by Philip Hudec

Who says a conference has to be all about work?

Join us for the 2013 California Science Education Conference on October 25-27 in Palm Spring to learn, grow, and have a lot of fun.  Workshops and Short Courses will give you the opportunity to collaborate with colleagues and to build your knowledge base, while Field Courses will get you outdoors to investigate all that the beautiful Sonoran desert has to offer. (more…)

by Jeanine Wulfenstein

If you want to be at the forefront of science education, AND receive a tax write off,  join us for the 2013 California Science Education Conference in Palm Springs on Oct. 25-27.  Not only is the CSTA fall conference an outstanding opportunity to dialog with colleagues and gain new ideas, insights, and strategies to use in the classroom, but it is also an opportunity to remain current with what is transpiring at the state and national levels.   As science educators, we know that keeping current with pedagogy and educational shifts is vital to science education as a whole and to the overall success of the students in our classrooms. (more…)

This weekend is your last opportunity to submit a workshop proposal to present at the 2013 California Science Education Conference in Pam Springs this October. One of the benefits of being a CSTA member is that as a member presenting a workshop, your conference registration fees are waived (an over $100 value). Presenting a workshop at the California Science Education Conference can be a rewarding experience and looks great on  your resume! This year CSTA will be providing Wi-Fi access for attendees and presenters, allowing you to enhance your presentation. There will also be a limited number of workshops accepted to be presented in the technology rooms at the Palm Springs USD. These rooms are equipped with laptops and internet access for every user. (For more information on the Wi-Fi and technology rooms click here). (more…)

Dr. Lawrence C. Smith, climate scientist, professor, and author of The World in 2050 will be the closing keynote speaker at the 2013 California Science Education Conference in Palm Springs.

How will the combination of a booming global population and global warming change the world? Which countries will struggle, and which will prosper? Laurence Smith believes the North is set for major gains. In his talk, Smith will outline the changes that our world will face in the next 50 years, both geologically and societally.

Laurence Smith is one of the world’s most respected climate scientists, whose work envisions the future of a warmed planet. His debut book, The World in 2050: Four Forces Shaping Civilizations Northern Future, is a work of enormous scope, cross-cutting themes of population demographics, globalization, natural resource demand, and climate change. It’s science fiction without the fiction. Smith is the Professor and Vice-Chair of Geography and Professor of Earth & Space Sciences at UCLA and has published more than sixty research papers. (more…)

by Peter A’Hearn

You need to be in Palm Springs next October for the 2013 California Science Education Conference.  Here’s why:

• The future is coming faster than you think.  Classroom science will undergo profound changes in the next 10 years and the conference is the place to find out where it’s all going.
• The Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) are just around the corner and State Superintendent Tom Torlakson has proposed that CST testing begin to phase out as early as next year. The Common Core State Standards (CCSS) put a new emphasis on integrating language arts and math in science, and technology is offering new models of teaching and learning. The CSTA conference will bring all of this together. (more…)

by Rick Pomeroy

Have you ever wondered how many workshops are really offered at a California Science Education Conference, or what the grade or subject distribution is? I do. Over the years, I have come to realize that there are a lot of workshops at each conference that I never get to see. In fact, there are things at every conference for people with vastly different teaching assignments than I have that I have never realized even existed. For example, this year at the 2012 conference in San Jose, there was a dedicated short course specifically for primary teachers. Since the majority of my work is with secondary science teachers, I would never have even thought about attending any of those sessions. I also missed most of the biology workshops, not because I have anything against biology but simply because there was something else at those times that I was more interested in.

After ruminating about my lack of knowledge about the overall picture of workshops at this year’s conference, I decided to do a bit of an analysis of what was proposed and what was offered.  Besides my curiosity, I did this as a way of encouraging you to submit workshop proposals for the 2013 conference in Palm Springs. I am hoping that by seeing what was proposed and what was accepted this year, that more members will be interested in submitting their own workshop proposal. (more…)

by Lisa Hegdahl

The California Science Education Conference took place in San Jose in October. Science educators from all over the state enjoyed workshops, short courses, field courses, and evening events. Knowledgeable keynote and focus speakers rounded out the three days of networking.

Upon leaving the conference, attendees were encouraged to comment on their experiences. Participants expressed appreciation for the opportunities to network in person with a variety of science educators. They also enjoyed the presentations by Helen Quinn, and other well informed focus speakers, and returned to their schools feeling more informed about the Next Generation of Science Standards and the Common Core Standards. (more…)

Well here we are twiddling our thumbs and waiting for the second draft of the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) to be released for public review, which we now know will be in January 2013. I guess it’s good to know that the writers are taking their time and not rushing the process just to meet deadlines. The new standards will be around for a long time and will come at a time of rapid change in education, so we want them to be well thought out. (more…)

Dear Teachers,

I return from the 2012 California Science Education Conference excited, refreshed and especially eager to share what I have learned and try new things with my students. In the closing keynote, biofuels pioneer Josh Tickell noted one of the big changes in worldwide culture is that we are becoming more interconnected. The conference is a key place where science teachers can connect with each other and with new developments in science, and then go back to their schools to connect to students and fellow teachers. But, it only works if you share what you have to offer.

Every one of you has some great things to bring to the wider community of science teachers. Please consider presenting at the 2013 conference in Palm Springs and adding to our web of connection. A presentation could be an hour-long workshop, or a three-hour short course and we are also considering possible field trips in the Palm Springs area, so if you can guide a great trip, let us know by leaving a comment below. (more…)

by Laura Henriques

More than 1,300 educators from across California came together in San Jose for three days of outstanding professional development. The general consensus is in – the 2012 California Science Education Conference was a big success!

The conference included more than 200 workshops of all science topics for grades preK-12! The ten focus speakers were invited to address issues of interest to the membership, and talked about the latest scientific research and science pedagogy in life, earth, and physical sciences. Short courses and field trips were also available to attendees. The short courses were 3- or 6-hour workshops on specific topics, including a new short course on primary science offered for the first time this year. It was particularly well received and is likely something that will continue in the future! There were three field trips this year: one to J. Lohr Winery for tasting and networking, one to the Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Reserve, and one to iFLY. Attendees came back from the iFly field trip ready to try skydiving for real! They learned about flight and terminal velocity along with two “flights” in the wind tunnel. (more…)

by Yilmaz Kara

Today, many teachers find themselves in hard situations. They may want to have some outdoor activities or field courses with their students but do not know where to start. They have heard lots about the new standards but nobody has explained how they are different or new. It would be good to know cool and engaging activities being done by the teachers who have the admiration of their students. Maybe they are searching for educational materials to use in the classroom or laboratory, but they don’t know where to find them. Some teachers are just burned out, having taught for so many years that they have can’t find the inspiration that brought them to the classroom in the first place. You can find cures to all these kinds of situations and more than others at the CSTA conference. (more…)

by Lisa Hegdahl

While attending the California Science Education Conference in San Jose, consider checking out The Tech Museum.  During the Conference, the Tech Museum will be hosting an exhibition from the Discovery Channel’s Emmy nominated series, “MythBusters,” called “MythBusters: The Explosive Exhibition.” The exhibition will showcase hands on, interactive displays that are appropriate for all ages.  The Tech Museum is open daily 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.  Tickets for the MythBusters exhibit can be purchased now at The Tech Museum website. The Tech Museum offers free museum membership to K-12  teachers. Check out the benefits of membership on-line at http://www.thetech.org/teacher-opportunities/free-teacher-membership.

by Maria Simani

The Endless Summer of Learning

Summer has been a busy time for teachers and professional development providers all over California. This especially holds true for the California Science Project, (CSP), which this year engaged more than 800 K-12 teachers in professional learning institutes at 18 campus locations across the state.

As the Executive Director of the CSP network, I had the pleasure to visit most of these institutes and experience these professional opportunities as a learner as well as an observer. What I valued the most from these experiences was that for a few days I became part of a collaboration among science educators, scientists, and teacher participants in their efforts to build new knowledge around their practice of teaching science, and reflect how a new teaching practice may positively impact students’ understanding in the classroom. It is through these professional learning communities that participants are re-invigorated in their teaching career, and often exposed to ways of teaching that they may never have seen before.  (more…)

by Valerie Joyner

Betsy Fulwiler is the developer of the nationally recognized, “Expository Writing and Science Notebook Program,” a part of the Seattle Public School System.  She is a pioneer in the development of strategies for students to deepen their understanding of science through writing.

In 1996, with funding from the NSF, the Seattle’s Public System set out to make a systemic change from their Pre-K-5 science instruction to an Inquiry-Based Science Program throughout the district.  Fulwiler, an active participant in this reform effort, was excited to begin teaching her students using the new inquiry skills she had learned.  However, she found it challenging to teach her elementary students to write about science, and this marked the beginning of her journey to research and develop writing practices that encouraged analytical thinking in her students’ writing.  (more…)

by Lisa Hegdahl

Karis McFarlane is an environmental scientist who has been using radiocarbons to study and better understand the carbon cycle since 1999. By studying Earth’s carbon cycle—the exchange of carbon between the planet’s land, atmosphere, and oceans—scientists are trying to understand the role played by huge tropical rainforests such as the Amazon River basin. In particular, they want to determine how long an ecosystem stores atmospheric carbon dioxide in its plants, soils, and rivers. At the 2012 CSTA Conference, Karis McFarlane will discuss the ways radiocarbon is used to study carbon cycling in ecosystems, and why it’s unique and important for climate change. She will focus on the importance of understanding how much, and for how long, carbon is sequestered in soil, as well as the role it plays in the carbon cycle. Environmental science educators and other conference attendees will find this lecture informative and thought provoking. (more…)

by Laura Henriques

Learning Physics by Doing Physics

As California science teachers we’ve all heard of the Exploratorium, and I am hoping that most of us have had the pleasure of spending some time there. The Exploratorium is the Grand Dame of hands-on science museums. In addition to the wonderful facility, The Exploratorium hosts workshops for teachers, and publishes books. Their vision includes a focus on learners exploring and making sense of their world through inquiry. A key contributor to that exciting edifice of science education is 2012 California Science Education Conference Focus Speaker Paul Doherty. (more…)

by Bethany Dixon

Google “genius,” and you’ll get pictures of Albert Einstein. However, to bring genius into your classroom, attend the CSTA Opening Session and listen to Dr. Helen Quinn speak at the Marriot San Jose on October 19, at 9:15 a.m. Dr. Quinn is one of the few to have shared Einstein’s job title: as a theoretical physicist she proposed the near-symmetry of the universe and explained quark-hadron duality. You might say she has a proclivity for solving both large and small problems. To our great fortune she has also channeled her energy into improving science education. Dr. Quinn served as the Chairperson of the 18-member super-team (equally split between science and education experts and including two Nobel Prize winners) responsible for developing, “A Framework for K-12 Science Education: Practices, Crosscutting Concepts, and Core Ideas.”  (more…)

CSTA is pleased to announce the winners of the 2012 Margaret Nicholson Distinguished Service Award, Dean Gilbert, and the 2012 Future Science Teacher Award, Josiah Jones.  The recipients of the awards will be honored at the Awards Breakfast during the 2012 California Science Education Conference in San Jose on October 20, 2012. To purchase tickets for the event, go online today.

Meet the winners:

Many of our readers are familiar with the passion and drive with which Dean Gilbert works for the improvement of science education in California. Not only does he work hard, he has been successful as well. The letters of recommendation for Dean were numerous and glowing. Here are a few excerpts:

Dean has been in the field of education for 38 years. He exemplifies the true meaning of the word “educator”. He served as president of CSTA and is, or has been, the guiding force behind most of the state’s growth in the field of science education. He was also instrumental in developing the state’s high school integrated science education curriculum. (more…)

by Michelle French and Valerie Joyner

CSTA recognizes that teachers of primary grades play an instrumental role in the delivery of high quality science education in California.  Like all curricular areas, a strong foundation in science is critical to ensure students develop the skills and concepts needed to succeed throughout their journey from kindergarten to high school.  According to A Framework for K-12 Science Education (2012), “There is ample opportunity to develop scientific thinking, argumentation, and reasoning in the context of familiar phenomena in grades K-2, and that is the experience that will best support science learning across the grades.”   (more…)

by Lisa Hegdahl

Even though planning for the 2012 California Science Education Conference in San Jose, October 19-21 is almost complete, the planning committee continues to find new ways to make this conference the best yet! In addition to the four previously scheduled Field Courses, a fourth has just been added for Friday, October 19^th from 5:45 p.m. to 8:15 p.m.  Enjoy a wine tasting event hosted by J. Lohr. Participants will sample 6 wines and enjoy light appetizers. This is an opportunity to network with your fellow science teachers in a relaxed and fun environment. Transportation to and from the winery tasting room and the San Jose Convention Center are included in the $20 ticket price. J. Lohr is a 2012 California State Fair Award winning winery (times 10) whose grapes are grown in Monterey, Paso Robles, and Napa.  See the CSTA website for more details. (more…)

Eldridge Moores is a Distinguished Professor Emeritus at the University of California, Davis, where he has been a faculty member since 1966. His research has involved the tectonics of ophiolites in the Alpine-Himalayan and Western US Cordilleran mountain systems and has involved field work in about 30 countries.

For several decades, Moores has been working on raising general awareness of Earth Science. In particular, he has been working during the past decade to improve the status of Earth and Space Sciences instruction in California secondary schools. Moores holds that the field of Earth and Space Sciences has gone through two revolutions in the past fifty years. The first was the plate tectonic revolution, which lead to new insights into the nature of the Earth and natural processes active on and in it. The second was the planetary revolution, occasioned by exploration of neighboring planets and of their compositions and histories in comparison to that of the Earth. The products of these revolutions are exciting, integrate multiple science disciplines, and can an ideal way to get students interested in science. (more…)

The 2012 California Science Education Conference is only 6 weeks away. Now is the time to start putting together your schedule, submitting your registration, and reserving your hotel room. October 1 is the deadline to register in advance for the conference, and at a discounted rate. The conference will be held at the San Jose Convention Center and Marriott San Jose October 19 – 21. Complete details are available online at http://www.cascience.org/csta/conf_home.asp. (more…)

by Lisa Hegdahl

Over the past few months, you’ve been kept up to date about the ongoing planning for the 2012 California Science Education Conference that will be held in San Jose on October 19-21.  So far, we’ve shared registration information, an online brochure, and online scheduling.  Information about all of these can be found on the CSTA website.

Did you know that you can also view a map of the Conference Exhibit Hall and get information about vendors who have already booked booths? It’s easy! Just go the CSTA website, click on the 2012 Conference link, then Exhibit Hall, then Current Floor Plan. When you hover your mouse over booths marked in orange, the name of the organization that has purchased that booth will appear. Click on the booth to get more information such as links to the organization’s website and e-mail address.  (more…)

by Heather A. Wygant

The California Science Education Conference is in San Jose this year on October 19-21 2012, and we’d love for you to join us for Professional Development, collaboration with science teachers across the state, and fun field trips!  This year we have four field trips planned:

Then, on Saturday, October 20 we have, “Monterey Bay Aquarium Visit,” and on Sunday, October 21 we have, “Living Wetlands- Environmental Education,” at the Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge.  (more…)

by Lisa Hegdahl

Back by popular demand are the On-line Program Book and Personal Scheduler for the annual California Science Educators Conference.  Clicking on the conference logo on the lower left on the CSTA website will take you to the 2012 California Science Education Conference and then to the On-line Program Book and Personal Scheduler.  Currently you can see lists and descriptions of Short Courses, Field Courses, General Sessions, Meal Events, and Evening Events that will be part of the 2012 California Science Education Conference October 19-21 in San Jose. The schedule of Workshops will be available in August.  Using the Personal Scheduler, you can plan your time at the Conference as well as see other CSTA members who are attending the events with you.    (more…)

by Lisa Hegdahl

June is here and it’s time for teachers to say goodbye to students and get ready for vacation.  Before you head off for your summer holidays, consider registering for the 2012 California Science Education Conference, October 19 – 21 in San Jose.  This year’s conference promises to be one of the most important conferences in years, with cutting edge information about the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS).  The NGSS will have a significant influence on the revised science standards to be considered by the Board in March and July, 2013. SB 300 (Hancock) authorized the drafting of new science content standards that take the NGSS into consideration.  The California State Board of Education must adopt, reject, or modify the new standards by July 30, 2013. With California participating as a lead state partner in the development of the NGSS, all signs are pointing to the NGSS being a part of the future of science education in California. (more…)

You can now register extra early for the 2012 California Science Education Conference in San Jose. This is a great option for those teachers looking to use some of this year’s unspent funds to attend the conference in the fall. This option is only available using the early registration form available for download by clicking here. Because this is early registration, and not all of the details have been finalized, ticketed events are not available for registration. Ticketed events will be available for purchase when registration officially opens on June 1. (more…)

by Lisa Hegdahl

By the time the California Science Education Conference is held in San Jose, October 19-21, the Next Generation of Science Standards (NGSS) will be nearing its final draft.  In anticipation of the interest science educators will have regarding the standards, the California Science Teachers Association will provide an NGSS strand during their annual conference.

Helen Quinn Photo Credit: Dan Quinn

The opening keynote speaker will be Helen Quinn, Emerita Professor of Physics at Stanford Linear Accelerator Center.  Helen Quinn assisted in the development of the California State Science Standards and was the chair of the National Academy of Sciences’ Committee on a Conceptual Framework for New K-12 Science Education Standards, the committee that authored A Framework for K-12 Science Education: Practices, Crosscutting Concepts, and Core Ideas. Dr. Quinn is an authority on the Framework, the document that is guiding the development of the NGSS.

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CSTA is pleased to announce that it has negotiated hotel rates for the 2012 California Science Education Conference not seen since 2005! The San Jose Marriott will serve as our host hotel with rooms also available at the Hilton, Hyatt Place, Sainte Claire, Fairmont, and Ramada Limited. The housing reservation site is now open and you can make your reservations today. At these low rates, the room blocks are sure to fill up fast, so if you are planning to attend the conference this October, CSTA encourages you to make your reservations early. (more…)

by Lisa Hegdahl
Planning for the 2012 California Science Education Conference, to be held October 19-21, 2012 in San Jose is well under way. Reviews of Short Course proposals, communications with prospective guest speakers, and contracts with host hotels are all near completion.  Now it is your turn to get involved in the planning.

Instead of simply attending the California Science Education Conference, why not present a workshop?  It’s easy!  Think of all the amazing teaching that happens daily in your classroom, then share just one grade level specific lesson or strategy with fellow educators. Teachers, informal educators, university professors, professional developers, and other members of the science education community are invited to submit workshop proposals.

Not only do workshop presenters receive the fulfillment that comes from inspiring classroom teachers, CSTA provides one complimentary conference registration to the lead presenter of a workshop who is a member in good standing of CSTA through November 1, 2012. (See the CSTA website for information regarding non-CSTA members and co-presenters). The CSTA website also contains details regarding the workshop proposal review process, tips for writing a successful proposal, and information on how workshop presenters will be notified. But don’t wait – workshop proposals are due March 6.  To submit a proposal, log on to the CSTA website here. (more…)