All across America, science has been squeezed out of classrooms. “No time to teach Science,” many teachers say. Curriculum pressures, overpacked schedules, and testing have pushed science aside. But, as STEM makes traction in education with the Maker Movement, hands on learning, inquiry, and authentic experiences, we are all realizing one thing… STEM is the world. It’s not a worksheet, a packet, or even a textbook page. STEM is understanding the joy in engineering a design. It’s the beauty in understanding the science behind how something works. It’s knowing how to apply math to what you figure out. And technology? It’s the amazing glue that strengthens the connections.
Join in Thursday evening, March 5 at 8 PM Central for the March #STEMchat. I’m joining in once again with the premiere science competition for middle school students, the Discovery Education 3M Young Scientist Challenge. This year, the theme for our chat is applying science to everyday life. We’ll chat about applying science to everyday life, fostering curiosity and a sense of wonder. And of course we’ll do what STEMchatters do best- share ideas and resources to support kids who love science!
The Discovery Education 3M Young Scientist Challenge is a fantastic science competition for middle school students. It’s open to students in grades 5-8, one of whom will be awarded the title of “America’s Top Young Scientist” along with a $25,000 prize. You can see the 2014 winner, Sahil Doshi, with his giant check below.
Middle schoolers simply need to think about a problem in their everyday lives and a science-based solution to that problem. Then they summarize it in a 1-2 minute video and submit to www.YoungScientistChallenge.com by April 21, 2015.
You can find tips and a full set of rules on the contest site. You can also keep up with the latest news (and some fun science bits) by following Young Scientist Challenge on Facebook.
After the submission period ends in late April, the applications will be reviewed. In June or July, state merit winners will be named and 10 finalists will be selected to be paired with 3M scientist mentors over the summer. The mentors then help the students to refine or re-imagine their projects. In October, the students will present their final projects to a panel of judges at the 3M Center in St. Paul, Minnesota. This inspirational event is typically streamed so you can catch it online. It’s really exciting to see these young kids share their BIG ideas.
We’ll chat about applying science to everyday life, fostering curiosity and a sense of wonder. And of course we’ll do what STEMchatters do best- share ideas and resources to support kids who love science! You can follow along with the hashtag #STEMchat.
I’m honored to be joining fellow STEM loving Twitter friends:
@DE3MYSC, Discovery Education 3M Young Scientist Challenge.
@KitchPantrySci, Liz Heinecke, is the Kitchen Pantry Scientist. A microbiologist and mom, Liz is also the creator of the Kid Science App and Kitchen Science Lab for Kids.
@ScienceGoddess, Joanne Manaster, is Read Science! host, book lover, biology lecturer, former international model, blogger, and STEM advocate.
@EmCalSpaceGal, Emily Calandrelli, is a rising star and former STEM Girl Friday with a master’s degree from MIT in Aeronautics and Astronautics as well as Technology and Policy. She’s also the producer and host of Xploration Outer Space.
@LittleTechGirl, Kris Cain, is a mom of two sets of STEM-loving twins and the blogger behind Little Tech Girl.
@KimMoldofsky, also known as The Maker Mom and founder of #STEMchat.
Spread the news to your STEM-loving friends and colleagues!