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STEMvisions Blog

Other Science
15
Jan

December in Review

By Kate Echevarria

Gen Z: The Conscious Generation

On December 1st, SSEC Director Carol O’Donnell was an invited panelist for the Bloomberg Sustainable Business Briefing “Gen Z: The Conscious Generation.” Led by a Bloomberg journalist discussing how to educate, inform, and support the workforce of the future, the panel examined how companies and Gen Z can connect to build a more sustainable working world of the future.

 

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Education
31
Dec

2020 Year in Review

By Cole Johnson

As we anticipate the start of 2021, we’d like to reflect on the year of 2020 and what we’ve accomplished with your support:

2020 Summit Paves the Way for Diversifying the K-12 STEM Teaching Workforce

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Education
21
Dec

STEM Career Spotlight: Yunjung Yi, Senior Research Scientist

By Nancy Griffin-Bonnaire

Yunjung Yi’s lifelong interest in STEM has been in mathematics—the “M” part of the acronym. In her mid-elementary school years, she was drawn to solving math problems with “determined” answers, those that are logical and where a single answer exists.

Photo of Yunjung Yi

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Education
16
Dec

How One D.C. Teacher Reshaped Online Learning For Students Using Zero Barriers in STEM

By Sherrell Lewis

Remote learning, as a result of the global pandemic, has brought topics of diversity, accessibility, equity and inclusivity to the fore of conversations concerning the state of education. The pivot to fully virtual and hybrid instructional settings has pushed educators to find new solutions to challenges related to accessible and inclusive STEM learning.

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Other Science
15
Dec

November in Review

By Kate Echevarria

The Global Classroom

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Education
09
Dec

STEM Career Spotlight: Ali Cagatay Cirik, Wireless Technology Specialist

By Nancy Griffin-Bonnaire

Ali Cirik is a Wireless Technology Specialist at Ofinno.

Photo of Ali Cirik, a Wireless Technology Specialist at Ofinno

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Education
24
Nov

Travel the World and Learn About Nutritional Guidelines in Pick Your Plate! Guía Global de Nutrición

By Cara Hackett

The Smithsonian Science Education Center recently launched Pick Your Plate! Guía Global de Nutrición! This game educates players about dietary guidelines by highlighting the food, currency, music, and nutritional guidelines from eight different countries across the world. Students are invited to virtually travel and eat their way across the world as they are exposed to a variety of food facts from each country. From tubers in Benin to avocados in Australia, learn why each food item is significant to its respective nation through Pick Your Plate! and beyond.

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Other Science
15
Nov

October in Review

By Kate Echevarria

October 2020

 

Nebraska Association of Teachers of Science

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Education
29
Oct

Learning Science @ Home*

By Dr. Carol O'Donnell

Home as A Place of Discovery

Homes are special places of discovery, abound with scientific phenomenon and engineering marvels. They are also places where student sensemaking and problem-finding are king; and intergenerational learning of science—where all generations can learn together (Lawson et al, 2019)—is common. A home is a place where anyone with a question can be a scientist.

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Other Science
15
Oct

September in Review

By Kate Echevarria

Dr. Carol O'Donnell Serves as External Expert on Newly Released Broadband Commission Report

 

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Education
21
Sep

What Is an Equinox?

Multicolored pumpkins, brown pinecones, red apples, and yellow leaves spread on a wooden table surface in front of a yellow background In the fall, leaves change color and apples and pumpkins are ripe. BrianAJackson/iStock/Getty Images Plus

Meteorological fall arrived on September 1. This is harvest season for many people in the Northern Hemisphere. Apples are ready to pick at orchards and pumpkin patches await visitors. Are you raking leaves yet? Are you enjoying delicious, warm apple cider as the temperature begins to cool?  The first day of astronomical fall in the Northern Hemisphere officially arrives September 22 when the Sun crosses the celestial equator going north to south, which is called the autumnal equinox. During an equinox the tilt of Earth’s axis and Earth’s orbit around the Sun are positioned such that the axis isn’t tilting one hemisphere toward or away from the Sun. Direct sunlight shines on the equator, so the length of day and night is nearly equal for both hemispheres.

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Other Science
15
Sep

August in Review

By Kate Echevarria

Education Around the Globe: Creating Opportunities and Transforming Lives

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Other Science
15
Aug

July in Review

By Kate Echevarria

The Global Classroom

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Education
27
Jul

From Sweet Potatoes to DNA: New Evidence Supports Links Between South American and Polynesian Cultures

The people who lived in Polynesia hundreds of years ago were known for their voyaging capability. They practiced wayfinding, or navigating, by using careful observations of the natural world including the stars, the Sun, and ocean waves. We know they sailed between clusters of islands that includes Marquesas, Mangareva, and Rapa Nui using their sturdy double-hulled canoes, but did they travel all the way to South America? Until recently, the strongest evidence to answer this question was the presence of the sweet potato, a crop native to South America, in Polynesia. However, recent research analyzing human DNA from Polynesians and South and Central American groups sheds new light on the mystery.

Painting of a boat with two large hulls, equal in length, and lashed side by side. The boat is sailing on water. Pastel sky is in the background and a bird is flying in the foreground.This artwork shows what a double-hulled canoe looks like. Getty

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Education
08
Jul

A Message from Smithsonian Secretary Lonnie G. Bunch III

By Smithsonian Science Education Center Staff

The Smithsonian is an institution dedicated to the public good, and in these times, we take that mission more seriously than ever. Although most of our museums and research centers are temporarily closed, we remain hard at work—educating, inspiring and supporting Americans through this difficult period.

During the past few months, the country has grappled with dual pandemics—the first a pandemic of illness, the second a pandemic of racism. It is like no other moment in American history.

People everywhere are turning to the Smithsonian in record numbers for context and knowledge. By making the wonders of science, art, history and culture accessible to all, we help the public understand the complexities of our world and feel part of a shared human experience.

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Education
22
Jun

Take a Smithsonian Lighthouse Tour

By Hannah Osborn and Melissa Rogers

Lighthouses serve several functions. They can warn people on boats of rocks in the water. They can show the way to a safe harbor. Are you looking for a light to guide you in these rocky times? Consider taking a lighthouse tour courtesy of the Smithsonian. Or maybe that’s a tour of the Smithsonian courtesy of lighthouses.

Eight lighthouses portrayed in photographs and drawings. Two examples of lighthouse lenses.In order of left to right rows from top left: Scott Catalogue German Democratic Republic 1554 National Postal Museum, 1977.1119.6.21.5; African Postcard collection, EEPA 1985-014, Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives, National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution; Transfer from U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service, Harpers Ferry Center (through David H. Wallace); Photo Lot 97 DOE Oceania: Philippines Postcard Collection 05169000, National Anthropological Archives, Smithsonian Institution; Transferred from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration 1964, nasm_A19760224000; Smithsonian American Art Museum, Transfer from the General Services Administration ca. 1935-1938, 1974.28.154; Smithsonian Institution Archives, siris_sic_13382; Henry and Nancy Rosin Collection of Early Photography of Japan. Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives. Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C. Purchase and partial donation. FSA.A1999.35; Smithsonian National Museum of American History, nmah_1413592; Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum, 1896-16-1.

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Other Science
15
Jun

June in Review

By Kate Echevarria

A Message from Carol O’Donnell

 

Dear Friends of the Smithsonian Science Education Center,

For more than a week we have witnessed and experienced the heartbreak and distress, sadness and anger spreading across our country.  

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Other Science
15
Jun

May in Review

By Kate Echevarria

Global Classroom

Scarisbrick Hall School, UNICEF and the World Health Organization (WHO) hosted an online “Global Classroom” to help young people around the world learn more about COVID-19.  The virtual event hosted schoolchildren from 193 countries invited to ask questions about the virus and pandemic. 

Smithsonian Science Education Center Director, Carol O’Donnell, and Division Director for Curriculum & Communications, Brian Mandell, both presented at the event.

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Other Science
15
May

April in Review

By Kate Echevarria

Annual IAP SEP Global Council Meeting

The Inter-Academy Panel in Science Education Programme (IAP SEP) held its annual meeting, virtually, on April 22nd. The focus of IAP SEP is the promotion of Inquiry-Based Science Education (IBSE) and also the improvement of science literacy among the general population through national academies of sciences as well as science museums and centers. O’Donnell has been a member of the council since 2015.

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Education
21
Apr

How Does a Disease Transfer from an Animal to a Human and Back?

By Hannah Osborn

COVID-19 has taken over world headlines since it first emerged in December of 2019. As the disease spread into a pandemic, scientists have scrambled to learn as much about it as quickly as possible. An early bright spot in the overwhelmingly negative news about COVID-19 was that it was believed pets could not get or carry the virus. However, recently a tiger at the Bronx Zoo tested positive for COVID-19, which opened the questions: Can I infect my pet or another animal? And can an infected animal infect me?

What is a virus?
COVID-19 is the name of the disease caused by the virus, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). A virus is any of a large group of microscopic infectious agents. Viruses are composed of genetic material, RNA or DNA, surrounded by a protein coat called a capsid. The capsid keeps the genetic material safe. Some viruses also have greasy coat called an envelope. A virus is a parasite and needs a cell to replicate. Like some animal species, viruses are grouped into families and types with other genetically related viruses. Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses that usually use cells in the respiratory tract of a human or non-human animal to replicate. They often cause mild to moderate upper-respiratory tract illnesses.

An image of a virusCorona means “crown” in Latin. Corona viruses are named for the spikes on their surface that look like the points on a crown. NIAID-RM

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Science
17
Apr

Tiger Men

By Katya Vines, PhD

The British are coming

A century ago, the jungles of India were teeming with 45,000 tigers. The Indian people and tigers lived together in harmony, at least for the most part. Tiger hunts took place but were not common. This all changed when the British arrived in India, bringing with them their love of hunting. Tiger hunting became a royal sport soon after.

One maharaja was reported to have killed 1,200 tigersOne maharaja was reported to have killed 1,200 tigers. Image: National Museum of Asian Art, accession number S1990.73.

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Other Science
15
Apr

March in Review

By Kate Echevarria

Spring 2020 Advisory Board Dinner & Meetings

The Smithsonian Science Education Center held its Spring 2020 Advisory Board meetings and dinner March 4th- 5th in Washington, DC. On Wednesday, March 4th, SSEC held a joint meeting between the board and its Ad-Hoc Committee on Higher Education Center. The group was welcomed by the interim Associate Provost for Education & Access, Ruki Neuhold-Ravikumar. This was the final meeting of the Ad-Hoc Committee, whose members include:

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Education
20
Mar

Educational STEM Games for Students

By Ashley Deese

We offer free Smithsonian STEM games online or for download! Our games are designed with clear learning objectives, vetted by our team of curriculum experts, and are used by students around the world!

 

Shutterbugs: Wiggle and Stomp

Kindergarten | Physical Science

Lions! Pandas! Naked mole rats? Come visit them all at Smithsonian’s National Zoo. We are on the lookout for animals that are swimming, running, wiggling, and stomping. Grab a camera and take some pictures of animals on the move! Shutterbugs teaches students how to describe movement and motion while visiting rare animals at the Smithsonian National Zoological Park. Each animal has coloring-page printouts, so you can print and color your favorite critter.

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Education
17
Mar

What Is the Spring Equinox?

Meteorological spring arrived on March 1, and the first blossoms in the Smithsonian Gardens are starting to greet the passersby.

Trees with pink blossoms and green grass in front of the gray exterior of the Smithsonian’s Freer Gallery of ArtTrees are in bloom in the Smithsonian's Enid A. Haupt Garden.

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Other Science
15
Mar

February in Review

By Kate Echevarria

Axios Presents “Future of Science Education”

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Other Science
15
Feb

January in Review

By Kate Echevarria

Her STEM Story

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Other Science
15
Jan

November & December in Review

By Kate Echevarria

Uganda

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Education
10
Dec

What's Shaking in Your Classroom?

By Melissa Rogers

The Smithsonian Science Education Center (SSEC) offices are a block off the National Mall. In our offices, we can hear and feel trains go by. Those in offices closest to the tracks can tell the difference between commuter trains and freight trains without looking. How can we tell the difference?

A photo of train tracks with the U.S. Capitol Building in the background.The tracks that run next to our building are used by several freight and passenger train systems. MJB Rogers

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Education
03
Dec

Marymount University ‘STEAM’ing in Uganda

By Dr. Rajdev, Rachel Cotton, and Sarah Roegner

In July of 2019 Dr. Usha Rajdev embarked on a journey to provide STEM education to teachers and institutions in Uganda. Over the course of two weeks she met with one University and four local High schools to develop a STEM program.  The Mosquito! Module was implemented in five institutions with Dr. Rajdev’s guidance. Teachers from each institution engaged in training using STEM and what local resources can be used to implement this project. The Mosquito! Module framework focuses on sustainable actions that are defined and implemented by students in reducing mosquito infestations in and around schools. This included cleaning wells, removal of stagnant water, life cycle of mosquitoes and its spreading of diseases, and the importance and urgency of engineering and design of mosquito traps by students. Using STEM and Project Based Learning (PBL), students designed mosquito traps and gathered data. Students are continuing to work and strengthen their projects and traps throughout the course of this year. They are actively engaged in informing their surrounding community about the mosquito problem and offering realistic and sustainable solutions. The students are also communicating with the school nurse to document the decline in cases of malaria in their schools. They are looking forward to sharing their data and projects at the International STEM conference in early August 2020.

High School students place mosquito traps around their school.High School students place mosquito traps around their school.

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Other Science
15
Nov

September & October in Review

By Kate Echevarria

HBCU Week

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