Fwd: March 2011 STEM Update; Registration link for 4/21/11
Eva Scates-Winston
statewide STEM activities. Opportunities for providing a poster session
on local/regional activities are also available through sign up on the
registration link.
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3/22/2011 8:03 AM >>>
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March 2011
An Update from the
Minnesota STEM Network
REGISTRATION
NOW OPEN FOR APRIL 21st MEETING
Registration is now open -
http://cts.vresp.com/c/?SciMathMN/ad32df6557/aaa5191873/929fc207ef for
the 2nd annual meeting of the Minnesota STEM Network to be held
on Thursday, April 21st from 9am - 5pm. The Welcome will be held at
10am after a networking session to give attendees from greater
Minnesota more travel time.
We thank Boston Scientific and its STEM Council for hosting this
year's meeting. The Maple Grove facility of Boston Scientific -
http://cts.vresp.com/c/?SciMathMN/ad32df6557/aaa5191873/59082bedea is
located at One SciMed Place which is just south of the Weaver
Lake Road exit of I-94.
The program will feature plenary sessions on regional network
development, public/private partnerships, strategic developments of
the network. The meeting will also include multiple networking
opportunities and two sets of breakout sessions on:
- Business engagement with STEM
- Program matrix development in K12 STEM
- Career pathways into employment
- Regional network development
- Research on P16 education
- Programs engaging girls and underrepresented students
- Website development
A poster session will feature programs and strategies to engage
girls/women and underrepresented students.
More information on the program is available at www.mnstemnet.org -
http://cts.vresp.com/c/?SciMathMN/ad32df6557/aaa5191873/fe596013c0
The network made great strides in 2010 and is poised to expand
throughout the state in the next two years.
Please join us!
SciMathMN is a non-profit, statewide education and business coalition
advocating for quality K-12 science, mathematics and technology
education based on research, national standards and effective
practices.
SciMathMN Board of Directors
Liesl Chatman, Science Museum of Minnesota
Cynthia Crist, Minnesota State Colleges and Universities
Marshall Davis, St. Paul Public Schools
Joel Donna, University of Minnesota College of Education and Human
Development
Angie Eilers, Sophia Learning
Jim Field, Minnesota Independent School Forum
Tracy Fredin, Hamline University
Julie Guelich, Normandale Community College
Ed Hessler, Minnesota Science Teachers Association
Anne Hornickel, University of Minnesota College of Science and
Engineering
Richard Hudson, Twin Cities Public Television
Barbara Kaufmann, 3M Community Affairs
Steve Kelley, University of Minnesota Humphrey Institute of Public
Affairs
Mike Lindstrom, Minnesota Technology and Engineering Education
Association
Jenny Manogue, Kelly Mitchell Group
Brad Meeks, Farmington Public Schools
Len Mrachek, University of Minnesota
Tom Muchlinski, Minnesota Council of Teachers of Mathematics
Greg Mueller, H.B. Fuller
Beth Murphy, The Bakken Museum
John Olson, Minnesota Department of Education
Doug Paulson, Minnesota Department of Education
Taylor Pettis, MyMN
Becky Rennicke, Perham Dent High School
Matt Richey, St Olaf College
Pat Ridgely, Medtronic Inc.
Colleen Sauter, Colleen Riley Sauter Consulting
Patty Simpson, St. Cloud State University
Sally Standiford, SciMathMN
Cathy Summa, Wellesley College
Cassandra Svendsen, Society of Women Engineers
Julie Tangeman, Teacher-in-residence, The Bakken Museum
Nancy Walters, Minnesota Office of Higher Education
Carolyn Williams, St. Cloud State University
Susan Wygant, Minnesota Dept. of Education
Get Linked in
Join the MN STEM Network on Linked in. Post news and events so
everyone in the network can stay up-to-date on STEM activities and
news in Minnesota.
Hurry- Join us today. -
http://cts.vresp.com/c/?SciMathMN/ad32df6557/aaa5191873/05cff7b671/mostPopular=&gid=3009414
Twin Cities Metro STEM Inventory
Last year, STARBASE Minnesota began working with Wilder Research to
learn more about what programs currently exist to support and foster
continued STEM learning, achievement, and career exploration after
elementary students complete STARBASE programs. In June, 2010,
Wilder Research sent the inventory questionnaire to more than 180
representatives of STEM organizations in the Twin Cities who had
previously participated in a STEM Community of Practice meeting. As
of February 2011, STARBASE now has listings for 171 programs offered
by 65 organizations. They plan to complete the study this month.
STARBASE Minnesota anticipates sharing the inventory with the network
for those entries where permission has been granted.
Check Out the MN Academy of Science Calendar
-
http://cts.vresp.com/c/?SciMathMN/ad32df6557/aaa5191873/c252f5dc59 Find
all your science events, activities and meetings, and speakers
in one place.
Go to the calendar today! -
http://cts.vresp.com/c/?SciMathMN/ad32df6557/aaa5191873/a719a0b4b7
Additional State Networks Established
The number of state networks is now 12—Arizona, California,
Colorado, Indiana, Minnesota, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina,
Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, Washington. Check www.mnstemnet.org for a
summary document on STEM state networks with links to their websites.
Local News
The Minnesota High Tech Foundation received a $750,000 grant from the
ADC Foundation to be used for engineering scholarships, continuing
STEM Summits across the state, and a STEM marketing campaign to
demonstrate to students and parents the benefits of engaging in STEM.
In this Issue
Articles:
Welcome Dr. Sally Standiford, SciMathMN's New Executive
DirectorLetter from the Executive DirectorMinnesota STEM Network
Goals
MN STEM Network Annual Meeting April 21, 2011SciMathMN Receives
Frameworks GrantMN STEM Network Social NetworkingHighlights of 2010
STEM Day at the FairMN STEM Network Meeting, April 16, 2010
SciMathMN Board of DirectorsGet Linked in to STEMMN Academy of
Sciences Science Calendar
STEM Inventory UpdateAdditional State Networks Established
Local News
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Welcome Dr. Sally Standiford, SciMathMN Executive Director
Richard Hudson, board chair of SciMathMN, and the board of directors
welcome Dr. Sally Standiford to the position of executive director.
Dr. Standiford most recently held the position of Dean of Education
at Winona State University and Executive Vice President of Academic
and Student Affairs at Minnesota State College—South East
Technical.
She holds a PhD in educational psychology with specialties in
instructional applications of computers, mathematics education, and
learning and instruction from the University of Illinois at
Urbana-Champaign. Her Master’s degree is in mathematics with a
minor in education and a Bachelor’s degree in mathematics with a
minor in physics.
In addition to faculty and administrative roles in the University of
Wisconsin and Minnesota State Colleges and University systems, Dr.
Standiford has also worked in instructional design with Control Data
Corporation, worked as an engineer for Western Electric, and taught
high school math.
The board is excited to have Dr. Standiford’s passion for STEM
education and experience working in several STEM sectors.
Letter from the Executive Director
On behalf of the Board of Directors I welcome you to SciMathMN, a
non-profit coalition advocating for quality K-12 education in
science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). We are
committed to providing a reliable, non-partisan perspective on
Minnesota education policy issues and to partnering with business and
education leaders and policymakers to move forward K-16 STEM
initiatives and practices that will benefit all Minnesota students.
In the past few years, SciMathMN coordinated the analysis of
Minnesota’s TIMSS (Trends in International Math and Science Study)
test data and communicated results to our education, policymaker and
business communities. Through this work, we have demonstrated the
value of international benchmarking of standards and their essential
attributes of coherence, rigor, and focus which Minnesota has
achieved in its revision of standards.
We are currently working with Minnesota’s Department of Education
to design a Minnesota Mathematics and Science Resource Teacher Center
(MMSRTC) and recreate Frameworks that guide the translation of the
Minnesota Academic Math and Science Standards into K-12 classroom
practice. Many of the state’s best K-16 science and math teachers
and faculty are currently involved in the Frameworks project to help
teachers develop and organize their materials, instructional
practices, and assessments at their local schools. We have provided
more detail on Frameworks in an article in this newsletter.
Last year SciMathMN took an important step in reaching out to more
STEM advocates across the state by adopting the Minnesota STEM
Network initiative. This network of practitioners, providers and
advocates of STEM education from business, education, government and
non-profit sectors is beginning to collaborate in innovative ways.
We invite you to join us on April 21st at our annual community
meeting to advance the STEM Network across the state of Minnesota.
Sincerely,
Sally Standiford, Ph.D., Executive Director
Minnesota STEM Network Goals
The Minnesota STEM Network is building a community of practice among
practitioners, providers, and advocates for science, technology,
engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education and workforce
development across Minnesota. This community of practice spans
several sectors: business, P-20 education, informal (outside the
classroom) education, government agencies, professional
organizations, community groups, and parents.
In 2010, leaders in STEM education and advocacy formed the Minnesota
STEM Network to address a critical need to bring coherence to our
work. As a convener of Minnesota practitioners, providers and
advocates for STEM education, the Network will:
Share among our members innovations and best practices in STEM
education, using a variety of information sharing methodsPromote the
value of STEM to students, parents, and community through large
promotional events and online resources
Develop an inventory and map of STEM learning and employment
opportunities at all levels throughout MinnesotaAct as a facilitator
for coordinating initiatives to improve STEM learning in schools,
colleges and the community and assist Network members to obtain
funding for those initiativesFacilitate the formation of groups in
Minnesota’s geographic regions in order to customize Network
activities to the needs of different communitiesEngage formal and
informal educators, students and community leaders in a process to
identify communities that need additional STEM resources or that can
demonstrate leadership in STEMCommunicate and collaborate with STEM
networks and alliances in other states in order to improve STEM
learning in Minnesota and throughout the United States.
SciMathMN Receives Frameworks Grant
SciMathMN receives a $742,500 grant from the Minnesota Department of
Education to update Minnesota’s Math and Science Frameworks
In October 2010, the Minnesota Department of Education awarded a
$742,500 grant to SciMathMN to update the Math and Science
Frameworks. Frameworks are essential documents to enable teachers to
fully understand how to effectively deliver all of the standards to
the students in their classes. Teams of teachers across the state
are developing model classroom experiences to implement the
standards.
In 1998 the Minnesota state legislature established the Profile of
Learning which included math and science standards based upon the key
concepts in documents by the National Council of Teachers of
Mathematics and the Mathematical Sciences Education Board of the
National Research Council. During this time, SciMathMN developed a
set of curriculum framework documents which translated standards
into actual classroom practice.
Since the math and science standards were established in 1998, they
have been updated in 2003 and 2007/09, but the frameworks have not
been updated. In 2010 the Minnesota Dept. of Education directed its
2010-11 funding for the Mathematics and Science Teacher Academies to
revise the frameworks. In October 2010 SciMathMN won a competitive
grant to engage teachers and teacher educators across the state in
the revision of the frameworks. The frameworks will be accessible
online to all Minnesota math and science teachers, and will serve as
a primary resource for staff development. These dynamic documents
will be linked to future content standards.
These frameworks will become the first service of the Minnesota
Mathematics and Science Resource Teacher Center (MMSRTC), a new
initiative delivering resources to the MN Teacher Centers and
teachers throughout the state through the Mathematics and Science
Teacher Academy (MSTA). The MSTA is made up of nine statewide
regional Teacher Centers located throughout the state.
The ultimate goal of the frameworks is to enable students to
effectively and efficiently gain the knowledge, skills and attitudes
in the essential content of K-12 math and science in order to be
well prepared to enter the workforce of tomorrow, be competitive in
a global marketplace and make educated decisions as citizens.
The original Frameworks for Math -
http://cts.vresp.com/c/?SciMathMN/ad32df6557/aaa5191873/9bc5f97bb8 and
Science -
http://cts.vresp.com/c/?SciMathMN/ad32df6557/aaa5191873/6a702f0f04 may
be found on the SciMathMN website.
The Frameworks project will result in a new website in June 2011.
STEM Day at the 2011 State Fair Slated
The Minnesota STEM Network will present exhibits and programs in
Carousel Park on Thursday, August 25th, opening day of the 2011
Minnesota State Fair. A committee of the network led by Katie Staub
of Seagate is planning the program. An e-mail announcing exhibitor
opportunities is expected in early April. Proposals will be due by
April 29th.
- #
Social Networking
September Social
At the 2010 Minnesota High Tech Association Spring Conference, David
Rhees, executive director of The Bakken Museum, recommended that we
organize a series of informal opportunities to network. By knowing
one another better, we would become more accustomed to collaborating
on common projects. David offered that The Bakken could host the
first social hour, and encouraged other organizations to host them
as well. The first social hour was held on September 9th. About 60
individuals attended and toured the Bakken Museum. Learn more about
The Bakken Museum’s exhibits and programs. -
http://cts.vresp.com/c/?SciMathMN/ad32df6557/aaa5191873/0b9ed48e23
Thanks to David Rhees and The Bakken staff for hosting the first
networking session!
November Social
Drs. Gillian Roehrig and Tamara Moore, co-directors of the STEM
Education Center in the College of Education and Human Development
at the University of Minnesota, hosted the STEM Education Center's
open house on Tuesday, November 30th. The STEM Education Center -
http://cts.vresp.com/c/?SciMathMN/ad32df6557/aaa5191873/d83de8b57b
applies interdisciplinary research in learning and cognition, STEM
integration, instructor development, and evaluation and assessment to
STEM teaching from early childhood through graduate education.
Approximately 130 people attended the social hour and viewed research
posters by the Center’s graduate students.
If your organization is interested in co-hosting a social hour with
the Minnesota STEM Network, please contact mnst...@scimathmn.org .
2010 STEM Annual Meeting
About 115 STEM professionals and educators gathered for the second
annual network meeting on April 16that the Medtronic World
Headquarters in Fridley.
The event featured a keynote by Jan Morrison of the Teaching
Institute for Excellence in STEM in Ohio. Ms. Morrison described the
process of developing networks in other states.
Discussion groups focused on the issues of formation of the network
such as vision, goals and strategies; regional hub formation; network
communications, and engaging underrepresented students in STEM.
Highlights of STEM Day at the 2010 Minnesota State Fair
An idea to feature STEM at State Fair that germinated at the
September 2009 STEM community of practice meeting came to fruition on
opening day of the 2010 Minnesota State Fair. During the discussion
of raising awareness and appeal of STEM, the discussion group thought
STEM should be featured at the State Fair. Ron Bennett, then
Executive Director of the Minnesota Center for Engineering and
Manufacturing Excellence (MNCEME), and several board members made a
presentation to State Fair officials later in the fall. The officials
were excited about the proposal, as the original concept for the fair
was to feature agricultural technology. In winter Ron presented the
idea to the Network’s leadership team, which was also enthusiastic.
By spring 2010, MNCEME made a commitment to organize exhibits and
feature programs in Carousel Park in front of the grandstand on
Thursday, August 26th.
Throughout the day about 2000 families enjoyed a wide range of
hands-on experiences presented by fifteen exhibitors, as well as the
feature stage presentations by the University of Minnesota’s
Physics Force and chemistry demonstrations by the U of M’s
chemistry fraternity, Alpha Chi Sigma. In the afternoon, Senator Al
Franken visited the booths of STEM Day at the Fair, trying out the
hands-on activities and learning about the Minnesota STEM Network.
Then he spoke to the audience gathered for the Physics Force about
the value of STEM to our society and state economy.
Stage Performances:
University of Minnesota Physics ForceUniversity of Minnesota’s
Chemistry Fraternity, Alpha Chi Sigma Exhibitors:
Minnesota Planetarium SocietyHighTech KidsThe WorksScience Museum of
MinnesotaSTARBASE MNProject Lead the Way3M Visiting WizardsSt Cloud
State UniversityMTS SystemsNational Center for STEM Elementary
Education at St. Catherine
Univ.Microsoft/MHTATPT-SciGirlsMSU-MankatoFIRST Robotics/FIRST Tech
ChallengeMinnesota STEM Network
A special thank you to:
Ron Bennett, MNCEME board members, Anita Hall of General Mills,
Dennis Harvey of MTS Systems for leadership and fundraising
effortsJudith Evans of MNCEME for promotional effortsDebra Bultnick
of the Dept. of Employment and Economic Development and Katie Staub
of Seagate for excellent project management of STEM Day at the Fair
We also extend thanks to our State Fair exhibit sponsors:
3MATK HB FullerMicrosoftMTS Systems
SciMathMN
www.scimathmn.org
Email: mnst...@scimathmn.org - in...@company.com
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