Healthier Workplaces and Schools eBook
 
This eBook was designed to help schools assess and mitigate the risks of airborne infectious diseases, such as COVID-19 and RSV infection. The American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA) is offering Healthier Workplaces and Schools in English and Spanish at no charge. Developed by occupational and environmental health and safety experts, the eBook provides guidance across all industry sectors. Using a multi-pronged strategy, the eBook includes a risk assessment quiz and five overriding strategies to keep employees safe with scientifically sound solutions written in terms a non-technical person can understand.

Healthier Workplaces and Schools is available to view and download on AIHA’s Commit to C.A.R.E. (Community, Awareness, Responsibility, Equity) website. Launched in 2022, Commit to C.A.R.E. is a public education initiative in partnership with the Integrated Bioscience and Built Environment Consortium, and funded by a cooperative agreement with the Centers for Disease Control/National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. 

ScienceNews Learning Resource Database

ScienceNews Learning, the education portal of the nonprofit group Society for Science, features a database of digital resources for middle and high school educators to build engaging science curriculum highlighting recent advances in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). The resources include standards-supported (Next Generation Science Standards) lesson plans tied to relevant news articles from the Society’s publications ScienceNews (high school level) and ScienceNews Explores (middle level), as well as discussion prompts to encourage students to think about research-related concepts and make connections across fields of science. Teachers can also search the database for classroom science activities linked to relevant research articles.

"In Life Cycle Diagrams, Small Changes Make a Big Difference"

A new study finds that simple design changes to life cycle diagrams in textbooks can have a dramatic impact on undergraduate students’ ability to understand key biology concepts. “Making two small adjustments had a profound impact on the ability of college students to accurately answer questions related to ecology and evolution,” said lead researcher Jennifer Landin, corresponding author of the study and an associate teaching professor of biological sciences at North Carolina State University. The article contains a link to the entire study, which was published open access in the journal Education Sciences.  

NOAA Planet Stewards Funding

Through federal funding opportunities of up to $5,000, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) Planet Stewards supports educators across the nation in implementing hands-on action-based projects that conserve, restore, and/or protect human communities and/or natural resources from environmental challenges. Past funded projects have involved reducing marine debris; engaging in inland, coastal, and underwater habitat conservation and restoration; reducing carbon footprints; and increasing carbon sequestration. All educators (formal and informal) requesting funds must submit a formal stewardship project proposal and supporting documents by June 2. If approved, educators may use the funding to carry out their project during the following academic year.

2024 Physics Teaching Resource Agent Summer Institute/Workshop

Free professional development for precollege teachers will be provided by the American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT)/Physics Teaching Resource Agent (PTRA) Cadre of Master teachers. A three-day Physics and Physical Science Workshop will be held July 10–12 at Worcester Polytechnic Institute in Worcester, Massachusetts. Topics include Video Analysis, Classroom Practicums, Electricity using CASTLE, TIPERS, Make and Takes, and more. Stipends will be available to K–12 teachers for travel and equipment. Apply by May 20. Watch highlights from last summer’s workshop at https://youtu.be/3jEU22IMgTI.

American Chemical Society-Hach High School Chemistry Classroom Grant 

Teachers can request up to $1,800 to support their ideas that enhance classroom learning, foster student development, and reveal the wonders of chemistry. Grants are typically awarded for laboratory equipment and supplies, instructional materials, professional development, or student-conducted field studies. Applicants must be high school chemistry educators teaching in a U.S. or U.S. territory school. To receive a grant for 2024–2025, apply by June 1.