MAY 2026
NETWORK NEWS
Association of Children's Museums InterActivity Conference 2026
It was wonderful to see familiar faces and meet new people at the Association of Children's Museums InterActivity Conference this month. Presentation slides and resources are now available:
nisenet.org/ACM2026
UPCOMING CONFERENCES
If you are attending the AAM conference, please be sure to connect at NISE Network project sessions.
American Alliance of Museums - 2026 AAM Annual Meeting this May in Philadelphia, PA
nisenet.org/AAM2026
UPCOMING EVENTS
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
• Library Collaborations to Engage Local Public Audiences
Tuesday, May 19, 2026
2-3pm Eastern
Learn more and register
• America at 250 - Just in time resources you can use at science centers and children's museums
Tuesday, June 9, 2026
2-3pm Eastern
Learn more and register
FEATURED ON THE WEBSITE
Artemis Moon Joy
Looking for ways to keep that Moon joy feeling going? Check out these
Moon activities and resources
New Professional Learning Video:
Perspectives on STEM Learning Ecosystems, Belonging, and Authentic STEM Engagement
A new video is available from the STEM Learning Ecosystems project. This is the sixth video in our professional learning series that introduces practitioners to STEM Learning Ecosystems. In this video, we ask professionals from across the country who are involved in STEM learning ecosystems to tell us about their experiences and to reflect on why community partnerships matter when creating opportunities for learners to engage in STEM.
Watch the new video
Learn about the six-part video series
Recent Publications:
• “Communities of transformation: an example from the museum field,” by Rae Ostman and Nich Weller has been published in Museum Management and Curatorship. This peer-reviewed journal article explores the Sustainability Fellowship as a community of transformation.
Learn more
More publications:
nisenet.org/publications
Online Workshop Recordings:
• Finding and Collaborating with NASA Experts - Solar System Ambassadors and Night Sky Network
(recorded 4-14-26)
Learn more
• Museums Share Experiences Participating in STEM Learning Ecosystems
(recorded 3-31-2026)
Learn more
• Young People Co-creating STEM Engagement Projects (recorded 2-3-26)
Learn more
• More online workshop recordings
United States 250th “Semiquincentennial”
Resources to help plan relevant programming for the United States' 250th anniversary (Semiquincentennial)
nisenet.org/america250
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
PARTNER HIGHLIGHT
NanoDays 2026 - Small Science Still Going Strong
We could not be more thrilled to see all the NanoDays events happening in partners’ communities across the US! Still going strong, we thank you all for your continued efforts to engage audiences in the science of the small and use our resources with your learners. Just a few highlights from NanoDays 2026 from Northwestern University in Illinois, The Children’s Museum of Virginia and Norfolk State Univesrity in Virginia, and California Science Center in Los Angeles.
If you missed celebrating during NanoDays 2026, there’s still plenty of time to get ready for National Nanotechnology Day 2026, which is celebrated each year on October 9th (10/9 honors the nanometer scale 10-9 meters—or one billionth of a meter). You don't have to wait until October, there are ways to integrate NanoDays activities into your public engagement efforts all year long!
Learn more
COMMUNITY RESOURCES AND ANNOUNCEMENTS
Free astronomy resources available from ASP
The Astronomical Society of the Pacific (ASP) is moving offices, and is giving away astronomy outreach resources. This offer is open to all, recipients just need to cover the cost of shipping ($60.00 USD average flat rate for a case of materials). Materials include interactive games and hands-on activities, while supplies last.
• Learn more
International Observe the Moon Night 2026
Save-the-date for this year’s event taking place on Saturday, September 19.
• Learn more
• Moon activities and resources
America250: Celebrating American Innovation
Poster Exhibition, Planetarium Show, and Resource Guide
The Phillip and Patricia Frost Museum of Science (Frost Science) is celebrating the American spirit of creativity and discovery through championing 250 American scientists, innovators, and engineers across the fields of marine science, paleontology, human health, astronomy, and aeronautics and flight. The Frost is offering the following resources to institutions interested in celebrating innovation: poster exhibition, short planetarium show, resource guide highlighting 250 American scientists, innovators, and engineers, and a lesson plan for grades 9-12.
• Fill out this interest form to receive resources in early May
• Learn more
Moments That Made US
Customizable Exhibition Panels
As part of the commemoration of America’s 250th, Moments That Made US is a free, customizable, print-on-demand exhibition exploring defining moments in U.S. history. Developed as an exhibition at the History Colorado Center and adapted for sharing through a multi-state collaboration, the exhibition will feature 21 modular, ready-to-use panels with the option to add local content. Materials are free to download so the only cost is printing and mounting in your space.
Learn more
Proceedings from the NSF 2026
Advancing Informal STEM Learning (AISL) virtual Awardee Meeting are now available
The REVISE Center hosted the 2026 NSF AISL Awardee Meeting virtually in February; posters and many session slides and recordings are now available.
Learn more
State of Girls and Women in STEM 2026
National Girls Collaborative Project (NGCP) has released the 2026 annual report tracking key trends in STEM education and workforce participation. Explore this year’s data and insights shaping opportunites for girls and young women nationwide.
Learn more
SCIENCE IN THE NEWS
NEUROSCIENCE NEWS
Neuralink has created a surgical robot designed to automate the implantation of its brain-computer interfaces into human brains. The robot would assist surgeons in inserting electrode threads that are thinner than a hair into a patient’s brain. So far about twenty patients have participated in Neuralink clinical trials; the intent is to assist people with spinal cord injuries and neurological conditions like ALS to be able to control technology using their thoughts.
Learn more
NISE Network resources:
• Brain and neuroscience resources
GENETICS NEWS
Craig Venter who led a race to decode the human genome and created the first organisms with synthetic genomes has died. Venter is most well-known for leading a commercial effort to generate the first human genome sequence in the 1990s, racing against the publicly funded Human Genome Project. He pioneered synthetic biology with the creation of the first synthetic strain of bacteria known as Synthia.
Learn more
NISE Network resources:
• Building with Biology resources
• Genetics resources
• Health resources
SPACE NEWS
Early observations from the Vera C. Rubin Observatory has revealed more than 11,000 previously unknown asteroids! This includes 33 previously unknown near-Earth objects (NEOs) asteroids and comets that come close to our Earth.
Learn more
NISE Network resources:
• Asteroids, Comets, and Meteorite resources
SPACE NEWS
Scientists have successfully grown chickpeas plants in simulated Moon dirt known as Lunar regolith. Adding fungi and compost could make lunar regolith more fertile and one day help astronauts grow crops on the Moon.
Learn more
NISE Network resources:
ENGINEERING & AI NEWS
Scientists have created tiny living robots called neurobots built from frog embryonic cells and include neurons that self‑organize into active neural networks that influence motion and behavior.
Learn more
NISE Network resources:
• Engineering and robot resources
• Brain and Neuroscience resources
NANOTECHNOLOGY NEWS
Shortly after their discovery carbon nanotubes seemed promising for many applications, but synthesizing and working with carbon nanotubes has proved to be very challenging. Material scientists have recently found ways to enable nanotubes to perform at similar levels to copper’s ability to carry currents.
Learn more
NISE Network resources:
• Carbon activities
• NISE Network Size, Scale, & Measurement resources
RADIO NEWS
Jamming and spoofing of signals from global positioning systems (GPS) has been widespread near the Gulf of Hormuz. This technique involves broadcasting high-intensity radio signals in the same frequency bands used by navigation tools to disrupt signals. Jamming results in the disruption of a vehicle’s satellite-based positioning while spoofing leads to navigation systems reporting a false location.
Learn more
NISE Network resources:
WEATHER NEWS
Meteorologists are predicting a strong El Niño is likely to form this summer and last into next year. An El Niño is a natural temporary and cyclical warming of parts of the central Pacific that alters weather across the planet. An El Niño releases heat stored in the upper ocean into the air, which causes global temperatures to rise.
Learn more
NISE Network 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
Year-long 2026
SUMMER
- Summer Camp Resources
- Outside Activities
- Summer Reading
- NISE Network books, reading, and storytelling resources
- Summer reading themes (2026 theme: Unearth a Story)
- Summer reading programs and resources
- Sun and Sand
MAY
- What’s Up Skywatching Tips from NASA
- Asian American and Pacific Islander Month (May)
- National Wildfire Awareness Month (May)
- National Physical Fitness and Sports Month (May)
- National Bike Month (May)
National Ride A Bike Day (first Sunday in May)
Bike to Work Week (mid-May) - Air Quality Awareness Week (first week of May)
- Black Hole Week (first week of May)
- May the Fourth Be With You - Star Wars Day (May 4)
- National Astronaut Day (May 5)
- Commemorates the first United States human spaceflight, on May 5, 1961, piloted by astronaut Alan Shepard
- NISE Network astronomy resources
- Voyage through the Solar System activities
- National Children’s Book Week (May 4-10)
- International Day of Planetariums (May 7)
- International Day of Light (May 16)
- National Public Works Week (mid-May)
- International Museum Day (May 18)
- Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD) (mid-May)
- Endangered Species Day (third Friday in May)
- National Paper Airplane Day (May 26)
JUNE
- Pride Month (June) - celebrate people in STEM
- Lightning Safety Awareness Week (June)
- National Dairy Month (June)
- International Nature Journaling Week (first week in June)
- World Environment Day (June 5)
- World Oceans Day (June 8)
- International Day of Play (June 11)
- Juneteenth (June 19)
- Summer Solstice (June 21 in the Northern Hemisphere)
- Solstices and equinoxes provide opportunities for planning quarterly programs related to the Earth, Sun, and Moon (astronomical seasons) or your local environment (meteorological seasons)
- Moon resources
- NASA Space Place seasons resources
- National Selfie Day (June 21)
- National Week of Making (June 17-23)
- International Women in Engineering Day (June 23)
- National Mosquito Control Awareness Week - Fight the Bite (last full week in June)
- Asteroid Day (June 30)
NATIONAL MEETINGS AND CONFERENCES
- ASTC List of Conferences in the Community
Learn more - American Alliance of Museums 2026 AAM Annual Meeting, May 20-23, 2026, Philadelphia, PA
Learn more - Science Events Summit, May 31-June 2, 2026, Jackson, MS
Learn more - Smithsonian National Education Summit, July 14-16, 2026, free for virtual attendees
Learn more - National Rural STEM Summit, September 3-4, 2026, Glendale AZ
Learn more - ASTC Conference, September 16-19, 2026, Phoenix, AZ
Learn more - Association of Children's Museums (ACM) InterActivity, May 12-14, 2027, Tulsa, OK
Learn more - National Science Teaching Association (NSTA) Conferences
Learn more