August 2023

We invite you to facilitate a hands-on session (45 minutes) for a group of 15-20 students to highlight a STEM topic and/or career in order to instill awareness, excitement, and passion for STEM disciplines!

The goal of the Women in STEM program at BGSU is to provide a rewarding experience for 6th - 8th-grade girls that connects STEM education to the real world and sparks an interest in pursuing STEM majors in high school and beyond and ultimately STEM careers.

Women in STEM provides young women with a positive experience at BGSU and offers them a variety of engaging hands-on activities that allows them the opportunity to learn and interact with a wide variety of successful STEM role models. 

The day will begin with interactive keynote activities for the whole group, followed by breakout sessions that provide hands-on, fun-filled, critical thinking/learning activities. Women in STEM will help young women recognize the wide array of options available in STEM fields, inspiring them to take classes in the STEM fields throughout their educational careers.   

There will be groups of approximately 15 -20 girls with adult supervision in each break-out session. Sessions should include innovative and creative hands-on activities that are fun-filled and engaging. We would like to foster a collaborative growth-minded atmosphere in the breakout sessions that gives students opportunities to interact with one another and YOU as a STEM academic/career role model. 

We rely on the support of our presenters and volunteers like you in order to continue to provide this unique experience for this age group. We are thrilled to host the 40th annual Women in STEM program at BGSU and look forward to your participation!

We provide classroom and/or lab space, AV equipment, and support. 

The deadline to register is October 6th, 2023.

Please contact: nwo@bgsu.edu with any questions.

Registration link:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfoxDyER_lehCsxOgpE1JHKqRtOhTqDXDWUgj-XIfZCj5y86Q/viewform

All who wish to attend Women in STEM are welcome regardless of their gender.

Great tools can help dedicated teachers accomplish even more with their students. That’s why the Ohio STEM Learning Network is proud to offer access to Learning Blade to middle schools for free throughout the 2023-2024 school year. This program is funded by the State of Ohio’s generous support for the network and STEM programming in our state.

This supplemental curriculum provides interactive and engaging lessons on various STEM topics. Designed for students in grades 5-9, Learning Blade can help teachers foster critical thinking, problem-solving, and understanding of careers.

Resources in Learning Blade are organized around “Missions” covering topics including advanced manufacturing, renewable energy, cybersecurity, and much more. In total, Ohio teachers can choose from more than 400 lessons, helping connect lessons to real-world applications in careers.

Missions include:

• Car manufacturing
• Dolphin rescue
• Flu outbreak
• Hack attack
• Rescue robot

Each Mission includes interactive online lessons for students, lesson plans for teachers, and take-home activities. These resources have been aligned to Ohio’s Learning Standards for grades 5-9 in Math, English Language Arts, Science, and Technology as well as applicable standards from the Computer Science Teachers Association.

Access to Learning Blade is provided, for free, for Ohio educators for the 2023-2024 school year. Teachers can integrate Learning Blade as a supplemental resource connecting learning to in-demand STEM careers:

1. Administrators, teachers, and after-school educators can sign up at www.learningblade.com/OH (You must be a staff or faculty member of educational organization to request an account.)
2. You will be asked to provide your district/organization email address to receive your information.
3. An invitation email will be sent to the email provided with credentials to access the platform.

Key features

• Free access for Ohio educators
• 400+ lessons connecting to high demand careers
• A toolbox of STEM resources including online interactive lessons for students, lesson plans for teachers, and take-home activities for families
• Compatible with Clever and Schoology (school single sign-on systems)
• Culturally sensitive and user friendly
• Aligned to Ohio’s Learning Standards for grades 5-9 in Math, English Language Arts, Science, and Technology as well as applicable standards from the Computer Science Teachers Association
• 20 hour “Introduction to Coding” course outlines early computer science concepts with text-based/block-based coding
• Schools that complete 5,000 online lessons will win a Tello Drone

Need help? For problems signing up, contact info@learningblade.com. For tech support, contact support@learningblade.com.

from Kelly Gaier Evans, Director of the Ohio STEM Learning Network

Grants can be a crucial source of funding to try something new. Thanks to the generous support of Battelle, the Ohio STEM Learning Network will fund a third round of grants to support STEM learning in classrooms across Ohio. Teachers or administrators working in public district schools, public charter schools, and public independent STEM schools can apply by September 5 for a $2,500-$5,000 grant to further STEM learning. Completing the grant application should take about 60 minutes.

The goal of the grant program is to foster the creation of new, sustainable STEM education programming in classrooms by investing directly in our K-12 teachers and administrators. Thanks to philanthropic funding from Battelle, educators can now apply through the Ohio STEM Learning Network STEM Classroom Grant Program for up to $5,000.

Kelly Gaier Evans, Director of the Ohio STEM Learning Network stated, “When I wrote about this opportunity last year, I explored common themes from successful grant applications. This year, I’m going to shift my focus to essential lessons learned when submitting any grant, including this year’s Ohio STEM Learning Network STEM Classroom Grant. Whether you’re a seasoned grant writer or a novice, these tips will help increase your chances of securing funding for your STEM education endeavors.”

Read Kelly's four tips for winning more grants

Ohio STEM Learning Network STEM Classroom Grants

OSLN STEM Classroom Grant Program

The Ohio STEM Learning Network is pleased to announce a new round of funding for STEM in classrooms across Ohio. The goal of the grant program is to foster the creation of new, sustainable STEM education programming in classrooms by investing directly in our K-12 teachers and administrators.

Thanks to philanthropic funding from Battelle, educators can now apply through the Ohio STEM Learning Network STEM Classroom Grant Program for up to $5,000. Public schools, charter schools, and independent STEM schools are eligible. Apply here by September 5, 2023.

Ohio STEM Learning Network Design Challenge

Design challenges are activities or competitions that students participate in to solve real-world problems. Through the challenge, students engage in creative problem-solving, boosting skills like collaboration and grit.

For many schools, participating in the statewide design challenge was the perfect way to begin implementing high-quality STEM education best practices.

Competition opens August 7th, for more information: https://tinyurl.com/4hp7hu49

GP-EXTRA
Attention 6th-12th Grade Science/STEM Teachers and Administrators: 

• Are you looking for engaging scientific activities for your students? 
• Would you like to get your students involved in an authentic research project on local environmental health issues in Toledo? 
• Would you like to increase your students’ knowledge of scientific fields and careers? 

BGSU’s Geology department in conjunction with NWO STEM is proud to offer GP-EXTRA, a FREE place-based science opportunity to all schools in Northwest Ohio. This three-session project focuses on lead contamination in our community and gives students authentic, hands-on opportunities in science. Students learn about lead-based hazards, collect samples from their homes, analyze them, and apply knowledge to real-world applications. 

This is GP-EXTRA’s second year, and we are looking to reach even more students than before! 100% of teachers we worked with last year reported their student's problem-solving skills and critical-thinking skills increased because of this program, and students reported an increase in knowledge, interest, and attitudes towards science! In addition, 100% of teachers surveyed at the end of last year would recommend GP-EXTRA to others! Sample activities, testimonials, and further information can be found on our website.

InfOHIO SEEKING PILOT DISTRICTS FOR GOLEARN, OHIO'S COLLABORATIVE COURSE CATALOG

GoLearn, Ohio’s Collaborative Course Catalog, is in development and will be released for pilot participation in September 2023. INFOhio has partnered with g2o—based in Dublin, Ohio—on the development of the platform with input from INFOhio's GoLearn user group. GoLearn will give Ohio districts the ability to offer open seats in their courses to students from other schools and districts across the state via distance learning. 

https://www.infohio.org/blog/item/seeking-pilot-districts-for-golearn-ohios-collaborative-course-catalog

NASA STEM materials to support STEM curriculum

Search hundreds of resources by subject, grade level, type and keyword at https://www.nasa.gov/education/materials/.

Girls Who Code

Girls Who Code is providing more free and flexible computer science resources for our community! 

Whether you're looking for last minute summer programming or planning for the school year ahead, Girls Who Code has great opportunities. Sign up to start a Girls Who Code Club, and receive access to training, comprehensive resources, and over 120 hours of easy-to-use and flexible coding curriculum for 3-12th graders! Clubs curriculum feature coding tutorials for all skill levels, inspiring women in tech, community-building activities to increase confidence, and project-based learning related to activism. No prior coding experience to get started! Plus -- all genders are welcome in this girls-supportive environment. Learn more about the Clubs program here or join a webinar here. 

Sign up here to access GWC’s free Clubs curriculum & resources!