If you’ve been to Chicago, you know it’s an ideal place to focus on design and architecture. So this March, the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) will feature a special strand “The Science of Design: Structure and Function” at our 2015 National Conference on Science Education, in Chicago, March 12–15. Our conference organizers recognize that architecture and engineering provide the infrastructure for human-made systems, that designing for the future requires imagination and a commitment to sustainability, and that teaching about this involves the crosscutting concepts of structure and function and the practices of science and engineering. Communities like Chicago provide examples of great design and great science.

Sessions organized around this strand include a featured presentation on Friday, March 13, 9:30 AM – 10:30 AM (“The Power of Play”) by Peter Exley (Architecture is Fun, Inc.: Chicago, IL). Not familiar with Exley? Check out this profile on him in Chicago Artists Month. And there will be hundreds more sessions in Chicago that highlight great design and great science; below is a small sampling so you see what’s in store:

• The Maker Movement
• From the Love Canal to Phytoremediation: What’s New in Environmental Engineering?
• Engaging Girls in Engineering Through Community Service
• McREL Pathway Session: Green STEM in Elementary Classrooms
• Understanding Car Crashes: Engineering Truly Impactful STEM Lessons
• Helping Middle School Students “Discover Engineering”
• Eco-Structure and Function: Analyzing River Health with Engineering Practices in Problem-based Situations
• Engineering Design Inspired by Nature

Want more? Check out more sessions and other events with the Chicago Session Browser/Personal Scheduler, or take a peek at the online conference preview (pdf). Follow all our conference tweets using #NSTA15, and if you tweet, please feel free to tag us @NSTA so we see it!

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

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