013
NOAA's Restoration Center Great Lakes Restoration in the Manistique River Area of Concern
Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Talent Expansion Program
Ocean Sciences Research Initiation Grants
WRP Wetland Restoration Assistance
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5b. Apply for a MI Learning MACUL Grant
Are you ready to create new 24/7 learning resources for your students? Apply now for a $500 MACUL Grant for creating 10 quality video or screencast learning resources for a new curriculum collection on MI Learning on iTunes U. Applications will be accepted and reviewed in an ongoing basis through June 2013. The applicants who are selected must post resources by August 15, 2013. Apply at