Hello, K-12 and Precollege colleagues!
I hope this finds you well. And all of a sudden, it seems, we find ourselves at the end of the semester and in the throes of the holiday season. Thanks for taking a few minutes to get caught up with what’s going on in your ASEE K-12 and Precollege Division.
When I began my tenure as division chair, I planned to send out these updates weekly. The reality is there is not a need to send notices that frequently and I am really sensitive about sending out email simply to send it. There is, however, a want and a need for some regularity in communication. So, after considering all of this starting in January I will send out division updates on the second and fourth Wednesdays of each month. Same format, same type of information, but a more predictable—and hopefully useful—schedule.
The division executive board has a conference call each month on the second Wednesday, so the update will include the very latest in division business and activity. If there is something YOU want to bring to your board, please feel free to contact me or any other board member have it addressed. We are, after all, at your service.
Please read on to find information about the following (deadlines are rapidly approaching; check the description to learn details):
- Update on K-12 and Precollege Program in San Antonio
- Announcing a Great Collaboration: 2012 Colloquium on P-12 STEM Education
- Call for Proposals: Best Practices in K-12 and University Partnerships Panel
- Call for Proposals: ASEE Annual Workshop on K-12 Engineering Education
- Call for Proposals: NSTA STEM Forum and Expo
- Call for Nominations: Albert Einstein Fellowship Program
Thanks for all you do and as always, please do not hesitate to contact me with any questions or concerns. I wish for you rest, relaxation and time with those you love.
Thanks,
Liz
San Antonio Conference Update (Reviewers needed)
The 2012 Conference program for our division is taking shape! Notifications have gone out, and those submitting full papers have until January 6, 2012 to get them in. You can find more information on the complete paper submission process at http://www.asee.org/conferences-and-events/conferences/annual-conference/2012/program-schedule/call-for-papers . Our division is active and growing, and our paper submission numbers reflect that. We need more reviewers to ensure both that we get a comprehensive review and that we don’t overload our volunteers. If you are able to be a part of the review team, please contact our program chair, Laura Bottomley, at laurab@ncsu.edu.
Announcing a great collaboration!
We are excited to announce the partnership of the ASEE K-12 and Precollege Division along with The Engineering Place at North Carolina State University and the STEM Education Center at the University of Minnesota to lead the 2012 Colloquium on P-12 STEM Education!
The Colloquium on P-12 STEM Education is an interactive national forum bringing together educators, researchers, STEM professionals, and other STEM stakeholders in a dynamic two-day colloquium. Sessions are hands-on, participatory, and/or experiential. This is an opportunity to learn about the newest research in STEM education, bridge the gap between research and practice to implement effective practices, see and experience what is working in P-12 STEM education classrooms, and discuss next steps and potential solutions for the issues encountered in STEM education.
The ASEE K-12 and Precollege Division and The Engineering Place at North Carolina State University will be providing scholarships and travel grants to K-12 teachers across the United States to attend and present at the Colloquium. Scholarship information and applications will be available January 15, 2012. These groups will also help plan the conference with a specific interest in how to make engineering accessible for K-12 students.
Mark your calendar to join us July 9-10. 2012 at the McNamara Alumni Center in lovely Minneapolis, Minnesota! More information, including registration, is available at: http://www.cehd.umn.edu/STEM/colloquium2012/default.html .
Call for Proposals: Best Practices in K-12 and University Partnerships Panel
The K-12 and Precollege Division of ASEE intends to recognize exemplary K-12 – university partnerships in engineering education at the 2012 ASEE Annual Conference and Exposition in San Antonio, TX. To do this, the division will sponsor a panel session on Best Practices in K-12 and university partnerships. Submissions chosen for participation in this session will demonstrate a true partnership between a K-12 school (or schools) and an engineering or engineering education school/college at a university. The deadline for submissions has been extended to Friday, December 16, 2011.
Selected partnerships will have data to support proven success in the classroom and will demonstrate engineering engagement and knowledge acquisition by K-12 students through age appropriate activities and lessons. Best Practices Partnership Panel submissions authored collaboratively between engineering and technology education faculty and K-12 teachers are encouraged. Details on the partnership’s structure and goals, the strategies employed to overcome challenges and obstacles, and successes and lessons learned must be included.
One proposal winner will be chosen at each of the following levels: pre-school or elementary school; middle school; high school. The three winning abstracts will be used to create a conference paper for this session. The submitting K-12 teachers will each be given a 15-minute time slot to present her/his work to the conference session attendees. The presentations will be followed by a 30-minute panel discussion. In order to offset the costs of attendance, the winning K-12 teachers will have their conference registration and publication fees paid for by the K-12 Division and will receive a travel stipend. Please contact K-12 and Precollege Division Executive Board member Christine Schnittka at christine.schnittka@uky.edu for additional information.
Call for Proposals: ASEE Annual Workshop on K-12 Education
ASEE’s Ninth Annual Workshop on K-12 Engineering Education – “Employing Engineering for STEM Learning” will be held on Saturday, June 9, in San Antonio, Texas, one day before the opening of the annual conference. Proposals will be accepted through January 27, 2012.
Individual workshops should prominently feature hands-on classroom activities, provide take-home or classroom-ready materials and be designed to engage participants in interactive exercises. Workshops that offer tangible material to attendees, in addition to written material, are specifically solicited. Proposals addressing 1) elementary/primary grades and 2) demonstrated methods for involving practicing engineers and engineering students in the classroom are also sought. Watch the K-12 Workshop website for updates: http://teachers.egfi-k12.org/2012-asee-workshop-on-k-12-engineering-education/.
Call for Proposals: NSTA STEM Forum and Expo
Submit a session proposal for NSTA’s first-ever Forum & Expo: Tools for STEM Education….Preparations and Applications for Elementary and Middle School Educators in Atlantic City, NC, May 17-19, 2012. Proposal deadline is January 15, 2012. Overall objectives of the event are to (1) Identify research-based practices and teaching strategies/projects where STEM education has been successfully integrated into the elementary and middle school curricula/programs; (2) Identify outreach and informal projects where STEM education has been successfully integrated into after-school programs and informal education venues; and (3) Identify STEM skills that are lacking in students at the high school/college levels. Get full information on the conference and proposal criteria at www.nsta.org/conferences.
2012-13 ALBERT EINSTEIN FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM APPLICATIONS
The Albert Einstein Distinguished Educator Fellowship Program offers current; public or private; elementary and secondary; science, technology, engineering, and mathematics classroom teachers with demonstrated excellence in teaching an opportunity to serve in the national public policy arena. Fellowships increase understanding, communication, and cooperation between legislative and executive branches and the science, mathematics, and technology education community. Albert Einstein Fellows bring to Congress and appropriate branches of the federal government the extensive knowledge and experience of classroom teachers. During the Fellowship, each Einstein Fellow receives a monthly stipend of $6000.00 plus a $1000.00 monthly cost of living allowance. In addition, there is a moving/relocation allowance as well as a professional travel allowance. The Einstein Fellowship program is administered by the Triangle Coalition for Science and Technology Education; full information and the application can be found at http://www.trianglecoalition.org/einstein-fellows. Deadline is January 5, 2012.
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Elizabeth Parry
Coordinator, K-20 STEM Partnership Development
North Carolina State University College of Engineering
Chair, K-12 and Precollege Division, American Society of Engineering Education
919-413-7313