Coverage of:

 Calling the General Membership Meeting  Member Benefits  2013 Awardees’ Note  2013 Conference Notes and Pictures  Articles and In The News  Junior Scientist Corner  Sharing Useful Links  Wanted: Articles  Wanted: Seasonal Science Pictures and Articles  Wanted: MDSTA Board Members and Liaisons

The purpose of this organization shall be to promote the professional growth of teachers of science at all levels and to improve the quality of science education in the Metropolitan Detroit area.

Spring 2014

2014 MDSTA General Membership Meeting

Tuesday May 13, 2014

For directions to campus see: http://www.ltu.edu/sitemap/directions.asp

Spring 2014 Membership Benefits

As a member of MDSTA you are invited to:

 Apply for the MDSTA-Mini Grants: There are up to six mini-grants awarded annually based on applications. Mini-grant requests can be written for up to $500. To review eligibility and to apply, please visit: http://www.mdsta.org/minigrants  Nominate teachers for the MDSTA Outstanding Educator Award: To apply for the Outstanding Educator Award, please visit: http://www.mdsta.org/awards  Nominate an educator for the Ellen Daniel-Jones Distinguished Service Award: The qualifications for the Ellen Daniel-Jones Distinguished Service Award are leadership, service, and exemplary teaching for over 15 years. To nominate a teacher for this award, please send an email to MDSTA Board Membership Registrar Debby Peters at: [email protected]

Results of the growth and development of the mystery plantings are shared during science night as part of the project "Protecting the Earth”. (Katie Colligan and Erica Brown mini-award)

Spring 2014

2013 Awardee’s Note By Katie Colligan

On November 8th, 2013 Wildwood Elementary was able to host a science night thanks to a $500.00 mini given by MDSTA. The grant was awarded to Katie Colligan and Erica Brown who organized the night with a lot of help from their fabulous staff. The theme was “Earth Heroes” and the hands on activities centered on ways students and their families can protect the earth. A total of 200 parents and students attended. A pizza dinner was served. The families were grouped and rotated through six rooms. They learned about water pollution, alternative energy, conservation, recycling, and natural resources. The event lasted an hour and a half and the responses were overwhelmingly positive! The only complaint that was received was that attendees wished they could have spent more time in each room; they were having so much fun! The entire staff at Wildwood pitched in to make sure the night was a success. A special thank you to:

Jenna Mullins – Principal Andrea Thomas – Social Worker Mary Devine- Kindergarten teacher Judy Thomas – para support Lisa Sheppard – Kindergarten teacher Lisa Freese – para support Heather Hamilton – Kindergarten teacher Gina Toarmina – para support Barb Ross – 1st grade teacher Amy Colligan – volunteer Jaime Craig – 1st grade teacher Mike Sheppard – volunteer Colleen Myles – 2nd grade teacher Jessica Bunjik- volunteer Christine Henzi – 3rd grade teacher Kristen Thomas- volunteer Mary Miller – 3rd grade teacher Jim Crabill – volunteer Bev Patterson – 4th grade teacher Lonnie McCollum – volunteer Cheryl Rujan – Special Ed. Teacher Julie Jones – volunteer Jennifer Crabill – Special Ed. Teacher Miss Welch - volunteer

Katherine Colligan and Erica Brown are teachers at Wildwood Elementary in Westland MI. You can contact Ms. Colligan at: [email protected]

Spring 2014 2013 Joint Conference Notes and Picts 2013 Joint Math and Science conference offered more than 124 sessions of K-12 science and math presentations ranging from content, to methods and teaching, technologies and tools.

Sixty exhibitors were available to demonstrate a wide range of products for both your professional and personal use. From demonstrations on tips and techniques to keep live animals in your classroom (Leslie Science and Nature Center), to printed materials for class content (Pearson School Group), and many other products, all our exhibitors were very happy to help you find new and exciting ways to teach subject matter content. New this year we featured a few boutique vendors, adding a way to get materials or ideas for fundraisers, storage, or gifts.

We also have to thank our sponsors. Without them, organization of the conference would be difficult:

Gold Sponsors: Pearson School Group and STEM.org Ruby Sponsor: Science Center Diamond Sponsor: Lawrence Technological University Emerald Sponsors: Nasco and MEEMIC

While there is never a venue that can please all attendees, Woodhaven High School proved a marvelous location for the conference. The students, staff, teachers and administration involved in both preparation and volunteer work impressed all participants with their helpfulness and eagerness to assist. In the words of one participant “Adult and student help was positive, cheerful, and helpful. Great atmosphere for a conference.”

The MDSTA Board members pulled together free and/or low cost teaching materials from their garages and basements. Both new teachers and more seasoned ones found something at the two set in the gym and on the main hallway.

Department of Education 2013-14 Michigan Teacher of the Year, Gary Abud, Jr., was also on hand for a presentation called “All Aboard the BYOD Express!” A majority of the session’s attendees found the presentation to be excellent. Mr. Abud discussed “how to use mobile devices to support instruction, collaboration, flipped classrooms, assessment, and classroom activities in 1:1 group fashion.”

In the usual fashion, the MESTA Rock Shop had a large display of rocks, minerals and fossils, and geology specimens from different areas of the world for attendees to explore and purchase.

Senator Hopgood visited the conference to meet and talk with attendees. The senator was elected to his first term in the Michigan Senate for the 8th District on November 2, 2010 after serving six years in the Michigan House of Representatives. Senator Hopgood represents the Downriver cities of Allen Park, Ecorse, Lincoln Park, Melvindale, Riverview, Romulus, Southgate, Taylor, Wayne and Wyandotte. Senator Hoon-Yung Hopgood’s late father, Roliie, served as the President of the Michigan Federation of Teachers and School Related Personnel. His mother, Diane, retired as the principal at Johnson Elementary School in Taylor. (Excerpts from Conference program)

We are looking forward to seeing you again this coming November for our Joint conference at the same location. Please enjoy some of the images taken around the venue the day of the conference.

Spring 2014 Conference Sponsors

We thank Metropolitan Detroit Joint Science and Math Conference supporters! We invite you to join us again this year for the annual conference in November. Watch our website for updates.

If you are considering becoming a sponsor or an exhibitor for our upcoming November 2014 conference at Woodhaven High School, MI please contact Pamela Bentley Callaway at [email protected]

Spring 2014 Photos: 2013 Conference Plateau,

Truckee River Outlet, NV

Photos: 2013 Conference Colorado Plateau, Utah

Truckee River Outlet, NV

Photos: 2013 Conference Colorado Plateau, Utah

A Picture is a Worth (=) 103 Words

Page 1(left-to-right and up-to-down): MDSTA Board Members’ gently used teaching materials table David Bydlowski - Linking the NGSS with Our Current Lesson Plans Exhibitor table – Pamela Callaway and Denise Hafner On-site registration area Attendees make their way to another session – Woodhaven HS Recognizing our sponsors – Pearson (gold) Michael Hall - Math and Science in the Talented and Gifted Classroom Recognizing our sponsors – STEM.org (gold)

Page 2(left-to-right and up-to-down): Don Pata - Cool Tools for Electrostatics and Magnetism

Recognizing our sponsors – Michigan Science Center (Ruby) Grand iPad raffle winner- Kathleen Hekkinen Recognizing our sponsors – Lawrence Technological University (Diamond) MESTA Rock Shop

Page 3(left-to-right and up-to-down): MDSTA President Jermaine Evans at the free educational materials table Elementary Extravaganza Yum lunch area Join conference paparazzi – Catherine Maxwell and friend Richard Strausz and Keith Weiner of DACTM

Spring 2014

Making Your Own Models WANTED: by Connie Eisenhart Articles for A model is the most basic element of our scientific method. Nearly everything junior scientists work on is a model. As a science teacher, Upcoming models help us explain ideas, how things work and operate and they are convenient. I am a “Hands On’ science teacher, who happens to do everything with hands on teaching. Whether it is making a model of a cell, heart, skeletal or digestive system, neurons, volcano’s, planets, chemistry it’s all learning through the Scientific Method.

MDSTA

Newsletters

The Metropolitan Detroit Science Teachers Association wants to publish your articles in an upcoming issue of the newsletter. We are interested in articles on various science and education topics that are appropriate for the Pre-K-12 classroom. Your favorite lessons, updates to sites for teachers or interactive lessons, conference participation and cool ideas for reading are just the beginning. Let us know of upcoming events at your school!

Send articles to Valentina Tobos at [email protected]

Spring 2014

SOLVING THE UNSOLUBLE: The eighth graders are planet. To make your own planet each student chooses completing their studies in Chemistry. They have been a gas or habitat planet. Making their planet they had to working on labs using the following terms: solutions, choose how much air, oceans, mix of islands and solute, solvent, and dissolving. The lab we finished is continents they will have. It was out of this defining dissolving. How can you tell when a substance UNIVERSE! is dissolved? Students will see that sugar and food coloring dissolve in water but neither dissolves in oil. Students can conclude that both solids and liquids can Connie Eisenhart is a science teacher at Guardian dissolve, but they don’t necessarily dissolve in all Angels Catholic School and the treasurer of the liquids. MDSTA Board of Directors. Contact Ms. Eisenhart at Seventh graders create models of a heart and a neuron [email protected] cell using play dough. In this lab exercise, students will examine the major components of the circulatory and nervous system before they create their models. This is a really enjoyable, educational science project to do with students!

OUT OF THE UNIVERSE: Sixth graders (see pictures above) have finished up a unit on the Planets, Constellations and Space. Students did several projects: adopt a constellation and make your own

Spring 2014 The Junior Science and Humanities Symposium (JSHS): A SHOWCASE FOR THE PRACTICE OF STUDENT RESEARCH By Sandra Yarema

The 50th Annual Southeast Michigan Junior Science and Humanities Symposium will take place on Thursday, March 6 and Friday, March 7, 2014, at the McGregor Conference Center on the main campus of Wayne State University. The Junior Science and Humanities Symposium (JSHS) Program is sponsored by the Academy of Applied Sciences and the U.S. Army, Navy, and Air Force. Since its inception in 1958, the primary aims of JSHS are to promote research and experimentation at the secondary school level and to recognize students for original research achievements. Participation in the JSHS aligns with the need for students to apply practices of science and engineering as outlined in the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) and the supporting Framework for K-12 Science Education. Every year, high school students throughout southeastern Michigan attend a no-cost, two-day symposium, coordinated by the College of Education at Wayne State University, where they present their research and participate in a number of other activities. JSHS participants have an opportunity to receive substantial scholarship awards at the regional and national levels. Over 1,000 students and their teachers participate annually, in 48 regional symposia held at university campuses throughout the , Puerto Rico, and Department of Defense schools in Europe and the Pacific. Five finalists from each regional JSHS are invited to attend the National JSHS free of charge; first and second finalists from each region present their research at the National JSHS, held at a selected educational institution or military base in late April or early May. The first place finalists in each category at the National JSHS (over 400 from 60 nations) are invited to attend the London International Youth Science Forum (July, 2014) all expenses paid. Significant awards are available to regional and national JSHS presenters. Scholarship recipients must be USA citizens or permanent USA residents. Three scholarships are awarded to the finalists of the regional JSHS: $2,000 to 1st place - $1,500 to 2nd place - $1,000 to 3rd place These scholarship awards are payable upon matriculation at the university of the student's choice. The teacher of the first place finalist from each region also receives a $500 honorarium. Finalists in each of the categories at the National JSHS are additionally awarded: $12,000.00 to 1st place - $8,000, 00 to 2nd place - $4,000.00 to 3rd place Please visit http://coe.wayne.edu/ted/science/jshs/index.php to attend or to find out more about the 50th Southeast Michigan JSHS: Nurturing the Next Generation of Scientists. Also visit the national website http://www.jshs.org/ for more information about JSHS- a prestigious scholarship program to engage Grades 9- 12 in scientific inquiry.

Sandra Yarema is the JSHS Program Assistant in the College of Education at Wayne State University

Spring 2014 The Harvest is Plenty: Scientific Literacy at Divine Child High School By Serge Danielson-Francois

Liz Bloomfield and I presented in November 2013 at MDSTA on our science journalism and scientific research initiatives. We sat down this week (February 17) to reflect on what these efforts have meant to us as professional educators. Nearly three years ago, Liz, Steve Dickie (our colleague and the Physics teacher at Divine Child High School - DCHS), and I decided to anchor scientific literacy for our students in a deliberate engagement of scientific peer-reviewed literature. Since that fateful decision, the science that we support (from Science Fair in the sophomore year through electives such as Physics and Honors Physics, Anatomy and Physiology and Genetics in the junior and senior years) involves conscientious inquiry using articles from Elsevier’s Science Direct. Our students learn to dissect abstracts, uncover hidden assumptions in the materials and methods sections of professional papers and engage the areas for future research that discussion sections reveal. They also learn to read figures, charts and tables and make strategic inferences.

Our Falcons are conversant in the cutting edge investigative protocols that are reshaping many scientific fields of study. Liz and I are particularly proud of the two dozen students who have participated in our six-week summer scientific research seminars that have offered students new ways of interpreting the debate on climate change (Summer 2012) and the burgeoning field of evolutionary medicine (Summer 2013). This coming summer we will be delving deep into epigenetics (Summer 2014). This three-year initiative has encouraged us to travel to the Sackler Colloquia at the National Academy of Sciences (May 2012 and March 2014) to meet with pioneering researchers and bring back these exciting conversations to our students. We also went to the Unite for Sight Conference at Yale (April 2013) where international aid policy and scientific inquiry intersect. Our commitment to scientific literacy has led us to model for our students the active lifelong learning that we expect them to pursue whether their formal vocation is science or not. We have told them on more than one occasion that if you really want to know, you must go out and see.

This is the story that we shared in November at MDSTA, and we were heartened to hear that a dozen of our colleagues across the metro Detroit area are equally passionate about this inextricable link between scientific literacy and informed citizenship. Over the course of an hour, current classroom teachers and future classroom teachers shared their hopes and dreams for a more substantive debate on scientific issues in the public eye such as climate change and teaching evolution in schools. We shared the resources that we have found useful such as the Oxford Book of Science Writing edited by Richard Dawkins and Nonsense on Stilts by Massimo Pigliucci. We also placed a spotlight on the primary sources such as the journals of John Muir that our budding naturalists devoured last summer. We spent most of the hour talking about the metacognitive trajectory that our students follow over time. In the beginning, their lack of comfort with peer-reviewed research is evident. We create a safe environment by encouraging healthy intellectual risk taking. We foster a sense of comfort (even if it is unmerited)

Spring 2014 by providing students with a method for approaching all journal articles when they encounter them. Repeated exposure to the same method allows students to develop confidence to begin to engage with articles independent of our approbation or correction. Our students become partners in the cause for truth.

Scientific literacy at Divine Child is rooted in partnership. Professional collaboration between subject experts in science and knowledge management guides in the high school library as well as the science librarian, Joel Seewald, at UM Dearborn has borne extraordinary fruit. Our Falcons are immersed in the art of scientific communication for the public good. We have seen this firsthand in the multiple ways that our Genetics students used knowledge to make a difference last semester. They wrote letters to support a local television personality battling vitiligo, to admonish a local radio station that was raffling off in vitro fertilization, and to show compassion through the “Got Your 6” letter writing campaign for veterans with PTSD. Scientific literacy is the linchpin for this level of civic participation. In our faith-based education context, this work resides in the sphere of moral faith formation. The accent on relevance and authenticity and the intentional focus on matters of conscience are replicable across a variety of contexts.

Serge Danielson-Francois is a Librarian at Divine Child High School in Dearborn and Liz Bloomfield is DCHS Science Department chairperson. You can contact Mr. Danielson-Francois at: [email protected]

Picture caption: DCHS Field trip to Dearborn at Ford Environmental Center just outside theF150 plant

Teachers in the News

From the Desk of David Bydlowski

“Diana R. Johns, a teacher of Advanced Placement Environmental Science (APES) at Crestwood High School in Dearborn Heights, Michigan USA, has been involved with GLOBE since 1995 and has influenced the path of many students over the years.” Read the full article at: http://www.globe.gov/web/guest/news/newsdetail/globe/community-spotlight-diana-r-johns

David Bydlowski is a Science Consultant for Wayne RESA and a member of the MDSTA Board of Directors. Contact David at [email protected]

Do you have a (science) picture you would like to share? The best entry picture will be featured in the next newsletter. By submitting the picture you give MDSTA permission to publicize the photo in the MDSTA newsletter. Please add a caption including location, general information on topic, etc. For the Summer 2014 newsletter send pictures and info no later than the end of April to Valentina Tobos at [email protected]

Spring 2014 Virtual field trips take students into the labs Teachers are using + to bring their classes behind the scenes at national laboratories and to teach students about careers in STEM. By Andy Freeberg http://www.symmetrymagazine.org/article/february-2014/virtual-field-trips-take-students-into-the- labs?email_issue=408 Included with permission from Symmetry Magazine

Cormac, a high school student from Journeys School in Jackson Hole, , had a question: How does dark matter interact with regular matter? It’s a tough one; even today’s brightest physicists don’t yet completely know the answer. Fortunately, Cormac’s teacher was off the hook. Dark matter researcher Andrea Albert, connected by video from SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, was happy to respond. “That’s a great question,” she began. Physicists work in unique, incredible places. But students interested in science, technology, engineering or math (STEM) careers who don’t live near a laboratory may never get the opportunity to see a real-life scientist in action. Now, thanks to Google+ Hangouts and a related Google Education program called Connected Classrooms, several of the nation’s most renowned physics labs are offering students “virtual field trips.” Through these visits, they can see inside facilities and ask experts questions. “Our basic idea with Connected Classrooms was that in many cases classes face both logistical and financial challenges to going on field trips,” says Lisa Jiang, who works on the Google+ Education and STEM team. “So we thought: Why don’t we use Hangouts to bring field trips to them?” And while seeing a lab through a computer screen isn’t quite the same as experiencing it in person, the virtual field trips benefit because it’s much easier to bring a laptop into many labs than it is to bring a class full of students. At their core, the virtual tours offer a practical, real-world perspective on STEM careers and dispel inaccurate notions people may have of what the Department of Energy’s national labs do, Jiang says. Last week, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory hosted a virtual field trip for two high schools: one in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, and the other in Jeffersonville, . The field trip included a particle accelerator expert showing off the disappearing vantage point of SLAC’s 2-mile-long linear accelerator, a condensed matter physicist pointing out a chamber where samples are blasted with high-energy pulses from the Linac Coherent Light Source X-ray laser, and Andrea Albert, the astrophysicist mentioned earlier, surrounded by the blinking lights of an array that simulates data for the Large Area Telescope onboard NASA’s Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope. This was the third virtual field trip for Katie Hutchinson, an eLearning coach who works with Jeffersonville High School. “There is something completely exciting, even as an adult, about watching events unfold live,” Hutchinson says. “But even more, it makes the world a smaller place. I think for some kids, there are jobs and places that seem unreachable. Virtual field trips help students see people in these careers and parts of the world are actually so much like them.” In addition to connecting directly with classrooms, Google+ Hangouts are also broadcast live to the public. This means even high schools that aren’t directly in the Hangout itself can watch on Google+ and ask the scientists questions through a Q&A interface. More than 100 people joined for last week’s SLAC field trip, including a high school physics class from Caracas, Venezuela, who submitted a question about the capabilities of the linear accelerator. The virtual field trips are also recorded and available immediately afterward on YouTube (see the video of SLAC’s virtual field trip below, including the answer to Cormac’s question at the 28:46 mark).

Spring 2014 Junior Scientist Corner Opinion piece – By Dean Jarois

Teaching is the most important career that one can pursue. That is why it is in my future. Not only do teachers pass on their skill, but they multiply it by thirty, five or more times a day. That is incredible! I commend you for all your hard work. David Bohm described teaching, especially math and science- as “Unfolding Meaning.” Every student, teacher, and parent can interpret this differently, but when I hear this, I think about a cootie catcher. You see, cootie catchers are a lot like science. It begins with an observation. Then, you ask a question and design an experiment. Here you get some data. Then, you get a CLUe. A clue is not an answer. You need to keep going with your experiment. Some of your experiments might gather pros for your hypothesis. Sometimes you get CONs. You must make sure that you take your measurements in SI units. Some data might be ambiguous. Are you ON the right track? Yes or NO? But in the end, when you gather all your evidence, the answer unfolds in front of you. So, as I said, everyone interprets Bohm’s paradox in a different way. Some teachers at my school base their curriculum on inquiry alone. Although an interesting, innovative, and unique approach that Bohm would be proud of, I would like to suggest a possible way of teaching science. My approach is highly organized and very fun for both students and teachers. I, personally, use this approach to introduce concepts to students that I tutor in chemistry. I also feel that if more teachers used this method, it would personally benefit me as a student. Believe it or not, some teachers already do something similar to this without even realizing what they are doing. In fact, after surveying a sample of math, science, English, language, and music teachers at my school, all of whom I asked admit to doing this. The method is surprisingly simple to employ. First, let’s analyze the typical science lesson. Students are lectured at about something alien to them, and then regurgitate that information on an assessment. But, thinking back to the cootie catcher demonstration, that is not how the scientific method works. If science starts with an observation, then why do science classes often start with a conclusion? In fact, if you ponder this, you will notice that many science classes work in exact opposite of the scientific method. Some lessons even lack the most important part- the OBSERVATION. There would be no scientific method without observation, so why do science classes often lack it? It is certainly no misunderstanding. I feel that science classes would help me, as well as my peers, if it reflected the scientific method. It is actually really simple. Begin each class, every class, every day, with an observation. It doesn’t have to be a demonstration, as long as it involves the senses. Any demo, image, video, or example will do. Ask your students questions, about what they think, is happening. Allow them to ask and answer their own questions. Encourage your students to share their own thoughts with the class. Discuss ways to find clues that might lead to an answer. The rest of class is for teaching. Make sure the observation and the lesson are somehow related. After your lecture, encourage students to form their own conclusions. You might wish to have your students share their conclusion with the class, or you may wish to have them write it down and turn it in for credit. Allow them to relate it all. This all should take only about 5-10 minutes each class, depending what you do, but it will greatly benefit your students. You see what I did here? I began this article by sharing with you all a simple observation: the cootie catcher. We answered questions about it. We gathered evidence. My presentation here was the epitome of the scientific method. Here is what I will leave up to you. Design your own experiment and test it with your students to see if my method works in your classroom. Try to revolve your lesson plans around the scientific method, especially the most important part- observation. Put your own CLU in your conCLUsion! Thank you very much for reading and I hope that this works well for you!

Dean Jarois is a student - class of 2015 - at Divine Child High School, a TA for chemistry, a winner of DCHS science fair, and involved in science research with Henry Ford Community College.

Spring 2014 LINKS

SCIENCE ASSOCIATIONS http://www.nasa.gov/audience/foreducators/spacelif MDSTA Home page: http://www.mdsta.org/ e/explorationdesign/overview/index.html#.UdLvoB MDSTA Become a Member: ZU3dI http://www.mdsta.org/join-mdsta MDSTA Awards and Grants Applications: March 20, 2014: Deadline for K-12 Students to http://www.mdsta.org/member-benefits Doodle 4 Google. Please visit: MSTA (State organization): www.msta-mich.org http://www.google.com/doodle4google/index.htm DACTM (Mathematics): www.dactm.org l MI – AAPT (physics): http://web.miaapt.org/home NABT (biology): http://www.nabt.org March 21, 2014: Deadline for 6th – 12th grade students to enter the “Fiction in Science” Video Contest. Please visit: http://www.usasciencefestival.org/2014- Important DATES festival/2014-contests/kavli-video-contest-2013- 2014.html Starting and Sustaining a School Garden Tuesday, March 25th, 2014 March 28, 2014: Deadline for students ages 8 -18 8:30am-4:30pm to enter the Craig Tufts’ Youth and Nature Tollgate’s Conference Center Essay Contest. Please visit: 28115 Meadowbrook Rd, Novi, MI http://www.nwf.org/what-we-do/kids-and- Register at: nature/programs/craig-tufts-scholarship.aspx http://tollgate.msu.edu/schoolprograms/workshops March 31, 2014: Deadline for K-5 Students to enter March 4, 2014: Deadline for the Siemen’s We Can the My Green School Art Contest. Please visit: Change the World Challenge. Please visit: http://usgbcdetroit.org/index.php/committees/24- http://www.wecanchange.com/user/register/?utm_s green- ource=SSD1MMNonK8&utm_medium=112113&u schools?utm_source=Art+Contest+Reminder+2&ut tm_campaign=SSD+Fall+2013 m_campaign=Green+School+Save+the+Date&utm _medium=email March 7, 2014: Deadline for High School Students to enter the Clean Tech Competition. March 31, 2014: Deadline for MS and HS Please visit: Students to enter the Engineering for YOU http://www.cleantechcompetition.org Video Contest. Please visit: http://www.nae.edu/e4u/?utm_medium=etmail& March 12, 2014: Deadline for K-8 students to enter utm_source=National%20Academy%20of%20E the 2014 Kirtland’s Warbler Young Artist Calendar ngineering&utm_campaign=Spotlight+10-18- Contest. Please visit: 13&utm_content=&utm_term http://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENT S/stelprdb5346709.pdf April 1, 2014: Deadline for K – 5 Students to enter the My Green School Art Contest. Please visit: March 12 - 14, 2014: MACUL Conference in http://usgbcdetroit.org/index.php/committees/24- Grand Rapids, MI. Please visit: http://macul.org green- schools?utm_source=December+2014+Greenschool March 14, 2014: Deadline for K-12 Students to s+Newsletter+&utm_campaign=GS+dec13&utm_m enter the NASA Exploration Design Challenge. edium=email Please visit:

Spring 2014 April 15, 2014: Deadline for Students in Grades June 24 – 26, 2014: Grandparents, Grandkids and 8 – 11 to apply for the TOMODACHI Toshiba Grand Valley at Grand Valley State University in Science and Technology Leadership Academy. Allendale, MI. Please visit: Please visit: http://www.gvsu.edu/g3 www.exploravision.org

April 22, 2014: Deadline for students in grades 5 – Important Dates is an excerpt from the Michigan 8 to submit a video for the “America’s Top Young Science Matters Network. For a full list Scientist” competition. Please visit: contact David Bydlowski Michigan Coordinator— http://www.youngscientistchallenge.com/2014- Science Matters Network, MDSTA Web challenge administrator and Wayne RESA liaison at [email protected] April 25, 2014: Best Early Research Symposium at Andrews University in Berrien Springs, MI. Please indicate your willingness to participate by contacting Dr. Desmond Murray at (269) 757- MSTA 1641 and/or via email at [email protected] March 6 – 8, 2014: MSTA Annual Conference in Lansing, MI. Please visit: http://msta-mich.org April 25, 2014: Digital Divas Conference for Girls Interested in STEM at Eastern Michigan University. To attend the conference or have your child attend, NSTA email [email protected] to RSVP. The National Science Teacher Association conferences coming up: April 25, 2014: Deadline for Students 13 – 19 Years Old to apply to attend the 4-H Renewable 2014 National Conference, Boston, MA (April 3-6) Energy Camp at MSU in East Lansing, MI. Please visit: 2015 Chicago National Conference (March 26– http://4h.msue.msu.edu/events/4_h_renewable_e 29) nergy_camp For more information go to: http://www.nsta.org/conferences/

Visit the MDSTA table at the Michigan Science Teacher Association conference March 6 – 8, 2014 in Lansing

Spring 2014 Come Join the MDSTA Board of Directors Team!

Are you interested in joining a team of dynamic professionals from the metropolitan area? Become more involved by considering being on the board of directors of the MDSTA. We are looking for all levels of teacher education, from pre-school to higher education, both teachers and administrators. All professionals from the tri- county public, charter, or private schools may participate. Home school educators are welcome. Submit your name and contact information to:

Pamela Callaway via email [email protected]

Liaisons NEEDED: we are looking for individuals that can play a liaison role between MDSTA and other local and regional teacher organizations such as: ACS, DACTM, MABT, MACUL, Michigan Science Center, MSELA, MSTA, MESTA, and AAPT. Contact Pamela Callaway if interested.

2014 MDSTA Board of Directors

Pamela Bentley Callaway - Appointed Debby Peters - Membership Registrar Executive Director Marilyn Rands Cassandra Cayce – President Elect Natalie Rich Connie Eisenhart - Treasurer Barbarose Syrian Jermaine Evans - President Valentina Tobos - Newsletter Margaret Griffin Kelvin Wise Denise Hafner - Secretary David Bydlowski - Web Administrator, Arlene Hicks Wayne RESA Liaison Donald Johnson

Metropolitan Detroit Science Teachers Association P.O. Box 2279, Detroit, MI 48202

Email us at: [email protected]

Spring 2014 Interested in developing a forensic science course in your school? Want to learn how to set up a "crime scene"? Need more information about forensic techniques? CSI:LAWRENCE TECH

Forensic Science Summer Workshop for Educators at Lawrence Technological University

CSI:Lawrence Tech, designed for educators, can provide the ideas to help you develop your course work, engage your students, and teach forensic science using an integrated science approach. You will work alongside police officers and experts trained in forensic science.

This hands-on workshop focuses on: • Accident reconstruction • Blood spatter analysis • Glass analysis • Ballistics • Fingerprints and impressions • DNA fingerprinting • Forensic entomology • Crime scene processing • Legal issues

CSI:Lawrence Tech is organized by Lawrence Technological University in collaboration with Kathy Mirakovits, a Michigan educator who launched this program in 2003 and has successfully offered it ever since.

Participants who successfully complete CSI:Lawrence Tech can earn State Continuing Education Clock Hours (SCECHs, formerly SB-CEUs) or up to three graduate credit hours. If you decide to take this workshop for graduate credit, graduate tuition fees will apply (for more information, call 248.204.3516).

For further information or to register for the workshop, call 248.204.3516 or email [email protected].

THE WORKSHOP WILL BE HELD ON THE LTU CAMPUS. JULY 7 – 11, 2014, 8:30 A.M. – 3:30 P.M. LUNCH INCLUDED. THE COST IS $275.

Lawrence Technological University | College of Arts and Sciences 21000 West Ten Mile Road, Southfield, MI 48075-1058 | 248.204.3500 | www.ltu.edu

csi LTU flyer v7.indd 1 10/18/13 7:34 AM