# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
of videos, planning forms, rubrics, blogs, and more. Whether you want to learn about PBL, or find classroom resources, our materials will support your journey.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
STEM courses are designed to have students solve real - world problems while being aligned to CBSE/ICSE/IB syllabus.

STEM Academy of USA (SAUS) introduces middle and secondary school students (grades 4-10) to science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) by immersing them in integrated, inter-disciplinary, hands-on challenges and projects that are based on problems of our present and future world. STEM modules encourage students to invent and be inspired.They, in fact, help students to way better understand the concepts of Math and Science thus assisting teachers to reach their goals and preparing students to become problem solvers and creative out-of-the-box thinkers to boldly and successfully face and resolve constantly emerging global challenges. The course tends to break down the barriers between subject areas that are often present in a traditional school schedule.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
STEM courses are designed to have students solve real - world problems while being aligned to CBSE/ICSE/IB syllabus. STEM Academy of USA (SAUS) introduces middle and secondary school students (grades 4-10) to science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) by immersing them in integrated, inter-disciplinary, hands-on challenges and projects that are based on problems of our present and future world.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
At the Exploratorium, designing tools for teaching and learning is something we do every day-almost all of our exhibits are created and tested here at the museum. The digital tools we create for teaching and learning allow us to push beyond our museum walls and connect with learners and educators everywhere.

From educational media to classroom activities, from a behind-the-scenes look at ideas we're tinkering with to the vast riches of our Explore section, our teaching tools support educators and provide hundreds of ways to play and learn. For all ages, in both formal and informal learning settings, these essential tools spark curiosity, exploration, and understanding.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Tools for Teaching and Learning | Exploratorium

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
At the Exploratorium, designing tools for teaching and learning is something we do every day-almost all of our exhibits are created and tested here at the museum. The digital tools we create for teaching and learning allow us to push beyond our museum walls and connect with learners and educators everywhere.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Online platform to learn and teach programming in the classroom. Created by educators for educators. Learn Python, HTML, CSS, embedded programming, and more.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Technovation Families - AI Education for Families

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Explore, play, and build with Artificial Intelligence as a family. Create AI-based solutions to problems in your community, together.

# data[].attributes.headline
"Challenges in STEM learning in Australian schools" by Michael J. Timms, Kathryn Moyle et al.

# data[].attributes.subject
"Challenges in STEM learning in Australian schools" by Michael J. Timms, Kathryn Moyle et al.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
"Challenges in STEM learning in Australian schools" by Michael J. Timms, Kathryn Moyle et al.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Australian STEM education seems caught in a whirlpool of problems that are contributing to one another. Student engagement and performance in STEM are declining, but we do not have the supply of qualified teachers we need to improve learning. The STEM curriculum is unbalanced and fragmented, leading to less interest among students.

# data[].attributes.headline
Successful Students – STEM Program | STEM in schools

# data[].attributes.subject
Successful Students – STEM Program | STEM in schools

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Successful Students - STEM Program | STEM in schools

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The challenge for educators is to translate a STEM policy agenda into valid and coherent curriculum. In order to consolidate the objectives and activities of the SS-STEM program, we felt the need to articulate a comprehensive, multi-faceted and coherent STEM vision that addresses the subtle and complex challenge of preparing "twenty-first century" citizens within the constraints of a traditional school system and curriculum.

# data[].attributes.headline
Successful Students – STEM Program | STEM in schools

# data[].attributes.subject
Successful Students – STEM Program | STEM in schools

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Successful Students - STEM Program | STEM in schools

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The challenge for educators is to translate a STEM policy agenda into valid and coherent curriculum. In order to consolidate the objectives and activities of the SS-STEM program, we felt the need to articulate a comprehensive, multi-faceted and coherent STEM vision that addresses the subtle and complex challenge of preparing "twenty-first century" citizens within the constraints of a traditional school system and curriculum.

# data[].attributes.headline
Project-Based Learning Research Review: Evidence-Based Components of Success | Edutopia

# data[].attributes.subject
Project-Based Learning Research Review: Evidence-Based Components of Success | Edutopia

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
If you are new to PBL, it's best to start with smaller projects that are already part of the curriculum (Ertmer & Simons, 2005). Based on an analysis of studies demonstrating successful PBL, Hung (2008) proposed a model for designing problems or projects, which focuses on content, context, calibration, researching, reasoning, and reflection, or 3C3R. According to Hung (2008), PBL is ineffective when: a) the skills needed for solving a problem are either above or below the learner's abilities, and/or b) the problem asks students to study content that is outside of the content objectives, but required for solving the problem. Teachers can avoid both common mistakes by following a seven-step procedure that sets up the problem for students (adapted from Hung, 2008).

1. Define the Content. What do you want students to learn by the end of the assignment? Expectations should correspond with students' current research and reasoning skills.

2. Identify the Context. Brainstorm a list of real-life activities in which learners could apply the intended content. Be aware of any time or location constraints in these situations.

3. List Possible Problems. Create a list of problems or projects that could occur in each context from Step Two. Select the problem or project that best presents the content objectives and that will be appealing and relevant to learners.

4. Describe Potential Solutions. Fully describe the most viable solution to the problem or project, as well as possible alternative solutions. Identify the known and unknown variables. Note the most realistic path of reasoning and the knowledge (concepts, principles, procedures, and facts) that would result from the most viable solution. Next, identify alternative paths of reasoning and knowledge that would evolve from alternative solutions to the problem. Based on these possible solutions, what researching and reasoning skills will learners need for solving the problem or creating the project? What is the best framework for building students' knowledge? (That is, how do concepts required for solving the problem relate to each other?)

5. Calibrate Your Project. Using the solutions from Step Four, check to make sure that the knowledge and skills generated by the most viable solution match the intended knowledge and skills from Step One. For instance, you might create a chart comparing the intended knowledge and skills with those necessary to solve the problem. To better match intended content with students' level, add or remove problem conditions. To make a problem easier, focus learners' attention on the target knowledge. To make a problem harder, focus learners' attention on peripheral knowledge. To make the problem more realistic, add time, budget, or location constraints that might occur in an authentic professional situation.

6. Describe the Task. To create a description of the task, remove information from the most viable problem solution from Step Four. If researching or reasoning a critical piece of information is beyond students' problem-solving skills, this information should be presented to the learners rather than have them struggle to learn it.

7. Reflect on the Learning. Reflect students' learning by including multiple opportunities to check their progress in the initial assignment and adjust instruction accordingly (for example, let them know they need to keep a journal and report to their supervisor on a weekly basis). The final assessment should also be clearly described in the assignment (for example, a final report, presentation, or follow-up question or problem) and should allow learners to reflect upon their overall learning and problem-solving process. Designing assessments is very important, and is described more fully in the assessment section.

Structured Student Collaboration

Compared to traditional instructional methods, students engaged in small-group learning achieve higher grades, retain information longer, and have reduced dropout rates, improved communication and collaboration skills, and a better understanding of professional environments ( Johnson, Johnson, & Stanne, 2000; Springer, Stanne, & Donovan, 1997; Terenzini, Cabrera, Colbeck, Parente, & Bjorklund, 2001; cited in Oakley, Felder, Brent, & Elhajj, 2004). Collaborative learning promotes time on task as well as friendships across diverse groups, such as race, ethnicity, gender, or school cliques ( Johnson & Johnson, 2009). Collaborative learning benefits students across grade levels, academic subjects, gender, ethnicity, and achievement level ( Slavin, 1996).

To increase the success of group work, team rewards or goals should depend on growth in each individual student's skills and knowledge, with measures that account for such growth. Researchers recommend three- to four-person teams for most collaborative learning assignments (Johnson & Johnson, 2009). Lower ability students tend to work best in mixed groups, medium ability students in homogeneous groups, and for higher-ability students, group ability levels make no difference ( Lou, Abrami, Spence, Poulsen, Chambers, & d'Apollonia, 1996).

Two ingredients are critical for successful collaborative learning ( Slavin, 1991):

Team goals and/or rewards based on individual learning growth. When the team goal is tied to the learning of each individual, team members care about others' learning and actively help each other. Assigning interdependent roles to students has been shown to increase students' learning and engagement through teamwork (Slavin 1996; Johnson & Johnson, 2009).

Individual accountability. To increase group-work success, team rewards or goals should depend upon growth in each individual student's skills and knowledge. Individual learning growth must be measured in relation to each student's past performance in order to ensure that everyone has an equal chance of success. For example, teams might be awarded points based on each member's meeting or exceeding past performance, based on individual assessments.

Veteran teachers recommend tracking group progress with clear benchmarks and due-dates, meeting with groups regularly, and making evidence of group progress visible and public by using planning sheets and/or group folders (Mergendoller & Thomas, 2005). Public or classroom presentations also encourage full participation and help to promote accountability (Barron & Darling-Hammond, 2008). Group contracts also help to keep students accountable. Typically, groups collectively agree upon norms and expectations at the beginning of projects, while reflecting on the group process and product throughout (Oakley et al., 2004; Mergendoller & Thomas, 2005).

Assessments That Support Students' Success

Criteria for success on PBL tasks need to be clearly defined at the start of the project, and should include multiple opportunities for feedback, reflection, and time for students to revise their work (Barron & Darling-Hammond, 2008). At the start of a PBL assignment, teachers should provide students with clear and challenging criteria or guidelines for success, using rubrics and examples that demonstrate intended learning outcomes from local professionals or former students (Ertmer & Simons, 2005; Barron & Darling-Hammond, 2008). Students who have clear criteria for success spend more time discussing and evaluating content, and these conversations increase student learning (Cohen, Lotan, Abram, Scarloss, & Schultz, 2002; cited in Barron & Darling-Hammond, 2008).

Inquiry-based learning is most productive when teachers provide students with frequent assessments and redirection through project benchmarks and reflection activities (Barron & Darling-Hammond, 2008). Providing students with feedback that they act upon produces significant learning gains ( Black & William, 1998a; Hattie, 2008). Frequent feedback enables teachers to adapt their instruction to target students' learning needs, while providing students with information to develop their work. What's more, by emphasizing the process, effort, and strategies involved in accomplishing a task -- as opposed to focusing solely on the final product -- students come to understand that learning is the result of cumulative effort. This, in turn, improves their resilience and academic achievement ( Dweck, 2000).

Barron and Darling-Hammond (2008) recommend providing students with several opportunities to review and revise their project work (as a way of delivering a polished performance) and providing comments rather than grades during these assessments to focus attention on the quality of work rather than the worker. For example, students might write a research plan, listing the questions they will need to address and sources they will read, before heading to the library or conducting an Internet search (Mergendoller & Thomas, 2005).

Researchers also recommend end goals that reflect professional practice, such as public exhibitions, portfolios, and presentations, which signal the social value and relevance of student work (Barron & Darling-Hammond, 2008). The final (summative) assessment should use many different criteria that reflect the various skills involved in the task, and these criteria should be communicated openly to students (Barron & Darling-Hammond, 2008; Thomas, 2000). To ensure that students truly understand final assessment criteria, teachers can ask students to help define the criteria (Mergendoller & Thomas, 2005).

For final (summative) assessment criteria, Hung (2008) recommends these six items:

1. necessary knowledge acquisition (for example, "need to knows," or content objectives)

2. depth of study

3. effectiveness and efficiency of research methods

4. logical and effective reasoning

5. conceptual integration of knowledge

6. effective problem-solving strategies

Barron and Darling-Hammond (2008) recommend assessing these six items:

1. use of evidence

2. accuracy of information

3. evaluation of competing views

4. development of a clear argument

5. attention to writing conventions

6. collaboration

A Supportive Network for Teachers' Professional Development

It should be noted that "the curriculum approach by itself cannot do it all," ( Kolodner, Camp, Crismond, Fasse, Gray, Holbrook, Puntambekar, & Ryan, 2003, p. 542). The success of PBL also depends on motivating and supporting teachers in new roles of facilitating inquiry. Teachers learn PBL by collaborating with colleagues, introducing PBL in the classroom, and reflecting on their experiences ( Krajcik, Blumenfeld, Marx & Soloway, 1994).

A number of online networks support teachers as they collaboratively develop their expertise in PBL methods. For example, PBL teachers share project ideas, receive feedback, and interact with other PBL classrooms using the Buck Institute for Education's (BIE) Project-Based Learning network on Edmodo and Edutopia's PBL discussion group. BIE also offers a wealth of free project-based-learning resources and online professional-development courses in PBL.

Providing teachers with professional development courses in inquiry-based teaching methods is critical for achieving positive PBL results on a district-wide scale (e.g., Geier, Blumenfeld, Marx, Krajcik, Fishman, Soloway, & Clay-Chambers, 2008; Finkelstein, Hanson, Huang, Hirschman, & Huang, 2010). For more information on effective professional development practices, see Edutopia's Teacher Development and Leadership page.

Although the transition to teaching with project-based learning can be challenging and time consuming, several studies show that teachers ultimately find the PBL approach to be more rewarding and enjoyable than traditional teaching methods ( Strobel & van Barneveld, 2009). Longitudinal research also indicates that when teachers create the interactive and engaging classroom environments typical of inquiry-based learning, students are more successful over the long term ( Darling-Hammond, 1996; Zimmerman, 2002).
Continue to the next section of the PBL research review, Best Practices Across Disciplines.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Project-Based Learning Research Review: Evidence-Based Components of Success

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
If you are new to PBL, it's best to start with smaller projects that are already part of the curriculum (Ertmer & Simons, 2005). Based on an analysis of studies demonstrating successful PBL, Hung (2008) proposed a model for designing problems or projects, which focuses on content, context, calibration, researching, reasoning, and reflection, or 3C3R.

# data[].attributes.headline
Use STEM teaching tools to develop the general capabilities

# data[].attributes.subject
Use STEM teaching tools to develop the general capabilities

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
The STEM Learning Project resources use a few different kinds of techniques to develop STEM skills like collaboration and critical thinking. These common threads help to build the general capabilities and create deep student learning. Read more about these STEM teaching tools below. But first, big news: The STEM Learning Project is on Twitter! Find us @STEMLearningWA

Digital Publishing Tools

One of the most powerful STEM teaching tools we recommend here at the STEM learning project is online journalling. Journalling is a reflective practise that can help learners build their Personal and Social Capability (particularly self-awareness). Also, using online platforms hits the Information and Communication Technology Capability. Here are some of our favourites.

Storybird is a creative publishing format that uses pictures to help students imagine, reflect and explain. It has tools to help teachers manage its use in the classroom, and is suitable for any sort of writing, not just creative writing. For example, students could use it to create a pitch for a prototype or explain a science concept. The beautiful art work provides a wonderful scaffold for a reflective journal. View the promo video for teachers below.

Padlet and Pebblepad are two portfolio management tools that are used by educational bodies worldwide. Both apps have educational packages, and Padlet also has a free personal package that students could use independently.

Private journalling app Penzu now has a version for schools, Penzu Classroom. Penzu Classroom is quite similar to Padlet and Pebblepad, but is more focussed on academic outcomes and less on reflection and collaboration between students. You could use it alongside the classic, free version to give students a bit more power over their own journals.

Seesaw has the benefit of integrating well into a broad range of platforms including Kindle. It, too, has a free version and a paid school version. What's extra special about Seesaw is that you can use it for school wide management as well as in the classroom.

Cooperative Learning

Cooperative learning builds students' Personal and social capability as well their critical and creative thinking skills. It gives them a structured way to practise vital social and self-regulation skills. This article provides some relevant links to research on the benefits of this type of learning.

But how to implement it in the classroom?. You may have heard of Kagan structures, started by this guy. There are plenty of websites out there on his techniques, including Kagan Australia. We also love this Weebly page which sets out the techniques in an engaging, step-by-step manner.

Laura Candler's page includes links and a heap of great freebies, while this Daily Teaching Tools article focusses on Jigsaws. Lastly, here's a page specifically targeted at cooperative learning in the early years.

Productive Questioning

Managing classroom talk is a powerful way to help students learn. Questions drive classroom talk, but a huge part of using questions wisely is to know when to refrain from asking too many. Questions should be intentional, and students usually need a bit of time to think before they answer. This article contains a wide range of useful strategies you can use to direct classroom talk. And here's some research on the use of discourse for mathematics learning. Finally, for a lovely example of a classroom discussion with a nice progression of questions, click here (video courtesy Edith Cowan University).

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Use STEM teaching tools to develop the general capabilities

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The STEM Learning Project resources use a few different kinds of techniques to develop STEM skills like collaboration and critical thinking. These common threads help to build the general capabilities and create deep student learning. Read more about these STEM teaching tools below. But first, big news: The STEM Learning Project is on Twitter!

# data[].attributes.headline
Building Cohesion Across Representations: A Mechanism for STEM Integration - Nathan - 2013 - Journal of Engineering Education - Wiley Online Library

# data[].attributes.subject
Building Cohesion Across Representations: A Mechanism for STEM Integration - Nathan - 2013 - Journal of Engineering Education - Wiley Online Library

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Abstract

Purpose

The mechanisms of integration of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) remain largely underspecified in the research and policy literatures, despite their purported benefits. Our novel claim is that one key mechanism of STEM integration is producing and maintaining cohesion of central concepts across the range of representations, objects, activities, and social structures in the engineering classroom.

Method

We analyze multiviewpoint videos of multiday classroom activities from Project Lead the Way (PLTW) classes in digital electronics in two urban high schools.

Results

To forge cohesion, teachers use coordination of representations, tools, and materials, and they use projection to reference places and events, past and future. Teachers also perform explicit identification to label central invariant relations that are the conceptual focus of their instruction. Teachers typically perform identification, coordination, and projection on the particular STEM representations used in projects in order to improve the cohesion of the conceptual content of a curriculum unit. Teachers can also represent the larger sequence of project activities within the curriculum to construct a cohesive account of how the various activities and representations relate and build upon key ideas.

Conclusions

This paper found that cohesion-producing activities promote student understanding by threading conceptual relations through different mathematical representations, scientific laws, technological objects, engineering designs, learning spaces, and social structures. In these ways, cohesion can promote STEM integration in the engineering classroom.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Building Cohesion Across Representations: A Mechanism for STEM Integration

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The mechanisms of integration of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) remain largely underspecified in the research and policy literatures, despite their purported benefits. Our novel claim is that one key mechanism of STEM integration is producing and maintaining cohesion of central concepts across the range of representations, objects, activities, and social structures in the engineering classroom.

# data[].attributes.headline
"STEM Integration" by Hui-Hui Wang, Tamara J. Moore et al.

# data[].attributes.subject
"STEM Integration" by Hui-Hui Wang, Tamara J. Moore et al.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Abstract

To gain a better understanding of teachers' beliefs about, perceptions of, and classroom practices using STEM integration, a multi-casecase study was conducted with three middle school teachers. These teachers were purposefully selected from a pool of teachers involvedin a year-long professional development module on STEM integration to represent science, mathematics and engineering teachers. Thisstudy addresses the following research questions: (1) What are teachers' beliefs about and perceptions of STEM integration after a yearlongteacher professional development training? and (2) What is the connection between beliefs about and perceptions of STEMintegration and teachers' classroom practices? Data collection consisted of document analysis, classroom observations, and interviews.Data were analyzed using the constant comparative method. Findings from the case studies suggest that (1) the problem solving process isa key component to integrate STEM disciplines, (2) teachers in different STEM disciplines have different perceptions about STEMintegration and that leads to different classroom practices, (3) technology is the hardest discipline to integrate in these cases, and (4)teachers are aware of the need to add more content knowledge in their STEM integration.

Recommended Citation

Wang, Hui-Hui; Moore, Tamara J.; Roehrig, Gillian H.; and Park, Mi Sun (2011) "STEM Integration: Teacher Perceptions and Practice," Journal of Pre-College Engineering Education Research (J-PEER): Vol. 1: Iss. 2, Article 2.
https://doi.org/10.5703/1288284314636

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
STEM Integration: Teacher Perceptions and Practice

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
To gain a better understanding of teachers' beliefs about, perceptions of, and classroom practices using STEM integration, a multi-casecase study was conducted with three middle school teachers. These teachers were purposefully selected from a pool of teachers involvedin a year-long professional development module on STEM integration to represent science, mathematics and engineering teachers.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Kids' hands-on activities - including arts, crafts, science - delivered monthly to your door with all materials included. Developed by paren...

# data[].attributes.headline
A conceptual framework for integrated STEM education | International Journal of STEM Education | Full Text

# data[].attributes.subject
A conceptual framework for integrated STEM education | International Journal of STEM Education | Full Text

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
A conceptual framework for integrated STEM education - International Journal of STEM Education

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The global urgency to improve STEM education may be driven by environmental and social impacts of the twenty-first century which in turn jeopardizes global security and economic stability. The complexity of these global factors reach beyond just helping students achieve high scores in math and scien…

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
The following list provides a summary of the range of innovative policies, programmes and initiatives that are all working towards building Australia's capability and expertise capability and expertise in relation to science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).

Promoting science, technology, engineering and mathematics in schools

The Government is investing $12 million in STEM disciplines in primary and secondary schools in order to increase innovation. For more information visit the StudentsFirst website.

Questacon programmes and initiatives

Questacon has a number of national programmes and initiatives, each with different educational goals targeting different age groups.

Shell Questacon Science Circus

The Shell Questacon Science Circus brings lively, interactive presentations of science to towns and schools across regional Australia. The programme is staffed by young Australians studying for a Master of Science Communication Outreach qualification.

Questacon Smart Skills Initiative

The Questacon Smart Skills Initiative comprises a number of programmes, delivered in cooperation with a range of partners, designed to engage young people in design, thinking, technology, creativity and innovation. The Initiative tours to metropolitan, regional and remote areas across Australia and is supported by the Ian Potter Foundation and Samsung Australia.

Questacon Virtual Excursions

Questacon Virtual Excursions offer engaging workshops and events delivered via video conference to schools across Australia.

Questacon Teacher Professional Learning

Questacon conducts accredited teacher professional learning activities as part of the national touring programmes and through the Ian Potter Foundation Technology Learning Centre in Canberra.

The Excited Particles

The Excited Particles visits schools in the ACT and surrounding region to present an hour of fun scientific demonstrations and experiments, with shows targeted from pre-schoolers to high school students.

The Ian Potter Foundation Technology Learning Centre

The Ian Potter Foundation Technology Learning Centre (IPTLC) helps develop skills and understanding of manufacturing processes by immersing students in ideas, tools and creativity.

Holiday workshops

The IPFTLC provides school holiday workshops for students aged between 10 and 16 years old. The full and half day workshops provide participants with the opportunity to develop their ideas in a fun, collaborative environment.

School workshops

The IPFTLC provides free hands-on workshops for grades 7 to 12. The workshops are built around a framework of design thinking and innovation in response to the need to increase the rate of participation of students in further studies and understanding of the fields of science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM).

For more information about these programmes and initiatives, visit the Questacon website.

Commonwealth Science and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) programmes

CSIRO has a number of programmes designed for teachers, parents and children of all ages.

Science Bootcamp
Science Bootcamp is an immersive CSIRO science experience for secondary school students. CSIRO Education and Outreach hosts science bootcamp in various capital cities throughout the year.

PULSE@Parkes program

High school students take control of our Parkes radio telescope, and do real science in the process with this innovative education program.

For more information about CSIRO's programmes and initiatives, visit the CSIRO website.

Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation Discovery Centre

ANSTO's education programmes are for people of all ages to learn more about how nuclear science and technology helps to improve health outcomes to understand the environment, and to identify opportunities for industry.

ANSTO's Discovery Centre has a comprehensive range of online education resources including e-learning for teachers, online educational games and Discover ANSTO App and e-magazine.

ANSTO offers free tours for school groups and the general public and runs regular workshops and events.

For more information visit the ANSTO website.

Geoscience Australia education initiatives

Geoscience Australia uses a range of strategies to raise geoscience awareness in the community. The Geoscience Australia Education Centre is a hands-on, curriculum linked experience that keeps students captivated, focused and looking to know more about geoscience. Geoscience Australia supports science education and awareness through the following initiatives:

National Youth Science Forum

The Science Experience

Earth Science Week

National Science Week

For more information and online education resources visit the Geoscience Australia website.

National Measurement Institute

NMI provides specialised training in the science of measurement throughout Australia as well as overseas. Courses, both industry and research focussed, are aimed at scientists, engineers and technicians and cover topics as diverse as temperature measurement to measurement uncertainty of biological measurements. We can customise specialised training to suit your particular industry or business needs.

NMI collaborates with universities in providing their science students with the opportunity to work or study in our laboratories. Our 'year in industry' programme gives students a year's experience in industry where they work alongside our scientists on specific projects such as analysing for performance enhancing drugs in athletes. In collaboration with universities around Australia, we also have a large number of post graduate students working with NMI on projects.

For more information visit the NMI website.

Department of Education and Training programmes and initiatives

Australian Maths and Science Partnerships Programme

The Australian Government is making $16.4 million available over three years to enable universities across Australia to deliver innovative maths and science projects.

The Australian Maths and Science Partnership Programme (AMSPP) Competitive Grants Round is aimed at improving outcomes in the learning and teaching of maths and science. The purpose of the AMSPP is to improve student engagement in maths and science at university and schools, through innovative partnerships between universities, schools and other relevant organisations.

The Australian Government has committed a total of $21.3 million for 22 projects over the period 2013 to 2016. In particular, the competitive grants will support:

increased mentoring in science subjects for teachers

teacher training and professional development to improve teacher quality

increased women's and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander participation in maths and science.

For more information visit the Department of Education and Training website.

Restoring the focus on science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) at school

The Australian Government has committed an extra $12 million in 2014-15 to restore the focus, and increase student uptake of, science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) subjects in primary and secondary schools across the country.

This builds on the $5 million allocated in the 2014-15 Budget for the Primary Connections and Science by Doing programmes.

This support includes assisting to develop and implement innovative online curriculum resources in mathematics; enhancing computer programming skills across the curriculum; providing seed funding to pilot an innovation-focused 'P-TECH' styled secondary education initiative; and increasing student participation in 'Summer schools for STEM students'.

For more information visit the Department of Education and Training Students First website.

Higher Education Support Act (HESA) 2003

In 2015, the Australian Government is expected to provide $1.77 billion to higher education providers as block grants to support research and research training, through a number of performance-based schemes under the Higher Education Support Act (HESA) 2003.

For more information visit the Department of Education and Training website.

Office of Learning and Teaching

Innovation and Development Grants

Innovation and Development Grants support research, development and innovation related to the enhancement of learning and teaching in higher education. A wide range of priority areas is covered including assessment, curriculum design, employability skills and improving institutional pathways across higher education. Indicative funding for 2015 is $5.5 million.

For more information visit the Office of Learning and Teaching website.

Enhancing the Training of Mathematics and Science Teachers Programme

Enhancing the Training of Mathematics and Science Teachers Programme is driving major improvement in the quality of training of teachers of mathematics and science.

The programme supports new pre-service programmes in which faculties of science, mathematics and education collaborate on course design and delivery. Content and teaching methodology are combined so that mathematics and science are taught as dynamic, forward-looking and collaborative human endeavours. Programme funding is $12 million over three calendar years from 2014 to 2016.

For more information visit the Office of Learning and Teaching website.​

Digital Careers

The Australian Government is providing funding of $6 million over four years to deliver the Digital Careers programme.

Digital Careers helps address Australia's Information and Communications Technology (ICT) skills shortage and contributes to building a robust and sustainable ICT capability for Australia's digital economy. The programme supports a national package of interactive resources and engaging activities for students in years 5 to 10 aimed at inspiring them to study ICT at school and then continue this interest at university and into the jobs of the future. It also provides professional development opportunities for ICT educators and information on ICT career opportunities for parents.

The programme aligns with the strategic objectives of the National Innovation and Science Agenda (NISA) in preparing our workforce for the jobs of the future.

Digital Careers is delivered by National ICT Australia Limited (NICTA) with the support of a consortium of relevant industry associations, state and territory governments, research organisations and education providers.

Check out the great project ideas from Young ICT Explorers 2015 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UpAYtgp7wZo [Video]

For more information visit the Digital Careers website or email Digital.Careers@industry.gov.au

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The following list provides a summary of the range of innovative policies, programmes and initiatives that are all working towards building Australia's capability and expertise capability and expertise in relation to science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). The Government is investing $12 million in STEM disciplines in primary and secondary schools in order to increase innovation.

# data[].attributes.headline
Ruben Puentedura on Applying the SAMR Model Video | Common Sense Media

# data[].attributes.subject
Ruben Puentedura on Applying the SAMR Model Video | Common Sense Media

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Common Sense Education provides educators and students with the resources they need to harness the power of technology for learning and life. Find a free K-12 Digital Citizenship curriculum, reviews of popular EdTech apps, and resources for protecting student privacy.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
A suite of teaching resources have been designed to ensure that the classroom teacher is supported to confidently deliver the inquiries.

# data[].attributes.headline
AnnMarie Thomas: Hands-on science with squishy circuits | TED Talk | TED.com

# data[].attributes.subject
AnnMarie Thomas: Hands-on science with squishy circuits | TED Talk | TED.com

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
AnnMarie Thomas: Hands-on science with squishy circuits

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
In a zippy demo at TED U, AnnMarie Thomas shows how two different kinds of homemade play dough can be used to demonstrate electrical properties -- by lighting up LEDs, spinning motors, and turning little kids into circuit designers.

# data[].attributes.headline
Scientific inquiry | ICT in Everyday Learning

# data[].attributes.subject
Scientific inquiry | ICT in Everyday Learning

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Login required | ICT in Everyday Learning

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Invent To Learn: Making, Tinkering, and Engineering in the Classroom features hundreds of links to high-quality books, websites, projects, and other resources to help you create a makerspace in any school, no matter your budget.

In this section:

All Resources by Topic

Click on the links below to find all the resources found in the book plus extras!

Project ideas, Tutorials, Inspiration - Project collections, starter projects, resources for parents, online clubs, and books.

Makerspaces, Hackerspaces, FabLabs, and Maker Educators - Meet and collaborate with makers in communities, museums, libraries, schools, and more worldwide.

Make Magazine - Make magazine has spawned a number of websites, organizations, events, and more.

Organizations and Research Groups

Constructionism Resources - Websites, books, and Seymour Papert

Reggio Emilia Approach

Advocacy, Reports, and Articles

Play, Inventors, and Inventing

Places to Purchase Parts and Supplies

3D Printing and Fabrication - Design collections, cutters (subtractive machines), design software, and outsourced printing services.

Physical Computing - Arduino, Raspberry Pi, Wearable Computing, E-Textiles, LEGO, and Robotics

Programming - Logo, Scratch, Other Languages, and Environments

Creative Materials Old and New - Squishy Circuits, Cardboard, Software, Filmmaking, and Photography

Copyright and Intellectual Property

Professional Development, Curriculum, and Standards

Author Websites and Blogs

Resources by Chapter

Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 6 | Chapter 7 | Chapter 8 | Chapter 9 | Chapter 11 | Chapter 12 | Chapter 13

Chapter 14 is the resource chapter, so all the resources in that chapter are found in the "All Resources By Topic" section above, sorted by type.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Invent To Learn: Making, Tinkering, and Engineering in the Classroom features hundreds of links to high-quality books, websites, projects, and other resources to help you create a makerspace in any school, no matter your budget. In this section: Click on the links below to find all the resources found in the book plus extras!

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Here's a list of the many resources that are out there for STEM and STEAM: from explaining what it is, to sample lessons, to ways that it connects to the Arts. This is a living list, so please feel free to add any resources you have found in your travels in the comment section below!

STEM presentations:

Creating a Global Focus on STEM education is a very well-done powerpoint that gives a "big picture" to STEM.

The STEM Education Coalition has a whole section of resource links to over 50 different presentations worldwide.

The Journal highlights how teachers and administrators are looking for resources to support STEM.

What is STEM education is a prezi from Todd Ensign that was provided to West Virginia teachers.

STEM/STEAM Lessons:

How to Smile is a site that houses fantastic math and science activities, with a dose of creativity thrown in.

PBS STEM Resource is a phenomenal site with lessons for K-12 in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math as well as professional development for teachers.

STEAM Education Lessons provide several high-quality STEAM lessons that you can browse through.

STEAM Resources:

The STEAM Academy is a terrific site for advocating and sharing authentic STEAM projects and efforts.

Planting T's is a website dedicated to promoting design thinking in K-12 education.

Working in Scratch: Putting STEAM into Cross-Curricular Collaboration is a prezi that gives practical applications for using the computer program SCRATCH in the arts classrooms.

Going from STEM to STEAM is a prezi about how creativity and self-expression give life to technology and science.

100+ STEM and STEAM Resources Livebinder has a variety of tools, videos and resources for you to browse.

STEAM Apps and Websites:

Amaziograph - How can you pack so much STEAM into one little app?Explore tessellations and symmetry by creating kaleidoscopes and mirrors using the graph and art brushes in the app.Easy to use interface, so it works for all grade levels.

Adobe Capture - We are loving all of the free tools that Adobe has been releasing recently and this one is at the top of our list. The app lets users take a photo of something and then trace the outline. A student can then erase parts, color it in, or enhance areas, all based on the initial sketch provided by the photo.

- They call this an app that makes "graphic design for everyone".I have to say, it's super easy to use and has so many applications that could connect arts and other content areas.I'm having a lot of fun playing with this app this week!

IDEO Method Card - Want to use legendary IDEO methods right from your phone?Now you can. Use it as a way to promote critical and creative thinking routines at any point in your lessons.

BoomWriter - Looking for a way for students to collaborate on story creation, ideas, and even projects?This is a great free web-based tool to explore.

MySimpleShow - If you are considering trying some more flipped classroom lessons (having students view the lesson prior to class so you can get hands-on right from the get-go), this is a great tool to consider.Also great if you want your students to teach each other!

Soundation - This is a free online recording studio that you can use anywhere.Students can collaborate on a piece of music and not even be in the same room.Compose, record and produce in one spot.

SF MoMA Teacher Resources - This section of the San Francisco MoMA site for teachers is a goldmine!There are articles you can select and read with students, video interviews, project ideas and an entire section dedicated to STEAM.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Here's a list of the many resources that are out there for STEM and STEAM: from explaining what it is, to sample lessons, to ways that it connects to the Arts. This is a living list, so please feel free to add any resources you have found in your travels in the comment section below!

# data[].attributes.headline
Download: Successful K-12 STEM Education: Identifying Effective Approaches in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics | The National Academies Press

# data[].attributes.subject
Download: Successful K-12 STEM Education: Identifying Effective Approaches in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics | The National Academies Press

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
MyNAP members enjoy free access to thousands of National Academies reports, a 10% discount off every purchase at NAP.edu, and lots of great features. Learn more.

# data[].attributes.headline
The Ultimate STEM Guide for Kids: 239 Cool Sites

# data[].attributes.subject
The Ultimate STEM Guide for Kids: 239 Cool Sites

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
by DS Examiner

I could go on and on about science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) careers. How job openings are predicted to soar to over one million by 2020. How the U.S. government is freaking out that students aren't prepared.

But I won't. Because, frankly, this guide to STEM opportunities is for you:

You're going to take the first step on Mars.

You're going to plant farms on skyscrapers.

You're going to discover a cure for cancer.

Nuclear fusion. Virtual reality. Clean water for all. With the world facing 14 Grand Challenges for Engineering, your interest in math and science is set to pay off-big time.

You'll be the one using your problem-solving skills to find answers to impossible challenges.

You'll be the scientist leading an exploration of the Mariana Trench or the engineer building a next-generation robot.

You'll be the graduate finding a great job and earning a hefty salary.

It's your life. Know that amazing things are possible.

STEM Fun for Kids Grades K-12

Cool STEM Websites

Ask Dr. Universe: Washington State University's Ask Dr. Universe allows kids to explore various STEM topics and get answers to common questions. Have a question not covered on the site? Submit it on their "Ask" page!

Code.org: No one is too young (or old, I might add) to code. Learn how to build an iPhone game, write your first computer program, draw in JavaScript and much more.

Engineering, Go for It! (eGFI): Discover the nuts and bolts of engineering. This website contains advice on careers, entertaining info on all kinds of fields and links to the eGFI magazine.

EPA Students: Searching for news on the environment, homework resources, info on contests or ideas for an environment-based school project? Check out this website run by the Environmental Protection Agency.

Exploratorium: One of my favorites. The website of the San Francisco-based Exploratorium is jam-packed with interactive activities, videos, apps, links and more.

Extreme Science: Extremely interesting. Here you'll find wild and weird facts about nature, resources for science projects and info on all kinds of world records.

How Stuff Works: I visit this website every day. It has hundreds upon thousands of articles that explain the wonders of science (and almost everything else on the planet).

Museum of Science + Industry Chicago Online Science: Apps and activities and videos, oh my! Play games, watch baby chicks hatching, create virtual chemical reactions or use forensic science to analyze different types of candy.

NASA Education for Students: Career information, image galleries, NASA Television, features and articles ... whatever you'd like to know about aerospace, you're sure to find it here.

NASA Science, Engineering, Mathematics and Aerospace Academy (SEMAA): SEMAA was developed to increase the participation of historically underserved K-12 youth in STEM fields. School activities and summer sessions are held throughout the nation.

NOVA: The website for PBS's popular science show is overflowing with videos and articles. Explore the wonders of evolution, nature, physics, math-practically any STEM subject that rings your bell.

Science Buddies: Get stuck on science. This website has over 1,000 ideas for science fair projects, project guides, project kits and detailed profiles of STEM careers.

Science Channel: Question everything. Along with a rundown on the Science Channel's TV programs, this website has plenty of videos, quizzes, games and the latest science news.

STEM-Works: In addition to articles and job information, STEM-Works has stocked their site with interesting activities. Test your skills in the reptile quiz. Rescue an athlete in the Bionic Games. Or, simply follow the path of great whites with the Global Shark Tracker.

TechRocket: A year-round online learning destination for kids and teens. Use the promo code "MIDSFREE" to get a free first month!

Tynker: A computing platform that allows children to develop programming skills through fun, creative courses. Join the millions of kids from around the country learning to code with Tynker!

STEM Challenges and Contests

Siemen's We Can Change the World Challenge: You have the power to save the planet. In Siemen's K-12 environmental sustainability competition, teams from across the country compete to improve their own communities. Lots of prizes.

Toshiba/NSTA ExploraVision: ExploraVision is a K-12 science competition with a difference. Teams of two to four students work with a teacher to simulate the challenges of real research and development.

STEM Awards

The Gloria Barron Prize for Young Heroes: This annual prize honors 25 outstanding young leaders (age 8 to 18) who have made a significant positive difference to people and/or the environment. The top 10 winners receive a $5,000 cash award to support their education.

The NEED Project's Annual Youth Awards Program for Energy Achievement: NEED's annual award was established to recognize K-12 students who achieve excellence in energy education in their schools or communities.

President's Environmental Youth Awards: The PEYA program celebrates K-12 students, school classes, summer camps or youth organizations that are promoting environmental stewardship. Every year, one outstanding project from each region is selected for national recognition.

STEM Career Resources

Bureau of Labor Statistics K-12: The U.S. Department of Labor has been busy. Here you'll find charts, maps and many other resources on careers and the U.S. economy.

WeUseMath.org: Ever wondered (as I frequently did) when you're going to use math in real life? This website on math careers has more than a few answers.

Government STEM Initiatives

Educate to Innovate: Launched in 2009, Educate to Innovate aims to move U.S. students from the middle to the top of the heap in science and math achievement. It's spawned a number of federal efforts and philanthropic initiatives (see below).

STEM AmeriCorps: This multi-year initiative is focused on placing AmeriCorps members in STEM non-profits (such as FIRST) to work in underserved communities.

White House Science Fair: At this science fair, the President serves as the host! Students are honored for innovative projects, designs and experiments while the White House streams the event live.

Women in STEM: In collaboration with the White House Council on Women and Girls, the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) has instigated a number of efforts to increase the participation of girls in STEM subjects.

Philanthropic STEM Initiatives

Change the Equation: Led by CEOs, this nonprofit seeks to mobilize the business community to improve the quality of STEM education across the U.S.

Connect a Million Minds (CAMM): Sponsored by Time Warner Cable, CAMM is a five-year, $100 million philanthropic initiative that aims to inspire students to develop STEM skills.

US2020.org: The ultimate aim of this nonprofit is to mobilize one million STEM mentors annually by 2020.

Youth Inspired Challenge (YIC): Created by the Association of Science-Technology Centers (ASTC), YIC is designed to expand the impact of STEM learning outside the classroom.

STEM Fun for Elementary School Kids

Cool STEM Websites

PBS Kids

Cyberchase: Help Jackie, Matt and Inez use math to protect the digital universe from evil. Don't worry: Cyberchase has lots of math games, videos and activities to aid you in your quest.

Design Squad Nation: Design anything (!) your mind might imagine. Through Design Squad challenges, videos and tutorials, you'll discover all there is to know about engineering principles.

The Cat in the Hat Knows a Lot About That!: Pre-K STEM games, activities and videos galore. The adventurous Cat in the Hat is even ready to lead you on an exotic math safari adventure

The Greens: Wondering what you can do to protect the planet? The Greens have some great ideas, including games, activity guides and their very own carbon calculator.

Lifeboat to Mars: Explore the world of biology with this free online game. In one simulation (Microland) you control hungry microbes. In another (Ecoland), you have to balance out the space station's ecosystem.

Zoom: Hot science and cool ideas. You'll find all kinds of activities and experiments on Zoom's website, including things like lemon juice rockets, crazy straw bridges and bubble cities.

Science Games and Apps

Math Games and Apps

STEM Contests

Junior FIRST® LEGO® League: Are you a LEGO® fiend? Then this is the contest for you. You'll use LEGO® bricks to design and build a moving model; then, you'll assemble a Show Me poster to showcase your solution. For kids age 6 to 9.

NSBE KidZone Elementary Science Olympiad: Collect a team and test your science skills in 18 different events at the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) National Convention. Open to grades three to five. Those in kindergarten through second grade compete in a non-competitive league.

Perennial Math Tournaments: A virtual math tournament (via videoconferencing) for both teams and individuals. Open to grades three to eight.

STEM Camps

Audubon Nature Camps: Audobon offers a ton of Nature Camps throughout the country. Beginning in April, they start taking applications for Wild Birds Pathways to Nature.

Camp Invention: Daydreams become discoveries at this summer day camp. Created by the National Inventors Hall of Fame, Camp Invention presents essential STEM concepts through creative hands-on activities.

Camp KAOS: To infinity and beyond! These cool flight and space adventure-themed camps take place at the Smithsonian-affiliated Kansas Cosmophere and Space Center (KAOS) in Hutchinson, Kansas.

Destination Science Camp: Spend a week this summer creating robots, building a digital music system, training an electric-powered chameleon or even preparing for a mission to the moon! Held at 130 locations in six states.

Digital Media Academy Adventures Camp: Digital Media's award-winning camps cover everything from cartoon creation to computer programming to advanced robotics with LEGO® EV3. For kids age 8 to 12.

Engineering for Kids: Engineering for Kids is an education company for kids age 4 to 14. It offers a variety of STEM programs, including in-school field trips, birthday parties, workshops and camps.

Engineering Summer Camps: Interested in building the world's future? The Engineering Education Service Center has put together a state-by-state list of engineering summer camps.

iD Tech Camps: The sky's the limit at iD Tech's day and overnight camps. Make your own video game, program your own app or even code in Java.

KinderCare® Summer Camps: From the wacky wet science of water to the basics of surviving in the wilderness, KinderCare offers a variety of programs for pre-K through school-age kids.

Science Explorers: Sharks and submarines, potions and slime, castles and catapults .. whatever you love, these science summer camps have just the activity for you. Offered in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware.

Snapology: Snapology partners with schools around the country to offer STEAM programs, contests, and camps. The programs are interactive, which allows kids to learn through hands-on instruction and play. Programs are offered in a number of different formats, including after school, on weekends, and over the summer.

Vision Tech Camps: Vision Tech offers camps for kids ages 7-17 in the San Francisco Bay Area. Camp topics include robotics, programming, minecraft, and more.

Youth Digital Summer Camps: Design 3-D models for Minecraft, create your own video game or even direct a 3-D animation! These camps focused on digital technology are held in various southern cities. For kids age 8 to 16.

STEM Career Resources

Career Aisle: Elementary: Dreaming about what you want to be when you grow up? These videos about jobs in science, technology, engineering and math can help you decide.

Note: There are plenty of state and regional organizations that didn't make it onto my list. If you're interested in local camps, scholarships and after-school activities, I also recommend checking with your teachers and school.

STEM Fun for Middle School Kids

Cool STEM Websites

The Big Brain Theory - Discovery Channel: Competitors on this TV show have just 30 minutes to come up with a solution to an (seemingly) impossible engineering challenge.

Bill Nye the Science Guy: Bill's entertaining television episodes cover everything from comets to the science of music. Have some fun with his home demos.

Chi Alpha Mu: Otherwise known as the National Junior Mathematics Club, Chi Alpha Mu is the younger sibling of Mu Alpha Theta. Check out its list of contests and summer grants.

Environmental Health Student Portal: Interested in learning more about chemicals, air quality and water pollution? This website has videos, games and experiments to help you along.

Kids Ahead: A STEM bonanza. Kids Ahead is packed with all kinds of resources, including scavenger hunts, videos, articles, links to local activities and fun events and info on cool jobs, that inspire and excite.

MathMovesU: Hone your math skills with online games, virtual thrill rides and national competitions! MathMovesU also offers a variety of scholarships and sponsorships.

MythBusters - Discovery Channel: The folks at MythBusters use experiments to bust rumors, myths and urban legends. (During their Cannonball Chemistry experiment, they accidentally drove a cannonball through the side of a house.)

Sally Ride Science: Founded by America's first female astronaut, Sally Ride Science hosts a number of student programs, including science festivals and overnight camps.

Science Bob: Bob is a science teacher who loves to experiment (often on Jimmy Kimmel). His website has videos, links and plenty of ideas for build-your-own experiments and science fair projects.

SciJinks: It's all about the weather. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA) and NASA put together this educational website to teach kids about meteorology and earth science. Check out their games section.

Scratch: Designed for kids age 8 to 16, Scratch is a place where you can program your own interactive stories, games and animations. A project of the Lifelong Kindergarten Group at the MIT Media Lab.

TechRocket: A great learning tool for kids interested in programming, graphic design, and more! Use the promo code "MIDSFREE" to get a free first month!

STEM Games and Apps

STEM Camps

Science and Technology Contests

Math Contests

AMC 8: Test your math skills in this 25-question, 40-minute multiple choice contest (held every November).

MATHCOUNTS Competition Series: MATHCOUNTS holds a series of "bee-style" contests in over 500 local chapters. Top teams advance to the state competition and then to the National Competition in May.

MATHCOUNTS Math Video Challenge: Create your very own math video with your friends and classmates and be in the running to win a college scholarship!

Perennial Math Tournaments: A virtual math tournament (via videoconferencing) for both teams and individuals. Open to grades three to eight.

Rocket City Math League (RCML): Sponsored by Mu Alpha Theta, RCML is a year-long, four-round math competition. Trophies are mailed to top-ranked middle school and high school students at the end of the year.

U.S.A. Mathematical Talent Search (USAMTS): Pit your problem-solving skills against some of the toughest conundrums out there. Because of the level of difficulty, USAMTS allows students a full month or more to work out solutions.

STEM Career Resources

Career Aisle: Middle School: Wondering what the future might hold? Explore some of the options available to you in science, technology, engineering and math. Lots of videos.

Kids.gov Jobs: Get the skinny on every job under the sun. Wondering what marine biologists do? Want to watch a video on becoming a veterinarian? You're in the right place.

iON Future: If website browsing isn't your style, you can always play this free STEM career exploration game. It's geared toward middle school and early high school students.

NASA Look to the Future: Careers in Space: You don't have to be an astronaut to work in the space program. NASA has a list of other professions, including robotics engineer, computer scientist and oceanographer, for you to consider.

Note: There are plenty of state and regional organizations that didn't make it onto my list. If you're interested in local camps, scholarships and after-school activities, I also recommend checking with your teachers and school.

STEM Fun for High School Kids

Cool STEM Websites

Arrick Robotics: This the prettiest website in the world, but if you're looking for robotics resources, this is the place to be. Includes lists of competitions and contests, groups and clubs, games and simulation.

Codeacademy: Learn to code interactively (and for free). Codeacademy offers coding classes in major programming languages like Python, PHP, jQuery, JavaScript and Ruby.

DiscoverE: Thinking about engineering? DiscoverE has a selection of resources on careers, preparing for college and research schools. You might also want to check out their list of videos, trips, websites and hands-on activities.

Mu Alpha Theta: Also known as the National High School and Two-Year College Mathematics Honor Society, Mu Alpha Theta has over 100,000 student members. It organizes a national math convention, offers special awards and provides competitions.

Student Science: A central spot for science news, blogs, resources and information about Intel competitions. Sample article titles include "Native 'snot'" and "A library with no books."

TechRocket: Neat tool for exploring programming languages, 2D and 3D game design, and more. Use the promo code "MIDSFREE" to get a free first month!

STEM Games and Apps

STEM Camps

Science and Technology Contests

Math Contests

STEM Grants and Opportunities

InvenTeam: InventTeams are made up of students, teachers and mentors who receive grants of up to $10,000 to devise technological solutions to real-world problems (you can choose your own problem).

iSTEM Scholars Program: Live in California and looking at a STEM-related profession? You might want to consider this after-school and summer program. You'll go on field trips, receive individual tutoring and be prepped for national tests.

Planet Connect Student Grants: Have a passion for protecting wildlife and native habitats? Planet Connect offers high school students grants of $1,000 to implement local projects and participate in wildlife or natural resource internships.

STEM Career Resources

Note: There are plenty of state and regional organizations that didn't make it onto my list. If you're interested in local camps, scholarships and after-school activities, I also recommend checking with your teachers and school.

STEM Fun for Girls

Cool STEM Websites

STEM Awards

NSTA Angela Award: The National Science Teachers Association awards a $1,000 US EE Savings Bond to one female student in fifth through eighth grade who is involved in or has a strong connection to science.

STEM Camps

Note: There are plenty of state and regional organizations that didn't make it onto my list. If you're interested in local camps, scholarships and after-school activities, I also recommend checking with your teachers and school.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
The Ultimate STEM Guide for Kids: 239 Cool Sites

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
by DS Examiner I could go on and on about science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) careers. How job openings are predicted to soar to over one million by 2020. How the U.S. government is freaking out that students aren't prepared. But I won't.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Education | Australian Academy of Technology and Engineering (ATSE)

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Education projects, reports and submissions

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
/groups/k12/search/index.rss?tag=hotlist/groups/k12/search/?tag=hotWhat's HotHotListHot!?tag=hot6/groups/k12/sidebar/HotListAdded tag - hotdyoungDevon Young2016-06-09 18:05:15+00:002016-06-09 18:05:15addTag14Added tag - activitydyoungDevon Young2016-06-09 08:51:57+00:002016-06-09 08:51:57addTag13Added tag - testdyoungDevon Young2016-06-09 08:51:48+00:002016-06-09 08:51:48addTag12Added tag - prototypedyoungDevon Young2016-06-09 08:51:46+00:002016-06-09 08:51:46addTag11Added tag - ideatedyoungDevon Young2016-06-09 08:51:45+00:002016-06-09 08:51:45addTag10Added tag - definedyoungDevon Young2016-06-09 08:51:43+00:002016-06-09 08:51:43addTag9Added tag - empathizedyoungDevon Young2016-06-09 08:51:42+00:002016-06-09 08:51:42addTag8Added tag - stokedyoungDevon Young2016-06-09 08:51:40+00:002016-06-09 08:51:40addTag7Added tag - design thinking processdyoungDevon Young2016-06-09 08:51:38+00:002016-06-09 08:51:38addTag6Added tag - resourcesdyoungDevon Young2016-06-09 08:51:35+00:002016-06-09 08:51:35addTag5dyoungDevon Young2016-06-06 23:47:53+00:002016-06-06 23:47:53updated4dyoungDevon Young2016-06-06 21:53:23+00:002016-06-06 21:53:23updated3dyoungDevon Young2016-06-06 20:58:40+00:002016-06-06 20:58:40updated2First createddyoungDevon Young2016-06-06 20:58:21+00:002016-06-06 20:58:21created1wiki2016-06-06T23:47:53+00:00groups/k12/wiki/bb07fFalseResources and Tools by Stage/groups/k12/wiki/bb07f/Resources_and_Tools_by_Stage.htmlDevon Young14 updatesResources and Tools by Stage Key tools and worksheets in each step Warm-up [Download file "Stoke Deck.pdf"] Improv Toolkit for Educators, Improv Activiti...Falsedyoung2016-06-06T23:47:53+00:00Added tag - hotdyoungDevon Young2016-06-09 18:04:48+00:002016-06-09 18:04:48addTag18Added tag - full-cycledyoungDevon Young2016-06-09 06:21:38+00:002016-06-09 06:21:38addTag17Added tag - designed by k12 labdyoungDevon Young2016-06-09 06:21:34+00:002016-06-09 06:21:34addTag16Added tag - educator workshopdyoungDevon Young2016-06-09 06:21:23+00:002016-06-09 06:21:23addTag15Added tag - 2-hourdyoungDevon Young2016-06-09 06:21:18+00:002016-06-09 06:21:18addTag14Added tag - 2016dyoungDevon Young2016-06-09 06:21:08+00:002016-06-09 06:21:08addTag13Removed tag - workshopdyoungDevon Young2016-06-09 06:21:02+00:002016-06-09 06:21:02removeTag12Removed tag - morning routinedyoungDevon Young2016-06-09 06:21:00+00:002016-06-09 06:21:00removeTag11Removed tag - dp0dyoungDevon Young2016-06-09 06:20:59+00:002016-06-09 06:20:59removeTag10Removed tag - design thinking burstdyoungDevon Young2016-06-09 06:20:56+00:002016-06-09 06:20:56removeTag9Added tag - workshopdyoungDevon Young2016-06-06 15:58:59+00:002016-06-06 15:58:59addTag8Added tag - design thinking burstdyoungDevon Young2016-05-23 20:34:51+00:002016-05-23 20:34:51addTag7Removed tag - burstdyoungDevon Young2016-05-23 20:34:43+00:002016-05-23 20:34:43removeTag6Added tag - morning routinedyoungDevon Young2016-05-23 20:34:05+00:002016-05-23 20:34:05addTag5Added tag - dp0dyoungDevon Young2016-05-23 20:33:54+00:002016-05-23 20:33:54addTag4Added tag - burstdyoungDevon Young2016-05-23 20:33:47+00:002016-05-23 20:33:47addTag3dyoungDevon Young2016-05-23 16:46:27+00:002016-05-23 16:46:27updated2First createddyoungDevon Young2016-05-23 16:08:56+00:002016-05-23 16:08:56created1wiki2016-05-23T16:46:27+00:00groups/k12/wiki/213e5FalseDesign Thinking Burst: May 18, 2016 /groups/k12/wiki/213e5/Design_Thinking_Burst_May_18_2016_.htmlDevon Young18 updatesDesign Thinking Burst: May 18, 2016 What: An introductory experience for educators who are interested in learning about the design thinking process. When: April 28, 2016 at the d...Falsedyoung2016-05-23T16:46:27+00:00Added tag - hotdyoungDevon Young2016-06-09 18:05:46+00:002016-06-09 18:05:46addTag16Added tag - full-cycledyoungDevon Young2016-06-09 06:22:15+00:002016-06-09 06:22:15addTag15Added tag - designed by k12 labdyoungDevon Young2016-06-09 06:22:11+00:002016-06-09 06:22:11addTag14Added tag - educator workshopdyoungDevon Young2016-06-09 06:22:06+00:002016-06-09 06:22:06addTag13Added tag - 2-daydyoungDevon Young2016-06-09 06:22:01+00:002016-06-09 06:22:01addTag12Added tag - 2016dyoungDevon Young2016-06-09 06:21:58+00:002016-06-09 06:21:58addTag11Removed tag - workshopdyoungDevon Young2016-06-09 06:21:52+00:002016-06-09 06:21:52removeTag10Removed tag - discover design thinkingdyoungDevon Young2016-06-09 06:21:50+00:002016-06-09 06:21:50removeTag9Added tag - workshopdyoungDevon Young2016-06-06 15:59:14+00:002016-06-06 15:59:14addTag8Removed tag - savedyoungDevon Young2016-06-06 15:59:10+00:002016-06-06 15:59:10removeTag7Added tag - discover design thinkingdyoungDevon Young2016-05-23 21:41:41+00:002016-05-23 21:41:41addTag6Added tag - savedyoungDevon Young2016-05-16 20:35:23+00:002016-05-16 20:35:23addTag5dyoungDevon Young2016-05-13 21:14:20+00:002016-05-13 21:14:20updated4dyoungDevon Young2016-05-11 15:57:56+00:002016-05-11 15:57:56updated3dyoungDevon Young2016-05-11 03:15:39+00:002016-05-11 03:15:39updated2First createddyoungDevon Young2016-05-11 03:01:09+00:002016-05-11 03:01:09created1wiki2016-05-13T21:14:20+00:00groups/k12/wiki/7c78cFalseDiscover Design Thinking workshop: May 5-6 2016/groups/k12/wiki/7c78c/Discover_Design_Thinking_workshop_May_56_2016.htmlDevon Young16 updatesDiscover Design Thinking workshop: May 5-6 2016 Edit this page Create a new page Delete this ...Falsedyoung2016-05-13T21:14:20+00:00Added tag - hotarazAriel Raz2016-06-09 18:05:38+00:002016-06-09 18:05:38addTag13Added tag - prototypearazAriel Raz2016-06-09 06:30:10+00:002016-06-09 06:30:10addTag12Added tag - full-cyclearazAriel Raz2016-06-09 06:30:00+00:002016-06-09 06:30:00addTag11Added tag - grades 9-12arazAriel Raz2016-06-09 06:29:55+00:002016-06-09 06:29:55addTag10Added tag - student curriculumarazAriel Raz2016-06-09 06:29:51+00:002016-06-09 06:29:51addTag9Added tag - 1-weekarazAriel Raz2016-06-09 06:28:21+00:002016-06-09 06:28:21addTag8Added tag - 2016arazAriel Raz2016-06-09 06:28:18+00:002016-06-09 06:28:18addTag7Removed tag - student workshoparazAriel Raz2016-06-09 06:28:07+00:002016-06-09 06:28:07removeTag6Removed tag - fail forwardarazAriel Raz2016-06-09 06:28:03+00:002016-06-09 06:28:03removeTag5Added tag - student workshoparazAriel Raz2016-06-06 16:37:11+00:002016-06-06 16:37:11addTag4Added tag - fail forwardarazAriel Raz2016-06-06 16:36:53+00:002016-06-06 16:36:53addTag3arazAriel Raz2016-03-14 03:01:39+00:002016-03-14 03:01:39updated2First createdarazAriel Raz2016-03-14 02:48:24+00:002016-03-14 02:48:24created1wiki2016-03-14T03:01:39+00:00groups/k12/wiki/0502dFalseMt. Vernon Presbyterian School - Fail Forward/groups/k12/wiki/0502d/Mt_Vernon_Presbyterian_School__Fail_Forward.htmlAriel Raz13 updatesMt. Vernon Presbyterian School - Fail Forward On this page you'll find resources for the one week workshop we held with Mt. Vernon Presbyterian School. The frame of the weeklong experience was...Falsearaz2016-03-14T03:01:39+00:00weblog2009-11-19T16:29:14+00:00groups/k12/weblog/56457FalseNew Riverside-Nueva partnership/groups/k12/weblog/56457/New_RiversideNueva_partnership.htmlLeticia Britos0 updatesNew Riverside-Nueva partnership The Nueva School has some exciting news to report. After the six of us (Rebecca, Megan, Keely, Kim, Anna, and I) from Nueva met Deepa and Veena fro...Falselbritos2009-11-19T16:29:14+00:00hot/groups/k12/search/index.rss?sort=modifiedDate&kind=all&sortDirection=reverse&excludePages=wiki/welcomelist/groups/k12/search/?sort=modifiedDate&kind=all&sortDirection=reverse&excludePages=wiki/welcomeRecent ChangesRecentChangesListUpdates?sort=modifiedDate&kind=all&sortDirection=reverse&excludePages=wiki/welcome0/groups/k12/sidebar/RecentChangesListmodifiedDateallRecent ChangesRecentChangesListUpdateswiki/welcomeNo recent changes.reverse5search

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
/groups/k12/search/index.rss?tag=hotlist/groups/k12/search/?tag=hotWhat's HotHotListHot!?tag=hot6/groups/k12/sidebar/HotListAdded tag - hotdyoungDevon Young2016-06-09 18:05:15+00:002016-06-09 18:05:15addTag14Added tag - activitydyoungDevon Young2016-06-09 08:51:57+00:002016-06-09 08:51:57addTag13Added tag - testdyoungDevon Young2016-06-09 08:51:48+00:002016-06-09 08:51:48addTag12Added tag - prototypedyoungDevon Young2016-06-09 08:51:46+00:002016-06-09 08:51:46addTag11Added tag - ideatedyoungDevon Young2016-06-09 08:51:45+00:002016-06-09 08:51:45addTag10Added tag - definedyoungDevon Young2016-06-09 08:51:43+00:002016-06-09 08:51:43addTag9Added tag - empathizedyoungDevon Young2016-06-09 08:51:42+00:002016-06-09 08:51:42addTag8Added tag - stokedyoungDevon Young2016-06-09 08:51:40+00:002016-06-09 08:51:40addTag7Added tag - design thinking processdyoungDevon Young2016-06-09 08:51:38+00:002016-06-09 08:51:38addTag6Added tag - resourcesdyoungDevon Young2016-06-09 08:51:35+00:002016-06-09 08:51:35addTag5dyoungDevon Young2016-06-06 23:47:53+00:002016-06-06 23:47:53updated4dyoungDevon Young2016-06-06 21:53:23+00:002016-06-06 21:53:23updated3dyoungDevon Young2016-06-06 20:58:40+00:002016-06-06 20:58:40updated2First createddyoungDevon Young2016-06-06 20:58:21+00:002016-06-06 20:58:21created1wiki2016-06-06T23:47:53+00:00groups/k12/wiki/bb07fFalseResources and Tools by Stage/groups/k12/wiki/bb07f/Resources_and_Tools_by_Stage.htmlDevon Young14 updatesResources and Tools by Stage Key tools and worksheets in each step Warm-up [Download file "Stoke Deck.pdf"] Improv Toolkit for Educators, Improv Activiti...Falsedyoung2016-06-06T23:47:53+00:00Added tag - hotdyoungDevon Young2016-06-09 18:04:48+00:002016-06-09 18:04:48addTag18Added tag - full-cycledyoungDevon Young2016-06-09 06:21:38+00:002016-06-09 06:21:38addTag17Added tag - designed by k12 labdyoungDevon Young2016-06-09 06:21:34+00:002016-06-09 06:21:34addTag16Added tag - educator workshopdyoungDevon Young2016-06-09 06:21:23+00:002016-06-09 06:21:23addTag15Added tag - 2-hourdyoungDevon Young2016-06-09 06:21:18+00:002016-06-09 06:21:18addTag14Added tag - 2016dyoungDevon Young2016-06-09 06:21:08+00:002016-06-09 06:21:08addTag13Removed tag - workshopdyoungDevon Young2016-06-09 06:21:02+00:002016-06-09 06:21:02removeTag12Removed tag - morning routinedyoungDevon Young2016-06-09 06:21:00+00:002016-06-09 06:21:00removeTag11Removed tag - dp0dyoungDevon Young2016-06-09 06:20:59+00:002016-06-09 06:20:59removeTag10Removed tag - design thinking burstdyoungDevon Young2016-06-09 06:20:56+00:002016-06-09 06:20:56removeTag9Added tag - workshopdyoungDevon Young2016-06-06 15:58:59+00:002016-06-06 15:58:59addTag8Added tag - design thinking burstdyoungDevon Young2016-05-23 20:34:51+00:002016-05-23 20:34:51addTag7Removed tag - burstdyoungDevon Young2016-05-23 20:34:43+00:002016-05-23 20:34:43removeTag6Added tag - morning routinedyoungDevon Young2016-05-23 20:34:05+00:002016-05-23 20:34:05addTag5Added tag - dp0dyoungDevon Young2016-05-23 20:33:54+00:002016-05-23 20:33:54addTag4Added tag - burstdyoungDevon Young2016-05-23 20:33:47+00:002016-05-23 20:33:47addTag3dyoungDevon Young2016-05-23 16:46:27+00:002016-05-23 16:46:27updated2First createddyoungDevon Young2016-05-23 16:08:56+00:002016-05-23 16:08:56created1wiki2016-05-23T16:46:27+00:00groups/k12/wiki/213e5FalseDesign Thinking Burst: May 18, 2016 /groups/k12/wiki/213e5/Design_Thinking_Burst_May_18_2016_.htmlDevon Young18 updatesDesign Thinking Burst: May 18, 2016 What: An introductory experience for educators who are interested in learning about the design thinking process. When: April 28, 2016 at the d...Falsedyoung2016-05-23T16:46:27+00:00Added tag - hotdyoungDevon Young2016-06-09 18:05:46+00:002016-06-09 18:05:46addTag16Added tag - full-cycledyoungDevon Young2016-06-09 06:22:15+00:002016-06-09 06:22:15addTag15Added tag - designed by k12 labdyoungDevon Young2016-06-09 06:22:11+00:002016-06-09 06:22:11addTag14Added tag - educator workshopdyoungDevon Young2016-06-09 06:22:06+00:002016-06-09 06:22:06addTag13Added tag - 2-daydyoungDevon Young2016-06-09 06:22:01+00:002016-06-09 06:22:01addTag12Added tag - 2016dyoungDevon Young2016-06-09 06:21:58+00:002016-06-09 06:21:58addTag11Removed tag - workshopdyoungDevon Young2016-06-09 06:21:52+00:002016-06-09 06:21:52removeTag10Removed tag - discover design thinkingdyoungDevon Young2016-06-09 06:21:50+00:002016-06-09 06:21:50removeTag9Added tag - workshopdyoungDevon Young2016-06-06 15:59:14+00:002016-06-06 15:59:14addTag8Removed tag - savedyoungDevon Young2016-06-06 15:59:10+00:002016-06-06 15:59:10removeTag7Added tag - discover design thinkingdyoungDevon Young2016-05-23 21:41:41+00:002016-05-23 21:41:41addTag6Added tag - savedyoungDevon Young2016-05-16 20:35:23+00:002016-05-16 20:35:23addTag5dyoungDevon Young2016-05-13 21:14:20+00:002016-05-13 21:14:20updated4dyoungDevon Young2016-05-11 15:57:56+00:002016-05-11 15:57:56updated3dyoungDevon Young2016-05-11 03:15:39+00:002016-05-11 03:15:39updated2First createddyoungDevon Young2016-05-11 03:01:09+00:002016-05-11 03:01:09created1wiki2016-05-13T21:14:20+00:00groups/k12/wiki/7c78cFalseDiscover Design Thinking workshop: May 5-6 2016/groups/k12/wiki/7c78c/Discover_Design_Thinking_workshop_May_56_2016.htmlDevon Young16 updatesDiscover Design Thinking workshop: May 5-6 2016 Edit this page Create a new page Delete this ...Falsedyoung2016-05-13T21:14:20+00:00Added tag - hotarazAriel Raz2016-06-09 18:05:38+00:002016-06-09 18:05:38addTag13Added tag - prototypearazAriel Raz2016-06-09 06:30:10+00:002016-06-09 06:30:10addTag12Added tag - full-cyclearazAriel Raz2016-06-09 06:30:00+00:002016-06-09 06:30:00addTag11Added tag - grades 9-12arazAriel Raz2016-06-09 06:29:55+00:002016-06-09 06:29:55addTag10Added tag - student curriculumarazAriel Raz2016-06-09 06:29:51+00:002016-06-09 06:29:51addTag9Added tag - 1-weekarazAriel Raz2016-06-09 06:28:21+00:002016-06-09 06:28:21addTag8Added tag - 2016arazAriel Raz2016-06-09 06:28:18+00:002016-06-09 06:28:18addTag7Removed tag - student workshoparazAriel Raz2016-06-09 06:28:07+00:002016-06-09 06:28:07removeTag6Removed tag - fail forwardarazAriel Raz2016-06-09 06:28:03+00:002016-06-09 06:28:03removeTag5Added tag - student workshoparazAriel Raz2016-06-06 16:37:11+00:002016-06-06 16:37:11addTag4Added tag - fail forwardarazAriel Raz2016-06-06 16:36:53+00:002016-06-06 16:36:53addTag3arazAriel Raz2016-03-14 03:01:39+00:002016-03-14 03:01:39updated2First createdarazAriel Raz2016-03-14 02:48:24+00:002016-03-14 02:48:24created1wiki2016-03-14T03:01:39+00:00groups/k12/wiki/0502dFalseMt. Vernon Presbyterian School - Fail Forward/groups/k12/wiki/0502d/Mt_Vernon_Presbyterian_School__Fail_Forward.htmlAriel Raz13 updatesMt. Vernon Presbyterian School - Fail Forward On this page you'll find resources for the one week workshop we held with Mt. Vernon Presbyterian School. The frame of the weeklong experience was...Falsearaz2016-03-14T03:01:39+00:00weblog2009-11-19T16:29:14+00:00groups/k12/weblog/56457FalseNew Riverside-Nueva partnership/groups/k12/weblog/56457/New_RiversideNueva_partnership.htmlLeticia Britos0 updatesNew Riverside-Nueva partnership The Nueva School has some exciting news to report. After the six of us (Rebecca, Megan, Keely, Kim, Anna, and I) from Nueva met Deepa and Veena fro...Falselbritos2009-11-19T16:29:14+00:00hot/groups/k12/search/index.rss?sort=modifiedDate&kind=all&sortDirection=reverse&excludePages=wiki/welcomelist/groups/k12/search/?sort=modifiedDate&kind=all&sortDirection=reverse&excludePages=wiki/welcomeRecent ChangesRecentChangesListUpdates?sort=modifiedDate&kind=all&sortDirection=reverse&excludePages=wiki/welcome0/groups/k12/sidebar/RecentChangesListmodifiedDateallRecent ChangesRecentChangesListUpdateswiki/welcomeNo recent changes.reverse5search

# data[].attributes.body
http://csl.nsta.org/2016/11/a-hub-for-stem-learning/http://csl.nsta.org/2016/11/a-hub-for-stem-learning/

# data[].attributes.headline
Home - Australian Association of Mathematics Teachers

# data[].attributes.subject
Home - Australian Association of Mathematics Teachers

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Home - Australian Association of Mathematics Teachers

# data[].attributes.headline
Benchmarking Australian Science,Technology, Engineering & Mathematics | Australia's Chief Scientist

# data[].attributes.subject
Benchmarking Australian Science,Technology, Engineering & Mathematics | Australia's Chief Scientist

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
On December 1, the report Benchmarking Australian Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics was released.

This follows the tabling of the report at the inaugural meeting of the Commonwealth Science Council.

To read the report online, click here

To print the report, click here

In his foreword to the report, Australia's Chief Scientist Professor Ian Chubb says: "In view of the central importance of STEM, we need to know how we perform. We need to get 'a fix' on our performance-not an easy one, against 'the world', but a more challenging one, against nations that, like us, are essentially free-market economies with serious science engagement.

"...This report provides insights into where we are and will help us decide what we should do. As an analysis mostly at a high level-signposts in kilometres not metres, let alone centimetres-it is intended to highlight performance and trends that might warrant further investigation, prompt questions for government and contribute to discussion on the future shape and scale of Australian STEM.

"The report is about encouraging wise decisions, not about making them. Used well, it will help us improve and help us position Australia in a changing world."

Links to media coverage of the report are available here.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The Benchmarking Australian science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) report was publicly released on 1 December 2014. The report draws on multiple indicators and datasets to provide a comprehensive assessment of Australia's comparative performance in STEM. It was considered at the Commonwealth Science

# data[].attributes.headline
BBC - Wallace and Gromit - World of Invention - Wallaces Workshop

# data[].attributes.subject
BBC - Wallace and Gromit - World of Invention - Wallaces Workshop

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.keywords[]
national initiative for cybersecurity education

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
LifeJourney is an online career simulation experience that empowers students and individuals to test-drive future career opportunities relating to STEM.

# data[].attributes.headline
Diy galvanometer to measure skin conductance with Breadboard and Arduino | handmade audio electronics | Pinterest | Arduino and DIY and crafts

# data[].attributes.subject
Diy galvanometer to measure skin conductance with Breadboard and Arduino | handmade audio electronics | Pinterest | Arduino and DIY and crafts

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Diy galvanometer to measure skin conductance with Breadboard and Arduino

# data[].attributes.headline
Projects Archive | Make: DIY Projects and Ideas for Makers

# data[].attributes.subject
Projects Archive | Make: DIY Projects and Ideas for Makers

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Projects Archive | Make: DIY Projects and Ideas for Makers

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Make: is the voice of the Maker Movement, empowering, inspiring, and connecting Makers worldwide to tinker and hack. Subscribe to Make Magazine Today!

# data[].attributes.headline
How you can be good at math, and other surprising facts about learning | Jo Boaler | TEDxStanford - YouTube

# data[].attributes.subject
How you can be good at math, and other surprising facts about learning | Jo Boaler | TEDxStanford - YouTube

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
How you can be good at math, and other surprising facts about learning | Jo Boaler | TEDxStanford

# data[].attributes.headline
Inspiring Students to Math Success and a Growth Mindset

# data[].attributes.subject
Inspiring Students to Math Success and a Growth Mindset

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
At youcubed, we inspire, educate and empower teachers of mathematics, transforming the latest research on mathematics learning into accessible and practical forms.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
An element of truth - videos about science, education, and anything else I find interesting.

# data[].attributes.headline
Can we teach STEM is a more Meaningful and Integrated way?

# data[].attributes.subject
Can we teach STEM is a more Meaningful and Integrated way?

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
iEARN (International Education and Resource Network) is the world's largest non-profit global network that enables teachers and youth to use the Internet and other technologies to collaborate on projects that enhance learning and make a difference in the world.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Technology is transforming teaching and learning. It's helping kids learn at their own pace, become creative problem solvers, and effective collaborators. But for those without access, existing learning gaps are only widening. That's why we'll continue directing our products, people, programs, and philanthropy toward a future where every student has access to the quality education they deserve.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Solutions built for teachers and students | Google for Education

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Technology is transforming teaching and learning. It's helping kids learn at their own pace, become creative problem solvers, and effective collaborators. But for those without access, existing learning gaps are only widening. That's why we'll continue directing our products, people, programs, and philanthropy toward a future where every student has access to the quality education they deserve.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.provider_name
Understanding Science - How science REALLY works...

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Understanding Science - How science REALLY works...

# data[].attributes.headline
2nd NGSS STEM Education Conference: Sessions Descriptions | Exploratorium

# data[].attributes.subject
2nd NGSS STEM Education Conference: Sessions Descriptions | Exploratorium

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Download the conference schedule and a map
Session 1
Arms & Arteries: Adventures in Biomechanical Engineering

Looking for ways to integrate engineering into your life science and biology classes? Try biomechanical engineering! Join us as we engineer ways to unclog arteries and construct prosthetic arms while incorporating key scientific principles and NGSS Science & Engineering Practices along the way.
Download Session PDFs
Session 2
Environmental Engineering: Life in the Bay Water

Together we'll design and build tools for exploring bay water. We'll also identify constituents in the water that affect living and mechanical systems-specifically, bay plankton populations and the Exploratorium's Bay Water Heating and Cooling System. The focus will be on plankton, how they affect the color of water, and the parameters that affect their concentration and distribution.
Download Session PDFs
Session 3
Seismic Engineering

Feeling a little shaky on how to teach engineering in your earth science unit? In this session, we'll cover a brief introduction to earthquakes and seismic waves, build an earthquake-resistant structure, and take a look at the seismic engineering that went into the Exploratorium's new building. We'll use simple, easily obtainable materials to fulfill science and engineering practices related to our occasionally unpredictable earth.
Download Session PDFs
Session 4
Build a Battery of Batteries

Come explore the physics and chemistry of simple batteries! We'll construct a variety of electric cells with classroom-safe materials, and then investigate and identify the strengths and weaknesses of each type of cell. By engineering these cells to optimize voltage or current, you'll be able to power a range of devices from LEDs to small electric motors.
Download Session PDFs
Session 5
Build a Better Motor

We'll start by taking apart a spring-powered motor to see how it stores and releases energy, and then we'll take apart a small electric motor to see how the magnets, wire coils, and electrical connections are arranged. For the big finish, you'll build your own simple DC electric motor and then measure its power consumption.
Download Session PDFs
Session 6
Wire It Up! The Electric Building Project

Using a shoebox, discarded holiday lights, and some simple tools, you and your students can create and wire a model building complete with switches. The design process mirrors real-life engineering and construction as you test and revise your circuits to meet specific requirements for house circuitry, and then create your own projects such as model apartments, castles, sports complexes, and aquariums. You'll learn how to prepare for and implement this project in your classroom, see examples of different projects, and leave with some holiday lights so you can continue to experiment at home.
Download Session PDFs
Session 7
From Magnets and Coils to Woofers and Tweeters

Enrich your knowledge of sound, electricity, and magnetism by designing and building speakers. Engineering these small, inexpensive loudspeakers is a great way to experience science and engineering content in a real-world application.
Download Session PDF
Session 8
Engineering Animal Ecosystems for Your Classroom

Talking about what happens in an ecosystem is one thing, but designing and constructing a sustainable ecosystem is another-it takes student understanding of the variables of biological systems and iterative design to another level entirely. Join us as we build simple ecosystems (work boxes and brine shrimp hatcheries) and then move onto the more complex task of constructing a sealed, self-sustaining aquarium. Associated activities that cross disciplines from biology to physics will help you incorporate these engineering feats into your curriculum. Your bonus gift? Brine shrimp cysts!
Download Session PDFs

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
2nd NGSS STEM Education Conference: Sessions Descriptions | Exploratorium

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Download the conference schedule and a map Looking for ways to integrate engineering into your life science and biology classes? Try biomechanical engineering! Join us as we engineer ways to unclog arteries and construct prosthetic arms while incorporating key scientific principles and NGSS Science & Engineering Practices along the way.

# data[].attributes.headline
Tinkering Fundamentals: A Constructionist Approach to STEM Learning - Exploratorium | Coursera

# data[].attributes.subject
Tinkering Fundamentals: A Constructionist Approach to STEM Learning - Exploratorium | Coursera

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Browse hundreds of courses and specializations in Business, Computer Science, Arts, Humanities, and more. Learn online and earn valuable credentials from top universities like Yale, Michigan, Stanford, and leading companies like Google and ...

# data[].attributes.headline
A scientific approach to teaching science and engineering | ANU

# data[].attributes.subject
A scientific approach to teaching science and engineering | ANU

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Guided by experimental tests of theory and practice, science and engineering have advanced rapidly in the past 500 years. Guided primarily by tradition and dogma, science education meanwhile has remained largely medieval. Research on how people learn is now revealing much more effective ways to teach, learn, and evaluate learning than what is in use in the traditional science class. The combination of this research with information technology is setting the stage for a new approach to teaching and learning that can provide the relevant and effective science education for all students that is needed for the 21st century. Although the focus of the talk is on undergraduate science teaching, where the data is the most compelling, the underlying principles come from studies of the general development of expertise and apply widely.

About the speaker

Carl Wieman holds a joint appointment as Professor of Physics and of the Graduate School of Education at Stanford University. He has done extensive experimental research in both atomic physics and science education at the university level. Wieman served as founding chair of the Board of Science Education of the National Academy of Sciences and was the founder of PhET which provides online interactive simulations that are used 100 million times per year to learn science. Wieman directed the science education initiatives at the Universities of Colorado and British Columbia which carried out large scale change in teaching methods across university science departments. He served as Associate Director for Science in the Office of Science and Technology Policy in the White House in 2010-12. Wieman has received numerous awards recognizing his work in atomic physics, including the Nobel Prize in physics in 2001 for the first creation of a Bose-Einstein condensate. He has also studied student learning and problem solving and the comparative effectiveness of different methods for teaching science. The education work has been recognized with a number of awards including the Carnegie Foundation University Professor of the Year in 2004, the Oersted Medal for physics education, and a lifetime achievement award from the National Science Teachers Association.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.keywords[]
strategic communications & public affairs

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
A scientific approach to teaching science and engineering

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Guided by experimental tests of theory and practice, science and engineering have advanced rapidly in the past 500 years. Guided primarily by tradition and dogma, science education meanwhile has remained largely medieval. Research on how people learn is now revealing much more effective ways to teach, learn, and evaluate learning than what is in use in the traditional science class.

# data[].attributes.headline
National Innovation and Science Agenda | Welcome to the ideas boom

# data[].attributes.subject
National Innovation and Science Agenda | Welcome to the ideas boom

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Extraordinary technological change is transforming how we live, work, communicate and pursue good ideas. We need to embrace new ideas in innovation and science, and harness new sources of growth to deliver the next age of economic prosperity in Australia. The National Innovation and Science Agenda is an important step in the right direction.

# data[].attributes.body
US program to train and retain 100,000 excellent STEM teachers to educate the next generation of innovators and problem solvers by 2021

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
100Kin10 is a networked effort of 200+ partners working to support STEM educators and to train 100,000 excellent new STEM teachers by 2021.

# data[].attributes.headline
US Federal STEM Five Year Strategic Plan 

# data[].attributes.subject
US Federal STEM Five Year Strategic Plan 

# data[].attributes.headline
Progressing STEM skills in Australia (Australian Industry Group)

# data[].attributes.subject
Progressing STEM skills in Australia (Australian Industry Group)

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
This interactive flowchart represents the process of scientific inquiry through which we build reliable knowledge of the natural world. Most scientific ideas and research take a circuitous and iterative path, shaped by unique people and events.

You will need the Adobe Flash Player to view it.

At the bottom of the transcript there is the option to download both a graphic of this interactive and the Word version of the transcript.

Transcript

Exploring ideas

Observing

Observing and asking questions is fundamental to the process of science. Scientific knowledge is built as people come up with hypotheses and theories, repeatedly check them against observations of the natural world and continue to refine those explanations based on new ideas and observations.

Sometimes, observation involves relatively simple activities that require little preparation, such as observing that a particular bird species always thumps its foot before foraging. At other times, scientific observation is an extremely complex and challenging activity.

Scientific observations can be made directly with our own senses (for example, seeing, hearing, feeling or smelling) or we can extend and refine our basic senses with tools like microscopes, telescopes, radar, radiation sensors and so on. For example, with our own senses, we can observe that a glass of water is hot, but with a thermometer, we can extend this observation.

Image caption: Science is based on observation
Image acknowledgement: Erion Cuko

Asking questions

New questions and new ideas are what keeps scientific research growing. Science continually studies and asks questions about the natural world. The natural world means all the components of the physical universe - atoms, plants, ecosystems, people, galaxies - as well as the natural forces at work on those things, such as gravity, electricity and so on.

For example, with Antarctica becoming an increasingly popular tourist destination, people are asking the question of how the presence of humans affects this isolated and pristine ecosystem. To help answer this question, research is being conducted in Antarctica to find out how humans are specifically affecting penguins. Observing and asking questions are fundamental to the processes of science.

Image caption: Asking questions about human impact in Antarctica
Image acknowledgement: Calum Ninnes

Inspiration & creativity

Creativity is the engine of science. The stereotype of scientists is of people in white coats going about very routine procedures over and over again in a boring way, but science actually is a creative endeavour. It begins with thought. It begins with imagination.

In fact, imagination and creativity are needed in every aspect of a scientist's work - coming up with new ideas, designing investigations, making sense of observations, making the creative leap from data to possible explanation and looking at previous data in a new light. All observations in science require interpretation and inference by scientists because scientists need imagination and creativity to make inferential statements about what they see.

Neurosurgeon Dr Martin Hunn gives us an idea of the creativity scientists need. He wanted to improve the outcome for patients with malignant brain tumours. A creative possibility he has thought of is that it might be possible to harness the power of the body's immune system, so he has joined the team at the Malaghan Institute to see if, together, they can develop vaccines against brain tumours.

Image caption: Researching a creative treatment for brain tumours
Image acknowledgement: BUTO Productions/TVNZ 7

Reading the literature

Sir Isaac Newton, often regarded as the most influential scientist in history, is quoted as saying, "If I have seen further, it is only by standing on the shoulders of giants." In other words, he was saying that his work would not have been possible without the previous work of other scientists. Science relies on the accumulated knowledge of the scientific community to move forward.

Scientific publications, called journals, contain firsthand reports of research. They provide a cumulative, permanent record of scientific research. Most are published on a regular basis and focus on a particular field of scientific research. Scientists read the journals in order to learn more about research in a field, to find out what is already known about a particular topic and to keep up with new ideas and findings in their fields.

Scientific journals began in 1665, when the French Journal des Sçavans and the English Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society first began systematically publishing research results. Now, there are thousands, both in print and electronically, usually reporting new research.

Image caption: Cover of the first volume of the first scientific journal
Image acknowledgement: Wikimedia Commons

Sharing ideas

The stereotype is of a scientist working alone in a laboratory. In reality, only rarely does a scientific idea arise in the mind of an individual scientist, to be validated by the individual alone and then accepted by the scientific community. Most research takes too long, is too expensive and needs more knowledge and expertise than an individual scientist working alone, so the process of science is much more often the result of collaboration of a group of scientists.

Because scientists are specialised in their individual fields, they often need to work together on a project to meet the range of knowledge and skills that are needed. This is evident in the wide range of organisations in New Zealand that use a multi-disciplinary approach with scientists from different areas of expertise collaborating to carry out cutting-edge research.

Image caption: Research collaboration aboard the research vessel Tangaroa
Image acknowledgement: National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA)

New technology
Practical problem
Curiosity
Personal motivation
Serendipity
Surprising observation

Investigating ideas

What is known already?
Where are the gaps?
Actual observations

Scientific observations can be made directly with our own senses or by extending and refining our basic senses with tools like microscopes, telescopes, radar, radiation sensors or mass spectrometers. Many of the phenomena that science investigates can't be directly observed - no amount of staring at this computer screen will ever let you see the atoms that make it up or the UV radiation that it emits - and so we must rely in these cases on indirect observations facilitated by tools. Through these tools, we can make many more observations much more precisely than with our basic senses.

Observations yield what scientists call data. Scientists analyse and interpret data in order to figure out how that data informs their hypotheses and theories. Does the data support one idea over others, help refute an idea or suggest an entirely new explanation? Complex data can be represented by detailed graphs, models or complex statistical analyses, but it's important to remember that, at the most basic level, they are just recorded observations.

At Baring Head, scientists have been collecting observations measuring carbon dioxide in the atmosphere every month for nearly 40 years. These observations are the longest continuous record of its kind in the world and are contributing to an understanding of global changes in the atmosphere.

Image caption: Recording observations at Baring Head air monitoring station
Image acknowledgement: Dave Allen, NIWA

Problem-solving

Dr Mike Williams from NIWA explains what excites him about being a scientist and why he likes problem-solving.

Transcript
DR MIKE WILLIAMS
The thing I like most about doing scientific research is the problem-solving. That you're sitting there and you don't actually know the answer, you don't know if anyone knows the answer. And in fact, there may not even be a sensible answer, and it's that using your brain and the skills you've developed and working with other people to try and solve this problem.

It's a really positive way to tackle life is that you're just constantly working on something that's new and challenging - and if you get a little bit bored with that problem, there's always another problem that needs working on. So I think it's the problem-solving that... that I enjoy the most.

Creativity

Associate Professor Rod Dunbar (University of Auckland) gives his views on the myth of scientists wearing white coats and discusses the role of creativity and imagination in science.

Transcript
DR ROD DUNBAR
People's images of science is often that people in white coats going about very routine procedures over and over again in a boring way, but science actually is a creative endeavour. It begins with thought, it begins with imagination, and a lot of science is based on things that have gone before. So you always start your creativity from a basis of learning, but in general, everyone starts their creativity from a basis of learning. You can't write a brilliant new musical piece unless you really know what has been done before and you know something about the structures of music. The starting of the creative process in science is really knowledge and knowing what has gone before so you don't repeat things.

But in high-level science, such as the work that Hayley has been doing, once you have assimilated all the knowledge that is out there, the first step in a new project is to imagine something, it's a creative step, and this is true of Hayley's project. What we did was we imagined a visualisation system that would enable us to see the patterns of lymphatic drainage, and there was no such thing in existence at the time. Then what we do is, having made that imaginative leap, we work out ways of working towards that.

Inspire revised/new hypotheses and assumptions

Science investigations can lead to revising existing ideas or to coming up with new ones entirely.

For hundreds of years, it was assumed that the Earth's continents have always been where they are now. Then in 1915, Alfred Wegener published his theory that the Earth's continents were once part of a large supercontinent, but he was unable to give a scientific explanation. Since then, however, many lines of evidence have supported his ideas and led to general acceptance of the theory of continental drift and plate tectonics.

This revision of ideas happens in all areas of science. For example, for a number of years, scientists have noticed that people perk up or have a spurt of energy immediately after drinking a carbohydrate drink or swallowing some carbohydrate foods. But this immediate response is too quick to be explained by our existing understanding of energy being supplied to the muscle, because it would take about 10 minutes for the food or drink to make its way down the throat to the stomach into the intestine and then be absorbed.

So a new hypothesis is needed to explain how carbohydrate can immediately improve performance through a mechanism that doesn't involve the supply of energy. Dr Nicholas Gant has shown that an energy boost is even created by a carbohydrate rinse in the mouth that doesn't need to be swallowed. This remarkable discovery is changing our understanding of the way that the brain and the body communicate.

Image caption: Researching a new hypothesis on body/brain communication
Imagee acknowledgement: BUTO Productions/TNVZ 7

Oppose/support an existing idea or theory or law or hypothesis

It is a misconception that science can prove or disprove ideas. Instead, it accepts or rejects ideas based on supporting and refuting evidence and may revise those conclusions if warranted by new evidence or perspectives. A single negative finding, if confirmed, is enough to overturn a scientific hypothesis or theory.

So rather than being proven 'once and for all', a hallmark of science is that it is subject to revision when new information is presented or when existing information is viewed in a new light. For example, when geographers first began to document where ice was found on the Earth, they thought that icecaps had always been found only round the North and South Poles, plus a few glaciers and snowfields on particularly high mountains. But finding glacial moraines far from any existing glaciers opposed this view and suggests that glaciers extended much further in the past than was originally believed.

Image caption: Evidence of glacial action
Image acknowledgement: Geography Site

Finding supportive, contradictory, surprising, inconclusive data

Scientists typically weigh multiple competing ideas about how something works and try to figure out which idea is most accurate based on the evidence. Data can support, contradict or be unexpected and surprising. Evidence may lend support to one hypothesis over others, may help rule out some hypotheses or may lead to the revision of a hypothesis. Or evidence can be inconclusive, failing to support any particular explanation over another.

For example, many biologists have investigated the anatomy and genetic sequences of the arthropods (crustaceans, insects, millipedes, spiders and their relatives) in order to figure out how these groups are related. So far the results have been inconclusive, not consistently supporting a single view of their inter-relationships. Biologists continue to collect more evidence in order to resolve the question.

Finding evidence in scientific research sometimes involves serendipity, where an unexpected or surprising result leads the research in a whole new direction. This was so for researcher Jenni Stanley who had been playing reef noises through a speaker to a tank containing crab larvae to see if it would disrupt their normal daily patterns of movement. Nothing happened - until the night she forgot to turn the speaker off and returned a couple of days later to find that the crabs had started to settle and moult into their adult form. It seemed that the noise had encouraged the crabs to change from their larval form and develop into adults. This discovery that crabs settle and metamorphose (change into an adult form) in response to sound was surprising and unexpected data.

Image caption: Finding surprising data

Model-building

Scientists create many types of models - analogical, mathematical, computer-based, mental, molecular and so on. Some models are perceived representations of reality, scaled up or down, for example, a model of a virus particle or of the Solar System.

Scientists use models to help explain phenomena, and they also often use models to make and test predictions. A good example is the particle theory of matter, which pictures atoms and molecules as tiny discrete balls that have elastic collisions. This is a model that explains a whole range of phenomena, but no one has actually ever seen these tiny balls. The model is useful, and it works as a means to explain and to predict phenomenon.

NIWA scientist Richard Gorman uses mathematics and computer modelling to predict wave conditions in oceans across the whole world. Richard confirms his computer-modelled wave predictions by using data from buoys, radar and satellites.

The Science Learning Hub profiles a wide range of other models, for example, modelling tsunami formation, a melanoma spread pattern model, an evacuation computer model, a 3D model of methane and the adenovirus model.

Image caption: Designing a computer model to predict wave conditions
Image acknowledgement: NIWA

Questions

Observing and asking questions is fundamental to the processes of science. In every scientific investigation, there will be questions.

New questions and new ideas are what keep scientific research growing. For example:

How do volcanoes work? Where do they form? And what does this mean for the people who live near them?

How will we power New Zealand when fossil fuels are depleted?

Can antibodies be used to fight a brain tumour instead of removing it?

Image caption: Can we predict when Ruapehu will erupt?
Image acknowledgement: Dougall Gordon

Predictions/expected observations

When scientists describe their arguments, they frequently talk about their expectations in terms of what a hypothesis or theory predicts. For example, if smoking causes lung cancer, then we'd predict that countries with higher rates of smoking would have higher rates of lung cancer. So when a scientist talks about the predicted rates of lung cancer, it really means something like "the rates that we'd expect to see if our hypothesis is correct".

Scientists have recently discovered that sea temperatures around New Zealand 50 million years ago (the Eocene period) were much warmer than they expected - a very warm 30 °C. The new findings are at least 10 °C warmer than scientists had previously predicted. This suggests that climate models tend to underestimate temperatures during past climate warming episodes, and it's possible that current models are also underestimating future warming projections.

Image caption: Sun's rays warming the sea
Image acknowledgement: 123RF Limited

Gathering data

Science aims to build more accurate and powerful explanations of how the universe works - and requires testing ideas with evidence to build scientific arguments. These arguments form the core of science and must be backed by data that can be used as evidence. In general, raw data is considered evidence only once it has been interpreted in a way that reflects on the accuracy of a scientific idea.

Scientists gather data in all sorts of ways. Some depend on experiments, some on observational studies (such as astronomy) and some on historical exploration (such as paleontology and evolutionary biology).

For example, this graph shows acoustic data collected on the research vessel Tangaroa steaming from Wellington to the Ross Sea. Each 'pixel' is 20 km long by 50 m deep. The colour represents the average amount of sound coming back from each depth (red = strong, blue = weak). Now, the task is to interpret or make sense of and explain this data.

Image caption: Acoustic marine data from the research vessel Tangaroa
Image acknowledgement: National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA)

Interpreting data

While observation and gathering data is essential to the process of science, it is only half the picture. Interpreting those observations and data is the other half. Scientists' observations can't directly tell them how things work, for example, no matter how many times and how carefully a scientist observes a ball falling, observing it will not directly tell them how gravity works. Instead, observations inspire, lend support to and help refute scientific hypotheses and theories. Scientific knowledge is built as people come up with hypotheses and theories, repeatedly test them against observations of the natural world and continue to refine those explanations based on new ideas and observations.

Dr Willem de Lange describes science as being like crime-solving - looking at the evidence and coming up with the most plausible explanation for it. Scientists observe what's happening and try to explain it. He says that testing a hypothesis means making a prediction where you have to think, "This is what happened so far. In the future, I expect this is what's going to happen." Of course, predictions aren't always right - but that's the nature of science.

Image caption: Willem de Lange 'crime-solving' tsunamis
Image acknowledgement: Dr Willem de Lange

Community analysis and feedback

Replication

Scientists' studies should be replicable, meaning that another researcher could perform a similar investigation and obtain the same basic results. If a study can't be replicated, it suggests that our current understanding or our methods of testing are insufficient.

Does this mean that scientists are constantly repeating what others before them have already done? No, they would never get anywhere at all. The process of science doesn't require that every experiment and every study be repeated, but many are, especially those that produce surprising or particularly important results. In some fields, it is standard procedure for a scientist to replicate their own results before publication in order to ensure that the findings were not due to some fluke or factors outside the experimental design.

The desire for replicability is part of the reason that scientific papers almost always include a methods section, which describes exactly how the researchers performed the study. That information allows other scientists to evaluate its quality and to replicate the study if needed, and it helps ensure that occasional cases of fraud or sloppy scientific work are weeded out and corrected.

Image caption: Craig Radford testing replicability of his sound model

Publication

In order for science to progress, researchers must share their ideas and findings. They do this in many ways - informally communicating with colleagues, making presentations at conferences, writing books and publishing peer-reviewed articles in scientific journals.

Scientific journals are especially important. There are thousands of scientific journals in publication. Most journals are highly specialised. Journal articles contain firsthand reports of research - detailed descriptions of scientific studies so that other scientists can evaluate the investigations and their results. Journals distribute scientific information to researchers all around the world so that they can keep current in their fields and evaluate the work of their peers.

Journal articles need to be written in a logical way so that they can be followed. The way science investigations and findings are reported can reinforce the myth that the process of building knowledge in science is straightforward, procedural, routine and unproblematic - rather than the messy, complicated and circuitous process it more often is. Each journal article becomes part of the permanent scientific record.

Image caption: Scientific journals publish research
Image acknowledgement: Science journal covers reproduced with permission from publishers, the Royal Society of New Zealand and Taylor and Francis

Developing explanations

Scientific knowledge represents our best explanations yet for phenomena in the natural world. It is a misconception that scientific ideas are absolute and unchanging. It is equally wrong to say that, because scientific ideas are tentative and subject to change, they can't be trusted.

In fact, accepted scientific ideas and explanations are well supported and reliable, but could be revised if warranted by the evidence. A good example of this is plate tectonics and how these plates interact at boundaries, which is science's best explanation for phenomena such as continental drift, earthquakes and volcanic activity, and the formation of mountain ranges and volcanoes.

Image caption: Plate tectonics provide a convincing explanation
Image acknowledgement: U.S. Geological Survey (USGS)

Theory-building

'Hypothesis', 'theory' and 'law' are three terms that are often confused. Many people mistakenly believe that facts and observations produce hypotheses, which then become theories, which, in turn, produce laws if sufficient evidence is amassed - so a law would be a theory that had been proved true.

Actually, hypotheses, theories and laws are as unalike as apples, oranges and bananas. They can't grow into each other. Theories and laws are very different types of knowledge. Laws are generalisations, principles, relationships or patterns in nature that have been established by empirical data. Theories are explanations of those generalisations (also corroborated by empirical data).

Accepted theories are the best explanations available so far for how the world works. They have been thoroughly tested, are supported by multiple lines of evidence and have proven useful in generating explanations and opening up new areas for research. However, science is always a work in progress, and even theories change.

For example, Richard Price has proposed a new theory concerning magma chambers beneath andesite volcanoes - pockets of crystal mush rather than a single magma chamber.

Image caption: A new theoretical model for andesite volcanoes
Image acknowledgement: Public domain

Coming up with new questions/ideas

Science is an on-going endeavour. Answering one scientific question often leads to deeper and more detailed questions for further research, So in a sense, the more we know, the more we know what we don't yet know. As our knowledge expands, so too does our awareness of what we don't yet understand. As long as there are unexplored and unexplained parts of the natural world, science will continue to investigate them.

Image caption: Answering one question often leads to another
Image acknowledgement: 123RF Limited

Discussion with others

Associate Professor Rod Dunbar (University of Auckland) discusses science research as a collective rather than a solitary endeavour and looks at the myth of truth in science.

Transcript
DR ROD DUNBAR
Science can't exist without interactions between people. There are some fields of science where you can be successful with pure thought - Einstein was largely working on his own, based on conversations with other people, obviously - but in general, science these days is intensely social, and particularly in the work that I do, I meet hundreds of people per week and talk to an awful lot of people about scientific endeavours.

And one of the great things about science is that, to understand it, you have to understand the kinds of personalities that are driving the science. I think, again, people think that science is absolutely dispassionate and that we only chase the thing that is true. We know from a lot of philosophical studies that the definition of truth is problematic, and in science, we recognise that many of the things that we say are absolutely true today are not absolutely true tomorrow. In modern science, we don't tend to talk about whether something is true - we talk about whether something fits a model or gives us the capacity to move forward with a particular therapy.

Feedback and peer review

In science, peer review is the process of subjecting scholarly work, research or ideas to the scrutiny of others who are experts in the same field before a paper describing this work is published in a scientific journal. It is this process that helps to make science 'self-correcting'. Peer review helps to prevent the publication of irrelevant findings, unwarranted claims, unacceptable interpretations and personal views.

Peer-reviewed articles provide a trusted form of scientific communication. Peer-reviewed work isn't necessarily correct or conclusive, but it does meet the standards of science. Once a piece of scientific research passes through peer review and is published, science must deal with it somehow - perhaps by incorporating it into the established body of scientific knowledge, building on it further, figuring out why it is wrong or trying to replicate its results.

Many fields outside of science also use peer review to ensure quality. Scholarly journals on topics as diverse as law, art and ethics all use peer review to ensure quality. Even those outside the research community often use some form of peer review - figure-skating championships may be judged by former skaters and coaches, wine-makers may help evaluate wine in competitions, artists may help judge art contests - so while peer review is a hallmark of science, it is not unique to science.

Image caption: Jo Kavanagh's research will be peer-reviewed before publication
Image acknowledgement: BUTO Productions/TVNZ 7

Benefits and outcomes

Address societal issues

Scientific knowledge can inform issues in society. For example, how we will power New Zealand going into the future when fossil fuels are depleted? Scientists in New Zealand are addressing this pressing issue by researching a range of alternative sustainable power sources - biofuels, geothermal power, ocean waves and wind power.

Another societal issue scientists are addressing is pollution. Air quality in South Island towns is greatly affected by wood burning in the winter, whereas in Auckland and to some degree Wellington, pollution is mainly associated with motor vehicles and a growing volume of traffic. The Healthy Urban Atmosphere project aims to identify the potential hazards to our health from our air quality to find out to what degree we're exposed to these hazards and then look at how we might design our cities in the future so we don't have an air-quality problem.

Science doesn't tell us that we ought to prevent societal issues such as these, but it does provide the research so that we can make decisions that are more informed.

Image caption: Wind power as an alternative fuel source
Image acknowledgement: 123RF Limited

Inform policy

Associate Professor Simon Kingham, of the University of Canterbury, is excited to think that his research can influence government policy on environmental issues. He likes to do research that addresses real problems.

Transcript
DR SIMON KINGHAM
The thing that excites me about my work I think is actually... I would say I am an applied geographer. I'm not really into theoretical questions, I'm more into how can we use research to address real problems. So to me, doing research that actually tells... the government can use to formulate environmental policy is fantastic. So if my research can help make New Zealand cleaner, and it can clean up the air in Christchurch, and people can walk around without getting asthma, then that's fantastic. You know - that is what I want to do.

Solve everyday problems

Science has implications for issues we face every day - and while science doesn't dictate which choice is the right one, it does give us important background knowledge to inform our decisions. It can help us make decisions on questions such as: Will eating organic vegetables make me live longer? Are sunbeds a safe or unsafe way to tan? Will using my cellphone increase my chances of a brain tumour?

Much of the scientific research carried out today is to address specific everyday needs or problems, such as our need for fresh drinking water. At the Māngere Wastewater Treatment Plant in Auckland, they use UVC light to disinfect wastewater. Research has found that the energy in the UV light is able to inactivate the bacteria and viruses that are present in the water. NASA researchers have found ways to turn wastewater from respiration, sweat and urine into drinkable water. Coupled with the right technology, this research could solve this everyday problem of getting safe, drinkable water from the most challenging sources, such as in underdeveloped regions where well water may be heavily contaminated.

Image caption: Solving our everyday problem of the need for clean water
Image acknowledgement: Watercare Services Ltd

Satisfy curiosity

Science helps satisfy our natural curiosity - our desire to know why, what and how. Why doesn't a kiwi fly? How does a bumble-bee fly? What is a solar eclipse? Science can explore all these questions.

Sometimes questions that are explored just out of pure curiosity can become extremely useful. For example, the research Associate Professor Abby Smith did for her PhD 21 years ago, purely out of intellectual curiosity, looked at how bryozoans dissolve in acidic water. This research is now providing valuable information about the potential impacts of ocean acidification. Oceans are becoming more acidic due to increased levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, and these tiny marine animals may help monitor the impact of ocean acidification on the marine ecosystem.

Image caption: Abby Smith researched bryozoans to satisfy her curiosity.
Image acknowledgement: Ken-ichi Ueda

Build knowledge

Science seeks to build knowledge about the natural world. A hallmark of science is that this knowledge is subject to revision when new information is presented or when existing information is viewed in a new light. This can be most easily seen at the cutting edge of research and in areas like health and medicine where ideas may change as scientists try to figure out which explanations are the most accurate.

Some ideas in science are so well established and reliable and so well supported by many lines of accumulated evidence that they are unlikely to be thrown out, but even these ideas may be modified by new evidence or by the reinterpretation of existing evidence. Science knowledge is durable, but not absolute or fixed.

Classically, science's main goal has been building knowledge and understanding, regardless of its potential applications, for example, investigating the chemical reactions that an organic compound undergoes in order to learn about its structure. However, increasingly, much scientific research is undertaken with the explicit goal of solving a problem or developing a technology, and along the path to that goal, new knowledge and explanations are constructed. Either way, science aims to increase our understanding of how the natural world works.

Image caption: The timelines show how knowledge has built over time

Develop technology

It's a myth that science and technology are the same. The purpose of science is to understand and explain the natural world, whereas the purpose of technology is to extend people's abilities to modify that world. Science and technology do inform each other. Scientific knowledge contributes to many different sorts of new technologies, which often allow us to make new observations about the world, which, in turn, allow us to build even more scientific knowledge, which then inspires another technology and so on.

As an example, knowledge about lymph drainage from melanoma sites led researcher Hayley Reynolds to design a 3D computer model to visualise the spread patterns of melanoma. This new technology will enable doctors to predict where a patient's melanoma is most likely to have spread and then target those areas in treatment. This, in turn, will likely give rise to new scientific knowledge and further research.

Image caption: Using technology to develop a melanoma spread pattern model
Image acknowledgement: Hayley Reynolds

Acknowledgement: Adapted from © 2008 The University of Paleontology, Berkeley, and the Regents of the University of California.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
This interactive flowchart represents the process of scientific inquiry through which we build reliable knowledge of the natural world. Most scientific ideas and research take a circuitous and iterative path, shaped by unique people and events. You will need the Adobe Flash Player to view it.

# data[].attributes.headline
Online community - STEM Teacher Enrichment Academy - The University of Sydney

# data[].attributes.subject
Online community - STEM Teacher Enrichment Academy - The University of Sydney

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Online community - STEM Teacher Enrichment Academy - The University of Sydney

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Home / STEM Teacher Enrichment Academy / The program / About the program

# data[].attributes.headline
Biotech Partners’ High School Biotech Academy & Community College Bioscience Career Institute | Changemakers

# data[].attributes.subject
Biotech Partners’ High School Biotech Academy & Community College Bioscience Career Institute | Changemakers

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
nonprofit/ngo/citizen sector

Project Stage:

Project Summary

Elevator Pitch

Concise Summary: Help us pitch this solution! Provide an explanation within 3-4 short sentences.

Biotech Partners' innovative model unites urban school & community college districts & scores of life science employers to transform young people's lives through science. BP: * Provides an interactive academic curriculum & paid bioscience job training to help minority & low-income youth bridge the achievement gap, pursue post-secondary education & end generational cycles of poverty * Equips students with the education, life & work skills necessary to access meaningful science careers * Diversifies the life-science industry with those from populations historically excluded from well-paying careers "A lot of what I have in my life and what I've obtained as far as education, work & life skills is due to Biotech Partners. This program changes people's lives." - BP Alum, Manager, BioM

About Project

Problem: What problem is this project trying to address?

BP serves SF East Bay youth facing crushing educational realities & equally bleak employment prospects; 89% of BP students come from families earning below median income & over 60% come from low-income families. 50% of Af-Am students & 66% of Hispanic students in Oakland drop out of high school & only 15% of those who do graduate are ready for college; only 14% Af-Am & 17% of Hispanic graduates who go to community college achieve a degree w/in 3 years. Student challenges: * Poor role modeling & home life stressors: Many grow up lacking reinforcement of the importance of academics or guidance on skills. Few have access to professional role models; many come from areas where drugs & crime seem feasible "careers" & face home life pressures (supporting family, caring for siblings, parental substance abuse, neglect, etc.). * Poor basic skills, low-expectations & limited academic endurance: Many students join BP w/poor math & literacy skills, having passed through lower grades w/out mastering the basics, inculcating low self-expectations. Most enter w/minimal "academic endurance" - the ability to stay on track & sustain focus over time. * Little connection between academic success & career choices: Many entering BP students have little exposure to college graduates or professionals & therefore don't connect school w/what they will do in the future to support themselves. And, prior to BP, class material often seems irrelevant & studying fruitless. BP guides students in developing essential skills & helps them foster high expectations, self-confidence & aspirations for their future.

Solution: What is the proposed solution? Please be specific!

BP knows of no org synthesizing BP's key program elements: targeting underserved & often initially underperforming youth, high school & community college structure, paid internships & wrap-around support services, all enabled by strong partnerships w/ 40+ orgs. Other programs mostly target high-performing students, limit internships to one field (e.g. healthcare) &/or don't offer PAID internships, a critical incentive (& often, need) for BP students. A pioneer in linked learning, BP is often asked to advise efforts to set up similar programs across industries. BP was recently invited to a White House Council for Community Solutions forum to share best practices in helping youth graduate high school & college, & pursue high tech careers. Participants discussed a recent Harvard School of Education report "Meeting the Challenge of Preparing Young Americans for the 21st Century" which documents the efficacy of BP's own structural components. Among leading efforts described however, none contains all elements of BP's approach, most notably paid internships & extensive personal & academic support. The report does note the growth of the Career Academy model, which BP was among the 1st to innovate back in 1992. "[BP] is one of Berkeley High's best programs. Educators talk about equity & equitable access to excellent academic programs; BP...is doing just that, succeeding in closing the race & socio-economically based academic achievement gap...This program has also been used as a model in developing other programs at Berkeley High." - Berkeley High Principal Pasquale Scuderi

Impact: How does it Work

Example: Walk us through a specific example(s) of how this solution makes a difference; include its primary activities.

BP provides high school & community college students w/hands-on "linked learning" educational & job-training opportunities preparing them for bioscience & healthcare careers. BP's high school Biotech Academy (Academy) & community college Bioscience Career Institute (BCI) foster students' ability to succeed both academically & professionally & provide local science-based orgs w/skilled, reliable entry-level technicians. Academy 11th & 12th graders take 6 elective courses (4 biotech, chemistry & algebra) focusing on bioscience employment skills. BP's free program provides extensive 1-on-1 attention (max 25/biotech class; lab assistant in Academy classes; tutoring, personal & career counseling) at Berkeley & Oakland Tech High Schools. Scientists & alumni bring real-world scientific experience & hands-on experiments into class to inspire students. Workforce prep includes a Career Awareness Conference, resume prep workshops & mock interview training prior to interviews for paid science-based summer internships after 11th grade. Guided by volunteer mentor-supervisor scientists/technicians, students learn industry practices & essential soft skills. Academy graduates may apply to the BCI which provides advanced lab training & college courses (Algebra, Intro to Bio, Microbiology, Inorganic Chem, & Organic/Biochem), placement in higher paying mentored co-op jobs; &, upon completion, a Certificate of Achievement in Bioscience. Weekly co-op education classes provide employment development training & support. Students also receive extensive staff support, free tutoring & stipends.

Innovation

Share the story of the founder and what inspired the founder to start this project

BP (originally Berkeley Biotech Education, Inc. (BBEI)) was a collaborative effort from the beginning, driven by Berkeley Mayor (now State Senator) Loni Hancock & Bayer HealthCare. In the early 1990s, Bayer sought to establish its worldwide biotech headquarters in Berkeley, having long had a presence in the City. Bayer executives met w/City officials extensively & participated in over 100 community meetings to solicit feedback on support that Bayer could provide to ensure its growth benefitted the City & its residents. The most consistent issue voiced was the need for stronger educational & employment options for the City's disadvantaged youth. The founders' vision centered on workforce development & creating career opportunities, particularly for underserved Berkeley youth.

Based on experience in Germany w/highly successful vocational training models, Bayer strongly endorsed establishing a similar model in Berkeley. Unlike in Germany, however, the Berkeley program would be both vocational & academic, provide local schools w/a unique learning model, & focus on underperforming & "at-risk" youth.

Bayer provided office space & start-up funding & continues to support BP through its Development Agreement w/the City (through 2022). Bayer allocates funds for high school & community college interns; encourages staff to serve as tutors & mentors; hires BP graduates into skilled technical positions; funds curriculum development; & donates state-of-the-art lab equipment. Deeply grateful for Bayer's support, BP now has support from many funding & industry partners.

Social Impact

Please describe how your project has been successful and how that success is measured

* Since 2004 100% of students completing the Academy have graduated from high school.
* 100% of 2011 graduates are pursuing post-secondary education (97% since '93), compared to 54% of CA students.
* 60% of BCI students have completed their studies & received the Certificate of Achievement in Bioscience, more than twice the state average for students in similar programs.
* BP has made nearly 1,000 placements in training positions in which students have earned more than $3 million, money that often helps support students' families.
* BP has successfully maintained 100% job placement for BCI graduates seeking bioscience employment. An increasing number continue their post-secondary educations, earning 4-year & even higher degrees.

BP is currently undertaking a thorough review of its Theory of Change in preparation for an extensive evaluation by consulting group See Change. This will result in identifying additional metrics beyond BP's current success factors (above). BP is particularly interested in determining its effect on increasing science literacy & how BP's STEM focus increases students' self-esteem & ability to envision a better future for themselves.

BP has received extensive recognition, including having been awarded the prestigious Pantheon Biotechnology Educator Award from BayBio, the Northern California life science industry trade association & has been recognized by national, state & local politicians as well.

More meaningful than statistics or accolades however, the students' own words in the attached videos powerfully convey BP's impact.

Sustainability

What barriers might hinder the success of your project and how do you plan to overcome them?

W/a successful long-term track record & well-established partnerships w/40+ orgs, including excellent relations w/Berkeley & Oakland Unified School Districts & host schools, BP is confident in its programmatic sustainability. Key challenges to ongoing success include:

Availability of funding - while BP has sustained itself for 18 years, the org's current funding mix partially relies on local govt sources which may disappear due to budget cuts. BP is working to expand its institutional donor base (corporate & private foundations) & individual giving. Based on its trajectory & tools under development (strategic plan, evaluation & database development), BP is confident it will be able to secure new private & public funding (if available, e.g. Nat'l Science Fndtn & Dept. of Labor).

National paucity of trained & experienced secondary science educators willing to work in under-resourced urban schools - BP works w/school-selected teachers to optimize scientific teaching, providing intensive classroom support & training opportunities, including industry internships.

Availability of internships & host-paid student wages - BP's paid high school & community college internships are essential to students' success as well as the program's success & future growth. When BP expands to a new school/district, many new internships will be needed. Staff is actively working to recruit new internship hosts able to pay wages & who will accept high school students &/or students w/less than a 4-year degree, the latter still a prevalent industry prejudice which BP continuously works to overcome.

Tell us about your partnerships

As reflected in its name, BP's success relies on the strengths of the unique partnerships it has established w/industry, academia & other institutions.

Industry - Employees of industry partners serve as volunteer mentors during internships, as guest speakers motivating students to pursue biotech careers, as presenters at the annual Career Awareness Conference & as judges at the annual intern poster competition. Employee engagement significantly benefits BP & has been seen to boost morale & job satisfaction of participating volunteers. Partners include: Bayer HealthCare, Novartis AG, East Bay Municipal Utility District, USDA, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Kaiser Permanente, the Joint BioEnergy Institute, Children's Hosp Oakland Research Institute, labs at UC Berkeley, & many more.

Education - BP has deep relationships w/its partner public schools & school districts, creating a collaboration that increases student services & resources. Schools benefit from lab equipment & supplies provided by BP, a BP-paid teaching/lab assistant in each Academy class, teacher training opportunities, & extensive personal & academic support & job placement for students.

Support Services - BP prepares students not just for bioscience careers but for successful lives by partnering w/other community-based organizations & individuals to teach critical life-skills (e.g. time & financial management (CitiBank, INOVA Credit Union), appropriate dress/comportment (Wardrobe for Opportunity)) & personal counseling (pro bono services of licensed professionals). Other individuals also contribute significantly to BP students' success including HR specialists, youth development professionals & science professors, among other examples.

As above, BP's success relies on a well-established & growing network of partners including corporate, private & public funders, local governments, school districts & partnering NGOs.

BP receives funding from education & community development oriented foundations including TK, Crescent Porter Hale, Y & H Soda & Irene S. Scully Family Foundation, among others. While Bayer is BP's longest-standing corporate funder, BP has developed corporate partnerships w/Amgen, American Honda, & Toyota & continually works to cultivate others. BP also benefits from competitively awarded local public funds including CDBG grants from the City of Berkeley & Oakland Fund for Children & Youth funding supported by local tax measures.

BP receives a tremendous amount of in-kind support from bioscience businesses & organizations in the form of lab-supplies & equipment, employee volunteer time, &, of critical importance, wages paid directly to students which total over $200k/year. BP's program could not operate w/out the school districts & high schools that participate in comprehensive MOUs documenting respective responsibilities for supporting the program.

Several local CBOs support BP's work as well by providing services to students. These partners include: Juma Ventures, Berkeley Youth Alternatives, Wardrobe for Success, & East Bay College Consortium, among others, as mentioned above.

Finally, BP receives financial support from individual donors, including local bioscience professionals & investors, &, as above, many professionals volunteer their services for BP as well.

How do you plan to strengthen your project in the next three years?

BP is in the initial stages of strategic planning, beginning w/a "Strategic Planning Prep" project through an award from the Taproot Foundation. Based on an interactive process engaging an array of BP stakeholders, this project will produce a detailed map of BP's situation, position & potential. BP will use this map as a basis for a strategic planning process intended to chart the organization's course, including possible expansion, over the next 3 years. BP will also utilize the findings from a 5-year outcome & literature review conducted by Gibson & Associates as well as those of the comprehensive evaluation underway by See Change, to inform future planning. This research may shift priorities but, at present, BP sees 3 main areas of growth:
* Increasing parent support: BP will launch a more intensive parental engagement process, w/an orientation at the beginning of the year & a "Parent University" offering parents guidance on supporting youth to succeed in BP, high school more generally & college.
* Increasing college-prep: BP will pilot a project targeting African American male students (who, due to myriad circumstances, face the most difficulty persevering in the program) - to provide greater levels of college prep & personal support (SAT prep, study, life & decision making skills development).
* Prudent expansion: BP will explore expansion to other schools or districts & is in discussions to partner w/Cal State University East Bay's new STEM Education Center.

Organizationally, BP is increasing internship providers & funders across all categories.

Partnerships and Accountability

Please tell us more about how your partnership was formed and how it functions. What specific role does each partner play? What unique resources does each partner bring to the initiative?

As described above in the "Founder" section, BP (then BBEI), was founded as a result of a collaborative vision incorporated into the Development Agreement executed between the City of Berkeley & Bayer HealthCare. While still very involved w/now State Senator Hancock (formerly Berkeley Mayor), the City of Berkeley, & Bayer, BP has significantly expanded its partnership network as also detailed above in the "Partnerships" section; beyond funders, BP's model incorporates three main partners, the first two structurally essential to the program:

School Districts & High Schools - BP has signed Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs) w/districts & schools that delineate responsibilities & goals. Districts sign off on BP's unique curriculum, designed w/significant industry input. High schools agree to provide necessary classroom space & teachers, to coordinate w/BP staff on scheduling issues & to provide student data to BP (w/agreement from parents & students). BP provides teacher training, an in-class Teaching/Program Assistant to support the teacher of each biotech class, lab-equipment & supplies, extensive tutoring & personal support for students in addition to the internship opportunity between 11th & 12th grades.

Science-based Organizations Hosting Internships - BP's internship hosts employ either rising seniors for paid 8-week summer internships or community college students for 20-32/hr per week year-long positions w/meaningful scientific activities (non-clerical) & dedicated supervision/mentorship from one of their employees. Academy interns receive $9/hour & BCI interns $11/hr (sometimes more than students' parents earn). BP subsidizes placements if a partner has a meaningful internship but cannot afford to pay. Mentor-supervisors conduct interviews w/students prior to the internship (see below quote), review student performance & provide feedback on students' progress, strengths & weaknesses. Often mentor-supervisors develop long-term relationships w/students, offering personal & professional guidance for many years. BP provides mentor-supervisor training, including a manual detailing best practices, & offers ongoing support to both students & mentors as internships progress.

I cannot express enough just how impressed we were with all of [the candidates]. The hardest part of this process is choosing just one. [We] resorted to flipping a coin to make our decision...

I have mentored two college interns in the past. One was from UC Berkeley & the other was from UC Santa Cruz...I want you to know that socially your students are on par with these university students & they are, by far, better prepared for the lab. Their hands-on experience & focused curriculum definitely give them the edge. You should all be very proud of yourselves! And the students should be proud as well! - Bayer HealthCare Mentor-Supervisor

Internship & co-op job training opportunities have included:
* Running gel electrophoresis & immunoblot techniques on proteins of interest, as well as the isolation & quantification of RNA using Taqman protocols in a cancer lab.
* Working on a plant anti-microbial project, isolating single colonies of microorganisms for preservation, & scaling up batches of culture for harvest & purification of compounds.
* Running biomarker assays using primary & detection antibodies, & performing standard curves & analysis.
* Making & scaling buffers, filtering impurities, standardizing the pH & conductivity meters for Recombinant Factor VIII manufacturing.
* Basic molecular biology techniques & DNA sequencing, starting w/DNA isolation through the construction of libraries for the Illumina sequencer.
* Learning to use a wide-array of scientific equipment including flow cytometers, micropipettes, pipettes, balances, cell counters, microscopes, fermentors, autoclaves, process equipment, depyrogenation ovens, vial washers, freeze-dryers, etc.

Many internship hosts also hire BP graduates into full-time positions once they've received their BCI Certificate. The USDA, for example, recently hired four BP graduates into full-time positions. Nearly every institution/company that has hired BCI graduates reports that these candidates come better prepared for the technical work required than do most 4-year college graduates. These partners willingly join in meeting w/potential BP partners to share their positive experiences.

Institutional Support from Bayer HealthCare - While not essential to the structure of BP's model, Bayer's support has been vital to the organization's ongoing success. In addition to regular funding & internship positions offered annually as a result of the 30-year property Development Agreement, Bayer also provides BP approximately $74k of in-kind support each year in the form of office space & equipment (computers, phones, printers, copiers) & auxiliary services (IT support, maintenance, etc.) This in-kind support, equating to 10% of BP's budget, allows BP to dedicate a greater percentage of resources to programming.

Additionally, BP convenes periodic ad hoc committees & groups to inform on a variety of topics. Industry representatives, program teachers (high school & community college), HR professionals & others are invited to participate in a bi-annual curriculum review. This effort ensures that BP staff & teachers are aware of industry practices & trends that potentially require curriculum modifications. Examples include: a current move away from needing candidates to fill biotech manufacturing jobs (due to moving those jobs offshore) to a greater need for research support technicians; the need to strengthen participants' math & English skills as industry reps report that more candidates (in general, not just BP students) lack adequate skills in these areas. Partners also advise on potential new funding streams, including new companies to approach, as well as helping to influence other companies & institutions to partner w/BP by providing internships & hiring its BCI graduates, as noted above.

How are you building in accountability for students' successful STEM learning outcomes? Please provide a summary and examples.

BP's entire program is oriented around students' successful STEM learning outcomes (& includes crucial & extensive personal & basic skills support to strengthen STEM learning).

BP's four semester-long biotech high school classes (Biotech 1-4) feature an industry-driven curriculum (to ensure students are learning marketable skills) that emphasizes interactive laboratory experience & hands-on technical skills development. With exciting class work & industry/research-oriented speakers who demonstrate to students the real-world significance of what they are learning, students grasp the relevance of their coursework & are motivated to stay engaged. During the two-year Academy, students utilize tools & techniques from the bioscience industry to prepare media, grow & maintain cell cultures, & conduct experiments in molecular biology & biochemistry. Courses focus on the concepts & skills necessary for employment in bioscience laboratories, production facilities & healthcare settings. BP's program constantly evolves to keep pace w/current industry practices, needs & trends; in the 2009-2010 school year BP added a Green Bioscience unit including a biofuel research experiment.

Accountability for STEM learning outcomes occurs throughout BP's programs. In the words of one of BP's teachers:
"I think we are unusual in the public school setting because we require students to demonstrate 80% mastery of scientific concepts as well as laboratory techniques.... Students are accountable for learning...& must come for tutorials during lunch or after school if they fall below our expectations & only then after this additional support can they retest. Our program provides free tutoring in both chemistry & biotech but students must be willing to take advantage of it.

We also require 90% attendance in preparation for a successful summer & internship experience. They are expected to treat this class more like a job in some respects. I expect a personal call if a student is not going to attend class. Students & parents also sign a contract w/this understanding. Parents are informed if students are not meeting expectations in an effort [to] have additional support for student success."

BP has also established the following accountability measures:
High School Biotech Academy
-Periodic in-class assessments & projects
-Performance Improvement Agreements requiring participation in extra tutoring & submitting revised classwork
-Mock Interviews & evaluations for internship preparation
-Internship Learning Objectives, Daily Journal Reflections, Performance Reviews
-Evaluations & Site Visits by BP Board & Staff
-Student Internship poster assignment: students display what they learn, in consultation w/mentor-supervisors, & must also present their poster in a judged competition
-Student evaluations at graduation from the Biotech Academy

Community College Bioscience Career Institute
-requirement to turn in weekly study outlines
-weekly submission of daily journal describing coursework & internship learning, challenges & achievements
-test, quiz & homework tracking
-feedback from tutors & professors
-Co-op job Learning Objectives, Daily Journal Reflections, Performance Evaluations & Site Visits

In order to advance in the program students must maintain their STEM grades. Specifically, in order to continue into the internship after their junior year, students must maintain a B average in the semester Junior class, Biotech 2. To proceed into the BCI program, students must have earned at least a C in algebra & C chemistry, a B in Biotech 3 & 4, & must place into at least Algebra in their pre-college math assessment. Students are also held accountable for their STEM learning outcomes w/in their internships through regular evaluations & periodic site visits from BP Staff & Board members to observe how students are performing in the workplace.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Biotech Partners' High School Biotech Academy & Community College Bioscience Career Institute

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
nonprofit/ngo/citizen sector Project Stage: Project Summary Elevator Pitch Biotech Partners' innovative model unites urban school & community college districts & scores of life science employers to transform young people's lives through science.

# data[].attributes.headline
Teachers and parents | STEM Video Game Challenge | Australia

# data[].attributes.subject
Teachers and parents | STEM Video Game Challenge | Australia

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.provider_name
Australian Council for Educational Research - ACER

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Official website of the Australian STEM Video Game Challenge: A free game design and development competition for Australian students in Years 5-12.