The Rover Observation and Drone Survey (ROADS) on Mars Student Challenge was planned as a big celebratory event on May 2nd hosting up to 48 robotics teams in grades 3-12 from around the state. Obviously, that didn’t happen thanks to COVID-19. Yet, NAU’s Center for Science Teaching and Learning and University of Washington’s Northwest Earth and Space… Read more
The Center for Science Teaching and Learning (CSTL) is excited to announce that doctoral studies in science education are now available!
This year the CSTL completed a move to the College of Education at NAU. This allowed us to join the recently revamped Curriculum and Instruction (C&I) doctoral program and offer science education as an official field of study. Students will work closely with a CSTL faculty member while engaging in… Read more
PLANETS received an extension from NASA for another 5 years of our cooperative agreement! Planetary Learning that Advances the Nexus of Engineering, Technology, and Science (PLANETS) is an out-of-school time (OST) program for youth in grades 3–8 that provides STEM learning with an emphasis on integrating NASA planetary science and engineering, particularly for underserved audiences. The extension is to optimize learning, engagement, and broader use through effective practices for both STEM learning and diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility (DEIA)… Read more
Rover Observation And Drone Survey (ROADS) on Asteroids is a science, engineering, and technology challenge for students in grades 3-12 designed to follow… Read more
Northern Arizona University’s Center for Science Teaching and Learning (CSTL), along with many Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) partners hosted the Lunar Legacy Invitational Robotics Challenges on July 19th and 20th. Robotics teams from all over the world participated in the three challenges. Each challenge required their robots to perform certain tasks with precision and accuracy. In the Apollo Next Giant Leap Student (ANGLeS) challenge, the winning team was from Killip Elementary here in Flagstaff, Arizona.
Middle School and High… Read more
Recently I had the opportunity to attend the 2017 Leadership Summit of the National Science Education Leadership Association (NSELA) held in conjunction with the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) annual national conference in Los Angeles, CA. Dr. Drew Westen of Emory University, one of the keynote speakers at the NSELA summit, talked about (and challenged us to think about) how the impact of a message depends on the design and delivery… Read more
In November 2015, I had the opportunity to visit Woodstock School in India. I spent 10 of the 14 years of my school teaching career at Woodstock School (1983 – 1993). This trip was an invitation by the school to consult with them about how to integrate STEM into their curriculum. During my visit there, I had several meetings with department chairs and other administrators, and got to teach 3 classes… Read more
May is the month of final exams, AP exams, graduations, and other activities and events associated with the end of the academic year. It is also a month when many of us in the education profession reflect back at the year that was, look forward to the break that is coming, and perhaps even ponder over the next academic year when we will return to do it all over again: for… Read more
Questions abound about the future of science education, but there is no need to look any further than the new Science and Health Building on the Northern Arizona University campus to appreciate the university’s commitment to doing something about it.
The impressive five-story structure serves as a focal point that symbolizes NAU’s rise to scientific and research prominence. And once inside the expansive atrium with angular sight lines, even… Read more
