This week is Computer Science Education Week (CSEdWeek)! Originally designated by the US House of Representatives in 2009, each year students, teachers, researchers, and lifelong learners plan events to introduce, learn, and talk about computer science education. Computer science is the study of how computers are built and operate, how they can solve problems and compute,…
Category: Teacher Resources
Celebrate National Metric Day October 10!
Each October 10th we celebrate National Metric Day, which may prompt the question, why metric? Most people in the United States don’t bother much with the metric system. We might run into it in STEM classes, and those in STEM careers certainly use it; but in day-to-day life we might see something about milliliters or…
The Science Behind Vibranium
The newest superhero movie, Black Panther, is out in theaters and getting strong reviews. Here at STEM we are asking the very same questions that the rest of the movie-going public is asking: how exactly does the fictional Wakandan metal vibranium work with regards to kinetic and potential energy conservation? Admit it, that was your…
A World Without Polymers
Sometimes you’re going over things with students, sometimes they ask a devastating question: why does this matter? It can be disheartening to a teacher who might (correctly) gather that the students really aren’t invested in the subject matter. On the other hand, you can also say that they aren’t invested yet. When your students ask this, take…