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Newsletter: May 2022

NISE Network logo in full color - horizontal landscape

MAY 2022  


NETWORK NEWS

ACM Interactivity Conference 2022 logo Play the Long Game  theme

Association of Children’s Museums InterActivity Conference in May

We are looking forward to seeing familiar faces and meeting new people in person at the Association of Children’s Museums InterActivity conference in May in Saint Louis. The NISE Network will have a booth and will be participating in sessions.
Learn more nisenet.org/ACM2022

 

Brad Herring Profile Picture

Best wishes to Brad Herring 

Brad Herring will be leaving the Museum of Life and Science in Durham, NC to start a new venture as a videographer and storyteller. Brad’s last day at the museum will be May 25, 2022. Many of you know Brad from his work leading NISE Network online workshops, our Earth & Space project-based professional learning community, and as the Southeast regional hub leader. We are grateful for all of Brad’s efforts over the past fifteen years and wish him all the best with his new endeavor.
Learn more

 

 

Christina Leavell - Community Manager

Streamlining Partner Communications

The NISE Network is streamlining our partner communications so that Christina Leavell will become our Community Manager and the primary contact for all NISE Network partners. Going forward, partners in any geographic region can reach out to Christina with any questions, concerns, or stories to share about network projects and opportunities. We also wanted to alert you about upcoming projects and opportunities.
Learn more

 

 

 

 

NISE Network projects opportunities flyer 5-1-22 page 1

 

Upcoming Projects and Opportunities

A quick summary of NISE Network projects and opportunities is
available for download.

 

 

 

 


UPCOMING EVENTS

NISE Net Online Workshop logo

Online Workshops
The NISE Network hosts free online workshops as professional development opportunities for our partners to share with and learn from each other. Online workshops take place on select Tuesdays at 2pm-3pm Eastern. View upcoming online workshops at nisenet.org/events

• June 14, 2022
Reconnect and Re-engage with the NISE Network 2022 - An Overview of Projects and Time to Reconnect
Learn more and register

• July 19, 2022
T
ools for Engaging Communities and Incorporating Diversity, Equity, Access, and Inclusion Practices
Learn more and register
 

Lunar Eclipse - May 15
A total Lunar Eclipse will be visible Sunday night, May 15, into the early morning of Monday, May 16 for the Eastern US; the Western US will see a partial eclipse. Find the exact time for your location.
You can find more public engagement resources at: nisenet.org/lunareclipses

 

Association of Children’s Museums InterActivity Conference
May 16-18, 2022, Saint Louis
Learn more about NISE Network activities at the conference 


PARTNER HIGHLIGHTS

Cloud in a bottle activity Physics Phun Day at ECHO in Burlington VT 2022

Physics Phun Day with University of Vermont at ECHO in Burlington, VT

University of Vermont students, staff, and faculty from the Physics Department recently spent a day at ECHO, Leahy Center for Lake Champlain in Burlington, Vermont to host a “Physics Phun Day,” where they facilitated hands-on activities and demonstrations about how scientists trap and study very cold atoms. 
Read more

 

Imagine Nation Bristol Connecticut with a father and child using star cookie activity

Junior Ranger Night Explorers at Imagine Nation in Bristol, Connecticut

Imagine Nation, A Museum Early Learning Center in Bristol, CT, and a division of the Boys & Girls Club of Bristol, celebrated space science last fall with a Junior Ranger Night Explorer outdoor event. Visitors viewed the Moon and stars using a real telescope, learned how stars form with the Star Formation activity, created a lunar mission with Moon Story Blocks, experimented with Hide and Seek Moon, and crafted a glowing stomp rocket.   
Read more


FEATURED ON THE WEBSITE

Looking for an easy way to discover resources on the nisenet.org website?
Check out our “Browse by Themes and Topics,” featuring curated collections of hands-on activities and resources by themes and STEM topics: nisenet.org/browse-topic

Featured collections

Recorded NISE Network online workshops
View the recordings and resources from recent NISE Net online workshops:

  • Online Workshop: Communicating Climate Change to Diverse Audiences  (recorded 4/5/2022) View the recording
  • Online Workshop: Earth and Space Resource Roundup - an Overview of All the NISE Network has to Offer (recorded 5/3/2022) View the recording

COMMUNITY RESOURCES AND ANNOUNCEMENTS

STEM For All Video Showcase logo

STEM for All Video Showcase
This year's showcase will have over 250 short videos depicting innovative, federally funded projects aimed at improving Science, Technology, Math, Engineering and CS education. You are invited to view, discuss, and vote May 10-17. Learn more 

New Gender Equity Grant Funding
ASTC grant funding of up to $4,000 is available to support projects that use materials from our IF/THEN® Project Library. Applications are being accepted on a rolling basis until September 30, 2022, or until all available funds are awarded. Learn more 

NASA Crew Members Available to Answer Questions
Through a new program called Groundlink, children can connect with the crew inside NASA’s Human Exploration Research Analog (HERA) who are learning more about living in isolation and close quarters. The program is modeled after Downlinks, which connects children to astronauts aboard the International Space Station for a question-and-answer session, the Groundlinks program allows students to interface with the analog crew to learn more about the research NASA is performing on Earth to prepare for future space exploration missions. 
Learn more 

NASA Artemis I mission patch logo including rocket ship

NASA Artemis I Resources
Artemis I will be an uncrewed flight test taking place in 2022 that will provide a foundation for human deep space exploration. Learn how you can participate: 

COVID-19 Coronavirus and Vaccine Resources 
NISE Network continues to compile resources as the situation continues to evolve:

 

 



SCIENCE IN THE NEWS


CHEMISTRY NEWS
Why do most people love the smell of vanilla and peaches and not sweaty feet?
Read more

NISE Network resources:

• Chemistry Makes Sense activity
• More sense of smell activities

 


SYNTHETIC BIOLOGY NEWS
Editing the genome of a living relative of the Christmas Island rat could create something that looks like the extinct rodent, but it would lack some important genes. Read more

NISE Network resources:

• Building with Biology kit


CLIMATE CHANGE NEWS
Opinions and understanding about climate change vary widely depending on where people live. The Yale Program on Climate Change Communication is offering new climate opinion factsheets customized for each county and state in the United States.
Read more

NISE Network resources: 

• Climate change resources


SPACE NEWS
With the completion of NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope’s optical alignment, work is now focused on testing all of the scientific instruments. First images are anticipated this summer.
Read more

NISE Network resources: 

• Webb Space Telescope resources



STEM THROUGHOUT THE YEAR

Discover activity ideas for incorporating current science, engineering, and technology content into events, special programming, holidays, and seasonal activities by visiting: nisenet.org/seasons

MAY

JUNE


 

NATIONAL MEETINGS AND CONFERENCES

  • Visitor Studies Association Conference, July 12-14, 2022, Omaha

    Learn more

  • ASTC Conference, September 12-15, 2022, Pittsburgh 

    Learn more

  • CAISE InformalScience.org conference calendar

    Learn more

  • National Science Teaching Association (NSTA) Conferences

    Learn more