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Science Update

Science Specialist Report to the MnSTA Board, June 10, 2011

Contacts:

John Olson, Science Instruction Specialist,

Dawn Cameron, Science Assessment Specialist,

Jim Wood, Science Assessment Specialist,

Doug Paulson, STEM Integration Specialist,

Jeff Ledermann, Environmental & Outdoor Ed. Specialist, 

MDE Science Page: http://education.state.mn.us/MDE/Academic_Excellence/Academic_Standards/Science/index.html

Mathematics and Science Teacher Academy
The topic for the 2011-12 school year is the Nature of Science and Engineering in Life Science grades 7- 12. Learn about new developments in life sciences and how to put standards into classroom practice. This year-long professional development program is delivered in 9 regions across the state. Each region is a partnership of an education service cooperative, a higher education school and a local high-needs school district. Contact your local service cooperative for details of enrollment and dates.

Win a Professional Development Scholarship—Apply by Aug. 1
Now entering its fifth year, the New Science Teacher Academy, one of NSTA’s premier programs providing professional development and mentoring to second- and third-year secondary science teachers, is open for applications. Two hundred teachers will become Fellows in the 2011 Academy, a cost-free program that offers consistent, online professional development activities along with face-to-face experiences. The Academy provides each teacher with a year-long, discipline-specific mentor, web-based content development courses and other resources, membership in the NSTA, and an opportunity to attend the National Conference on Science Education. The Academy has supported more than 600 teachers nationwide and this exciting opportunity is waiting for you. Apply by Aug. 1. Visit www.nsta.org/academy

The National Academies Press Makes All PDF Books Free to Download
All PDF versions of books published by the National Academies Press (NAP) are now downloadable to anyone free of charge. NAP is the publisher of the National Science Education Standards and support materials. This offer includes a current catalog of more than 4,000 books plus future reports produced by the Press. The free PDFs are available exclusively from http://www.nap.edu/.

UM Soudan Physics Lab Resources
The University of Minnesota is search for clues to some of the fundamental mysteries of the universe by using the half-mile deep Tower-Soudan iron mine in northern Minnesota. Learn how they study exotic forms of matter such as neutrinos, WIMPS and dark matter. The Soudan outreach program is available statewide for no-cost presentations to school groups, summer science camps, civic groups, teacher programs and other opportunities. Contact Allen Lipke at

More Minnesota Science Events, Resources and Competitions

http://www.mnsta.org – Minn. Science Teachers Assn.

http://www.smm.org/boghopper - Listings compiled by the Science Museum of Minn.

http://www.getstem-mn.com – Connections between teachers and businesses/industry

http://www.mnacadsci.org – Science Fair, Science Bowl, events and other resources

http://www.mn-stem.com – STEM ideas, resources and links for students and teachers