NTU 7-12 PD Session
Wednesday 09/11/2019 
9:00 am CT 

Title: Tł’éé’honaa’éí (Moon) 2024: Out of This World STEM with Simple Materials

Description: This session will start with an overview of the current and upcoming missions. Following we will cover and explore general NASA free education resource collections and an interactive discussion of how these resources can be used to engage and excite your students in a culturally relevant way, while covering your required curriculum standards. Finally, the session will highlight NASA’s three Next Generation Themes and participants will learn how to participate directly in the missions of NASA and engage in hands-on activities while discussing how to best use them in your classes to keep learning fun and engaging for you and your learners, while teaching invaluable critical thinking skills.

Steven C. Smith

Steven is a NASA STEM EPDC (Educator Professional Development Collaborative) Specialist housed in the LBJ Institute of STEM Education and Research at Texas State University in San Marcos, Texas. He currently holds a Master’s Degree in Infrastructure Planning and Management from the University of Washington, and a Bachelor’s Degree in Neuropsychology from Georgia College and State University. Steven is beginning work on his PhD in Biology in the Fall. The primary focus of his current work is in supporting Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs) in inspiring the next generation of NASA scientists from among historically disenfranchised groups. Steven helps to develop, package, and deliver STEM curriculum that translates the work and discoveries of NASA for use in the classroom and helps teachers to make it more accessible to all students. He is working with university pre-service educators, in-service, pre-service, and informal teachers to help them create culturally responsive lessons that will create engagement with students that have previously felt left out of the amazing work that NASA is doing. Steven worked in K-12 education for nearly 20 years, most recently as Life Sciences Chair at a minority serving inner city school in Georgia. He has taught Biology, Forensic Science, Anatomy and Physiology, Environmental Science, Earth and Space Science, and Physical science to special education, regular education, honors, and AP students in Georgia, Washington, and New Jersey.