US Science Courses

Its Not Rocket Science

Model and sport rocketry is an often overlooked area of STEM education that has the power to motivate and engage students in a powerful way. In this course we will learn the basics of rocket assembly, flight, and safety, culminating in an exciting launch at Cape Metarie. In addition to engineering and design principles, participants will make connections to science and mathematics such as various methods for calculating altitude, center of pressure, and center of gravity.

STEAM/STEM Challenges

Instructor: Karen Bryant, St. Marks School, Southborough, MA

Have you seen or heard about the marshmallow challenge? Want to engage your students in other fun STEM/STEAM challenges? Do you want to incorporate good problem solving using the engineering design cycle into a course? Over the six hours, participants will engage in some challenges that I have used that require students to brainstorm, prototype and refine. Most of the challenges require very inexpensive materials and are suitable for all ages of students.

Scratch Integration

Instructor: Jenna Deboisblanc

Scratch Integration is a six-hour course designed to help teachers integrate the programming environment Scratch (MIT Media Lab) into their math and science teaching.

Design Thinking Boot Camp

Don’t just teach design thinking, learn to become a design thinker! The Design Thinking Bootcamp is a six hour course created to help teachers learn how to transform lessons, design new challenges, and help find meaningful solutions for curriculum by building upon their own creative confidence. Teachers will walk throughand learn about the design thinking process whilecompleting their own design challenge.