Samsung Solve for Tomorrow Contest

Are you and your students innovative? Do you think you can use STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) to help solve an environmental challenge in your local community? Apply for Samsung's Solve for Tomorrow contest and become eligible for the Environmental Sustainability Innovation Award, in which your school can win an additional $25,000 in Samsung technology!

By filling out the application, you will be entered in the Samsung Solve for Tomorrow contest. Up to 255 teachers will be chosen to submit a lesson plan outlining how they will address the challenge, "Show how STEM can be applied to help your local community", and then 51 teachers will be chosen to have their classes create a video showcasing their solution to the challenge. All 51 chosen teachers will receive a video creation kit to help complete the task. These 51 teachers' schools will win a minimum of $20,000 in technology grants and be eligible to win the Environmental Sustainability Innovation Award which is valued at $25,000.

Deadline: October 31.
Apply at: www.samsung.com/us/solvefortomorrow/contest/

EdLab Group

The EdLab Group is a private, non-profit center with funding from federal and state governments, private foundations, corporations, and individuals. Our mission is to leverage the power of technology and diversity to transform teaching and learning.

For more information about the EdLab Group, visit their website: www.edlabgroup.org

Presidential Awardees for Math and Science Teaching Honored in Washington DC

This year’s recipients of the Presidential Awards for Excellence for Mathematics and Science Teaching were feted earlier this month during their four-day visit to Washington, DC, where they participated in professional development activities, traveled to Capitol Hill and enjoyed a special White House ceremony in their honor. The 52 science teachers and 51 math teachers from grades 7-12, also received a $10,000 award.

• Read more about the PAEMST week in Washington, D.C.
• Read the White House press release and learn more about the program and winners
• Meet this year's Presidential Awardees for Excellence for Mathematics and Science Teaching

How great would it be to have math and science teachers associated with the BDPA Student IT Education & Scholarship (SITES) program being honored by the President next year?!? Do you know any math or science teachers in your local school who should be recognized in the future for their efforts?

Developing Elementary and Middle School Leaders in Urban Districts to Improve Teaching and Learning of Science

For elementary and middle school educators working in urban settings, the 2010 Urban Science Education Leadership Academy provides an outstanding opportunity to tackle reform of science teaching and learning at a getaway in New Orleans.

Scheduled for Aug. 2–5 in an exciting city with unmatched charm and wonderful cuisine, this academy helps build the foundation skills that support real leadership through collaboration, the change processes, use of research, and the study of relevant data. Dr. Adriane Dorrington, a noted professional development expert, will facilitate. The featured speaker is astronaut Dr. Bernard Harris, Jr. Scholarships are now available.

Registration is required by June 30. Invited: Teams (five-person team required) composed of one district science coordinator, one building administrator-principal/assistant principal, and three teachers.

For more information, visit the USEL Academy web pages.

National Conference on Science Education—Philadelphia 2010

I encourage BETF-Blog readers to check out what’s in store for science education next year, teachers and administrators can count on unmatched face-to-face professional development through NSTA’s annual event. The conference scheduled for March 18-21 in historic Philadelphia, program strands include:

• Meeting the Unique Needs of Urban and Rural Science Learners
  
• Connecting Content: Between, Within, and Among Subjects
  
• Closing the Digital Generation Gap Between Teachers and Students
  
• Rekindling the Fires of Science Teaching and Learning

The kickoff begins on Wednesday, March 17, with ten content-driven, in-depth institutes (PDIs) and their follow-on pathway sessions along with a research dissemination conference called Keeping Elementary Primary: Current Research and Best Practices for Quality Instruction.

Attendees can find symposia with follow-on web seminars and intensive short courses meant to build content knowledge in a wide range of topics critical to teachers in all science disciplines. Nearly 2,000 concurrent sessions are available for every grade band and for the newest preservice teacher to the career professional who writes curriculum or policy. Add to that, the NSTA conference offers terrific field trips, networking with peers and pros, and speakers like Bill Nye the Science Guy and Greg Marshall, a scientist, inventor, and filmmaker, who developed the Crittercam.

Nominate a Teacher for the 2010 Presidential Awards

The Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching is the highest award a K–12 math or science teacher may receive for outstanding teaching in the U.S. The President officially names up to 108 teachers annually (award winners from 2007 shown in the above photo). Awards alternate between elementary and secondary teachers -- with elementary teachers eligible in 2010 -- and are given to teachers from each of the 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the outlying territories, and Department of Defense schools.

Since 1983, more than 4,000 teachers have been recognized for their contributions to mathematics and science education. If you know great teachers, nominate them to join this prestigious network of professionals. It would be great to see teachers that support BDPA nominated this time!

The deadline for 2010 award nominations is May 1, 2010.

Gates Foundation Commits $12.9M to College Technology

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation wants to help community colleges use technology to improve and go beyond basic online classes.

The $12.9 million in grants the foundation recently announced will support a variety of programs — from supporting teachers to using social media and creating virtual-learning labs.

The foundation's leader of its college program says they are targeting the best new ideas for improving learning opportunities for low-income young adults. The grants will focus on science and math and affect colleges across the nation.

In addition to making online and digital classes better, the foundation wants to help create new networking tools and education games to make learning interactive, enjoyable and relevant.

Green Grants for Public School Teachers

With $150,000 in new grant funding designated for projects that integrate green-related topics and experiences into the classroom, the National Education Association (NEA) Foundation is growing its Learning and Leadership and Student Achievement grants program for individuals and teams of educators.

Public school teachers are eligible to apply for individual grants worth up to $5,000 for development and implementation of ideas, techniques, and approaches for teaching green concepts.

The first application deadline is October 15, and the first grants are slated to be awarded in January 2010. The NEA Foundation will award two more rounds of green grants in 2010, with deadlines for applications falling on February 1 and June 1. For more information, visit the NEA Foundation website.

Toyota TAPESTRY Program Accepting Entries for the 20th Annual Science Grant Competition

The Toyota TAPESTRY Grants for Science Teachers program, one of the largest science teacher grant programs in the United States, is now accepting entries for the 2009-2010 competition. Sponsored by Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A. and administered by the National Science Teachers Association, the program offers grants of up to $10,000 each to K-12 teachers for innovative science projects that enhance science education in their school or district over a one-year period.

Fifty large grants and a minimum of 20 mini-grants totaling $550,000 will be awarded this year. Individual science teachers or a team of up to five teachers can submit proposals in one of three categories: physical science application; environmental science education; and integrating literacy and science. A judging panel convened by the NSTA will select the award-winning projects based on several criteria, including their innovative approach in teaching science and ability to create a stimulating and hands-on learning environment.

Applicants must either be an elementary teacher who teaches science in the classroom or a middle or high school science teacher. Applicants must be residents of one of the 50 states or a resident of Washington, D.C.; Puerto Rico; or the U.S. territories including American Samoa, Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

For more information about the Toyota TAPESTRY Grants for Science Teachers program or to learn how to apply, visit the link to Complete RFP.