Pennsylvania KidWind Teams Take 7 Wind and Solar Energy Challenge Awards at Worlds Competition 

KidWind Celebrates 20 Years of Student Competitions!

What an incredible journey for seven dedicated K-12 student teams from Pennsylvania, who culminated their hard work with a victorious stop in Phoenix, Arizona! This past winter, these talented young minds began their quest at regional competitions hosted across Penn State Commonwealth Campuses, showcasing their ingenuity and problem-solving skills. Their success at these challenging regional events earned them a coveted spot at the state finals, held earlier this spring at Penn State's beautiful University Park campus.

The energy and excitement at the PA state finals was clearly visible, especially as teams demonstrated their mastery in these wind and solar energy challenges. These competitions served not only as a proving ground for their scientific and engineering capabilities, but also as a launchpad for their trip to the World Championships in Phoenix! You can get a glimpse of the PA finals in wind and solar that landed them a trip to Pheonix.

We are immensely proud of all the students who participated and represented Pennsylvania with such distinction on a national stage. Their dedication, teamwork, and innovative thinking are truly inspiring and exemplify the bright future of STEM in our Commonwealth.

That’s a wrap on the thrilling 2025 competition season! We hope you enjoyed following their journey and witnessing the incredible achievements of our Pennsylvania students.

Looking Ahead to 2026!

Did this inspire you? We are already looking forward to the 2026 competition season and invite schools across Pennsylvania to consider adding a team or teams to next year's exciting challenges! This is a fantastic opportunity for students to engage in hands-on, real-world STEM applications, foster critical thinking, and build valuable collaboration skills.

Stay tuned for more information, including registration details and competition formats for the 2026 season, in upcoming CSATS newsletters. Let's continue to empower the next generation of innovators!

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CSATS Shares Our Broader Impact Practices with Professionals from Around the World at the 2025 ARIS Summit

The Penn State Center for Science and the Schools (CSATS) recently showcased its impactful work at the Advancing Research Impact in Society (ARIS) Summit 2025 in San Juan, Puerto Rico. This summit brought together professionals dedicated to "Broader Impacts" (BI), a crucial concept for federally funded research.

What are Broader Impacts?

Simply put, Broader Impacts ensure that scientific discoveries funded by organizations like the National Science Foundation (NSF) don't just stay in labs. They require researchers to think about how their work will benefit society in real ways—like inspiring students, improving education, or addressing community needs. At Penn State, this also aligns perfectly with our Land Grant Mission of public service.

As a dedicated BI unit for Penn State University, CSATS specializes in taking cutting-edge STEM research from Penn State's colleges and transforming it into valuable K-12 STEM workforce development experiences.

The ARIS Summit itself was a truly inspiring event, buzzing with welcoming energy. Highlights included a dynamic opening performance and engaging keynote speakers, alongside over 50 presentations, breakout sessions, and valuable networking opportunities. A key theme was the power of broader impacts, interdisciplinary partnerships, and the joy found in building community. CSATS was proud to contribute by sharing best practices from our own work across Pennsylvania through presentations and poster sessions. You can capture the energy of the summit in this video recap.

Inspiring Future Scientists:

Bald Eagle Area Students Dive Deep into NASA Data!

Penn State CSATS is always thrilled to highlight incredible examples of authentic STEM learning experiences leveraged by our Broader Impact work with our STEM researchers. For the past few years, a truly remarkable project at Bald Eagle Area High School, led by Mr. Besong, has been empowering students to engage with real-world scientific research, showcasing the immense potential within our K-12 students. This video captures the origins of this project.

Imagine high school students working with actual NASA satellite data, spanning two decades of atmospheric patterns and climate information! That's exactly what Mr. Besong's students are doing, utilizing powerful supercomputing resources to analyze this massive dataset. Beyond just scientific discovery, this project is building essential critical thinking and computer programming skills, with students becoming proficient in languages like Python – a highly sought-after skill in today's workforce.

This unique experience allows students to grapple with the complexities of big data, proving their capabilities in demanding STEM fields. More importantly, it's sparking genuine interest and passion for science and technology careers, opening doors to future possibilities.

The culmination of their efforts takes place each April. These students present their findings in an annual poster session to faculty and researchers at Penn State Meteorology. Year after year, these young scientists demonstrate that high school students can rise to high expectations, impressing our university researchers with the depth and authenticity of the STEM research they conduct.

Inspiring Innovation: Students Tackle Real-World Challenges with Entrepreneurial Spirit!

CSATS, recently had the privilege of seeing the 8th Grade Entrepreneurial Showcase hosted by the amazing students and staff at St. Mary Interparochial School (SMIPS) in Philadelphia with partnership support from 901 Education at Thomas Jefferson University. This impactful event was a true testament to what K-12 students, schools, higher education institutions, and community partners can achieve when they collaborate for Collective Impact.

A few years ago, our team provided professional development to SMIPS staff, with the foundation of authentic STEM weaved through concepts like Growth Mindset, Design Thinking, Project-Based Learning (PBLs), and the importance of community service through the UN Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs). These powerful ideas continue to be leveraged throughout the K-7 curriculum at SMIPS, culminating in their 8th-grade social entrepreneurship collaboration with local Philadelphia non-profits. SMIPS teachers have also participated in other CSATS professional development activities over the years.

This year, the 8th graders partnered with the Ronald McDonald House Charities of the Philadelphia Region (RMHP). Five student groups formed teams, united by the mission of improving the lives of families staying at RMHP. Each team was given an empty box—a base prototype—which they were challenged to scale up into comfort boxes for families enduring challenging medical times.

The student teams had to make critical decisions: what products and services would they include in their boxes to truly enhance the families' stays? Their project encompassed a wide range of real-world skills:

• Design & Production: They utilized 3-D printing and laser etching to create components for their boxes.
• Business Sense: They developed comprehensive business models, including unit cost projections.
• Fundraising: Teams actively sought funding to support their initiatives.
• Media & Communication: They crafted full media plans, including building a website, producing a podcast, creating a video commercial, and establishing a social media presence.
• Pitch Presentation: To top it all off, they delivered a final pitch presentation in front of esteemed community members at Thomas Jefferson University.

Community guests interacted with the students at presentation tables asking product questions and offering feedback on how the students might improve their projects. In addition, student teams gave a brief presentation in front of the collective audience to showcase their learning journey and achievements.

This project embeds the authentic, learning experiences supported through the PA STEELS standards (Pennsylvania Standards for Science, Technology, Engineering, Environment, and Ecology), and it also epitomizes the crucial Workforce Development and Problem-Solving skills we want future generations to possess. Kudos to SMIPS for fostering such innovative and impactful learning!

CSATS Secondary STEM Specialist Nominated for National Award

We are thrilled to announce that Amber Cesare, Assistant Teaching Professor and Secondary STEM Specialist at Penn State CSATS, has been nominated for the prestigious National Outstanding Informal Educator Award from REpowering Schools! This national recognition highlights Amber's exceptional dedication and leadership in STEM education.

REpowering Schools plays a vital role in inspiring the next generation of the renewable energy workforce. They actively support, recognize, and connect the renewable energy industry with schools, educators, and higher education institutions. Their mission aligns perfectly with our shared goal: to boost education and introduce students to emerging job opportunities in renewable energy, thereby building a sustainable future workforce. By educating students and their communities about renewable energy, we are collectively striving to increase the pool of qualified labor and empower citizens to make informed energy decisions.

Amber has been absolutely instrumental in developing and sustaining our highly successful statewide renewable energy competitions in Pennsylvania, which engage countless K-12 students. Beyond these competitions, Amber wears many hats within CSATS, collaborating with diverse stakeholders both within and outside the Penn State system to advance our broader impacts work. This effort is a direct fulfillment of Penn State's Land Grant mission, leveraging university expertise to benefit communities.

We are incredibly grateful for all that Amber Cesare does to inspire students and support the development of a strong STEM workforce in Pennsylvania and beyond!

CSATS Coordinates Site Visit to Exemplary School Leveraging STEM Innovation

CSATS is grateful to schools who have become passionate adopters of authentic STEM practices, and we help other schools see what can be done by visiting adopter schools. One standout example is St. Patrick's School in Carlisle. For many years, St. Patrick's has been a dedicated partner, actively participating in a wide array of Penn State K-12 STEM opportunities. Their engagement spans from initiatives with Penn State CSATS professional development to our KidWind and Solar competitions. In addition, they've connected with Penn State Extension, Invent Penn State networks, and Youth Engineering Solutions (YES), now part of Engineering is Elementary from the Boston Museum of Science.

St. Patrick's truly embodies the spirit of forward-thinking in STEM and Workforce Development. As the saying goes, "they don't skate to the puck; they skate to where the puck is going!" Inspired by the support and resources they've leveraged through these partnerships; St. Patrick's embarked on an ambitious project: building a state-of-the-art $3.5 million STEaM innovation center – and they accomplished it in under two years!

This remarkable achievement is a testament to their vision and commitment to providing cutting-edge educational experiences for their students. It showcases the transformative power of strong collaborations between K-12 schools and university resources. We are incredibly proud of St. Patrick's School and their dedication to preparing students for the challenges and opportunities of the future STEM workforce.

CSATS "Road Shows":

Showcasing Our Offerings

and Impact

From sustainability to AI, CSATS has been on the road at a number of events throughout the Commonwealth sharing the work we do and the impact we make. We offer student experiences and a number of options for teacher professional development experiences. Check out our website, CSATS: Center for Science and the Schools | Penn State - Penn and sign up for our monthly newsletter once you are there so you don't miss out on future opportunities!

Posted on behalf of Penn State Outreach

Posted on behalf of PA Science Teachers Association

Posted on behalf of Penn State Hershey Medical Center

Posted on behalf of the Penn State College of Agriculture

Posted on behalf of the Spark Photonic Foundation

Explore Advanced Manufacturing

With Your Students

We’re excited to share that registration is now open for SparkEd: Photonics & Semiconductor Education, a free virtual professional development opportunity from the Spark Photonics Foundation!

🗓️ Live Sessions: June 26 & 27, 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM ET

🕐 Flexible Learning: ~5 hours of asynchronous content

💵 Stipend: $400 for all participants

Whether you’ve used SparkAlpha Explore before or are just curious about integrated photonics, semiconductors, and advanced manufacturing, this PD is for you.

You’ll walk away with:

• Hands-on, classroom-ready resources
• Real-world STEM connections and career pathways
• Ideas to spark student curiosity and engagement

👉 Register here: https://wkf.ms/4iiYt3P

We’re holding space for our close educator network through May 23—after that, we’ll open registration to a broader audience, and spots may fill quickly!

Know another educator who might be interested? Please feel free to forward this invitation—we’d love to have them join us too.

With appreciation,

The Spark Photonics Foundation Team

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