Sept. 22 | Volume 18 - 2022   Website | Join | Blog

8 North Carolina STEM School of Distinction How can your school can receive this recognition?   The North Carolina Department of Public Instruction (NCDPI) and the State Board of Education each year recognize schools around North Carolina who incorporate STEM instruction into the standards and daily lives of their students. This designation is known as a STEM School of Distinction (SSOD) and interested schools should complete their intent to apply no later than Oct. 7, 2022. The NC STEM School of Distinction program began during the 2014–2015 school year with 11 schools. Thirty-six schools now sit on this list. The Burroughs Wellcome Fund and the North Carolina SMT Center have supported this effort with NCDPI to launch this recognition program as well as provide the tools and resources to facilitate the process based on the desire to clearly define a STEM School in North Carolina. The commitment and collaboration for almost a decade continues today to include planning workshops, office hours, support for regional STEM Networks to assist schools, and much more. Do you think your school falls into this category, but don’t know where to start? Check out the STEM School Progress Rubric, which serves as a self-assessment tool for the recognition. You also can visit the NCDPI STEM Education and Leadership page for more information. The intent to apply form for the 2022-23 school year can be found here. Please enjoy your e-Update. Tweet us @NCSTEM with any feedback and thoughts.

BWF CAST grants deadline next week  The Burroughs Wellcome Fund’s Career Award for STEM Teachers (CAST) provides $175,000 over five years for North Carolina teachers who have an outstanding performance record in educating children and who demonstrate a solid knowledge of STEM content. Applications for the next cycle are due Sept. 28. Use the button below to get more information and/or apply. READ MORE

2022 SSEP grant recipients to boost STEM in NC  The Burroughs Wellcome Fund has announced the recipients of the 2022 Student STEM Enrichment Program (SSEP) grants. The grants provide up to $180,000 over three years of funding for out-of-school time activities for North Carolina K-12 students. READ MORE

NC Science Fair Foundation welcomes new ED  The NC Science Fair Foundation (NCSFF) recently announced the selection of Stephánia Smith as the organization’s new Executive Director. READ MORE

Find STEM jobs at NC STEM Center The NC STEM Center is continuously updating career and job opportunities online. Currently, there is almost a dozen positions listed in the Job Seekers section of the NC STEM website. Quick, easy, free site registration is required. READ MORE

Featured Program Kids Making It Kids Making It in Wilmington is a non-profit woodworking program that teaches valuable vocational, entrepreneurial and life skills to at-risk and disadvantaged youth as well as helps them find a career and/or go to college. Use the button below to learn more and view other Programs at the NC STEM Center.       VIEW NOW Featured Opportunity Science Saturdays Join The Children's Playhouse in Boone on the second Saturday of each month to explore science! Topics include life cycle of the butterfly, exploring density with bubbles, chromatography, and more! Use the button below for more and view other awesome Opportunities available at the NC STEM Center.        VIEW NOW

22 September Happy Equinox! At 9:04 p.m. EDT today (Thursday, Sept. 22) the sun, in its annual path around the ecliptic, crosses the celestial equator headed south for our fall and winter. This point in the sky is called the autumnal equinox and the sun’s passage through it marks the beginning of autumn in northern hemisphere. That day, we have nearly equal lengths of time when the sun is above and below the horizon; thus the term equinox, meaning “equal night.”

24 September North Carolina Astronomers' Meeting (NCAM) PARI will host the North Carolina Astronomers' Meeting virtually on Sept. 24 where interns will present some of their amazing work this summer. There are many other excellent presenters scheduled to attend this year including featured speaker Rebekah Dawson from Penn State. Learn more.

22 October 2022 Color of Education Summit Color of Education is a partnership between the Dudley Flood Center for Educational Equity & Opportunity, Public School Forum of NC, Samuel DuBois Cook Center on Social Equity, and the Center for Child and Family Policy at Duke University’s Sanford School of Public Policy. Registration for this year's event on Saturday, Oct. 22 is coming soon. Learn more.

25-26 October Bridging the Gap 2022 Bridging the Gap is an annual conference aimed to strengthen K-16 STEM education throughout North Carolina. Since BTG was created in 2012, more than 3,580 STEM stakeholders from North Carolina and beyond have attended.The 2022 conference will be at the North Carolina Biotechnology Center in the Research Triangle Park on Oct. 25-26. Learn more.

Have STEM News or Event to Share? The NC STEM Center is a web portal for all things related to science, technology, engineering and mathematics in North Carolina. It is a project of North Carolina SMT Center in collaboration with N.C. Department of Public Instruction, North Carolina Community College System, UNC General Administration, Burroughs Wellcome Fund, and others. You have received this email because you have subscribed. If you no longer wish to receive emails, please unsubscribe. Thanks for your continued support.

NC STEM Learning Network Phone: + 1919 991 5111 P.O. Box 13901 Research Triangle Park, N.C. 27709-3901 www . ncstem.org

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