STEM Everyday

Kids love learning about space. NASA just launched its fourth Power to Explore Student Challenge, an exciting (and totally free to enter) science, engineering, technology, and mathematics (STEM) writing challenge for K-12th grade students in the United States. This interactive challenge invites students to learn about radioisotope power systems, a type of nuclear battery that has, for over 60 years, allowed NASA to explore the harshest, darkest, and dustiest parts of our solar system and enabled spacecraft to study its many moons. Then, armed with new knowledge and inspiration, write a short essay about how they’d use RPS to explore one of our solar system’s hundreds of moons. Submissions, limited to 275 words, are due by January 31, 2025. One grand prize winner from each grade category (K-4, 5-8, 9-12) will receive a trip to NASA's Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, Ohio, to learn about the people and technologies that power NASA missions.
Thank you to Kristin Jansen (Public Affairs Specialist and Stakeholder Engagement Lead for the NASA Radioisotope Power Systems Program) for sharing the information!

(You can also learn more about NASA STEM on Ep 224 and Ep 231)

Resources mentioned during the podcast:

• NASA RPS Website: nasa.gov/rps
• Power to Explore Writing Challenge: nasa.gov/power-to-explore
• RPS Writing Challenge Launch Video: YouTube Link
• NASA EXPRESS Newsletter: nasa.gov/stem/express

Chris Woods is the host of the STEM Everyday Podcast... Connect with him:

• Website: dailystem.com
• Twitter/X: @dailystem
• Instagram: @dailystem
• YouTube: @dailystem

Get Chris's book Daily STEM on Amazon

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How can kids have access to STEM opportunities no matter where they live? The Oklahoma Connections Academy was able to purchase a bus and are in the process of turning it into a mobile STEM lab! "It's a world of difference because we're taking what (the kids) are already exposed to, what they already have, and we're just elevating it to the next level. We want to make sure that they have just a full, comprehensive, educational experience. And we want them to enjoy what they're doing,” said High School Science teacher Kristen Whitmer.
Jennifer Dewar is the high school assistant principal at Oklahoma Connections Academy, a virtual school serving students all over the state. She began her teaching career in 1994 and joined Oklahoma Connections Academy in 2017. She has always loved working with students since her days teaching in a preschool while she attended college. Teaching in elementary and middle schools in several states since then has afforded me the opportunity to have a positive impact on the lives of students and families.
The academy was given a $212,374 grant from the HDR Foundation to build their mobile STEM lab. HDR "specializes in architecture, engineering, environmental and construction services. While we are most well-known for adding beauty and structure to communities through high-performance buildings and smart infrastructure, we provide much more than that."
The HDR Foundation has donated over $9 million in grants since 2012.
Connect with Jennifer & the Academy:

• Website: connectionsacademy.com/oklahoma-virtual-school/
• News story about the mobile lab
• Facebook: @OklahomaConnectionsAcademy
• The HDR Foundation: hdrinc.com/about-us/hdr-foundation

Chris Woods is the host of the STEM Everyday Podcast ... Connect with him:

• Website: dailystem.com
• Twitter/X: @dailystem
• Instagram: @dailystem
• YouTube: @dailystem

Get Chris's book Daily STEM on Amazon

Support the show

There's been a lot of talk about how technology can help change education, without a lot of "how" behind it. Some schools are using VR technology to put students in immersive situations where the content being taught is connected to emotion & experience. Anurupa Ganguly created PrismsVR to radically change how lessons are "taught" and help kids be immersed in their learning! Check out the trailer for what a PrismsVR module is like
Anurupa's entry point to Education began as a Physics and Math teacher in the Boston Public Schools. For 10+ years since then, Anurupa has led STEM curriculum and teacher preparation across the largest educational systems in the US including the NYC DOE, Boston Public Schools and Success Academy Charter Schools. Through her experience as a district and charter administrator, she found that she did not have the learning tools to deliver the outcomes her leaders and teachers were accountable for, and the personal sense-making journeys that students deserve while developing foundational mathematical reasoning & proficiencies. She was awarded a National Science Foundation SBIR grant to build a scalable learning platform that actualizes pedagogies that we know work best, but weren't possible until recent advances in IVR and AI technologies. Her mission is to rapidly improve student performance and engagement in the mathematical sciences while crafting the instructor aids and training required to operationalize innovative technologies in the classroom. Anurupa holds a BS & M.Eng in electrical engineering from MIT and an EdM in Curriculum & Teaching from Boston University.
Connect with Anurupa & PrismsVR:

• Website prismsvr.com
• YouTube youtube.com/channel/UC7ynE99A9OrboiCMGKDrb2Q
• Twitter @prismsofreality
• Instagram @prismsofreality

Chris Woods is the host of the STEM Everyday Podcast... Connect with him:

• dailystem.com
• twitter
• instagram
• youtube

Get Chris's book Daily STEM on Amazon

Support the show

Career technical education and workforce development has arguably never been more important than it is now, due the rapidly changing landscape. With things like innovation and AI happening so quickly, it becomes more important for educators to prepare students for the changing work environment through early STEM integration that continues through a student’s academic career.
By the time they reach high school, most students have already decided whether or not they think science and math are ‘cool’. That's why the VEX Continuum begins with Kindergarten and spans through a child's career. Starting with intuitive tool-less systems, then snapping together robots and graduating to advanced metal robots, VEX Robotics can unlock a curiosity and a passion that will stay with them for a lifetime.

No one knows that more than Lauren Harter, Director of Instructional Technology for VEX Robotics! She has dedicated her professional career to developing robust educational tools for teacher support from Kinder to College. Combining her practical and academic expertise in math, technology, and education, Lauren designs and writes supplemental resources including STEM Labs, articles, and develops video support that is distributed globally. Be sure to check out the Education and Resources links on the vexrobotics.com website.

Lauren discusses some issues facing STEM education in the US today, including:

• the changing landscape of STEM education
• How STEM education is leading to workforce growth
• How to ensure that students are equipped with practical skills that mirror industry needs
• How schools can integrate advanced technology into the classrooms without a significant financial burden

Connect with Vex Robotics & Lauren:

• Website vexrobotics.com
• Twitter/X: @vexrobotics
• Instagram: @vexrobotics
• Facebook: @vexrobotics
• Listen to more ideas for VEX Robotics on Episodes 241 and 176

Chris Woods is the host of the STEM Everyday Podcast... Connect with him:

• Website: dailystem.com
• Twitter/X: @dailystem
• Instagram: @dailystem
• YouTube: @dailystem

Get Chris's book Daily STEM on Amazon

Support the show

Cybersecurity is more than just stopping hackers. Adding cybersecurity learning to classroom learning can help kids experience more practical hands-on learning and expose them to STEM careers they never dreamed of. A recently released benchmark report on the state of cybersecurity education in K-12 schools, shows that less than 50% of students in the U.S. have access to cybersecurity education today.

In an effort to make K-12 cybersecurity education accessible to all learners, CYBER.ORG has launched Project Access, a nationwide program designed to expand access to cybersecurity education for blind and vision impaired students between the ages of 13-21 who are in pre-employment transition (Pre-ETS). The Project Access program will introduce blind and vision impaired students to key cybersecurity topics, help them develop cybersecurity skills, and explore the possibility of a career in a growing industry.

Built off of the success of CYBER.ORG’s pilot program with Virginia’s Department for the Blind and Vision Impaired (DBVI), Project Access uses nonvisual techniques, is accessible to students who don’t have prior computer or technology experience and offers those with secondary disabilities hands-on learning opportunities and STEM career exploration.

Dr Chuck Gardner, the Associate Director of CYBER.ORG (a cybersecurity workforce development organization) shares why it's vital for K-12 schools to get cybersecurity education in the hands of more teachers and students. The free resources available on CYBER.ORG are tailored to help any age student learn more about the challenges of cybersecurity.

Connect with CYBER.org:

• Website: CYBER.ORG
• Project Access: cyber.org/initiatives/project-access
• Twitter: @cyber_dot_org

Chris Woods is the host of the STEM Everyday Podcast ... Connect with him:

• Website: dailystem.com
• Twitter: @dailystem
• Instagram: @dailystem
• YouTube: youtube

Get Chris's book Daily STEM on Amazon

Support the show