We’re just days away from the first NSTA area conference of the year. We’ll be making ourselves at home at the Greater Richmond Convention Center in Richmond, Virginia, from October 16-18, and we invite you to join us as we Celebrate Science Inside and Out!

We kick things off on Thursday morning (October 16) with keynote speaker Brendan Mullan at 9:15am. Mullan, 2013 National Geographic Emerging Explorer, national champion of the 2012 U.S. FameLab science communication competition, and director of the Buhl Planetarium and Observatory at the Carnegie Science Center in Pittsburgh, PA, will talk about Selling the Science Story. Attendees will learn about new avenues in SETI (the search for extraterrestrial intelligence) and the types of 21st-century skills that he thinks students will need to become “interstellar archaeologists.” After the keynote, conference attendees will have an exclusive opportunity to meet Mullan in the Exhibit Hall at the National Geographic booth # 223. Our staff can’t wait to meet him personally and to thank National Geographic for sponsoring his appearance.

Programming-wise, we’ve hand-selected and vetted more than 200 unique sessions, workshops, and presentations resulting in a diverse range of professional learning opportunities with something for everyone—from classroom teachers to administrators and informal educators at all age levels and interests. You can check out all the sessions online via the Session Browser, or view the program preview (pdf).

We would like to recognize and thank our outstanding Exhibitors who have lots of exciting hands-on activities in store for you. We have more than 80 unique exhibits to visit and have put together a list highlighting the must-see activities that will take place in the Exhibit Hall over the course of the conference. But the list just shows a few, so to better plan your visit and see which goodies you’ll want to take home to your school, review all of the Richmond Exhibitors by taking a spin around the online floorplan, which includes a roster of exhibitors, a description of what they’ll be featuring, and where they’re located in the Exhibit Hall.

As part of this special conference, NSTA is hosting a Celebration of Literacy and Science, which will be on Saturday. Eight nationally renowned authors will discuss their books, meet and greet attendees, and host book signings and readings throughout the event. The event is FREE to all attendees and families who would like to join us on Saturday morning. More details are available online.

We know you’ll enjoy the conference, and we hope you’ll share your experience with us. NSTA will be holding a “groupie” photo contest via Twitter (because science teachers share so much—even their “selfies” tend to be shared with their colleagues). If you’re onsite, please use hashtag #NSTAGroupie to tweet us pictures of the conference. Participants will be entered to win drawings taking place onsite on Friday and Saturday, and prizes include airline vouchers, NSTA gear, and gift certificates to the onsite Science Store.

For the latest conference information, download the Richmond Conference App. If you’re not already registered, there is still time to join us and you can register online 24/7.  We’re excited to see you next week!

Today’s guest blogger is Jason Sheldrake, Assistant Executive Director, National Science Teachers Association. For question about the Richmond exhibits, please contact Jason at jsheldrake@nsta.org; or contact Jeffrey LeGrand, NSTA Exhibits and Advertising Associate, at jlegrand@nsta.org.

2014 Area Conferences on Science Education

Richmond, VA – October 16-18

Orlando, FL – November 6-8

Long Beach, CA (in collaboration with CSTA) – December 4-6

2015 National Conference on Science Education

Chicago, IL – March 12-15

The mission of NSTA is to promote excellence and innovation in science teaching and learning for all.

Follow NSTA