• Fourth annual student robotic challenge held today

    NASA is joining the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), and high school student teams from the United States and abroad for the fourth annual Zero Robotics SPHERES Challenge today, 11 January

  • Students overlooking more effective methods

    Some of the most popular study strategies — such as highlighting and even rereading – do not show much promise for improving student learning, according to a new report; while the ten learning techniques examined vary widely in effectiveness, two strategies — practice testing and distributed practice — made the grade, receiving the highest overall utility rating

  • Free STEM search engine is now mobile

    Gooru — a free search engine for learning that brings together science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) educational materials on the Web — developed the Gooru Collections iPad app to bring thousands of assorted multimedia resources to teachers and students on the go

  • Neuroscience study reveals new link between basic math skills and PSAT math success

    New research provides brain imaging evidence that students well-versed in very basic single digit arithmetic (5+2=7 or 7-3=4) are better equipped to score higher on the Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test (PSAT), an examination sat by millions of students in the United States each year in preparation for college admission tests

    • view counter

  • New approach to science education: bite-size YouTube mini-lessons

    A university of Michigan professor created a cheeky, perhaps even quirky, series of mini-lessons posted on YouTube; the series takes interesting facts about risk science — defined as the science of existing and emerging human health risks — and presents them in small, relatable, and easily digestible video segments to help answer the question, “Just how risky is this?”

  • Classroom of the future: next generation of school desks boost math skills

    Researchers designing and testing the classroom of the future have found that multi-touch, multi-user desks can boost skills in mathematics; new results from a 3-year project working with over 400 pupils, mostly 8-10 year olds, show that collaborative learning increases both fluency and flexibility in math; it also shows that using an interactive ‘smart’ desk can have benefits over doing mathematics on paper

    • view counter

  • Exemplary engineering programs at U.S. colleges and universities

    Dr. Charles M. Vest, president of the National Academy of Engineering, says that “This nation’s prosperity, security, and quality of life are direct results of leadership in the engineering achievements that drive society forward”; the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) has released Infusing Real World Experiences into Engineering Education, which showcases twenty-nine engineering programs at colleges and universities across the United States which effectively incorporate such activities into their curriculum; the report also highlights best practices for schools seeking to create new programs

  • Scholarship program invites students to share their enthusiasm for math

    Raytheon Company is calling for submissions to its 2012-13 MathMovesU Middle School Grant and Scholarship Program. To participate, sixth-, seventh-, and eighth-grade students nationwide are invited to illustrate the importance of math in the mission to Mars and in space exploration

  • Study supports move toward common U.S. math standards

    A new study analyzing the previous math standards of each state provides strong support for adoption of common standards, which U.S. students desperately need to keep pace with their counterparts around the globe

  • DOD faces shortfall in quality STEM workers; overhaul of recruitment policies needed

    The principal challenge for the U.S. Department of Defense’s science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) work force is recruiting and retaining top quality professionals for critical positions, says a new report; the agency must become — and be perceived as — an appealing career destination for the most capable scientists, engineers, and technicians, all of whom are in great demand in the global marketplace

  • “Student-centered” approach to science education more effective

    A group of educational researchers are drawing widespread attention after their paper measuring the superior results of a more “student-centered” approach to teaching science was published in the journal Science; the researchers say that the stakes are extraordinarily high, so it is critical that the United States find more effective ways of teaching the so-called STEM fields (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) in K-12 classrooms

  • Center for Security Studies receives $3 million grant

    Officials at the Texas Tech University System and Angelo State University (ASU) announced that the U.S. Air Force will provide a $3 million grant to ASU which will be used to continue and expand the school’s Center for Security Studies (CSS)

  • New issues of the Journal of Homeland Security Education is available online

    The latest issue of the Journal of Homeland Security Education is out; it contains a number of articles relevant to the teaching of homeland security practices, which is now one of the top ten majors for undergraduates in the United States

  • Security education is becoming a central part of security hiring, promotion

    There is a growing emphasis on homeland security-related education in security hiring in both the private and government sectors; this growing demand has lead to a rapid growth in college and university degree programs in homeland security – the number of such programs is now estimated to be 350; trouble is, those programs do not have a commonly agreed upon curriculum, and as a result, the classes chosen to be part of an individual’s curriculum are based on the available faculty, rather than proven value to the students

  • Raytheon opens STEM teacher award program

    Raytheon has opened the 2012 application process for its Raytheon-Engineering is Elementary (EiE) Teacher Scholarship Program; during the 2012-13 school year, Raytheon will grant awards of $3,000 each for selected elementary school teachers nation-wide whose applications best demonstrate innovative methods of generating student enthusiasm about engineering concepts