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Monthly Archives: August 2020

Tweens and STEM in the Library

2020-08-31T17:26:39-06:00

The National Center for Interactive Learning (NCIL) at the Space Science Institute closed out its partnership with the Urban Libraries Council’s Partners for Middle School STEM project. The project, which kicked off in January 2019, brought together 10 public library systems to create and implement Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) programs for underserved youth, ages 10-13. NCIL Education Coordinators, Brooks Mitchell and Claire Ratcliffe, and Professional Development Manager, Keliann LaConte, served as advisors to the participating library staff. Through coaching calls, bi-monthly webinars, and a cohort convening at the start of the project, the NCIL team helped the libraries identify [...]

Tweens and STEM in the Library2020-08-31T17:26:39-06:00

Closing the Gender Gap: Developing Gender Equitable STEAM Programs

2020-08-31T12:25:30-06:00

Closing the Gender Gap: Developing Gender Equitable STEAM Programs Webinar Resources Contact: Claire Ratcliffe (cratcliffe@spacescience.org) for questions Guest Presenters: Niki Becker STEM Specialist, Twin Cities PBS STEM Media and Education nbecker@tpt.org Kristin Pederson Senior Director, Twin Cities PBS STEM Media and Education STEM Project Development and Communications kpederson@tpt.org Keliann LaConte Principle Investigator, STEAM Equity project Professional Development Manager, STAR Net/Space Science Institute klaconte@spacescience.org SciGirls Resources: · SciGirls Connect - http://www.scigirlsconnect.org/ · SciGirls Strategies: Engaging Girls in STEM - http://www.scigirlsconnect.org/scigirls-strategies-engage-girls-stem/ · Tips for Using the SciGirls Strategies - http://www.scigirlsconnect.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/SciGirls-Strategies-Tips.pdf · Latina SciGirls - http://www.scigirlsconnect.org/groups/latina-scigirls/ · Engaging Latino Families Guide (English) - http://www.scigirlsconnect.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/ScigirlsLatinoFamiliesEnglishFINALFROMWEB.pdf [...]

Closing the Gender Gap: Developing Gender Equitable STEAM Programs2020-08-31T12:25:30-06:00

Earth Citizen Science with GLOBE Observer Resource List

2020-08-26T09:46:03-06:00

Earth Citizen Science with GLOBE Observer Resource List 8/27/2020 Contact: Claire Ratcliffe (cratcliffe@spacescience.org) Guest Presenters: Theresa Schwerin Vice President, Education Programs Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES) Theresa_schwerin@strategies.org Donna Blomquist Youth Services Librarian LaSalle Public Library dmblomquist@lasalle.lib.il.us Brittany Blomquist Program Outreach Coordinator LaSalle Public Library et.alibi@gmail.com Vivienne Byrd STEAM Librarian III Los Angeles Public Library vbyrd@lapl.org Citizen Science Resources: GLOBE Observer: https://observer.globe.gov Elementary GLOBE  - https://www.globe.gov/web/elementary-globe Library Video Resources  Making Observations with GLOBE Observer GLOBE Observer Postcard/Bookmark GLOBE Observer: Review and Submit Globe Observer: Taking Pictures NASAeClips: Citizen Science Interview with Former GLOBE Program Participant SciStarter Citizen Science - https://scistarter.org/ BADGR – www.badgr.com Google MY MAPS -- https://www.google.com/mymaps Origami Bracelet Tutorial [...]

Earth Citizen Science with GLOBE Observer Resource List2020-08-26T09:46:03-06:00

Virtual Community Dialogues

2020-08-24T10:57:22-06:00

2020 has not been the year anyone expected. In the first three months of the new year businesses were shuttered, schools closed, millions unemployed, and for libraries across the country, in-person programming ended. Community leaders at libraries and other organizations felt a desperate need to impact their communities in a relevant way. Libraries acknowledged the digital divide - moving WIFI routers to the front of their buildings for patrons in the parking lot, and even checking out WIFI hotspots. To continue programming, some libraries added Take & Make kits to food bank parcels. Others hosted virtual story-time through newly developed Facebook [...]

Virtual Community Dialogues2020-08-24T10:57:22-06:00

Quarantine and the Moon

2020-08-14T10:25:40-06:00

Left to Right, Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins, and Buzz Aldrin in the Mobil Quarantine Facility are pictured with president Nixon onboard the USS Hornet. Image Credit: NASA Almost everyone knows the date that astronauts first walked on the Moon, July 20, 1969. Another lesser known date is when the Apollo 11 astronauts were finishing up the last day of their three-week quarantine  exactly 51 years this week in August 1969. The first lunar landing mission of the Apollo program had been an amazing success. The astronauts (Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins) had all returned safely with a soft splashdown [...]

Quarantine and the Moon2020-08-14T10:25:40-06:00

Strengthen Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility in STEM

2020-08-12T12:41:12-06:00

Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility are fundamental values in the library community. The work to strengthen these areas is necessary and ongoing and can be done at the personal level, as a team, and with our communities. Below are some resources to help guide the journey towards ensuring people, especially those facing the greatest barriers in our society, have equitable and accessible opportunities in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math). If you have additional resources you would like to share, please add them in the comments. Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility Resources: DEIA for You Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion 101 Dr. [...]

Strengthen Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility in STEM2020-08-12T12:41:12-06:00

Beyond S-T-E-A-M: Playing, Creating, and Exploring

2020-08-10T14:03:03-06:00

Credit: Muhlenberg Community Library Some of us associate science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics ("STEAM") with FUN and MEANING for ourselves and our friends and family. We might imagine rockets blasting into space and the excitement of exploring the universe, or we might appreciate the chemicals in our sunscreen that keep us safe from UV. We might even realize how much STEAM is in our favorite hobbies, from the mathematics involved in sewing a garment, to the fertilizer we add to our prize tomatoes, or the family genetics that mean we hate broccoli as much as our brother. For others, [...]

Beyond S-T-E-A-M: Playing, Creating, and Exploring2020-08-10T14:03:03-06:00

NASA Subject Matter Expert (SME) Videos to Share with Your Patrons!

2020-08-05T11:13:39-06:00

If you've attended a STAR Net webinar, workshop, or other training event, you may have heard our team talk about the importance of introducing your patrons to subject matter experts (SMEs), such as engineers, scientists, technicians, and more. SMEs can inspire your patrons and take the burden of "content knowledge" off of library staff. Patrons that do not often see themselves represented in STEAM fields may really appreciate and benefit from seeing subject matter experts that look like them or share a common background. If you have a STEAM program with young female patrons, for example, try highlighting a female subject matter expert Kelsey [...]

NASA Subject Matter Expert (SME) Videos to Share with Your Patrons!2020-08-05T11:13:39-06:00
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