AACT Webinar: Exploring Collaboration      

Whether face to face or virtual, facilitating collaboration and encouraging students to engage in discourse can be challenging! During this American Association of Chemistry Teachers webinar, explore some tools to help support this work, and dive into the aspects of collaboration and how to create space for these factors in your own classroom setting. Engage with your colleagues, share your ideas, and develop a plan for implementation. This webinar will be held at 7 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) on March 11.

Conservation in the Classroom Livestream Series

These free livestreamed virtual events for students in grades 2–10 feature World Wildlife Fund (WWF) scientists and experts presenting different conservation topics. Teachers and parents register to have their students participate on-camera or off, for the opportunity to ask questions directly to the presenter to be answered live. New events are added each month; upcoming topics for March and April include renewable energy (March 25 at 1 p.m. ET, grades 4–8), gorilla conservation (April 7, grades 2–6), and environmental advocacy (April 22). Registration is required.

DIG Field School 

DIG (Discoveries in Geoscience) puts teachers in the field with paleontologists during five days (July 29–August 2) of the University of Washington's field work in Montana. Teachers will engage in the science practices while investigating the evidence for the Cretaceous mass extinction of the dinosaurs and the recovery and expansion of the mammals. They then will be able to participate in the microfossil research with their classes during the school year by checking out the DIG box, which contains research samples so their students can participate in the research as well. DIG box lessons have been designed with Next Generation Science Standards as a key structure, highlighting the crosscutting concepts, practices, and disciplinary core ideas. (Deadline March 22)

Solar Week, March 22–26     

Solar Week provides web-based educational classroom activities that focus on the Sun-Earth connection. Students in grades 5–9 (ages 11–14) can learn about solar careers, sunspots, solar energy, and solar storms through a series of activities, games, and lessons. Solar Week is ideal for students studying the solar system, the stars, or astronomy in general. Many lessons are suitable for fun computer lab activities as well. After doing the activities, students can interact on the bulletin board with leading scientists at the forefront of Sun-Earth research.

Whole Kids Foundation Garden Grant Program  

Whole Kids Foundation will provide a $3,000 monetary grant to support a new or existing edible educational garden at either a K–12 school, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, or a 501(c)(3) nonprofit working in partnership with a K–12 school. Garden projects may be at any stage of development (planning, construction, or operation). The foundation will only consider applications in the United States (including territories) and Canada. (Deadline March 31)

National Geographic Explorer Classroom Sessions 

Explorer Classroom connects classrooms around the world with National Geographic Explorers, bringing science, exploration, and conservation to life through live video events. Students have the opportunity to ask the explorer their questions directly. Upcoming sessions are
March 10 at 4 p.m. ET—The Mysterious World of Plants—Ages 4–8/Grades PreK–2
March 15 at 11 a.m. ET—Digging Into History—Ages 4–8/Grades PreK–2  

National Drug and Alcohol Facts Week, March 22–28  

The National Institute on Drug Abuse and the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism will hold National Drug and Alcohol Facts Week (NDAFW), a national health observance linking teens to science-based facts to shatter the myths about drugs. National Drugs and Alcohol Chat Day will be held during the week. Look for free activities on the website. (Due to COVID-19, many NDAFW local events may be cancelled, rescheduled, or adjusted to a virtual/remote activity.)

ACS-Hach Post-Baccalaureate Teacher Scholarship  

This American Chemical Society/Hach scholarship is awarded to recent graduates and professionals with limited work experience who are interested in becoming secondary chemistry teachers. Scholarship recipients are awarded either up to $6,000 for full-time study or up to $3,000 for part-time study. The scholarship can be applied to tuition, books, room and board, and other education-related expenses. (Deadline April 1)

NSHSS Higher Education Degree Grants  

To help educators achieve their professional development goals, the National Society of High School Scholars (NSHSS) is providing three awards of $2,500 each to help with the costs of tuition and course-related expenses for high school teachers or counselors currently employed at a public or private high school in the United States or internationally. The funds are intended to help with the costs of tuition and course-related expenses for teachers and counselors who are enrolling in university courses in Summer 2021, Fall 2021, or Spring 2022. (Deadline March 31)

VisChem High School Chemistry Institute  

VisChem is a National Science Foundation–funded professional development program and study to determine how teachers’ use of dynamic, molecular-level visualizations in secondary chemistry classrooms affect affordances and constraints for student learning as well as students’ ideas about molecular-level behavior underpinning chemical and physical changes. VisChem will take place virtually on July 6–9 and 12–14. Participants who complete the institute will receive a $1,000 stipend. (Deadline March 31)

Girls Who Code’s Virtual Summer Immersion Program

Encourage girls and non-binary students to get their start in tech by applying to attend this free two-week virtual program. Girls and non-binary students in grades 9–11 will learn the computer science skills they need to make an impact, get an inside look into the tech field, and join a supportive, lifelong sisterhood—all while being virtually hosted by influential companies like Twitter, AT&T, Bank of America, Walmart, and more. Participants will learn to code in a supportive environment and make lifelong friendships that encourage them to be brave, take risks, and stand up for what matters to them.

The program is 100% free, and need-based stipends of up to $300 are available to those who qualify. In addition, Girls Who Code works to support students who need help accessing tech to participate. (Deadline March 26)

Find more events and opportunities at https://old.nsta.org/publications/calendar.