fabiochiu/medium-articles huggingface dataset:
Surviving & Thriving Through Your Doctor of Physical Therapy Program In 2020
Tags: Stem Education, Higher Education, Student Life, STEM, Education

Stress

As I sit in my newly spotless and serene bedroom with a Christmas candle lit 2 days’ post-finals, it feels as though all the immense stress of the last 5 months was just a dream.

One of the applicants on the zoom open house asked my opinion on what the toughest part of the journey is.

My answer: Comprehensives

Comprehensives are our school’s version of finals. The way our program works is that each semester is hyper-focused on one area of PT practice. There is a fundamentals semester, orthopedics, cardiopulmonary, neuro, health policy, etc, with integrated clinical experiences and full-time clinical experiences threaded throughout.

At the end of the semester, you take a comprehensive practical and a comprehensive written for that semester, and a curricular comprehensive written exam and practical in the last year.

In my opinion, the hardest parts of PT school are these comprehensives. The comprehensive practicals aren’t actually much worse than any of the regular practicals we take on a regular basis in terms of content or structure. However, the mental toll is significantly higher.

In order to pass you need to score a 73% on the comprehensive practical and 73 on your written average, as well as in each course you take. The worse part of PT school is the anxiety as you wait to know your fate after taking a comprehensive practical hoping you didn’t have a safety fail.

Standing outside the practical room with our hearts beating out of our chest as we wait for any grader to call our name as we try to hide our nerves behind our masks and face shields.

We’re all just hoping that we don’t mess this up. We have invested more than $100,000 most of us don’t even have. We have seen some of our friends get left behind.

We have spent day and night with not much besides school on our minds. We have invested every ounce of ourselves into this and we are all just hoping it won’t all go to waste in the next 20 minutes for forgetting to sanitize our hands, or any other safety fails.
About myself
By: David Peng
Tags: STEM, Educators, Engineer, Chorus

This is my new Medium channel, and as an engineer for most of my life, I also play multiple hats, like non profitable organizer, youth leader, and chorus singer, of course, father of two kids, I did expose on lots of different area, which I feel excited about, but in the bottom of my heart, the technology is the central of my life.

I teach kids programming, teach advanced programming course in college, organize the youth competition, and promote STEM education to minority community, like Hispanic and Black community, plus, I encourage girls to participate more into the STEM field, all of the extra work I did is surrounding by the technology.

As an enthusiast in both technology and education, I think it is the time for me to offer some of my personal know how to the technical community, especially to those who may have the similar interesting like what I have.

Again, even I have been programming for about half of my life time, but I still enjoy to learn something new, every week, I still build something news on the side, so it will energize myself, of course, not everything is very challenge, and most time, it is not very challenge, but I like to share a little bit of what I have learned, and what I am experienced, sometimes, it is technical tips, and sometimes, it is technical trap ( I hope you can avoid after read my articles).

This is basically about myself, a programmer, a architecture, a volunteer, a chorus singer, and most important, a dad and husband.
We spend insane amount of money on gifts during Christmas.
By: Sumita Mukherjee
Tags: Stem Education, Christmas Gifts, Christmas, STEM, Homeschooling

We spend insane amount of money on gifts during Christmas. Specially to buy gifts for kids. It is time to STOP and think what really matters and is a long-term TRUE gift.

Would you consider spending 700–800 Rs on a gift that creates a memory of a life time? Gives them joy and the day is filled with thrill? Something that adds value and is theirs forever? Yes..right?

Here is an idea to make this happen and make December the best month of all!

Get cracking this Christmas with mesmerising engineering and science projects! A fantastic way to expand knowledge and develop interest in STEAM.

Join the CHRISTMAS STEAM ONLINE CAMP FOR KIDS! Ages 6–10 years

You will create 5 fun-filled awesome science projects using engineering principals and scientific method. They can be used as science fair challenges, running a winter camp or throwing Christmas party at home. It is harnessing imagination, exploring creativity and mixing knowledge that will work for the best!You will be automatically learning about forces and it’s interactions, energy, gravity, electricity, circuits, design, art and technology!

A fun filled camp that will keep you wanting for more!

CHRISTMAS S.T.E.A.M CAMP!What kids will learn in this course?

Design Flying Machines: Create Santa, Reindeer, Elf and make them blast off to space! Engineer a Santa Rescue mission! Santa is stuck! Pull him out of the chimney Santa needs warm hugs: Make a jitter “Hug-me” Santa bot that can spread love with every turn! (Wishful thinking J) Gift the joy of love with a personalised light-up Christmas card: Make LED card Design and Decorate your Christmas tree with glowing ornaments!

Bonus : Hack your creative skills while you relax this holiday with this Christmas Mandala FREEBIE

WHY SHOULD YOU TAKE THE CHRISTMAS STEM CAMP FOR KIDS?

Explore the universal forces, energy and design technology in this camp. Learn about energy, forces in nature, gravity, electricity, circuits, different types of conductors, unique motors, develop design thinking and more…

Watch the video:

Project 1: Design and Decorate your Christmas tree with glowing ornaments! Learn simple circuits how they work and how they can be built.

Project 2: Gift the joy of love with a personalised light-up Christmas card: Make LED card using a unique conductor. Simple way to make electricity flow through paper.

Project 3: Design Flying Machines: Create Santa, Reindeer, Elf and make them blast off to space! Learn how gravity works and how to launch space rockets.

READ MORE HERE:
Elevating Veterans Through Music & MasterClass
By: Lift, Shift Foundation
Tags: Nonprofit, Veterans In Tech, Masterclass, Veterans, STEM

Elevating Veterans Through Music & MasterClass

by Neil Shen (Contributor Intern)

As a combat veteran who was deployed around the world, Jason Knowlton is passionate about veterans’ affairs. He understands the difficulty of communicating with one’s family and loved ones while actively deployed. He also understands the difficulties soldiers face when they attempt to reintegrate into society after their time in the military. And, he understands how best to help veterans through the transition process.

Knowlton working with veterans in a Lift & Shift program at the Flatiron School in New York City

During our conversation, Knowlton remarked on the mental shift veterans undergo upon returning to civilian life. Because military life is strictly regulated and ordered, it can be disorientating when one suddenly finds themselves without a regimented schedule. To this end, he says that his work as a support engineer in the tech industry has helped immensely. Although he was given a 90-day period at the end of his military service in order to adjust before returning to employment, he tells me that he actually went back to work early because he was “bored out of [his] mind.” I get the sense that Knowlton finds true fulfillment in his work, whether civilian or military, instead of simply treating the tasks as something to be done.

However, he confides that COVID-19 has put a heavy strain on veterans’ events. Although digital natives may think nothing of scheduling Zoom conferences or virtual dinner parties, such events are difficult for the older generation to become accustomed to. Veterans are an aging group; with the average age of a veteran being 58 and rising annually, Knowlton, who is over a decade younger than his peers at his Veterans of Foreign Wars branch, notes the importance of social gatherings and how inconvenient it is to provide support for veterans in the absence of any physical events.

Nevertheless, Knowlton has stayed busy during the pandemic. He tells me that he’s been an avid user of Masterclass during lockdown and has taken to the site for guitar lessons amongst other things. This has led to a new initiative from the Lift & Shift Foundation: The Lift & Shift Learning Series. The small program, providing veterans with a year of free access to MasterClass, has enjoyed widespread popularity amongst users who report feeling “motivated to create [their] own work” and “grateful” for the opportunity. From the time I spent with him, Knowlton clearly had veterans’ interests as his priority with most things he did. Regardless of challenges like COVID, he’ll continue to help and support veterans around the nation.
How to make a “Hug-me” Santa Bot this Christmas: S.T.E.M Circuits for kids 7–12 years
By: Sumita Mukherjee
Tags: Circuit Training, Homeschool Curriculum, STEM, Electronics, Homeschooling

She is a children’s International Best Selling Author. A NASA STEM certified leader and founder of wizkidsclub.com. Aims to inspire STEM and STEAM in kids.
PitchTeen: Why student entrepreneurs should be encouraged?
By: Anjali Chaturvedi
Tags: Tech, High School, Business, STEM, Girls In Tech

We all have joked about not working 9-to-5 or starting your own business over a cup of ramen with your roommates while typing the 5000th line of our assignment that has a deadline in the next 4 hours. But, we never gave it a shot, right?

Studentpreneurs have always intrigued me. Imagine being working and paying off all your bills at such a young age — we all love that life even though, it comes with a lot of hard work. Not just that, studentpreneurs do have advantages:

The obvious one — young age: Studentpreneurs are young, probably halfway into college or high school. They have a lot of enthusiasm and time ahead of them. If things go south, they can afford to make a mistake right now and they don’t, then win-win for everyone. You gain experience: While running a business, you don’t only learn how to pitch and lead teams. But at the same moment, you inculcate skills like communication, taking criticism, and using it in a constructive positive way. You learn why things are the way there are. You network with people: You walk into a room, full of people you don’t know to pitch your idea (might have stalked them on LinkedIn). You talk, you pitch and you talk again. Even without knowing, you are networking with people — in the same industry.

So, give it a try and know, failing is okay.

— Anjali Chaturvedi, Pitchteen
University of Toronto’s WISC Builds the Next Generation of Female Students in STEM
By: Sydney Nguyen
Tags: Students, Online, Women In Tech, College, STEM

With the transition to a virtual world, students have been faced with an overwhelming amount of screen time and Zoom fatigue. To prevent this in students, University of Toronto’s WISC (Women in Science & Computing) have focused on long-term projects that will support over 300 women in STEM. These projects include a podcast that features women doing amazing things, exec takeovers on social media, and an International Women’s Day celebration that will elevate community stories.

To carry out these initiatives, WISC has weekly meetings for their 17-member organizing team. Vaneezeh Siddiqui, the President and Founder of WISC, utilized Glimpse to facilitate communication between people who don’t work together often. Glimpse is a platform that rotates people through one-on-one, time boxed calls with fun icebreakers, games, and a photo-booth. “It was great to have people that work on different projects get together,” said Siddiqui.

By implementing Glimpse, it was easier to find an organic sense of communication amongst members that wasn’t forced. “It was a refreshing break from our normal pop-corn style updates and ending the meeting,” Siddiqui said. Through these one-on-one conversations, WISC built a greater sense of community among its organizing team.
H
By: Mihalache Catalin, Aspiring Polymath
Tags: STEM, Hive, Leofinance

I have just discovered the Hive ecosystem and i am learning about it. I may post something of my experiences as a beginner soon.

You can find me and my silent partner in there (the tags are @mightyrocklee and @heruvim1978, if you want to follow)

Take care

G.
Tree Week 2020
By: Stem Response Wlv
Tags: Ecology, Science, Trees, STEM, Nature

You have probably heard that trees are very important to our planet and ecosystems — but why? Well, they aren’t just any old plants…

Trees in a forest, courtesy of Getty Images

From the massive Redwoods of Canada, to the ancient Oaks in the UK countryside, trees can be found everywhere that there’s adequate soil and sunlight. But why are they so important? Well firstly, they aren’t just there for our enjoyment.

Hundreds of thousands of animals depend on trees for a variety of reasons — for example, they provide branches for nesting, trunks to be hollowed out by birds or insects, and height for protection. Tree habitats are some of the most diverse, with a huge risk of species extinction in areas of mass deforestation.

Trees are also vital to food chains — because they provide habitats to certain plants and fungi, they also allow for insects to both live there are consume the plants on them. These insects provide food for birds and small mammals… the list goes on. If a majority of trees were to be felled in an area, this would be devastating to local food chains.

Food Webs related to trees. Courtesy of Preservation Tree.

Finally, trees are also massive contenders in the fight against climate change. The largest contributors to climate change are greenhouse gases such as methane and carbon dioxide. Trees, as well as other plants, take in carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, and turn it into oxygen which humans and other living things use to breathe. So not only do trees reduce the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, they also provide oxygen which is essential to most life on earth.

How can I help?

If you’re interested in helping towards the fight against deforestation and climate change, you can do your part by making sure that any paper/card/wooden things you buy are from sustainable sources. You can learn more about some of the amazing organisations that are involved with tree and forest protection as well, such as the Tree Council and the well-known Woodland Trust.

If you’re interested in trees and how truly amazing they can be, why not check out the STARTS Prize honorary mention TreeLab, which involves research into trees and their sounds in nature.
CIC STEM CLUB
By: Clintonel Innovation Centre Cic
Tags: STEM, Clintonel

The world is changing so fast fueled by technological advancement. Technology is penetrating and enhancing every aspect of life and work. It is increasingly becoming difficult to work without technology.

Are you preparing your child to excel in the age of technology?

Enrol them in CIC STEM Club and build a solid foundation for their future.

Register here:

https://bit.ly/cicstemclub
The Best Hour of Code for Your Child’s School!
By: Create
Tags: Hour Of Code, Coding For Kids, Learning To Code, STEM, Education

It is that time of the year! Every year, tens of millions of children around the world participate in the Computer Science Education Week in December. It is also a great opportunity to get your children more excited about coding and science.

To celebrate this year’s CS week, we are very pleased to offer nine Hour of Code classes to school students, all free. This includes not only our regular classes such as Scratch coding and Python, but also ones that we don’t typically offer free classes including Junior Robotics, Micro:Bit Coding, and Intro to Arduino.

If your children’s school is looking for Hour of Code activities, simply sign up at our website. It takes just a couple of minutes. Then you can sit back and relax. :) Our teacher will Zoom in at the reserved time and your kids will have the best Hour of Code experiences ever!

In case you haven’t thought about it, how about also taking up the challenge of helping 20, 50, or even 100 students to learn coding this season? You can sign up for the whole group for free as well. Learning is a gift that lasts a lifetime. Reach out to your schools or communities, share the information, organize a group… There is so much we can all do.

We would also like to take the opportunity to thank everyone for making Create & Learn such a great community! Happy Holidays everyone!
Latest Youth STEM Competition 最新青少年科技竞赛信息 (12/02/2020)
By: Youth Innovation Lab
Tags: STEM, Hour Of Code, Coding, Youth, Hoc

有关青少年的最新科技竞赛信息 （K-12)，每周更新

最新更新 2020年12月02日 联系我们： info@ycic.club

This page is dedicated to post the latest STEM competition (include activity) for youth (K-12), it will be updated once per week.

Latest update Dec 2nd, 2020 Contact Us：info@ycic.club

(all the pictures / logos are copyright owned by its original owner)

====================================

“编程一小时活动”最初是一小时的计算机科学入门，旨在使“代码”去神秘化，以表明任何人都可以学习基础知识，并扩大对计算机科学领域的参与。 从一小时的编码活动开始，到后来扩展到各种社区活动，它已成为全世界庆祝计算机科学的活动。这项基层运动得到了全球400多个合作伙伴和200,000名教育工作者的支持。

我们YCIC（青少年编程创新俱乐部）从2018年开始，已经举办过三次HOC（编程一小时活动）活动，吸引了超过100名学生参与。

详细介绍：

https://hourofcode.com/

在线报名：https://forms.gle/ggHAkG2Lni3g4D9w7

活动详情

时间： 12/8/2020 （Tuesday) 6 PM — 7 PM

地点 ： 线上

年龄： 6 到 13岁的学生 （国籍不限）

活动主题： explore AI WORLD（探索人工智能的世界）

活动要求：软件 Scratch （online）

====================================

MakeX Spark Online Competition

MakeX Spark设计挑战线上赛

MakeX Spark是创意硬件搭建线上赛，本赛项着重于跨学科学习，强调理论知识与现实世界的相互联系。鼓励参赛选手主动了解现实问题，亲自动手尝试用不同的方法分析和解决问题。

详细介绍：

https://spark.makex.io/spark-2/

在线报名：

TBD

比赛详情

时间： 2020年11月30日 — — 12月17日

地点 ： 线上

年龄： 6 到 13岁的学生 （国籍不限）

比赛主题： 家庭帮手

比赛要求：硬件不限，软件必须用MBLOCK

团队规模： 每个团队最多1个

====================================

Destination Imagination

目的地想象青少年大赛

目的地想象力（DI）通过全球大学水平的学生向所有幼儿园开放。 学生组成最多7名成员的团队，选择自己喜欢的挑战，并共同开发解决方案。 每个团队至少有一个团队经理（通常是父母或老师），可以帮助保持团队的正常运转，但不协助或干扰团队的解决方案。

详细介绍：

https://www.destinationimagination.org/challenge-program/2020-21-challenge-previews/

比赛详情

时间： 2020年11月1日 — — 2020年3月15日

地点 ： 线上

年龄： 6 到 18岁的学生 （国籍不限）

比赛主题： TBD

比赛要求： TBD

团队规模： 每个团队最多7人

====================================

如果你知道什么其它的青少年STEM赛事，请与我们联系，info@ycic.club

(all the images are copyright owned by its original owner)

（所以照片版权归其原作者）
I have my life figured out, NOT
By: K Andrew
Tags: STEM, Life Coaching

For several years I volunteered coordinating our states FIRST LEGO League Championship, raising funds for STEM education, serving on the board of a failing science museum and working hard to pull it back from the edge of an abyss. Each of these roles were consuming and even though I was also working full time and a mother to three energetic boys, I loved it.

Walking in the Woods is Time to Think

As my boys have gotten older though, we have moved on from the robotics, the science museum close, and my husband has retired…. We decided to build in the country at the family farm. Now we are focusing on family both young and old. Our new house will probably never completely be done, but I think that’s part of living in the country. One of our boys still lives is at home and is in middle school, while the others go about getting themselves set up with their adult lives.

Yet here I am adrift…. I love my life as far as being close to family, the beautiful view out the window each day, the funny wild animals that are always somewhere nearby, spending so much time with my youngest… When I think back to that focus I had when working on projects though, I really miss it. I’ve tried here, applying to the local university for an advanced degree in 2e education (not sure why they didn’t accept me), applying for a position on the school board when there was an opening (ditto on that), volunteering to work on the website for a local museum. So far each of these has said no. I am working on the local history for the area — but no one else showed an interest in providing information for that one, and without input it just becomes a rehash of the previous book that was done 25 years ago….

So what I need is a cause to focus on, not just any cause, but one I can feel passionate about.
Making a Paper Slide
By: Phil Mendez
Tags: Teaching, Learning, Makers, STEM, Education

Making a Paper Slide

This is part of a series on Makerspace activities that require few materials. Check out the last one, Making a Crane.

I run a Makerspace. We have a dedicated lab, but we cannot use it. Microwaves, cellphones, irons, and iPods sit in boxes labeled ‘Makerspace.’ To observe health and safety guidelines in age of coronavirus, we have had to get creative. And scrappy.

These days, I travel to the classroom where my students meet for contact tracing. This creates practical constraints. I cannot use all the materials and spaces I was used to, which is appropriately a very “makerspace” thing. The maker movement takes after a scrappy, rapid prototyping culture. The design firm IDEO says “Fail fast, fail cheap.”

In that spirit, here is an activity that requires 3 materials.

Provide inspiration

Show a few videos or images to prime students. Get the wheels turning.

Encourage students to hold their thoughts, feelings, and reactions. Answer questions at end. Batching answering questions, like meal prep or clothes prep, helps you get more done in one go.

Offer a few quick tips

I asked students to help me build an example. We cut a strip of paper from an A4 page and used it as a comparative unit to cut other strips the same size. Then we folded the sides slightly to create “sidewalls” to prevent the paper ball, or marble, from falling off the sides. That was quite boring. So, I asked how we could make it more interesting.

We generated ideas to fold, cut, bend, twist, glue, and curl the paper.

One child created a “seesaw” feature by gluing a flat plane on top of a half cylinder, so the half cylinder would roll to one side or another depending on where the weight, or load, sat on the plane. Amazing.

Foster independence

Allow students to work in teams. I find 3–4 works best. They can ask each other questions, share strategies, and solve problems together. I find it is good differentiation. “High and low” kids are suddenly not so. Rather, they offer different insights and perspectives that add value to the overall project.

I gave each group 9 sheets of paper, a glue stick, and scissors.

Let them build

Walk around, appreciate, take notes. Build in whatever language you are working on with your kids: spiral, speed, acceleration, wavy, straight, tube, drop, cylinder, incline, plane, machine, you name it.

Award ideas

You might award the longest, tallest, most creative, or most thoughtful engineer.

The “vacuum cleaner” slide

Future Projects

In the future, I am thinking of doing projects like:

Making a tower

Making a kite

Making a sailboat

Making a chair

Good luck, makers! ✌🏼
A Wizard From the Start — Book Review
By: Shefali Poojary
Tags: Childrens Day, Childrens Books, Book Reccomendation, STEM, Book Review

Celebrate World Children’s Day on November 20 with a gift of this children’s book.

This year, inspire children with the biography of Thomas Alva Edison — A Wizard From the Start written by Don Brown. It is a picture book that children between the ages of eight and ten should be able to read independently.

A Wizard From the Start describes Edison’s childhood where he coined and lived by the motto, “The more to do, the more to be done.” It recounts his struggles with school and his early career as a candy, newspaper and vegetable vendor in the train. The book talks about his humble background as a farmer’s and a teacher’s son. He was curious and did most of his learning on his own by reading books in the library.

This engaging read will tell children about the 1093 patents that Edison has to his name including — the electric voting machine and the light bulb. A critical point stressed in this book is that success does not depend on how well you do in school. Success is a product of hard work, learning and resilience.

A Wizard From the Start is a book that you can gift children to introduce them to Edison. Kindle the spirit for reading, learning and science within children by reading this book with them.
Youth Coding and Innovation Club win big in 2020 MakeX Spark Competition
By: Youth Innovation Lab
Tags: STEM, Makex, Youth, Competition

At 2019, we (as YCIC) host the first ever MakeX competition (2019 MakeX Starter Competition NY Open) at USA and Canada, with the unprecedented challenge situation at year of 2020, Youth Coding and Innovation Club continue to promote the MakeX competition, and we participate the online format of MakeX Spark Competition.

MakeX Spark is a creative design competition program for young people aged 6 to 13. It encourages them to get involved in hands-on practice and showcase brilliant projects in all areas of STEM.

Teams need to focus on the theme of each competition, carry out the projects through software programming and hardware construction, and display the projects to others via online. With the features of low entry-level and flexible forms, Spark not only inspires young people’s creativity but also provides them with the opportunity to develop their problem-solving skills and build their confidence through project-based learning.

At the first round of MakeX Spark 2020 competition, six students win prize, and YCIC win the best organization award.

Here it is the list of the students project

Best Demonstration Award

Jonathan Liang, https://planet.mblock.cc/project/387871

Tony Xu, https://planet.mblock.cc/project/387829

Ray Tang, https://planet.mblock.cc/project/386361

Young Designer Award

Anbang Jiang, http://planet.mblock.cc/project/386470

Evan Liu, https://planet.mblock.cc/project/387076

Eric Liu win the Young All-Rounder Award (top 5 in the world)

Eric Liu, https://planet.mblock.cc/project/330137

More details of each project can be found from this youtube video list

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLrZd2ldD_FoyPMUmZglUfsGfyyFr5EXs8 2020

MakeX Spark Competition Award Winning Project (Youth Coding and Innovation Club)

2020 MakeX Spark — Smart Lights Online Awarding Ceremony will be on 29 November 9AM (GTM+8, China Time) via Zoom. 300 spaces available only.

Mark your calendar, join us at awarding ceremony, and the next round is start, we expect to see more excited projects and more innovative mind kids join us, together, we build the innovative future.

For more information about MakeX Spark competition, please send email to info@ycic.club, and follow our Medium channel.
Raffling Off a Better Path into STEM
Tags: Website, Prototyping, Women, Experience, STEM

Raffling Off a Better Path into STEM

Getting Started: Understanding the Experiences of Women in STEM

When thinking about women in STEM and the proverbial gap they face, there are several images that appear in my head. The first is, of course, my own experience, then I think about what I have heard from others, which were all together bad, but I rarely, willingly sought out an extensive account of what the larger population of women go through; mostly due to my sensitivity towards the topic. In this journey, I got to read a bit more about women and how they are trying to be a part of STEM, but are being hindered greatly by their male peers who refuse to treat them as equals and degrade them in various ways merely because of their gender. The very details of each article read added to my frustration, so I began to think of a way to better women’s experiences in STEM.

The Idea

The idea of creating a website for bridging the gap between men and women in STEM was, at first, fairly doable. Initially, I thought just make a website to get women talking about their experience in STEM, basically whitelisting companies that are okay to work for. Unfortunately, the assignment’s added aspect of an auction-style website is what ultimately threw me off. How does one bring together the idea of the gender gap in STEM and auctioning?

I determined that by building up the female population in STEM and adding more female voices, the gap will close and even out the disparities. By providing an open and welcoming experience, women can see that STEM is a place for them, thus increasing the number of female representatives in STEM. So, the idea of providing STEM experiences or STEMperiences for women to gain positive experiences came to mind.

Of course, it would be difficult to hand everyone an opportunity, so raffling off opportunities funded by women-friendly companies looking to bolster their female population and gain publicity at the same time was my solution. Then I thought about those that are struggling and need a hand in STEM. So, I researched nonprofits supporting women and girls in this area. These nonprofits could benefit from the funds gained through these auctions. Taking this a step further, I created two categories, free entry and paid entry.
Merge Brings Hands-on Digital Teaching Aids to Instagram with Merge Cube
Tags: Augmented Reality, Remote Learning, STEM, Instagram, Education

“Our international community of educators on Instagram and Facebook now have a new resource available to their students and audiences,” said Franklin Lyons, Founder at Merge. “Using the Merge Cube within Instagram unlocks amazing potential for engagement, learning and discovery.”

As part of the launch, Merge has released four bespoke experiences that are available today on Instagram. These experiences contain hands-on digital teaching aid collections that will help students with science-related studies as they continue to learn at home, at school, or in a hybrid environment during and post COVID-19.

Human Body — Hold a beating heart, skull, brain, and lungs in the palm of your hand using Merge Cube and Instagram.

Cells — Get an up-close look at a microscopic plant cell, animal cell, fungal cell, and neuron using the Merge Cube and Instagram.

Viruses — Safely hold and study viruses like the common cold and COVID-19 in the palm of your hand with Merge Cube and Instagram.

The Solar System — Hold the entire solar system in your hand with Instagram and the Merge Cube, and learn about the axial tilt, rotation, and revolution of the Earth and Moon.

Reactions from the education community are overwhelmingly positive as teachers look for ways to educate and connect in this time.

@merge on Instagram

“The new Merge integration with Instagram puts this innovative technology at the fingertips of teachers and students right where they already are: on social media,” says Josie Bensko, 6th grade science teacher. “In a time where technology is used more than ever for education, I can’t think of a better way to push out meaningful content to students.”

“The integration of Merge Cube into Instagram Reels and Stories allows me to showcase amazing augmented reality educational lessons,” said Ty Cook, 7th grade science teacher. “With the launch of the new Merge filter, I can seamlessly show my audience how engaging and meaningful this learning experience can be.”

“The new Merge Cube Instagram filter is a game changer!” says Tanya Diaz-Rothman, Elementary Science and Technology Integration Specialist. “The augmented reality experience Merge Cube offers allows students to understand abstract concepts easily. And with the Instagram filter, it literally allows students to hold the world at the tip of their fingers and become teachers themselves!”

About Merge

Learn how the Merge Cube works

Merge develops award-winning products for K-12 education. Their spatial computing technology lets students touch and interact with digital 3D content that enables exciting new ways to learn.

Merge technology is used in K-12 schools, libraries, museums, universities, healthcare, environmental science, and other industries around the world. For more information, visit www.MergeEdu.com.
UK Universities losing thousands of pounds on STEM courses as funding eroded by cuts and inflation, Russell Group claims
By: Dorothy Lepkowska
Tags: STEM, Funding, Universities Uk

UK Universities losing thousands of pounds on STEM courses as funding eroded by cuts and inflation, Russell Group claims Dorothy Lepkowska Follow Nov 20, 2020 · 2 min read

Universities in the UK are losing thousands of pounds on STEM undergraduate courses because of a decline in per student funding.

Science, technology, engineering and mathematics are among the subjects worst affected, an analysis by the Russell Group of universities suggests. It said that the overall income per student received by higher education institutions in England from Government grants and students’ fees was declining.

The Russell Group analysed Office for Students data which showed that, in 2019/20, lab-based subjects such as chemistry, physics and engineering faced average deficits of £1,848 per year per student, while deficits for medical and dental provision were as high as £2,094 per student.

Even classroom-based courses, such as those in the social sciences and humanities, were now running at a loss of £974 per student.

According to the analysis, by 2023–24 overall funding per student will be very similar in real terms to the level it was in 2011–12 before tuition fees were tripled to £9,000.

Dr Tim Bradshaw, Chief Executive of the Russell Group, said: “Investing in the talent pipeline for future high-level skills will be critical to the UK’s economic recovery, as well as to provide opportunities for those whose prospects have been hit hardest by the pandemic.

“Figures show an ever-widening gap in funding for undergraduate courses, particularly in high-cost subjects such as STEM and medical education. However, even courses in the social sciences and humanities now face significant deficits per student per year as well.

“This puts both the quality of provision and the range of choices available to students at risk, as well as impacting on the ability of the UK to train the next generation of skilled workers, including scientists, engineers, public servants, medics and nurses.”

The Russell Group was urging the government “to invest in the future of young people by guaranteeing teaching grants on a per student basis that are at least at their current levels. Creating more sustainable funding for teaching will ensure academic excellence, choice and opportunities for all students”.

The erosion in funding for undergraduate provision comes as universities are already under financial pressure, grappling with the costs of making campuses Covid-secure, delivering blended learning, and expanding provision of mental health and wellbeing support for students and staff.
Announcing Thanksgiving Free Events & Online Camps — Let the Fun Begin!
By: Create
Tags: Thanksgiving, K12, Coding, STEM, Education

Does your child have time off this Thanksgiving week? These fun events and classes will bring you and your children a fun and fruitful Thanksgiving this year!

Throughout the Thanksgiving week, we will offer a series of Thanksgiving Online Camps that are running daily for an hour on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday. Your child can learn coding, robotics, Arduino, and more. Sign up now to enjoy a 33% off discount for a limited time!

On the weekend, your child can join the free exciting events How To Make Your Own Kahoot! on Saturday and Create Your Own Digital Holiday Cards on Sunday.

Create Your Own Digital Holiday Cards

Nov 29th (Sunday) 10:30am Pacific Time / 1:30pm Eastern Time

In this event, your child will learn to use Canva — a powerful and trendy graphic design platform with a simple interface — and it is free! Our computer design expert will show students examples of great holiday card design and how to use the intuitive drag-and-drop tool in Canva to create their own cards. Sign up for free today!

How To Make Your Own Kahoot!

Nov 28th (Saturday) 11:00am Pacific Time / 2:00pm Eastern Time

Kids love playing Kahoot! as an online game-based learning platform in quiz form. But in this fun event, students will learn to create their own quizzes! Your children can choose an area they are passionate about, and create a Kahoot! game that can include images, video and more. Sign up for free today!

We look forward to seeing you this Thanksgiving! Stay well, and happy holidays. :)

Best,

The Create & Learn Team
Women In Tech: A Long Way To Go
By: Kelsey Dickson
Tags: Women, Women In Tech, Women In Business, STEM, Womens Rights

As you see here, society tells us that technology is a place for males. We start this narrative at a young age, saying to young boys, shoot for the stars (literally). The illusion that technology is an exclusive boys club might start in the toy box, but it is regularly reinforced over time through entertainment, advertising, and pop culture.

A survey conducted by Microsoft found that young girls start showing interest in STEM subjects at age 11 and then lose it again by age 15. While the study couldn't name just one reason for the loss of interest, it did show that lack of female role models in STEM-based careers, lack of mentors, and not getting enough direct experience with STEM activities were some of the reasons they didn’t pursue the field.

Women throughout history have shown that they are great contributors and innovators in technology. However, women still face sobering realities — women make up 50.04% of the U.S. workforce. They have consistently represented roughly one-fourth of STEM jobs in the last 30 years. While women are underrepresented in STEM fields both in the job market and college, there are even fewer women of color. In the fields of science and engineering as doctorate graduates, 86% of those women are White or Asian. Less than 4% are Latinas, and fewer than 3% are Black. Women CEOs continue to be a rarity in the U.S. making up only 4.8% in the tech market. The gender imbalance is often referred to as the STEM gap. Despite the emphasis on gender equality, disproportion remains an issue in this field. Statistics show that women in STEM jobs are paid an average of 89 cents per each dollar that men make.

Clearly, there’s work to be done. We need more people in STEM leadership positions to acknowledge the importance of diversity and inclusion. Young women need to see other women in roles of leadership. Getting more women into tech roles today can help break the cycle of a male-dominated industry.

The conversation is not new and continues to grow louder. One thing that strikes me, however, is how often the articles on this topic seem to focus more on the business case for diversifying the STEM industry and not how these opportunities transform lives for those who are now seeing open doors. Yes, of course investing in a more diverse workforce will benefit a company in a plethora of ways, but that’s missing the point.

Little girls deserve to live in a world where they can be and achieve anything they set their minds to. Let’s focus on the fact that girls and women of all ages benefit from the STEM industry becoming more inclusive. It helps US to lead more meaningful and fulfilling lives both personally and professionally should we choose to pursue that path. It gives US a voice in an industry that is literally shaping the future. And don’t we deserve that? Yes, we do.

Groups I Love:

Black Girls Code

Girls Who Code

Girl Develop It

Women Who Code
LGBT+ STEM Day
By: Stem Response Wlv
Tags: STEM, LGBTQ, Science, University

Coming up on Wednesday 18th November is LGBT+ STEM Day, organised annually by the amazing Pride in STEM society.

Its important to promote STEM subjects and careers as being inclusive, and even more important for employers, teachers, and other professional bodies to support inclusivity and diversity.

The Royal Society of Chemistry recently released their newest LGBT+ Toolkit, freely available for all to read and use. This kit provides the tools for everyone to take part in positive change: employers, colleagues, and LGBT+ individuals.

The Royal Society of Chemistry, 2020.

From tool-kits, to posters and stickers - find the resources you need for guidance and support in making a real difference towards LGBT+ inclusivity in science by visiting the LGBT+ tool-kit page.

The Global Science Show, 2020.

To celebrate LGBT+ STEM Day, and to promote inclusivity and diversity in STEM, this month’s Global Science Show consisted of all LGBT+ presenters! Missed it? Don’t worry, you can catch up on all the amazing presentations on their website, along with any other shows you may have missed, by heading over to their website. This LGBT+ session is supported by Pride in STEM and The STEM Village.

As always, check on the STEM Response Team Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram for more information about LGBT+ STEM Day on the 18th Nov.

By Phoebe Hinton-Sheley
I’m not a drone pilot, so why should I care about drones?
By: Federal Aviation Administration
Tags: Delivery, STEM, Drones, Aviation, Drone Week

By Kenya Williams, FAA Office of Communications

When it comes to drones, I might not seem like the most qualified to speak on the subject. I’m not a professional pilot or recreational flyer; however, I am here to consider the benefits to users of drone services, and what they might look like as we imagine our future — over the next 10 years — with continued safe drone integration.

Kenya Williams, FAA Technical Publications Writer

When I think about ways drones may impact our future, my first thoughts are of travel. Imagine being able to cut your morning commute in half by flying to work. No more sitting in morning traffic for over an hour, you’d be free to nap or catch up on daily news during your flight to work. Or imagine taking a safe and amazing flight to Sunday brunch with your friends! And who knows, maybe drone rides will cut down on traditional traffic, making your on-the-ground commute shorter too.

Over the next few years, I expect we’ll see more deliveries by drones. While this may cut down on drivers, it will increase the demand for professional remote pilots. As we’re seeing with some of our test locations, that could also bring more job opportunities to smaller or rural communities.

This is where the possibilities get really exciting. Can you imagine a drone delivering your groceries to your doorstep? Because I can. Drone delivery could make food more accessible, particularly for communities that are more dependent on public transportation or that exist in food deserts. Instead of having to take a bus to the grocery store, residents would be able to receive their groceries at home — without a negative impact on road traffic.

Just think of all the things that can now be delivered because of the COVID-19 public health emergency. Drones are already showing up to fill a need, being used for good. I think we’ll continue to see that people want delivery conveniences right at their doorstep.

The innovative uses for drones are limitless, and I hope we continue to see an increase in drone education and science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) programs in schools. This is particularly important with younger students, in all communities, because people can’t aspire to become drone pilots if they don’t know the opportunities exist.

Our future with drones will include a learning curve for many of us. As long as we’re open minded, and willing to try new things, I think integration can be a smooth one. Make sure to check out the National Drone Safety Awareness Week events to learn more about what the current world of drones is like. If you’re considering turning your passion for drones into a profession, think about all of the ways you too can influence future drone users like you and me.
Belonging Intersections: Tuesday
By: Allison Curran
Tags: Inquiry, Belonging, Science Education, Instructional Coaching, STEM

As an instructional coach, I get to see a ton of instructional design decision-making every day! The variety in my context means fresh opportunities every day to see ways for education to create belonging for all learners! The specifics of the consulting and coaching requests are always different, but belonging always seems the answer!

This week’s belonging opportunities? Social studies coaching, middle school science coaching, assessment literacy professional development, coteaching coaching, and trauma-informed PD.

One week, day-by-day:

Tuesday: Coaching science instruction.

For science, our state provides optional “visions into practice” (instructional designs) for different cognitive demand levels.

The nuance: higher cognitive demands are not negotiable, but how you get there is.

For example, a sixth grade standard about soil may simply say: “Soil is unconsolidated material that contains organic matter and weathered rock.” The accompanying vision into practices may elevate from “compare soil horizons or use tools like porosity” (recalling accurate science) all the way up to “ using 4 or 5 soil samples, design and conduct an investigation to determine which soil is best to use inside sandbags used for flooding events” (engineering and design.)

The state offers the “visions into practice” ideas but does not mandate their options be used nor does not dictate which cognitive demand to employ. District curricula should do this. In lieu of these decisions being made, I coach into belonging:

How can we use the higher demands to invite learners to discover first and the teacher confirm second? How do the standards help us invite diverse narratives?

Yes, this is science content, but the questions are true for all disciplines.

The coaching then: the topic in the standards document states “this topic focuses on the study of rocks, minerals, and soil, which make up the lithosphere. Classifying and identifying different types of rocks, minerals, and soil can decode the past environment in which they formed.”

“Decode” is the inroad for higher demand and multiple voices.

An additional soil-related standard states “Rocks, minerals and soils have common and practical uses.”

“Uses” is the invitation for higher demand and multiple voices.

I coach:

“What would it look like if we offered the sandbag design BEFORE instruction?”

Belonging creeps in: high expectations for all, student voices, diverse narratives, inquiry, design and problem-solving.

Belonging opportunities are everywhere! It is our job to seek them and design them for instruction!

Check-in for Wednesday: Belonging in Teacher Evaluation and Assessment?!