Programs at Arizona State University 2020 STEM Report Ask an Anthropologist ASU Brain Fair
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Science Technology Engineering and Math Programs at Arizona State University 2020 STEM Report Ask An Anthropologist ASU Brain Fair Many resources on the web provide The ASU Brain Fair events are facts about how we became human, the brainchild of ASU professor but too few provide classroom Heather Bimonte-Nelson, director teachers with content that engages of the Department of Psychology’s young people in human origins and Behavioral Neuroscience of Memory the scientific method. Inspired by Ask and Aging Lab. The ASU Brain Fair A Biologist, Ask An Anthropologist outreach events have taught more aspires to build an online community than 10,000 elementary school of science and social studies children from across the valley about educators focused on middle- and science, brains, neurons and the high-school learners. News stories importance of college. The science of and activities, translations to Spanish the brain goes hand-in-hand with the ASU Open Door Arizona FIRST®LEGO® League and links to Next Generation Science message that Bimonte-Nelson aims Standards categories will expand to get across: “You are responsible this resource and provide teachers for making the decisions which will and their students with invaluable affect your future. Your brain makes each outing offers a window into the community involvement and friendly tools to investigate our ancient those decisions. Education gives creative energy that powers a world- STEM Partner Programs sportsmanship. In 2020, 260 teams past. The site is supported by the you knowledge and nourishes the class university. Visitors can go back participated in league activities and ASU Institute of Human Origins. brain, and knowledge is power.” to medieval times, learn calligraphy Arizona State University constantly strives to better connect with and more than 700 students from 98 askananthropologist.asu.edu The events are led by Bimonte- and experience science, math, contribute to the STEM community. One way the university does this is teams went on to compete at the state Nelson and her laboratory students, physics, green energy, biomedicine, championship tournament, sponsored and many scientists from the forensics, pottery-making, art through partner programs supported by university initiatives or with National by the Ira A. Fulton Schools of psychology department and across and robotics, space exploration, Science Foundation funding. ASU’s K-12 science, technology, engineering Engineering. outreach.engineering. ASU contribute to these outreach nursing, sustainability and more. asu.edu/azfll endeavors. The ASU Brain Fair events This free event attracts more than and mathematics programs are part of hundreds of community engagement include Brain Booths at local high 40,000 members of the community programs across the valley designed to tap into and inspire early STEM school science and career fairs as to the ASU campuses each year. Ask A Biologist well as at community events such opendoor.asu.edu interests, from summer programs to world-class museums, internships, as Comicon and Fan Fusion, and events and K-12 activities and teacher training. Ask A Biologist is a web-based K-12 classroom visits to grades K-12. There science education program that are also science career panels where engages preK-12 students, teachers, high school students are bused to Arizona Geographic Alliance and other local, national and state parents, home-schoolers and lifelong ASU to communicate directly with groups. Membership totals more learners. Started in 1997, this award- scientists about science-related Arizona Geographic Alliance than 3,800 educators. In the last 18 winning website is now visited more careers. These events to foster the strengthens geography education years, the 645 workshops and 450 than 18.2 million times a year and was wonders of science and power of in Arizona. The alliance receives online lessons have impacted 20,000 used in more than 7,000 classrooms knowledge are in celebration of Brain support from grants and ASU’s teachers who are instructing 930,000 in 2019. Ask A Biologist offers stories Awareness Week, a campaign to School of Geographical Science students. geoalliance.asu.edu/ of cutting-edge science, profiles increase public awareness about the and Urban Planning. The alliance azga of scientists, online games, image brain associated with the Society ASU Preparatory partners with the National Council galleries, puzzles, coloring pages, for Neuroscience. psychology.asu. Academy for Geography Education, National podcasts, classroom lessons and edu/content/brain-fairs-children Geographic Education Foundation Arizona FIRST® LEGO® more. At the core of this multimedia League program is the Ask A Question Ask An Anthropologist: feature, which has answered more Human Skeleton Anatomy ASU Open Door ASU Preparatory Academy ® ® Arizona Geographic Arizona FIRST LEGO League is than 42,000 nonhomework questions activity available Alliance an exciting and fun, global robotics posed to Dr. Biology. Dr. Biology for download for fun With more than 360 activities and The ASU Preparatory Academy coloring while learning. program created to get children is a portal through which working performances in a festival of the is a tuition-free network of K-12 ages 9 to 14 excited about science, scientists and graduate students Did you know that the sciences, culture, engineering, charter schools. Whether they are technology, engineering, art and volunteer their knowledge and time human skeleton has more humanities, health and the arts, ASU building a robot, creating a solar than 200 bones? math. The league uses theme- to support the community’s Q&A Open Door is held in February on machine or developing solutions based challenges to help young activity. Now used in every country in the Downtown Phoenix, Polytechnic, to save the earth’s resources, ASU students discover the fun in solving the world, this educational resource Tempe and West campuses. A Prep’s more than 3,000 students real-world problems through is visited by more than 49,000 people signature event of the Arizona SciTech receive personalized attention, robots, research projects and daily and has materials in 18 different Festival and rated one of the top project-based learning and build teamwork and emphasizes learning, languages. askabiologist.asu.edu events since it was founded in 2012, critical thinking skills. A university- 2 | STEM PROGRAMS AT ASU 2020 STEM REPORT | 3 embedded academic program, ASU plants, shells, fish, reptiles, birds journey blends digital experiences Prep empowers students to complete and mammals are also represented. (3D immersive games, career and college, compete globally and In addition, the center manages the personality inventories, online contribute to their communities. ASU National Ecological Observatory mentors) with real-world experiences, Prep Digital also offers a high school Network Biorepository, which such as hands-on STEM activities, and university learning environment accommodates 110,000 diverse interviewing professionals, completing 100% online, including full-time or organismal samples annually. college and scholarship applications part-time classes. asuprep.asu.edu NEON is a 30-year project, and and more. gamesandimpact.org/ and asuprepdigital.org the biorepository at ASU supports taiga_river and gamesandimpact. its continental-scale environmental org/initiatives/stem-mio monitoring and forecasting research. All collections are actively engaged in learning and outreach activities, including K-12 and lifelong learning programs that reach 3,000 to 5,000 community members each year. biokic.asu.edu Center for Games and Impact ASU Prep Poly STEM Academy ASU Prep Poly STEM ASU’s Center for Games and Impact Academy works with schools in Arizona to leverage the power of game- The STEM Academy has two based learning to implement a new school sites, an elementary school curriculum that is personally engaging CyberDay4Girls and a middle school, on the ASU and supports deep learning. The Polytechnic campus. Designed for center, directed by Professor Sasha grades K-7, the academy prepares Barab, produced the Mystery of students to partner with ASU Taiga River and Boone’s Meadow. COMPUGIRLS providing underserved girls five years’ CyberDay4Girls researchers and gain hands-on Taiga River centers on a water quality worth of experiences that prepare experience. The STEM Academy mystery to teach scientific argument An award-winning, culturally them for entering and persisting in IT Because women are typically offers rigorous training in science, to students 10 to 14 years old. Using responsive technology program and cybersecurity careers that can underrepresented in cybersecurity math, English and Spanish, music, this game, students take on the role Center for Advanced for girls from grades 8-12, advance their communities. cgest. roles, ASU’s CyberDay4Girls art, leadership, social studies and of an environmental scientist who Studies in Global COMPUGIRLS blends the learning asu.edu/compugirls introduces middle-school girls to physical education. asuprep.asu. embarks on a scientific investigation; Education of advanced computational skills the field of cybersecurity, hosted by edu/schools/polystem the students use water quality with key areas of social justice the ASU Global Security Initiative indicators to solve the problem of Teacher training in the community to boost aptitude and interest Cryptorally in partnership with IBM. Held on dying fish in the Taiga River. Boone’s extends around the globe through