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Welcome to Brainstorms!, the monthly e-newsletter of the MSU Science Math Resource Center. We share cool opportunities for Montana STEM educators of all grade levels, subjects and settings, including upcoming professional development workshops through MSU and our partners; grant applications and STEM resources; STEM events and contests for students; and more.
Please forward to a colleague and encourage them to subscribe – including your school administrators and school counselors, too! For questions or ideas, contact the MSU Science Math Resource Center.
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Make your plans to attend Montana's premier STEM Professional Development Conference for Teachers
July 31 - Aug. 2 at MSU-Bozeman
Don’t miss the opportunity to attend this exciting and expanded STEM event for Montana educators interested in science, math, and related fields. The fifth annual STEM Summer Institute is a one-of-a-kind, Montana-made showcase for STEM integration across all grades and subject areas. You’ll enjoy exemplary K-12 STEM instruction and resources, inspiring national speakers, and the best of Bozeman and MSU!
This year features more sessions than ever before including an entire track for MATH TEACHERS, plus amazing keynote speakers, a fun welcome reception, hands-on learning, excellent exhibitors and--perhaps most importantly--the opportunity to hang out and learn from all your fellow STEM teachers from across Montana.
Early bird registration pricing through May 31
Stay in MSU Housing for just $50/night
Visit the STEM Summer Institute website for details
Hosted by School Services of Montana and the MSU Science Math Resource Center
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Free online PD workshop May 25 at 4pm:
MSU Research in Action
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Online workshop features MSU engineer who studies fluid dynamics
Montana middle and high school science teachers are invited to attend a free workshop on Thursday, May 25, 2023 from 4pm to 5pm called MSU Research in Action.
The workshop is part of a monthly series hosted by the MSU Science Math Resource Center. Each monthly Research in Action workshop features a Montana State University STEM researcher. You will not only hear about the work they do, but you will hear about their own STEM pathway. We will then have facilitated discussion to think about how you can bring the information into the classroom. The May workshop is the final of the 2022-23 school year and features Sarah Morris, assistant professor in the Norm Asjbornson College of Engineering.
Morris received her PhD in mechanical engineering from Cornell University and recently received an MSU faculty excellence grant for "Training and computational resources to analyze microgravity experiments aboard the International Space Station." Her photography of vortex formation around an Olympic-class sailboat won the 2020 Australasian Fluid Mechanics Society photo competition, and she recently presented "Visualizing Flows Around Us" to middle school students at MSU's STEAM Day: From the milk mixing in our coffee to the air flows made by coughing, speaking and breathing, we can find fluid dynamics all around us! Learn about the art of flow visualization by taking images of different fluid flows in the Experimental Fluids Research Laboratory.
Teachers can earn 1 OPI renewal unit for participating. Registration is limited to 30 participants.
More info and the link to register is here. https://www.montana.edu/smrc/profdev.html
Recordings of past workshops are also on the SMRC Professional Development web page.
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It's conference season for STEM teachers | |
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Montana Council of Teachers of Mathematics: June 13-14 in Butte
The annual Montana Math Meet or MCubed is at Montana Technological University on June 13-14. MCubed is an annual gathering of Montana K-12 teachers of mathematics who come together to share powerful teaching-and-learning strategies. MCubed is a grassroots conference - keynote speakers are local experts. All participants are also invited presenters who are encouraged to share mini-presentations about tips, tools, resources or techniques that have made a difference in their classroom.
Speakers include:
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Melissa Romano, K-8 Instructional Coach in the Helena Public Schools.
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Alison Lokey, a grades 6-8 mathematics teacher at Target Range School in Missoula.
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Fred Peck, Associate Professor of Mathematics Education at the University of Montana.
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Mary Alice Carlson, Associate Professor of Mathematics Education at Montana State University.
Learn more and register
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PBE Symposium: June 16-18 in Bozeman. with FREE housing, mileage and meals
Proficiency (or competency) based education is changing the way we educate students in Montana. Newly passed Chapter 55 standards call on educators and leaders to articulate and measure what students know and can do because of having that knowledge. This is the centerpiece of proficiency-based education.
I invite you and your colleagues (literally, bring an entire team!) to MSU Bozeman this summer from June 16-18, 2023 (immediately preceding OPI’s Summer Institute) to learn from educators, school leaders, and trustees who have already begun to implement proficiency-based, competency-based, and/or standards-based approaches in their schools. We often learn best in community with others. Come, be part of this community-wide conversation.
Registration to the PBE Summer Symposium is free. Mileage and on-campus parking and meals during the PBE Summer Symposium are covered. Even lodging in MSU residence halls for the first 150 registrants for the PBE Summer Symposium is provided at no cost.
Do not delay; go to this webpage and scroll to the section on Conference Details and register TODAY!
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Come see SMRC at OPI Summer Institute June 19-23
Staff from the Science Math Resource Center are among the many amazing presenters at the OPI Summer Institute, which is held at MSU-Bozeman on June 19-23. SMRC will be presenting:
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Designing Science Learning that Emphasizes the Student Experience (Tuesday, June 20 at 1:15pm)
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Citizen Science: It's More than Just Science (Wednesday, June 21 at 11:45am)
Registration is free for Montana educators and administrators. Visit the conference website to learn more and be sure to add the SMRC sessions to your digital agenda!
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STEM opportunities for educators | |
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Check out this great summer learning opportunity: Get a free Arduino kit and learn to use it at your own pace, plus earn the chance to score an entire kit for your classroom
The Sensing for Science program explores how to use Arduino and create an electrical device that will help collect data on water quality. This simulates the research being done by Montana scientists and engineers who are part of the National Science Foundation-supported CREWS project (Consortium for Research on Environmental Water Systems). All resources are free for educators to use and download. If you are a Montana teacher interested in bringing this program to your classroom, you can get an Arduino kit to use while you learn. Then, if you complete Level 1 of the program and share some information about how you will use the materials, we will send you a Sensing for Science classroom kit to use with your students.
Visit Sensing for Science for Teachers!
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Are you an educator interested in engaging professional development opportunities?
You may be eligible to apply as a non-degree graduate student at MSU! The MSSE (Master's of Science in Science Education) program offers online, on-campus and field courses ranging from one day to one week in length, from June 12 to July 21, 2023.
Courses are offered in a variety of science subjects, including biology, Earth science, physics, chemistry and more. View the MSSE summer catalog, the MSSE main page or email msse@montana.edu
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Join Where is the Water?
A GLOBE Observer Data Challenge May 1-31
Water is dynamic. Shorelines shift and rivers twist. Plants cover water edges, changing the shape and character of water bodies. Water accumulates during rain and evaporates during drought. From vast oceans to a few drops in a bucket, some bodies of water persist for many years, while others last just long enough for mosquito larvae to grow into adults. For scientists studying Earth’s water from space, the boundary between land and water is not always easy to map, and small areas of water may not be visible at all. Help us provide context and a point of reference for scientists by documenting water in the landscape and mapping mosquito habitats found there.
Visit the GLOBE Observer May citizen science challenge
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STEM opportunities for youth | | |
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Middle and High School Math Camps at MSU - June and August
Montana middle and high school students passionate about advanced math are invited to attend the Mathematics Circle Summer Camp hosted by the Science Math Resource Center at Montana State University. Participants will immerse themselves in exceptional math problem-solving activities, tour innovative university labs, and engage in fun STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) activities.
Three-day sessions are hosted for middle schoolers and high schoolers in both June and August. The camps are hosted by Montana Mathematics Circle, a program of the Science Math Resource Center.
Learn more and register today - space is limited! For more information, contact Jill Joyce with SMRC at jill.joyce1@montana.edu
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Do you know a Montana STEM teacher interested in cool opportunities? Please share this newsletter so they can follow along for next year! Or, they can subscribe at bit.ly/smrc-news
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