SciMathMN

North Hennepin Community College First Annual Tech Fest

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North Hennepin Community College is excited to host a Tech Fest on February 18, 2014, from 5:30-10:00pm in its Center for Business and Technology!

Local tech companies, such as The Network Guys, Microsoft, Northhighland Worldwide Consulting, Pure, Independent Filmmaker Project MN, Cengage Learning, and many more will demonstrate their innovative products and services. Additional highlights include:

  • A live Hackathon led by Native X to create a mobile app
  • Career Exploration Fair, featuring the fine arts, computer science, business, entrepreneurship, and marketing, as well as the research and development of new technological products and software
  • The Pixar Story documentary film
  • Google Glass demonstration
  • Q&A with Tetris Master Ben Mullen

This event is free and open to the public, but registration is encouraged. The first 200 to register will get free pizza and soda!

Jefferson Middle School designs winning app

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Jefferson Township Middle School is once again a contender for the second year of Verizon’s Innovative App Challenge.

Students were tasked with developing a mobile application to solve a problem in their community or school.

The result was “Jefferson Township Middle School Super Science Girl,” created by a group of sixth to eighth grade students, according to a news release. The app is designed for young girls to create interest in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) activities and to encourage them to pursue careers in these fields.

Read more…

Get your program recognized as a leader in STEM learning!

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Get your program recognized as a leader in STEM learning! Change the Equation, a nonprofit, nonpartisan, CEO-led coalition focused on advancing STEM literacy, is reopening STEMworks. The database is the premier tool for business leaders and other funders to identify and support exemplary programs that boost STEM interest and learning in the U.S.

Should schools teach ‘soft skills?’ Many say ‘yes’

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Recent graduates may not be ready for the workforce for a reason increasingly common in the 21st century: soft skills, or the lack thereof. According to USA Today, businesses say potential employees “lack the proper business skills and other professional abilities that will help make them good employees.”

Continue reading…

Upcoming Event: Seeking Agreement on How to Close Minnesota’s Achievement Gap

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For years, you have come to the Achievement Gap Committee’s Brown Bag lunches to hear from a wide range of education professionals, researchers, and policy makers on how to close the achievement gap. This winter, we are asking the question: Are there areas of agreement that a broad range of people and organizations could get behind?
To that end, we have invited a dozen of the state’s  education reform groups to talk about their plans and possible areas of agreement. There will be a total of four forum on consecutive Tuesdays starting January 21st.
Each will run from noon until 1:30 pm, and all will be held at the University of Minnesota’s McNamara Center, 200 Oak St. SE, in the Maroon and Gold Room. (Location and parking information).  We ask that you register as soon as possible if you are planning to come.

Nominate an Outstanding Teacher for the 2014 Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics & Science Teaching

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Nominations and applications for the 2014 Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching (PAEMST) will be accepted beginning in the fall of 2013. The Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching are the nation’s highest honors for teachers of mathematics and science. Teachers in grades K-6 with at least five years of teaching experience are eligible for the 2014 award. Teachers applying for the 2014 PAEMST award must be nominated and self-nominations are accepted. In the fall, nominations can be submitted on-line through the PAEMST website at www.paemst.org. Contact Sue Wygant at susan.wygant@state.mn.us or 651-582-8581 if you have any questions. Applications must be postmarked by May 1, 2014, so an early nomination will provide the applicant with sufficient time to complete and submit a high quality application.

Up to 5 state finalists will be chosen by a State Selection Committee. The Minnesota Council of Teachers of Mathematics honors each of the state finalists with a paid two-year membership in MCTM and a complimentary registration for the Minnesota Spring Mathematics Conference. One of the three state finalists will be selected by a National Selection Committee as The Presidential Award winner for Minnesota. The state Presidential Award winner is announced by the White House. The state Presidential Award winner will receive a $10,000 cash award from the National Science Foundation and will be invited to Washington, DC for a week of recognition.

Please consider nominating an outstanding mathematics teacher in grades K-6 for this prestigious honor. The 2015 award will be open to teachers in grades 7-12.

Teachers and Technology Grant Program Open for Applications Until January 10

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The Minnesota Business Partnership Education Foundation, partnering with CenturyLink, is proud once again to administer the Teachers & Technology Grant Program. Since 2007, the program has distributed more than $500,000 to public school teachers across Minnesota.

The CenturyLink Teachers and Technology Grant Program is a competitive grant open to Minnesota public and private school teachers. The program, administered by the Minnesota Business Partnership (MBP) Education Foundation, aims to improve E-12 education by:

  • Recognizing teachers who are finding innovative ways to integrate technology into their curriculum and teaching practices to improve student achievement
  • Raising awareness of how teachers are finding creative ways to use technology to improve learning
  • Modeling best practices of technology integration and application

Find more information and apply here.