Everyone talks about the Sputnik Moment, when the nation realized we had to focus on science to remain competitive. But I was more inspired by people closer to Earth. A recent Facebook post wishing Jacques Cousteau a happy (posthumous) birthday got so many likes and comments that I realized I wasn’t the only one who wanted to be him when I grew up. He opened a fascinating new world to me and my brothers; none of us ever did become deep-sea divers, but we all thought it was possible.
While I couldn’t name them, the National Geographic photographers were a group of people who also inspired our sense of wonder. My dad collected years’ and years’ worth of issues, and whenever we were bored we’d select a few at random and meander through parts of the world we’d never even previously imagined. It wasn’t always curiosity of a scientific nature. I was particularly fascinated with one old issue that showed the then-President of the United States in an ordinary ad—one’s path in life really could start in one direction and lead to another—incredible journeys were pictured in Nat Geo every month. One issue arrived at our door with a recording of whale sounds. Before you could Google every animal alive, that was mind-blowing to us; we all gathered around to listen to that one.
Today, I’m lucky enough to work with lots of brilliant teachers and meet today’s science superheroes at NSTA conferences. At one, I recently heard a talk by Bill Nye that made me think about sun dials in a whole new way. And I realized that some of the same people who inspired me as a kid are still relevant today. Buzz Aldrin is setting his sights beyond the Moon, encouraging Mars exploration—although according to a recent interview, he doesn’t necessarily want to go there himself!
I have to say I agree, and I’m still drawn more to those who open my mind to the wonders here on Earth. Many of today’s inspirational scientists call themselves Science Evangelists, and that’s a term I like. People who self-describe themselves as science evangelists include Ainissa Ramirez, and they are passionate about engaging our youth in the wonder of science. I think Jacques Cousteau might even hit the “like” button on that if he were still with us today.

At the NSTA conference this spring, I stopped by the booth sponsored by the Royal Society of Chemistry. They were promoting their newest project: Learn Chemistry.  As a webwatcher for SciLinks, I was familiar with many of their web pages, but the associate explained that this was an attempt to provide access to thousands of chemistry-related activities, simulations, games, tutorials, handouts, quizzes, journal articles, podcasts, and videos through a single, searchable platform. And it’s free.
Some of the features we looked at:

• Resources (Teacher and Student). These can be searched by type (presentation, handout, experiment, podcast, etc.), age group (age rather than grade level), context (real-life applications), and subject.
• The Wiki is a way to share resources among teachers and students.
• Online Community discussion forums
• Access to featured articles in journals such as Chemistry World, Education in Chemistry, and The Mole (for students).
• Of course, there are links to the Visual Elements Periodic Table and This Day in Chemistry.

Some of the lingo on the site refers to the educational system in the UK, but in some cases there is a conversion chart to show which UK levels correlate with US grade levels. Some of the simulations require the Flash player, but the videos worked well on both my laptop and iPad.
I assume this will continue to be a work in progress, but it looks like a valuable resource for students and teachers of K-12 physical science. Exploring it could be a good PD activity for a study group.

On behalf of the staff of the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) and the many dedicated members of our leadership team, I would like to welcome and thank the following members of our Board, Council, Standing Committees, Advisory Boards, and Panels whose terms of appointment began on June 1, 2013. With the renewed national focus on STEM education and the release of the Next Generation Science Standards, this year will be an exciting time to be a leader in science education. I am delighted to have you all as my colleagues on this journey. The theme of my presidency is “Building and Sustaining Teacher Leadership in Science, Standards, and Literacy” and I know that with the talents and commitment you bring to the table, we will be able to achieve great things. So, to all of you on the list below, I say “Welcome” and I look forward to working with you!
NSTA members who are interested in volunteering for a position on one our committees, advisory boards, or review panels can find more information at www.nsta.org/involved/default.aspx#committees.

—Bill Badders, NSTA President, 2013–2014

Board of Directors
Sally Harms, College Division Director
Kelly Price, Coordination & Supervision Director
Beverly DeVore-Wedding, High School Division Director
Council
Stephanie Wright, District III
Donna Governor, District V
Mary Colson, District IX
Paul Adams, District XI
Timothy Maze, District XV
Steven Ruthford, District XVII
STANDING COMMITTEES 
College
Christie Orlosky, Greensburg, PA
Cindi Smith-Walters, Murfreesboro, TN
Sarah Hanes, Towson, MD
Coordination and Supervision
Kirsten Smith, Denton, NE
Matthew Stolz, Grand Rapids, MI
Christopher Duvall, Morristown, NJ
David Miller, Las Vegas, NV
High School
Karen Higuera, West Monroe, LA
Sharla Dowding, New Castle, WY
Brian Olsen, Enfield, CT
Informal
Stacey Glatz, Powell, OH
Miriam Musco, Ithaca, NY
Kelly Riedinger, Wilmington, NC
Eileen Tramontana, DeLeon Springs, FL
Karn Maher, Juneau, AK
Gary Sampson, Waukesha, WI
Middle Level
John Milam, University Heights, OH
Shannon Hudson, Crawfordsville, IN
Douglas Stith, Londonderry, NH
David Pettit, Livingston, MT
Multicultural/Equity
Margaret Carter, Wapato, WA
Jerry Valadez, Fresno, CA
S. Maxwell Hines, Winston-Salem, NC
Preschool-Elementary
Connie Crittenden, East Lansing, MI
Jessica Fries-Gaither, Hilliard, OH
Jessie Kelly, Snellville, GA
Preservice Teacher Preparation
Eric Brunsell, Oshkosh, WI
Michael Troop, Chicago, IL
Chris Ohana, Bellingham, WA
Professional Development
Julie Luft, Athens, GA
Eric Walters, Staten Island, NY
Christopher Soldat, Iowa City, IA
Research
Pamela Auburn, Houston, TX
Lise Whitfield, Seattle, WA
Anne Schoeffler, Hudson, OH
Audit
Peter McLaren, Providence, RI
Awards and Recognition
Karen Nesbit, Franklin, WI
Jennifer Pritchard, Seattle, WA
Pat Shane, Chapel Hill, NC
James Puckett, Grand View, MO
Budget and Finance
Patricia Simmons, Raleigh, NC
Christine Royce, Newburg, PA
Nominations
Debra Boris Nygard, Ramsey, MN
Hector Ibarra, Iowa City, IA
Linda Lacy, Excelsior Springs, MO
Herb Brunkhorst, Riverside, CA
Elizabeth Mulkerrin, Omaha, NE
ADVISORY BOARDS
Aerospace
Pam Evans, Charleston, IL
David Black, Provo, UT
Caroline d’Otreppe , Windsor Locks, CT
Richard Varner, Catonsville, MD
Conference
Cynthia Willingham, Vestavia Hills, AL
Development
Jean Tushie, Eden Prairie, MN
Susan Koba, Omaha, NE
International
Teresa Kennedy, Tyler TX
Kathleen Horstmeyer, Chester, CT
Edralin Pagarigan, Rosedale, MD
Catherine Bale, West Point, NY
Investment
John Penick, Miami, FL
Patricia Simmons, Raleigh, NC
Journal of College Science Teaching
Brian Schmaefsky, Kingswood, TX
Barry Thompson, Evans, GA
Megan Litster, LaCrosse, WI
NSTA Reports
Barbara Tharp, Houston, TX
Mike Szydlowski, Columbia, MO
Wayne Snyder, Glendora, CA
Retired Members
Joyce Gleason, Punta Gorda, FL
Susan Clay, Parma, OH
Deb Wickerham, Findlay, OH
Ed LinzSpringfield, VA
Science & Children
Terri Hebert, South Bend, IN
Neporcha Cone, Kennesaw, GA
Wendy Frazier, Fairfax, VA
Science Matters
Stephan Bartlett, Fairfax, VA
Jean May-Brett, Baton Rouge, LA
Michelle Brand-Buchanan, Conway, AR
Science Safety
Beverly DeVore-Wedding, Meeker, CO
Lesa Rae, Leesburg, FL
Brian Wazlaw, Portsmouth, NH
Science Scope
Karen Matsler, Arlington, TX
Ella Bowling, Maysville, KY
Kelly Chaney, Little Rock, AR
Special Needs
Cheryl White, Round Rock, TX
Melissa Sleeper, Vera Beach, FL
Jennifer Purcell Coleman, Fayetteville, AR
Technology
Ben Smith, York, PA
Stephen Bock, Fresno, CA
Gregory Benedis-Grab, New York, NY
The Science Teacher
Stephen Bartos, Chicago, IL
Carrie Jones, Raleigh, NC
Michael Brinkman, Grand Prairie, TX
Urban Science
Trudy Giasi, Columbus, OH
Selina Bartels, Chicago, IL
Michael Harms, San Francisco, CA
PANELS
NSTA/CBC Review
Karen Ansberry, Lebanon, OH
Delene Hoffner, Colorado Springs, CO
Linda Schoen-Giddings, Columbia, SC
New Science Teachers Academy
Robin Curtis, Williamsburg, VA
Michael Lowry, Chattanooga, TN
John Clark, Deltona, FL
Shell Science Teaching Award Judging
Ruth Ruud, Cleveland, OH
Tamica Stubbs, Charlotte, NC

My mentee just finished his first year as an elementary teacher. I’d like to give him some suggestions for how to reflect on his experiences and plan for next year.
–—Cindy, Coral Springs, Florida
A beginning science teacher had a similar question a few years ago. Here are my suggestions to her (with some updates):
Congratulations for completing your first year! You’ll find the end of the year is as hectic as the beginning, with exams, grades, inventories, and lab clean-up. You’re also looking forward to vacation time with family and friends, graduate courses, home improvements, a summer job, or some much-needed rest. But while your memory is fresh, take some time now to review, reflect on, and learn from your experiences. Record your thinking in a journal or in your planning files.
Start by celebrating your successes. Which students seemed really engaged in your classes? Ask yourself what you did to encourage student learning and engagement. How effective were your strategies to connect with students and parents? Are there any new strategies you would like to try next year? Do you need to revise your classroom management routines and procedures?
If you haven’t done so already, add the Framework for K-12 Science Education and the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) to your reading list. Consider these as you review your lesson plans. How do your lessons support these standards and your school’s curriculum? Should you change the amount of time or emphasis you put on some units? Were your lesson plans detailed enough to be adapted or updated for next year, or will you have to recreate them? Based on your assessment data, what instructional strategies should you change (or keep)? How well were activities aligned to the unit goals and lesson objectives? Did your lab activities help students to develop their inquiry and problem-solving skills? How well were you able to access and use the technologies available in your school? What kinds of interdisciplinary connections did you make?

Identify any gaps in your own knowledge base to supplement this summer with online courses, readings, websites, or visits to local informal science institutions (museums, zoos, planetariums, and so on). Take advantage of social media and other online sources (including NSTA)  to keep informed of and share ideas and resources.
As you complete final evaluations/grades for students, ask yourself how well the grades reflect student learning. Or did you factor in things not related to course content? How well did your assessments align with the unit goals and lesson objectives? Did you provide opportunities for students to reflect on their own learning (e.g., through a science notebook, rubrics)?
On a practical note, check with your principal or department chair for any end-of-year checkout procedures. Your classroom may not be secure during the summer months, so stow your lab equipment in locking cabinets or storage rooms. Take valuable or irreplaceable personal belongings home or lock them in a cabinet. Label any large personal items such as a desk chair or stool with your name. If you have personal documents, tests, grades, communications, or other sensitive information on an unsecured hard drive, transfer them to a network drive or to a flash drive. Some schools allow teachers to take their assigned technology home for the summer, but do not remove any school equipment without permission.
Update any equipment and textbook inventories and note if anything needs to be discarded or repaired. Keep your requisition list for next year handy so you can check in new materials arriving over the summer. Make sure items such as glassware, cages, aquariums, sinks, or tabletops are clean and ready for next year. If you can, turn off the gas and water in your lab.
Send a note of thanks to those colleagues and administrators who were especially helpful to you this year.
Based on your reflections, this might also be a good time to formulate your goals for next year. It’s tempting to say, “I’ll think about this in August.” But if you take some time now for thinking, reflecting, and planning, you’ll have more time in the fall to get your second year off to a good start.
 
Photo:  http://www.flickr.com/photos/jjlook/7152722/sizes/s/in/photostream/

During my volunteer stint at a nearby nature center, which is part of a public park, I observed the people coming in and out. Many of them were focused on using the restroom, but many others did take time to look at the exhibits or ask questions of the staff members and volunteers. The visitors ranged from little ones in strollers to senior citizens equipped with binoculars and guidebooks. And another group was involved in a bird banding program with one of the naturalists, who has made some notable discoveries herself as a bander of hummingbirds.  Even though the park abuts a major highway and transportation center with noise from trucks and freight trains, it’s a wetland oasis of green with resident animals–waterbirds songbirds, turtles, snakes, frogs, and a few wary weasels.
Regardless of their ages, everyone was enjoying a beautiful day out of doors at many different levels. That led to a conversation among us about the value of outdoor experiences and using the natural world as a platform for lifelong learning.
There is a wealth of information about nature-related projects that can be implemented in schools and communities. For example, the SciStarter site featured on the NSTA home page describes citizen-science projects that involve students in real investigations and data collection.  I’ve found a few others entlythat might be of interest:
Many teachers and schools plant vegetable gardens as a way of teaching young children about plants and nutrition. School Gardens for the Birds describes another focus for school gardens—adding plants that attract birds and insects.
Explore.org has several live cams that let viewers “visit” different places. (I especially like the osprey cam in Maine). The information about each indicates the best time for live viewing. These could be used to fine-tune observations skills or as discussion prompts.
Bird Tales describes a program that brings the natural outdoor world of birds to people living with dementia. Watch this video clip to see how people’s eyes light up when they see and listen to birds. Their smiles indicate that they are enjoying the interactions with nature. The program resources and guides can be purchased at a minimal cost. Could this be a community service project for interested students or service clubs?
 
 

When I’m introducing young children to a small live animal, such as a worm or a beetle, I may first offer them a chance to use a magnifier to look at a photograph of the animal, up close. From there we may progress to looking at the worm inside a small clear container (with some moisture for its comfort), and later, if the children are interested, they may hold a worm in their hand. “Later” may be in five minutes or in five weeks—it’s important not to rush this hands-on investigation. This gradual introduction may not be necessary for many children (and adults). Author John McCormick tells of his sons’ exposure to cicadas in “Parenting Lessons From Nature’s Creepy Crawlers”.

If you live on the East Coast you may have heard that the periodic cicada Brood II mature nymphs are now emerging from the ground in large pockets from North Carolina to Virginia to New Jersey to New York and Connecticut. They climb onto a leaf or other structure and cast off their “shells” or exoskeletons, which are exuviae—the remains after an insect molts from the nymph stage into an adult form, and slowly unfold their wings. You can report cicada sightings to help map the extent of different broods:
http://project.wnyc.org/cicadas/
http://www.magicicada.org/report/report.php
Or use maps to find out if you will be lucky enough to see more than a few of these interesting insects:
http://www.cicadas.info/
http://www.cicadamania.com/wedding.html
http://www.wjla.com/blogs/weather/2013/04/get-ready-for-swarmaggedon-the-emergance-of-the-cicada-18631.html
If you aren’t lucky enough to have huge numbers of periodic cicadas in your neighborhood, watch and listen to this short video narrated by Sir David Attenborough who gets a close up visit as he relates information about their lifecycle.
Comment below to describe your children’s close encounters with small animals and to list your favorite cicada website.