Award nominations are now open for our five awards: The Donald Keys Excellence in Science Teaching Award, The PSTA Science Administrator of the Year Award, The William B. McIlwaine Science Teaching Award, The Leadership in Science Education Award, and the PSTA Fellows Award. Only PSTA members can nominate for the awards, but the applicants DO NOT have to be PSTA members. To fill out the nomination form, please complete this form: https://forms.gle/M4jRcjtrb5a2CttH9 For more information about each award, see below. Nominations for awards are due by June 30, 2022. The awards committee will then reach out to the applicants to complete their application. 

For more information about each of these awards and the application requirements, see: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1CLZzcMb0rgSfbMLxOVOe4e9uxkz4-yGD?usp=sharing

Join two PA science educators on Monday, January 25th for a free webinar and panel discussion. All science educators are welcome to attend as most of the strategies can be transferred across science disciplines. This webinar is not only for chemistry educators! 

During the webinar, we will share labs that students can do at home, labs with virtual lab partners and discuss evidence-based strategies that work (and those that don't). We will show you how to use programs like Nearpod®, PearDeck®, Edpuzzle® and others, to check for understanding as well as sharing and viewing student data in a socially distanced way. We are also excited to hear about the great things you are doing in your class to maintain the rigor of a college chemistry course in these challenging times.

REGISTER FOR THIS FREE WEBINAR AT

https://bit.ly/3sCyQSj

Presenters: 

Samantha Ramaswamy, AP Chemistry Teacher

Michele Whitecraft, Science Education Professor

Based on the new structure of the board, we have some openings and would love to have other science educators join us! Please consider running for one of the following positions that are currently vacant on the PSTA Board of Directors: Vice President Region 1 Representative - composed of IU 22, 23, 24, 25, and 26  Region 3 Representative - composed of IU 18 and 19  Region 4 Representative - composed of IU 9, 16, and 17  Region 5 Representative - composed of IU 12, 13, and 15 (special election - only a 1 year term) Western College Representative (open to college and university faculty only) - composed of Regions 7 and 8 (IUs 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 27, and 28). **For more information about the open positions and the responsibilities, please see this informational document. You must either live or work in the region of which you are applying. See the informational document for a map of the IUs if you are not sure.

If you are interested in running for any of these positions or have questions regarding a position, please email our Board of Directors at pstaboard@gmail.com.  When you reply, please include the following and your bio will be added to the ballot: 1. indicate the position that you are interested in 2. your school/institution affiliation 3. your school's county, your county of residence 4. a short bio about your qualifications 5. that you are a PSTA member in good standing Nominations must be submitted by January 11, 2021.

In September 2019, the State Board of Education directed the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) to begin the process of updating Pennsylvania’s science standards to align them with current research and best practices, including a review of Next Generation Science Standards. The State Board of Education’s current regulations include two sets of science standards – Science and Technology, and, Environment and Ecology – which serve as the basis for curriculum development and instruction in schools. Both sets of standards took effect on January 5, 2002.

PDE will examine the state’s current standards, outline the various components that must be addressed when changing regulations, and develop a proposed timeline for making the changes – with the overall goal being to provide the best framework possible to prepare all students to be productive citizens of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. PDE’s examination of the current standards includes input from the public. A series of stakeholder engagement sessions will be held across the state and virtually – the public is invited to attend and provide input. The stakeholder session dates, times, and locations appears below.

Register to attend a stakeholder session

PSTA understands the complication of these sessions being during the day since most of the stakeholders are teachers. We highly recommend participating in the virtual sessions to share your thoughts and input with PDE. 

https://www.post-gazette.com/news/education/2020/01/17/Pa-Department-of-Education-announces-5-7-million-in-STEM-grants/stories/202001170141

The World of 7 Billion student video contest bring technology and creativity into your middle and high school classes. The contest challenges students to create a short video connecting world population growth to one of three global challenges: Sustaining Water Systems, Ensuring Economic Opportunities, and Improving Climate Resiliency. 80+ cash prizes will be awarded, and participating teachers will receive free curriculum resources. The deadline for submissions is February 27, 2020 – use this lesson plan to get started now! Full contest guidelines, resources for research, past winners, and more can be found here.

LabXchange at Harvard University is a free online platform for science education launching in January 2020. If you want a sneak peek, we invite you to join our preview this fall as a beta tester!

LabXchange allows educators to remix and share content to support differentiated, personalized learning. The content library contains high-quality digital resources from universities and scientific organizations worldwide - including interactive lab simulations, videos, assessments, and more. Educators can combine this content with their own materials to create customized learning pathways. As well as facilitating content creation and remixing, LabXchange connects learners, educators and researchers through social features such as private classes, discussion forums, and the ability to mentor or be mentored. By providing tools that foster hybrid learning, LabXchange allows users to engage in design, iteration, and problem-solving, while supporting individual exploration.

Take our Educator Tour or visit our website to learn more! And for the latest LabXchange news, updates, and testimonials, we invite you to join our mailing list.

Due to the generosity of many, we raised a total of $902.00 in support of our PSTA Professional Development Fund. Thank you to those who contributed baskets for the Silent Auction, placed bids for the baskets, or helped in any way to make it so successful. 

Three stipends, each in the amount of $300.66, were awarded this year.

The winners from this year's drawing were:

• Robin Zecca-Delaware County Christian School
• Michele Whitecraft- Mansfield University 
• Debbie Reynolds-Baldwin-Whitehall SD (currently on sabbatical)

PSTA is looking for passionate, dedicated educators to join our board of directors. If you have ideas for PSTA, please consider joining our team! The following positions are currently vacant on the board:

• Vice President

• Recording Secretary

• K-12 Regional Representatives (Eastern - Region IV, Mideastern - Region V, Midwestern - Region VII and Southern - Region IX)

• Eastern College Representative (open to college and university faculty only)

If you are interested in running for any of these positions, please e-mail the Board of Directors at pstaboard@gmail.com. When you reply, please indicate your interested position, your school/institution affiliation, a short bio about your qualifications, and that you are a PSTA member in good standing. If you have any questions, email the Board of Directors! 

Nominations are due by Friday, October 18th! 

Miami University’s Project Dragonfly is accepting applications for 2020 Earth Expeditions graduate courses that offer extraordinary experiences in 16 countries throughout the world. http://EarthExpeditions.MiamiOH.edu

Earth Expeditions can build toward the Global Field Program (GFP), a master's degree that combines summer field courses worldwide with web learning communities so that students can complete the GFP master's part-time from anywhere in the United States or abroad. http://GFP.MiamiOH.edu

Project Dragonfly also offers the Advanced Inquiry Program (AIP) master's degree that combines web instruction from Miami University with experiential learning and field study through several AIP Master Institutions in the U.S. Applications for Miami's 2020 cohorts are being accepted now with place-based experiences provided at zoos and botanical gardens in Chicago, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Denver, New York, San Diego, Seattle, and St. Louis. New for 2020: residents of the Jacksonville, Florida area can study and earn the AIP master's through Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens, AIP's newest Master Institution. http://AIP.MiamiOH.edu
Graduate tuition for all programs is greatly reduced because of support from Miami University.