The PNM Fund is powering discovery by offering educators the opportunity to win an Energy Exploration Grant and boost learning about energy in New Mexico classrooms.
Grants will be awarded to teachers whose projects best ask and creatively answer a question about energy.
Educators throughout New Mexico will be awarded grants of up to $2000 in the fall of 2010. Teachers from all disciplines with pre-K - 12 classrooms in public or nonprofit private schools, located in communities served by PNM, are encouraged to apply.
Apply today
Applications for 2010 Energy Exploration Grants are currently being accepted.
Submission deadline: October 15, 2010
Learn more
Get ideas for your Energy Exploration Grant project (.pdf)
AESP is NASA's longest running K-12 educational project. AESP connects America's space agency with K-12 education throughout the United States. Penn State University is NASA's lead higher education partner for AESP.
AESP education specialists are experienced educators who are broadly knowledgeable about NASA's missions, programs, and educational resources. Education specialists visit schools to deliver teacher professional development and in-class programming in subjects relevant to NASA's missions. AESP is unique as a STEM education project that works "on the ground" in all 50 states and U.S. territories.
To request a school visit or other custom program by an AESP specialist from one of NASA's ten centers, complete this online form. Please note that if you are a teacher, you'll need to obtain approval from an appropriate school administrator first. If you would like to check on the status of a request or make a change in a request, please contact the Project Coordinator in your region. Alternatively, you may call the AESP office at Penn State University (814-863-5237), 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. EST and we will assist you.
If you are interested in partnering with AESP to extend the impact of your own work in space-related education, please contact the Deputy Director Keith Duclos (kfd1@psu.edu, 814-863-9614) or NASA AESP Manager Michelle Ferebee (michelle.t.ferebee@nasa.gov, 757-864-5617). AESP is committed to supporting other NASA and non-NASA projects to help strengthen precollege teaching and learning.
Honeywell Educators at Space Academy is an incredible professional development experience! This 5-day program is sponsored by Honeywell and is for teachers from around the world to come and participate in 45 hours of intensive classroom, laboratory and training time, focusing on space science and space exploration. Teachers also take part in astronaut-style training and simulations, as well as activities designed to promote life-long learning in a classroom setting. All lessons and activities link to National Science and Math Standards and are ready to use in the classroom.
Not only is the Honeywell Educators at Space Academy an exciting professional development experience, it will also challenge you personally. Each team of 16 teachers is lead by a counselor who has attended our program and is a classroom teacher.
Lodging will be at the University of Alabama in Huntsville located near the U.S. Space & Rocket Center.
Guided Tours, Planetarium, Programs, Science Classes & IMAX Movies
Traveling Space Show, Starlab, Auditorium Programs, Single Class Programs
For more information please contact:
Museum Education Dept.
Phone: (575) 437 2840 ext. 41132, Toll free 1-(877)333-6589 or Direct-line after business hours (575) 202-6289.
We know that young minds have amazing potential, and we believe in fostering it. Nuclear Science can be understood by children of all ages, and the perspective of the world it gives them will open their minds to endless possibilities. We invite and encourage you to bring your children or students to the museum, and to utilize the many educational programs we’ve designed just for them.
The mission of the Education Division is to provide educational opportunities about natural history and science for the benefit of New Mexico citizens and visitors by connecting where we live and how we live to natural systems and evolving processes.
The Vision of the Supercomputing Challenge is to be a nationally recognized program that promotes computational thinking in science and engineering so that the next generation of high school graduates is better prepared to compete in an information based economy.
The Mission of the Supercomputing Challenge is to teach teams of middle and high schools students how to use powerful computers to analyze, model and solve real world problems.
The Supercomputing Challenge is an exciting program that offers a truly unique experience to students in our state. The opportunity to work on the most powerful computers in the world is currently available to only a very few students in the entire United States, but in New Mexico, it is just one of the benefits of living in the "Land of Enchantment."
The Supercomputing Challenge is a program encompassing the school year in which teams of students complete science projects using high-performance supercomputers. Each team of up to five students and a sponsoring teacher defines and works on a single computational project of its own choosing.
Throughout the program, help and support are given to the teams by their project advisors and the Supercomputing Challenge organizers and sponsors.
The Supercomputing Challenge is open to all interested students in grades 6 through 12 on a non-selective basis. The program has no grade point, class enrollment or computer experience prerequisites.
Participants come from public, private, parochial and home-based schools in all areas of New Mexico. The important requirement for participating is a real desire to learn about science and computing.
Supercomputing Challenge teams tackle a range of interesting problems to solve. The most successful projects address a topic that holds great interest for the team. In recent years, ideas for projects have come from Astronomy, Geology, Physics, Ecology, Mathematics, Economics, Sociology, and Computer Science. It is very important that the problem a team chooses is what we call "real world" and not imaginary. A "real world" problem has measurable components. We use the term Computational Science to refer to science problems that we wish to solve and explain using computer models. See science projects for details and examples.
Those teams who make significant progress on their projects can enter them in the competition for awards of savings bonds and scholarships for the individuals and computer equipment for the school. Team trophies are also awarded for: Teamwork, Best Written Report, Best Professional Presentation, Electronic Search & Browse, Creativity and Innovation, Environmental Modeling, High Performance, Multimedia and the Judges' Special Award.
The Supercomputing Challenge is offered at minimal cost to the participants or the school district. It is sponsored by a partnership of federal laboratories, universities, and businesses. They provide food and lodging for the kickoff conference during which students and teachers are shown how to use supercomputers, learn programming languages, how to analyze data, write reports and much more.
These sponsors also supply time on the supercomputers and lend equipment to schools that need it. Employees of the sponsoring groups conduct training sessions at workshops and advise teams throughout the year.
The Challenge Year opens with a Kickoff at a Conference Center where students attend talks and tutorials on essential knowledge for successful completion of the Challenge. In the middle of the year, Sandia National Laboratory hosts a tour with talks and demonstrations of technology developed at Sandia. The year culminates at Los Alamos National Laboratory in late April with a Project Expo and Judging followed by an Awards Ceremony.
The New Mexico High School Supercomputing Challenge was conceived in 1990 by former Los Alamos Director Sig Hecker and Tom Thornhill, president of New Mexico Technet Inc., a nonprofit company that in 1985 set up a computer network to link the state's national laboratories, universities, state government and some private companies. Sen. Domenici, and John Rollwagen, then chairman and chief executive officer of Cray Research Inc., added their support.
In 2001, the Adventures in Supercomputing program formerly housed at Sandia National Laboratories and then at the Albuquerque High Performance Computing Center at the University of New Mexico merged with the former New Mexico High School Supercomputing Challenge to become the New Mexico High School Adventures in Supercomputing Challenge.
In 2002, the words "High School" were dropped from the name as middle school teams had been invited to participate in 2000 and had done well.
In the summer of 2005, the name was simplified to the Supercomputing Challenge.
In 2007, the Challenge began collaborating with the middle school Project GUTS, (Growing Up Thinking Scientifically), an NSF grant housed at the Santa Fe Institute.
To encourage and support implementation of high quality environmental education curricula that leads to an environmentally literate citizenry. Determine needs of New Mexico educators for environmental education.
To provide and increase awareness of EEANM programs and resources to New Mexico environmental educators. Serve as a resource network to share information among people involved in environmental education in New Mexico.
To serve existing members through mailings, membership directory, newsletter, conferences, regional meetings, and workshops.
To develop in-house funding to support environmental education in New Mexico.
To foster and support participation by members of diverse groups within New Mexico.
| Welcome |
| Welcome to the website of the New Mexico Science Teachers Association! |
| Mission Statement |
 The New Mexico Science Teachers Association (NMSTA) mission is to provide a network for educators throughout the state to work collaboratively towards improving science education frompre-kindergarten through college. The NMSTA assists classroom teachers by providing guidance and strategies through professional development opportunities to enhance science education. |
The Regional Educational Technology Assistance (RETA) program is a statewide professional development partnership. RETA helps New Mexico educators and administrators with technology integration and online teaching and learning.
RETA professional development includes online, face-to-face, and blended workshops. Participants can sign up for 3-Tier Professional Development Dossier, Technology, NMTA, andPartnership workshops.
Watch the RETA Best Practices Video to learn more about the program.
Explore our site and make sure to check out our RETAzens blog
Teams of 5 students must prepare themselves for this two-day outdoor competition held in April. Teams work to answer natural resource questions and develop solutions to environmental problems.
The New Mexico Envirothon consists of two components. At the outdoor competition, students conduct a series of in-field investigations followed by testing, which includes multiple choice, true/false, and short answer questions in each of the five subject areas. Second, the oral presentation component presents students with a real-world resource problem. They must develop a management strategy to address the problem and present their solution to a panel of judges.
The 2010 current event topic is "PROTECTION OF GROUNDWATER THROUGH URBAN, AGRICULTURE, AND ENVIRONMENTAL PLANNING"
The Envirothon emphasizes real-life problems. Students are challenged to apply their knowledge to solve problems that land managers face every day. Natural Resource Specialists from many agencies, organizations and businesses devise the Envirothon tests and staff the various test stations.
The overall goal of the New Mexico Envirothon is to develop knowledgeable, skilled and dedicated citizens who are willing to work toward achieving and maintaining a balance between the quality of life and the quality of the environment.
The Envirothon began in Pennsylvanian in 1979. Today the program has grown to include approximately 50 states and Canadian provinces and is North America’s largest high school environmental competition, now called the Canon Envirothon.
The 2010 New Mexico Envirothon will be held April 23 and 24, 2010. This year’s current environmental issue is protection of groundwater through urban, agriculture, and environmental planning. Registration forms are due (TBA). A schedule of events will be mailed to all registered teams shortly after registration.
Teams consist of five members and may include an alternate. The cost to each team is $100.00. Every New Mexico team must be sponsored by a local soil and water conservation district. The sponsoring district may pay the team’s registration fee. A listing of New Mexico’s Soil and Water Conservation Districts are included in the sponsor section.
Team members should bring all-weather clothing (rain, sleet, snow or hail…) snacks and a drink, if desired. A New Mexico Envirothon T-shirt will be provided to all participating team members and up to 2 advisors. Food and lodging cost wll be determined based on the location of the state event. Last year's event cost $60 per person. Registration, food and lodging costs will be sent in the registration packet.
The New Mexico Envirothon is sponsored by the New Mexico Association of Conservation Districts, New Mexico Chapter Soil and Water Conservation Society, USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service, New Mexico Forestry Division, New Mexico Game and Fish and many others. Final List can be found in the sponsor section.
Winners of the New Mexico Envirothon will win a trip to the Canon Envirothon, held August 1– August 7, 2010 at the UC Merced, Merced, California. The New Mexico Envirothon will pay transportation and lodging costs. The five-day event will bring together and challenge Envirothon teams from over 50 U.S states and Canadian provinces. Teams will compete for over $35,000 in Canon Envirothon Scholarships and other prizes.
Questions regarding the New Mexico Envirothon may be directed to the New Mexico Association of Conservation Districts, the major sponsor of the statewide program, care of Peter Vigil at 575-751-0584tswcd@newmex.com or Shawn Hardeman at 505-924-7032 hardeman@efc.nmt.edu.
Launched in 1991, the National Science Bowl® (NSB) is a highly competitive science education and academic event among teams of high school and middle school students who compete in a fast-paced verbal forum to solve technical problems and answer questions in all branches of science and math. Each team is composed of four students, one alternate student, and a coach. Regional and national events encourage student involvement in math and science activities of importance to the Department of Energy and the Nation.
The National Science Bowl® for Middle School Students was started in 2002 and includes two types of competitions — an academic math and science competition and a model car race. The car race provides the students with a “hands-on” science and engineering experience where the teams design, build ,and race their model cars.
Regional science bowl championship teams receive an all-expenses paid trip to compete at the national event. High school and middle school teams travel to Washington, D.C. in May. The national events are several days of science activities, sightseeing, and competitions. Teams enjoy the entire science bowl experience and take home many prizes. There are cutting-edge science seminars and hands-on science activities.
The Global Field Program (GFP) brings Master’s degree candidates, scientists, educators, community leaders, and others together at conservation hotspots in Africa, Asia, and the Americas for firsthand experience with inquiry-driven education, environmental stewardship, and global understanding. GFP candidates join a growing network of leaders who work collaboratively to bring about change in local and global contexts. This program builds on the graduate courses and environmental partnerships of Earth Expeditions and the NSF funded Wild Research.
Because the GFP combines summer field courses worldwide with web learning communities, this Master's degree can be completed part-time from anywhere in the U.S. or abroad.
Current field sites: Kenya, Namibia, Mongolia, Borneo, Thailand, Belize, Trinidad, the Amazon Rainforest, Baja, and Costa Rica, with future conservation and education partnerships anticipated in the Galápagos Islands, and Australia.
Bachelor's degree. Enrollment is open to applicants regardless of academic major or profession.
Applicants elect to enroll in either a Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) degree in the Biological Sciences or a Master of Arts (MA) degree in Zoology (see program details). MA and MAT candidates go through the Global Field Program together.
Note: Some courses, for example the field expeditions courses, can be taken outside the degree program (see www.earthexpeditions.org).
The MST program is designed to provide graduate-level classroom and laboratory instruction for teachers of science, mathematics, engineering, and/or technology. The emphasis of the courses is on content, rather than pedagogy. MST students are encouraged to develop laboratory exercises, demonstrations, and teaching methods from the course content and apply these as directed study or independent study projects in their own classrooms during the academic year. Courses for the participants are offered in a variety of disciplines and are taught by New Mexico Tech faculty. Classes build on fundamental principles and offer new concepts and novel teaching methods. Courses are offered throughout the year via distance instruction and as live courses on the New Mexico Tech campus and around the state.
Program Prerequisites
An individual with at least one year of teaching experience may apply for admittance into the MST Program. The Program encourages individuals to hold a valid teaching certificate when appropriate.
http://129.138.24.89/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=47&Itemid=55
The Science Olympiad is a national, non-profit, tax exempt organization, devoted to improving the quality of science education, increasing student interest in science, and providing recognition of outstanding achievement in science education by both students and teachers. These goals are achieved by participation in Science Olympiad tournaments, incorporating Science Olympiad into classroom curriculum and attending teacher training institutes.
Science Olympiad tournaments follow the format of classroom lab tests, popular board games, TV shows, and athletic games. Everyone can find a niche for his or her particular skill in Science Olympiad as each event is designed to take advantage of the wide variety of students' talents. Events are well balanced between the various science disciplines of biology, earth science, chemistry, physics, computers and technology. There is also a balance between events requiring knowledge of science facts, concepts, processes, skills and science applications.
What are the Benefits of Science Olympiad?
A three year Georgia State University study of the impact of Science Olympiad on middle and high school students confirmed significant benefits in the following areas:
Increased in-depth knowledge and understanding of science concepts and general knowledge
An increase in ability to apply scientific knowledge
Greater breadth of knowledge in areas previously unexplored
Exhibit significantly enhanced laboratory skills
Experience science as real scientists would
Use and apply the scientific method with meaning
Begin to see the interrelatedness of the sciences.
Improved problem-solving skills
Application of problem solving skills as a long term endeavor
Education in the importance of trial and error
Emphasis on experiences rather than memorization.
Hands-on training in:
Collaborative and/or creative thinking
Applying critical thinking skills to real-time situations
Constant experimentation to solve problems at hand
Creative application of new ideas
Time management and teamwork.
Who can participate in Science Olympiad?
Any private or public school, charter school or home school in grades 6-12 is eligible to participate.
Middle School students (grades 6-9) compete in Division B.
High School students (grades 9 to 12) compete in Division C.
A team may consists of as many as 15 members.
There is a maximum of five 9th grade students (Division B) and seven 12th grade students (Division C) permitted on a team.
Participation in a Regional Tournament is required for a team to qualify to compete in the New Mexico State Finals.
Qualifying teams (25 per division) will advance to State, with the top State winners in each division advancing to Nationals.
Team coaches are responsible for contacting their regional director as soon as possible for information regarding the regional tournament.
New Mexico Science Olympiad State Final Tournament restricts participation to one team per school. Some regional tournaments allow more than one team per school to participate. There is an additional $25 fee for schools who enter two teams at their regional tournament.
The New Mexico Science Olympiad is the state-level tournament for competition of all qualifying teams at the regional level. New Mexico Science Olympiad winners in both B & C divisions advance to the National Science Olympiad. New Mexico Science Olympiad winners, in both B & C divisions, advance to the National Science Olympiad.
The State Tournament will be held on Saturday, February 19, 2011 at New Mexico Tech, Socorro, New Mexico.
There are two New Mexico Science Olympiad divisions:
Division B-students grades 6 to 9
Division C-grades 9 to 12.
A team may consists of as many as 15 members.
There is a maximum of five 9th grade students (Division B) and seven 12th grade students (Division C) permitted on a team.
To register a team in the New Mexico Science Olympiad, you must complete a registration form. Deadline for registering a team is December 14.
There is a non-refundable registration fee of $125 per team. Please use only one name for the coach/contact person as only one person will receive mailing and be listed as the team's coach.
The registration fee entitles the member school to enter a team of up to 15 students in their respective Regional Science Olympiad tournament and one copy of the Coaches Manual.
There is an additional fee of $25 for schools who wish to enter two teams at their regional tournament.
Pre-payment is required. School purchase orders may accompany the membership application, but the coaches manuals will not be shipped until full payment is received.
Payments not received by December 14, will be assessed a $25 late payment fee.
Coach's Manuals are mailed October 1, no exceptions!.
The first New Mexico Science and Engineering Fair (NMSEF) was held in 1953 at the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology in Socorro, NM, three years after the first National Science Fair was organized by Science Service. In 2008 Science Service changed it's name to Society for Science & the Public (SSP)
NMSEF accepts the top exhibits from the six regional science fairs in the state. It is held each April on the campus of New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology in Socorro. Its objectives are to recognize and reward excellence in science, mathematics, and engineering projects carried out by junior high and high school students from throughout the state. Winners at the state level compete in the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) held in a major city every May. The site for the 2010 Intel International Science and Engineering Fair is San Jose, CA, May 9 - 15, 2010.
Science and Engineering Fair programs in New Mexico encourage inquisitive students to explore their environment in a systematic, logical manner. Participation in science fair stimulates students interest in science and technology while simultaneously promoting the development of the life skills of communication, decision making, evaluation of alternative solutions, and critical thinking. Recognition of students for their contributions of knowledge and hard work in science fair contributes to the enthusiasm and excitement that develops as students involve themselves in their projects.
Science Fair programs also challenge science educators to explain their own fields of expertise so as to advise students appropriately. In addition, the successful development and implementation of science fairs is enhanced by strong community/institution relationships. The acquisition of financial support, judges, and other volunteer help is dependent upon various community entities.
NMSEF is a non-profit program supported by the State of New Mexico and New MexicoInstitute of Mining and Technology, an equal opportunity institution. The Fair is a member of the New Mexico Activities Association and is bound by the rules governing that organization. Financial support for the Fair comes from the State of New Mexico, New Mexico Tech, donations from a number of foundations, corporate and individual donors as well as registration fees.
NM MESA is a pre-college program that prepares students for college majors and careers in mathematics, engineering, science or technically related fields. The MESA program is coordinated through seven regional offices, each staffed by a Regional Coordinator. These regional offices are located in Albuquerque (2), Espanola, Las Vegas, Gallup, Las Cruces and Roswell. Map of the MESA Regions.
MESA supports student programs in mid-high and high schools throughout the state. Each school program is administered by a teacher (typically a math or science teacher) from the school who receives a stipend for this work from their school district. Through these programs, MESA students participate in a variety of enriched math, science and engineering activities including field trips, speakers, workshops, regional and state-wide academic competitions, community service and leadership development projects. NM MESA provides funding and logistical support for these and other activities.
NM MESA also offers a "Senior Incentive Award" scholarship to graduating high school seniors who enroll in college the fall they graduate from high school. This award, which can go as high as $1000.00 per student, is based on the students' MESA participation during high school, academic grades and standardized test scores.What's RoboRAVE? It's an exciting annual event where elementary, middle, and high school age students participate in a team-based experience along with an adult coach to win cash awards. Various robotics platforms are used in the competitions – LEGO Robotics, Traxster, Boe Bot Crawler, and many others.
RAVE stands for Robots Are Very Educational. The goal is for the students to learn by doing and have fun at the same time. Come and experience a raving time!
RoboRAVE International is a program of Inquiry Facilitators, Inc.
