New Opportunities: August 6th, 2021

 Opportunity for schools: NCSciFest’s

Duke Energy Science Nights are back! (apply by 8/31/order by 9/10)

The NCSciFest’s wildly popular Duke Energy Science Night for elementary schools program is back for its 11th year! These kits contain everything you need to host a science night for 200+ students and their families. 

Applications are now open for schools to receive one of a limited number (150) of science night kits at no cost to you. The application for these sponsored kits must be submitted by August 31. 

Since the program debuted in 2012, demand has skyrocketed to the point where we’re only able to award kits to about one-third of the schools that apply. We select schools based on the greatest economic need, diversity, and compelling stories from the applicants, but want to expand the reach of this program as broadly as possible. Therefore, schools are now able to purchase science night kits for $495. The preorder process has begun, and all orders are due by September 10. 

Please visit our website to learn moreabout the program and what is included with the kit as well as more detailed instructions and timings.  

Still have questions? Feel free to email us at [email protected] 

Thank you for all you do for your students – and for STEM education! 

Kind regards, 

Erik

Erik MacIntosh

Programs Manager, NC Science Festival

Pronouns: he, him, his

Morehead Planetarium and Science Center

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

250 East Franklin Street | Campus Box 3480
Chapel Hill, NC 27599-3480

919-962-3274 | [email protected]

www.moreheadplanetarium.org

www.ncsciencefestival.org

Facebook | Twitter

Morehead Planetarium and Science Center

NC STEM Portal: Request to add your Fall STEM Events!

As we approach the start of a new school year, please remember to update or add new opportunities through the NC STEM Calendar Portal. Now’s the perfect time to make sure you’ve listed your offerings so that teachers, students, and families can find them as they head back to school and make plans for the upcoming semester.
We highlight featured program providers and opportunities in our newsletters and social media feeds, so make sure your listings are up to date so we can help send audiences your way.
If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out.


Best,

The NC STEM Calendar Team

[email protected]


Save the Date: CARGO CONNECTSM Release (FIRST LEGOS)

Save the date for a special delivery! FIRST® LEGO® League CARGO CONNECTSM details will be released Tuesday, August 17, at Noon ET, driving participants (ages 4-16) full speed ahead into the world of transportation. Season materials for the Challenge, Explore, and Discover divisions will be available for download as well as CARGO CONNECT specific wallpapers, social graphics, and posters. Sign up to be notified.Thank you to sponsors LEGO, Amazon Future Engineer, LEGO Education, The LEGO Foundation, and Rockwell Automation for making the CARGO CONNECT materials release possible as part of the 2021-2022
FIRST® FORWARDSM presented by Qualcomm season.

The Governor’s Educator Discovery Award: Time Sensitive Due Aug 13th!

Cycle 7 of the Governor’s Educator Discovery Award is now open!

The Governor’s Educator Discovery Award is open to all NC preK-12 traditional public and public charter school teachers. Teachers will enter for the chance to win a stipend up to $1,000 to pursue the professional development experience of their choosing.  Teachers can use the grant award to attend a workshop or conference that deepens their subject area knowledge, such as a coding workshop for computer science teachers, or a session on how to create a project-based learning experience for students. Applicants need to describe how their participation in the professional development experience will enhance their efforts to create a work-based learning activity for their students. This cycle ends on August 13th, so don’t miss your chance! Apply Now!

Cycle 7 of the Governor’s Educator Discovery Award is now open!

The Governor’s Educator Discovery Award is open to all NC preK-12 traditional public and public charter school teachers. Teachers will enter for the chance to win a stipend up to $1,000 to pursue the professional development experience of their choosing.  Teachers can use the grant award to attend a workshop or conference that deepens their subject area knowledge, such as a coding workshop for computer science teachers, or a session on how to create a project-based learning experience for students. Applicants need to describe how their participation in the professional development experience will enhance their efforts to create a work-based learning activity for their students. This cycle ends on August 13th, so don’t miss your chance! Apply Now!

FIRST LEGO League Discover Grant 2021-2022

Ignite curiosity with playful learning through the FIRST LEGO League Discover Program. This grant provides teachers with the tools and resources to lead early learners through 10 sessions as they explore STEM through play. These resources include scope and sequence options, which feature variations to customize activities to meet the learning needs of your students.

This grant is eligible to any school/teacher that will serve at least 80 students pre-K through 1st grade. Sessions may be run anytime between August 2021 to June 2022.

More details and the application can be found here or please contact Julia at [email protected] with any questions.


Future City

Future City is Back!

Future City NC – the project-based learning program where students in 6th, 7th, and 8th grades imagine, research, design, and build cities of the future – Region is back! The Future City program and competition has returned from a pandemic-imposed hiatus with great plans for a fantastic year!

Future City is a free program (registration fee is waived for NC!) for all middle school students to experience authentic STEM-related skills by designing a city of the future based on a themed challenge. This year’s challenge: Design a waste-free city that uses the principles of a circular economy. More info here.

Updates about this year’s competition are located here.

Interested?  Register to get access to this year’s program guide and receive information about our regional happenings, such as the Future City NC “Kick-Off” meeting in early September. At that meeting, a speaker from Envision Charlotte will share about the circular economy, and you’ll learn about specific aspects of the program and this year’s competition to get you started.


Resources:
STEM Careers Coalition

Are your students ready to solve some of the world’s greatest sustainability challenges? Use these exciting hands-on activities to spark their curiosity and help them understand how they can use their skills to save our planet.

K-8 At-Home STEM and Sustainable Activities