December 2022

Please join us for the next STEM Collaborative session in January! The NWO STEM Collaborative aims to connect with area STEM community members, educators, and administrators interested and invested in STEM education to share resources, methods, and ideas to enhance STEM instruction.

The STEM Collaborative encourages participants to learn from peers and local experts and grow as active STEM community members.

Date: January 19, 2023

Time:  3:45 pm - 4:45 pm

Location: BGSU's Levis Commons Campus (Perrysburg)

Cost: Free

Questions: Please contact Natalie Crotte with any questions regarding the NWO STEM Collaborative.

Registration: CLICK HERE to register. Contact Lisa Peluso with any questions regarding registration

In late November, Battelle funded STEM classroom grants that will impact more than 65,000 Ohio students. Battelle this week funded STEM classroom grants that will impact more than 65,000 Ohio students. This is the second school year for the awards, which are directed through the Ohio STEM Learning Network Classroom Grant Program. Battelle funded 223 projects in 163 public schools across the state. In total, $1,030,000 will reach students in one of every seven school districts (124) across 60 Ohio counties.

“Every Ohio community should have access to the kind of quality STEM education that drives opportunity for families and job growth in our state.” said Kelly Gaier Evans, Director of the Ohio STEM Learning Network. “This program creates champions of STEM in local communities and, through them, fosters new opportunities for students."

The grant program fosters the growth of the Ohio STEM Learning Network as a public-private partnership between Battelle and the State of Ohio. Providing more access for all students to experience quality science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education is Battelle’s top philanthropic priority.

“Battelle is proud to invest in the hundreds of educators who submitted ideas to expand STEM learning for their students,” said Wes Hall, Vice President of Philanthropy & Education. “Together, we can inspire a new generation to solve the most pressing challenges of the future.”

Classrooms will receive award grants of as much as $5,000. Projects aligned to at least one of four focus areas:

• Community Problem Solving
• STEM Career Exploration
• Building STEM Mindsets
• Design Thinking and Security

Educators interested in future awards for the program or other supports for STEM education from the Ohio STEM Learning Network can sign up here. A complete list of awarded schools is available at this link. To learn more about STEM education at Battelle, visit www.battelle.org/stem-education.

In July, Amy Boros, A Hull Prairie Intermediate School science teacher in Perrysburg, earned the Presidential Innovation Award for Environmental Educators, one of only 13 teachers across the nation to be honored with this distinction. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, in partnership with the White House Council on Environmental Quality, selects distinguished educators who have demonstrated leadership by integrating environmental education into multiple subjects and using topics such as climate change, waste management, water quality, wildlife conservation, STEM education, and school gardens.

In December, Amy was formally recognized for the award on the Ohio Senate floor at the Statehouse in Columbus, by Ohio Senator Theresa Gavarone.

Senator Gavarone stated, “It was an honor to present a Senate Resolution during Session yesterday to Amy Boros, a teacher at Hull Prairie Intermediate School in Perrysburg Ohio. Amy earned the Presidential Innovation Award for Environmental Educators for a Prairie Project she developed!”

Ms. Boros was a charter member of Project PRAIRIE, an initiative of the Toledo Zoo to use urban prairies as living labs. She encourages students to take charge of their own learning by gathering data on local species and monitoring local populations through participatory science projects, such as Bumble Bee Watch and Monarch Watch. The award comes with $7,500 for the school district to use for environmental education activities.

Save the date: Ohio STEM Innovation Summit

The first Ohio STEM Innovation Summit will be held on May 12, 2023 and will showcase innovative STEM strategies from teachers and administrators across the state.

The call for presenters for the summit is now open. The Ohio STEM Learning Network seeks presenters who can share insights on how to:

• advance STEM integration in the classroom, 
• guide attendees on where to start planning high-quality STEM initiatives, or
• grow existing programs

All learning sessions are meant to be interactive and/or hands-on and designed to stimulate thinking across a broad range of subject areas and grade levels.

Please see the website for more information: https://tinyurl.com/yh5hacm2

USDA/1890 National Scholars Program

The USDA 1890 National Scholars Program is a valuable opportunity to provide full tuition, employment, employee benefits, fees, books, and room and board each year, for up to 4 years, to selected students pursuing a bachelor's degree at Land-grant universities. Students from Ohio may choose to apply to other approved Land-grant universities outside of the state, and be eligible for the employment opportunities in Ohio, upon their return during breaks, and after graduation.

https://www.usda.gov/partnerships/1890NationalScholars

Battelle Future Engineers Climate Challenge

Students can research past and future impacts of climate-related hazards in the community, including drought, wildfire, flooding, and extreme heat, and develop a proposed action to help build a more resilient community. Entries must include a written explanation of proposed climate action (200 words max) and an image (max 3GB) of a “poster” that supports it. The poster can be a digital design or a photo of a hand-made poster. The climate action should explain at least one way to prevent, withstand, respond to, or recover from a climate-related event. The grand prize winner will present their poster at the Innovations in Climate Resilience Conference in Columbus, Ohio and receive a $5,000 STEM grant for their school, non-profit, library, or education organization. The 2nd - 5th place finalists will receive a $1,500 STEM grant for their school, non-profit, library, or education organization.

https://www.futureengineers.org/BattelleClimateChallenge

Grow Next Gen

Chickenology: Egg breaking and liquid eggs
Virtual field trip to Cooper Farms
Tuesday, Dec. 20, 10-10:45 am

Where do liquid eggs come from? Join a live virtual field trip and find out. Go behind the scenes at Cooper Farms to see the technology used to create quality liquid egg products right here in Ohio!

Middle and high school students will go live into an egg breaking plant to see:

• egg breaking
• liquid egg processing
• liquid egg products
• egg shell composting
• and more!

Students will also meet, hear from, and have their questions answered by Cooper Farms staff and egg/poultry experts.

https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/1616698322188/WN_D2ubb1r_SUSyWYpjJchjaA

NASA STEM Engagement

Celebrate the Apollo 17 Anniversary With a Downloadable Presentation

Audience: Educators, parents, caregivers, and students
Event Date: Dec. 7-19
Contact: staci.l.tiedeken@nasa.gov

December 7 marks the 50th anniversary of the launch of Apollo 17, the final Apollo mission to the Moon. Celebrate this historic accomplishment with a public presentation that provides an overview of the mission, including highlights, video clips, and images.

The presentation is meant for use by anyone interested in learning more about Apollo 17 and as a resource for those who may be presenting on the topic. You can download and adapt the slides to your audience and setting.