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15
Dec

November in Review

By Kate Echevarria

The Global Classroom

On November 20th SSEC Director, Carol O’Donnell, presented at the 5th session of The Global Classroom. This session focused on the theme of “Connecting Generations” in a live, real-time interactive event. SSEC hosted two guest speakers: Michaela Pavlat, Cultural Interpreter at the National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI) and Megan Collins, M.D., paediatric ophthalmologist at associate professor at Johns Hopkins. The Global Classroom is now established as the largest online classroom for supporting global collaboration for children. Each live event reaches 14,000 students live, and videos posted have been viewed by 2.4 million viewers to date.

Memorandum of Understanding Signing

Brazil's Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovations, represented by Minister Marcos Cesar Pontes, and the Smithsonian Institution, represented by the Acting Under Secretary, Roger Brissenden and the Office of International Relations Director Aviva Rosenthal, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on November 25th. The virtual signing of the MOU underscored the two institutions' shared efforts to advance scientific research and education in Brazil.  The MOU reaffirms the long-standing partnership and builds on the previous MOU between the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovations and the Smithsonian Institution signed in 1984. SSEC will work with Brazil Ministry to identify opportunities for science, technology, engineering, and math (“STEM”) education in Brazil, including leadership and teacher professional development, using the Smithsonian curriculum and resources, including educating students on COVID-19.

 

IAP

The InterAcademy Partnership (IAP) featured the Smithsonian Science for Global Goals project in its annual overview of the work of IAP. The Food! How Do We Ensure Good Nutrition for All? module was developed in partnership with the IAP as part of the Smithsonian Science for Global Goals project. These Smithsonian Science for Global Goals community research guides use the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as a framework to focus on sustainable actions that are defined and implemented by students. O’Donnell has been a member of the IAP since 2015.

 

 

 

Images courtesy Getty Images

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About the Author

Kate Echevarria
Human Resources Liaison

Kate Echevarria is the Human Resources Liaison for the Smithsonian Science Education Center. She is responsible for handling recruitment, internships, performance management, and all aspects of human resources at the Center. She was previously the Executive Office Manager at SSEC for 10 years. Prior to SSEC, Kate was in human resource management having worked for an international hotel chain, the U.S. Government, and a science non-profit.