Digital Data Skills Activity: Feeling the Heat

What can authentic NASA data teach students about climate change? Feeling the Heat, a digital data skills activity for grades 3–12 from My NASA Data and Data Classroom, helps students learn about climate change by exploring the ice-albedo effect. In the activity, students graph and analyze NASA climate data from various locations around the globe, comparing temperature data over time from three representative locations (a low latitude location, a mid-latitude location, and a high latitude location). The lesson plan provides background information for teachers, explanations of relevant variables (e.g., year, longitude, latitude, average temperature anomaly, and latitude zone), procedural steps for the activity, questions to guide students as they analyze the data, and extensions. Teachers can e-mail MyNASA Data to request the activity’s answer key.  

Safe Chemical Management Course

Stay up to date on best practices for safe chemical management with a self-paced online course from the American Chemical Society (ACS). Designed for secondary school educators and graduate students who manage chemical storerooms or teach with chemicals, the course covers safe chemical management using the RAMP management system—Recognize hazards, Assess the risks of the hazards, Minimize and manage the risks of the hazards, and Prepare for the unexpected and emergencies. The course has six lessons, each designed to be completed in about 60–90 minutes, including the assessment. Course topics include the RAMP system, Chemical Safety Information Sources, The EPA and Unwanted Chemicals, Chemical Inventory, Chemical Storage, and Hazardous Waste. The course also covers how to create a chemical safety action plan. 

Participants who complete the course receive a certificate of completion, indicating 10 hours of learning. The certificate can be used as documentation to obtain professional development credit for K–12 educators. (E-mail registration is required to access the course.)

CODE ALONG Computer Coding Tutorials

CODE ALONG is a series of lively video-based coding tutorials that teach students how to code and create impactful art projects, such as digital images with empowering messages, animated artwork using Javascript, and a game-based obstacle course, otherwise known as a Roblox Obby. Produced collaboratively by the multimedia-focused groups Black Girls CODE and GoldieBlox, and most appropriate for middle and high school levels, the video series aims to engage underrepresented girls and other groups in coding and computer science. Each approximately 10- to 15-minute tutorial presents simple step-by-step lessons to create the featured art project, as well as interviews with tech professionals who share the ways they use the same coding skills to make a living and create amazing projects. In addition to the tutorials, the site’s Extras section presents extended interviews with the featured tech professionals, providing students with an inside look at careers such as graphic artist, digital illustrator, animator, and virtual reality artist.

PTRA Bootcamp: Empowering Physics Teacher Leaders  

The American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT) and the Physics Teachers Resource Agents (PTRA) program will hold an intensive three-day professional development workshop designed for physics and physical science teachers who are ready to take the next step in their professional journey by becoming effective teacher leaders. Led by experienced teachers and taking place on August 1–3 in Washington, D.C., the workshop focuses on developing the skills, knowledge, and strategies required to lead impactful professional development (PD) sessions in their local schools or districts. Participants will engage in collaborative learning, hands-on activities, and reflective practices that will prepare them to design and lead high-quality PD experiences tailored to their colleagues' needs. 

This workshop is for teachers who aspire to become teacher leaders and play an integral role in shaping the professional development landscape in their schools or districts. A portion of the cost for attending the AAPT meeting will be paid for, so you can gain valuable insights and network with peers beyond the workshop. Travel costs (airfare, train, or mileage) will be reimbursed, and your lodging, shared with another participant, for the workshop will be fully reimbursed. Apply by April 11.

Funding Opportunity: Environmental Literacy for Community Resilience
 
The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine’s Gulf Research Program, along with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Environmental Literacy Program, aims to enhance community resilience and increase the environmental literacy of community members across the U.S. Gulf States (Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida) through place-based education. This funding opportunity will support projects that educate community members on local environmental challenges, engage learners in solutions-oriented activities, and empower participants to engage in them.

A total of $4M is available for this funding opportunity. Applicants must request between $100,000 and $750,000 for projects, commensurate with the scope of work, that are between 12 and 36 months in duration. Applications close on May 21.

Summer Soil Science Workshop

Join the American Geosciences Institute (AGI) and the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) for an immersive Soil Science Workshop for middle and high school science teachers. The workshop will take place June 22–26 at Oregon State University in Corvallis, Oregon. The workshop is designed to deepen participants' understanding of soil science and its integration into curricula. The workshop will be run in conjunction with the National Cooperative Soil Survey Conference. Participants will have the chance to attend presentations by and interact with soil scientists and other educators during the workshop, including a day-long field excursion.

Apply to be part of this immersive workshop about soil science at bit.ly/SSW-2025. Review of applications will begin April 4 and will continue until the workshop is filled. Participants will be provided with conference registration, room, and board for the duration of the workshop and will also be reimbursed up to $800 for travel expenses.