Kentucky Teacher

The fifth Annual “Soar to New Heights: A STEM-ulating Adventure” summer camp for gifted and talented learners will be June 18-29 at Eastern Kentucky University.

This summer’s camp will offer students an opportunity to explore current topics in science, technology, engineering, mathematics and health in a state-of-the-art instructional and research facility.

The courses, collaboratively designed and implemented by Eastern Kentucky University STEM-H faculty and gifted/talented graduate students, are targeted to students entering grades 4-6 in the fall. The half-day program runs from 8 a.m. to noon daily with a tuition cost of $65 per student.

A brochure detailing the class offerings as well as special events for parents and students will be available soon. For more information, contact Debra Sparks.

NASA blends science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics (STEAM) using education resources related to current and future missions in this conference, scheduled for June 20-21 in Richmond and June 26-27 in Corbin.

The summer workshops provided by NASA Aerospace Education Services Project and the Southeast/Southcentral Educational Cooperative (SESC) will explore engineering design challenges, problem-based learning activities, distance-learning modules, inquiry-based lessons, literacy across the curriculum and hands-on projects while targeting the Next Generation Standards.

Register online at https://coetech.eku.edu/registration/Online_PD_RegForm.php or call Sarah Evans at (859) 622-8488 for more information.

Lori Ricks

Lori Ricks, an engineering teacher at Trigg County High School, said she works hard on her own leadership skills because she knows that inspiring her students to develop and communicate their visions and show their leadership capabilities are key components in making them successful engineers one day.

“These capabilities include the ability to assess risks and take initiatives, the ability to make logical decisions, a sense of real-world constraints, flexibility in the face of failures and trust in their team,” she said.

Ricks, who has taught engineering at Trigg County High for eight years, has experienced several moments of success in that area with her students.

She also has been honored for her work with them, winning numerous honors from multiple organizations.

After working more than eight years as a marketing and technical service engineer for Trane, Ricks introduced Trigg County High to Project Lead The Way (PLTW) “to open doors that were closed for students exploring careers in engineering,” Ricks said. “I was originally hired to lead public relations activities with the goal of introducing the PLTW program to Trigg County students, ultimately increasing enrollment to 20-25 percent of the high school students in the PLTW classes.”

Ricks soon began teaching the program and has had the number-one test scores in Kentucky for three consecutive years on the PLTW end-of-course assessments, she said. Read the full story

The Kavli Science Video Contest promotes STEM subject learning by challenging students to research, brainstorm and communicate creatively through video.

This year the contest theme is “Save the World through Science and Engineering,” inspired by the National Academy of Engineering’s Grand Challenges.

Students are asked to use their imaginations and investigative skills to tackle global challenges, explore new frontiers and to discover and discuss the inventions that will help mankind and improve life on earth.

Students in grades 6-12 can make a short video that shows how scientific discoveries and inventions can improve lives and change the world, either now or in the future.
The winners receive cash prizes. Entry deadline is March 21. For more information, click here.

By Susan Riddell
susan.riddell@education.ky.gov

Craig Scharf talks with his STEM Academy students Josh Lindsey and Vaughn Reed about entering the Team America Rocketry Challenge at Muhlenberg County High School. Photo by Amy Wallot, Jan. 6, 2012

Craig Scharf, who taught college classes prior to coming to Muhlenberg County High School, could always spot the students who were prepared for his classes from the ones who weren’t.

“I could tell the kids who had a good background in research and critical thinking from the ones who hadn’t,” said Scharf, who has been at the recently consolidated Muhlenberg County High for 10 years. “I come from a research background, and I honestly believe students who think for themselves and can master independent research will be best prepared for college.”

With that in mind, Scharf and his colleagues at Muhlenberg County High launched an effort this school year that aims to help students better prepare for college by taking a rigorous series of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) classes.

The STEM Academy, as it is called, is an outgrowth of a Project Lead the Way (PLTW) biomedical science program the school started in 2009. The biomedical science program was such a hit with students that administrators decided to form an entire STEM Academy.

“The academy was brought on board to increase the rigor of our course offerings, provide in-depth training for our instructors and put real-world applications and technology in the hands of our students,” said Principal Matt Perkins. Read the full story

The University of Kentucky College of Engineering will host its annual Engineers Day open house on Feb. 25 on the Lexington campus from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. EST, or UK’s Extended Campus Program at Paducah from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. CST.

Engineer’s Day is open to all elementary, middle and high school students and their parents and friends. A drawing will be held for a $4,000 scholarship for a qualified high school student.

There will be more than 20 contests with prizes and giveaways, engineering demonstrations, hands-on experiments, guided lab tours and industry representatives and displays.

For more information on UK’s Engineers Day, go to www.engr.uky.edu/eday.

The Real World Design Challenge (RWDC) is an annual competition that provides high school students the opportunity to work on real-world engineering challenges in a team environment.

Student teams are asked to address a challenge that confronts the nation’s leading industries, use professional engineering software to develop their solutions and generate presentations that convincingly demonstrate the value of their solutions.

Ten Kentucky teams will compete this year, and the state-level winners will be announced during the week of Feb. 20, 2012. The RWDC National Challenge Event is set for Apr. 20-23, 2012. For more details, click here.

By Susan Riddell
susan.riddell@education.ky.gov

Rebecca Logan helps students come to their own conclusions during her 5th-grade STEM class at Elkhorn Elementary School (Franklin County). Photo by Amy Wallot, Nov. 9, 2011

A 5th-grade girl in Rebecca Logan’s class at Elkhorn Elementary School (Franklin County) had barely spoken during the first two months of the school year.

“She was so shy, and I don’t remember her being excited about anything in class,” Logan said.

But when the class was working on a Mars rover STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) curriculum project, the girl’s model design was chosen by her team to be built and used for competition.

“That just validated something in her, and she totally took off with the unit we were studying,” Logan said. “I’ve just been blown away by this project and the curriculum. It’s really given my quieter students a voice and the confidence to take on more leadership roles. Every child is engaged. It’s just been amazing to watch.”

This past spring, Logan’s class piloted a STEM Mars rover project, which involved students working with radio-controlled car parts and batteries to create cardboard-constructed models. The lesson, made possible by Franklin County High School engineering instructor Mark Harrell and Project Lead the Way, was such a big hit with her students, Logan spent her summer researching ways to fill her curriculum with STEM activities throughout the day.

“I teach language arts in the morning, and the rest of the day is devoted to STEM,” Logan said. “STEM is just so important today if you are looking at the workforce. I think it’s a great idea to go ahead and introduce young students to it. Read the full story

The third annual Kentucky Girls STEM Collaborative Conference will be June 29 at Northern Kentucky University. The conference is titled “STEM Opportunities and Needs in Kentucky: Making the Connection Between Education and Industry.” Educators in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields, STEM professionals, students and parents are encouraged to attend. Registration is $25 and includes lunch at the event. The deadline to register is Monday, June 27.

Read the full story

The Pennsylvania Space Grant will offer workshops this summer that keep pace with the latest science research, engage in standards-based classroom activities and explore ways to make science fun. Workshops are for in-service science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) educators.

Grants are awarded to all participants to cover in-state tuition, lodging, parking, some meals and partial travel. Sessions include:

• Astrobiology: The Interdisciplinary Search for Life in the Cosmos, Aug. 1-5
• Black Holes: Gravity’s Fatal Attraction, Aug. 1-5

For more information, e-mail teachscience@psu.edu.