• NSTA Introduces The Science Alliance for Elementary Schools
• NSTA Legislative Update: President Introduces FY2009 Budget
• Develop Your Content Knowledge Via Web Seminars
• Hakim's Story of Science Series: a “Must-Have” for the Science Classroom
• Participate in National Environmental Education Week 2008
• NSTA Unveils Newly Redesigned Building a Presence for Science Website
• Sign Up Now for The Solar System, a New Online Course from Seminars on Science

NSTA Introduces The Science Alliance for Elementary Schools

The Science Alliance for Elementary Schools is a first-rate, professional development opportunity that will provide administrators and up to five of their faculty with tools to ensure that they are well-prepared to teach science. Join to take advantage of classroom-proven tips, scholarly research, best practices, interdisciplinary teaching guidelines, science teaching across the curriculum, and educational trends and issues.

All the benefits of a one-year electronic NSTA membership are here for elementary schools that participate in The Science Alliance, it’s only $100 a year per school!

• Free, unlimited electronic access to NSTA’s award-winning elementary journal Science and Children
• Huge Savings on NSTA Conferences
• 20% discount on more than 200 NSTA Press® books for science teachers

Click here for more information or go directly to the online form to apply for the Science Alliance!

If you’re at the middle, high, or college level, please click here for information on NSTA’s other membership categories.

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NSTA Legislative Update: President Introduces FY2009 Budget

Find out what the President wants to spend next year for key math and science education programs at the Department of Education and the National Science Foundation.

• NSTA Legislative Update

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Develop Your Content Knowledge Via Web Seminars

Now open for registration, new web seminars offered for FREE cover 90-minutes of in depth information on topics such as coral ecosystems, mapping the Moon, penguins and polar bears, Mars exploration, microscopes, space exploration, energy, the International Polar Year, science careers, and food science. These programs, designed for K-12 educators, are sponsored by the National Science Digital Library (NSDL), NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), NASA Johnson Space Center, Sally Ride Science, the National Science Foundation, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Register today online at the NSTA Learning Center and become the best science teacher you can be.

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Hakim's Story of Science Series: a “Must-Have” for the Science Classroom

Joy Hakim’s Story of Science series, which focused first on Newton, then Aristotle, and now Einstein in Einstein Adds a New Dimension, is a “must-have in the classroom” for middle and high school teachers who want to make the study of physical science come alive. Instead of lists of physical science facts found in most texts, Hakim, a master storyteller, weaves the events of Einstein’s and his fellow scientists’ struggles into an historical context that makes particle physics and quantum mechanics real and memorable for students of all ages. To understand how and why a 15-year-old boy asked questions about relativity and wondered what it would be like to ride on a beam of light is to put a human face on a great and curious mind. By the time Albert can answer his own question about light, at age 26 he will have developed one of the most important scientific theories in all of history-the theory of relativity- and he’ll change the course of history. Told with wit, depth and freshness uncommon in school texts, this series makes scientific inquiry live and breathe.

Teachers can elaborate on this adventurous and human drama using the book’s behind-the-scenes tales, sidebars that serve as discussion starters, and plenty of charts, maps, and diagrams for illustrating the concepts. The principles of the physical sciences, particularly physics, chemistry, astronomy, and math are presented chronologically rather than in the standard topical format. For integrated instruction, team teachers using this series can truly blend threads of physical sciences, history, math, and language arts and be on “the same page.” Visit the  NSTA Science Store for more information.

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Participate in National Environmental Education Week 2008

Sign up now to take part in National Environmental (EE) Week, April 13-19, 2008! Now in its fourth consecutive year, National EE Week, made possible by Canon, promotes understanding and protection of the natural world by actively engaging kindergarten through 12th grade students and educators in an inspired week of environmental learning before Earth Day (April 22). As partners in EE Week, educators have access to

• Standards-based environmental education lessons and activities;
• Monthly electronic newsletters that highlight the latest EE curricula, programs, and funding opportunities; and
• Opportunities for online communication and knowledge-sharing with educators from across the country.

You can join National EE Week’s efforts, promote environmental learning, and gain national exposure for your work by registering today.

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NSTA Unveils Newly Redesigned Building a Presence for Science Website

To better meet the needs of the approximately 45,000 educators participating in Building a Presence (BaP), NSTA launched a new design of its BaP for Science website. BaP 3.0 is an internet portal created to provide the BaP community with timely information about professional development opportunities and the latest happenings in the science education community. The enhanced website also provides the user with state specific information about key events and conferences happening locally.

Building a Presence for Science is NSTA’s largest networking initiative. This award-winning program has been developed in support of NSTA’s mission in promoting excellence and innovation in science teaching and learning for all. Through BaP, teachers of science become aware of professional development opportunities, develop and enhance their leadership skills, and foster collaboration among science education professionals.

To learn more about the Building a Presence for Science program, check out BaP 3.0 at bap.nsta.org.

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Sign Up Now for The Solar System, a New Online Course from Seminars on Science

Coauthored by Neil deGrasse Tyson and Denton Ebel, the American Museum of Natural History will offer The Solar System, its latest addition to Seminars on Science, the Museum's online professional development program. The course, intended for K-12 educators, uses original essays, videos, and interactive media and draws upon the Museum’s extensive research and education resources in astrophysics, as well as an array of other web-based resources, to address the origin and evolution of the Solar System.

The Solar System will consider questions such as: What can we tell by looking at the surface of solar system bodies? What is an atmosphere, and how do those of different planets vary? What kinds of space missions are currently active, and what is the focus of research in each case? Program details and the course syllabus can be found online at learn.amnh.org/solar

Register now for the Spring 2 session beginning March 24, as well as two summer sessions. Other courses offered by this Spring include Evolution, Earth: Inside and Out; The Ocean System; Genetics, Genomics, Genethics; and The Diversity of Fishes.

Seminars on Science offers six-week, online graduate courses in the life, Earth, and physical sciences to educators throughout the country and abroad. Courses are taught and led by Museum scientists and educators and feature rich web-based discussions. Courses are user-friendly and flexible enough to fit into a teacher’s busy schedule. For teachers who are working towards a degree, certification, NCLB requirements or salary increments, graduate credit is available from several leading institutions.

Please call 800-649-6715 or see the Seminars on Science website for details.

Registration closes March 10 for the Spring 2 session. Sign up by Feb. 25 and receive a $50 early registration discount.  For more information and to register, go to learn.amnh.org or call 800-649-6715.

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And Don’t Forget…

Visit our member services web page to ensure that NSTA has your current contact information.

Visit the NSTA Science Store for an outstanding array of bestselling books and teaching resources. Receive 30% off of the February featured book, Teacher Research: Stories of Learning and Growing.