STAM MTS PD Days are here!

Virtual sessions are hosted through EventMobi. If you haven't already, please use the EventMobi link to go to EventMobi to create an account using the email you registered with to access your personal schedule/agenda (located on the home page).  Opening up your schedule and clicking on the session links on the specified day will take you to your virtual sessions. Please check these ahead of time. If you choose not to create an account you may request a one-time access code. Please ensure that you do this ahead of the event. The one-time code may take 10-15 minutes to receive and may end up in your Junk Mail. Please note that some people have found it best to view the sessions using a browser (particularly Chrome) and not an iPad/Mac app. Please note that sessions 29 and 30 on Friday are on site at Fort Whyte and Oak Hammock Marsh. Please dress for the weather. Thanks so much and enjoy the conference. STAM

 Welcome to the Science Teachers' Association of Manitoba (STAM) annual MTS Professional Teachers' Days 2021 (Virtual Conference).

The STAM MTS 2021 professional learning conference takes place the evenings of Wednesday October 20th and Thursday October 21st as well as all day on Friday October 22nd. Virtual sessions are hosted through EventMobi.

Most sessions are virtual, with Oak Hammock Marsh and Fort Whyte offering on-site sessions on Friday October 22nd.

STAM is very pleased to host two keynote speakers on Friday October 22nd:

Brianna Rapini, from the Amoeba Sisters, and

Dianna Cowern, the Physics Girl.

Please note early bird registration is available until October 1, 2021.

Please register each person separately. 

***Many sessions are full and the conference is almost at capacity.***

Friday Morning Keynote (9:00-10:00 a.m.)

The One Creating is The One Who is Learning

Brianna Rapini, The Amoeba Sisters

The Amoeba Sisters is a science YouTube channel that was created to try to solve a classroom obstacle, but over the past eight years, it ended up showing us more about creating than we could have ever imagined. We have learned there is so much learning in the creative process. What is the value in involving students as creators in the science classroom? What are some ways that students can create while overcoming obstacles, such as the challenges from the COVID-19 pandemic? Join one of the Amoeba Sisters ("Pinky") in exploring the lessons we have learned in our adventure in creating and discover how you can empower students as creators in science.

“Pinky” will also be offering a breakout session Friday morning after her keynote presentation.

Brianna Rapini graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a bachelor's degree in biology. She earned her master's degree from Sam Houston State University in educational administration, and she is currently working on an additional master's degree from Clemson University in biology. In her public-school education career, Brianna has been an AP Biology/biology teacher, campus science instructional specialist, district science program coordinator, and instructional technology specialist. In 2013, she had a conversation with her sister (Sarina Peterson) that involved trying to find an alternative for her biology classes’ lengthy traditional notes and lecture. Brianna and Sarina worked together to create a way to deliver a content foundation to provide more time for class discussion and student creation. This endeavor turned into the "The Amoeba Sisters" YouTube channel which features engaging, short cartoons to communicate biology. The channel has grown to over 1 million subscribers with a cumulative view count of over 120 million (as of July 2021) and translations in over 22 languages. Brianna and Sarina continue to release videos for the channel, work on resources that complement their videos, and look for ways to encourage student creation.

Friday Afternoon Keynote (1:00-2:00 p.m.)

Physics Girl

Dianna Cowern

Dianna Cowern is the creator and host of the viral “Physics Girl” web series with over 1.8 Million Subscribers, which is a resource for fun physics videos and other materials about physics and topics related to physics. Her videos total over 135 Million Views. Her show has featured well known figures including the legendary Rodney Mullen, Bill Nye, and Anne Wojcicki – founder of 23 and me. In 2019, Dianna was named to the FORBES 30 under 30 list.

Dianna researched dark matter with Prof. Jocelyn Monroe as an undergraduate at MIT, and low-metallicity stars with Prof. Anna Frebel as a post-baccalaureate research fellow at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, before working at GE as a software engineer designing mobile apps.

Dianna is sought after as a science communication expert as well as an in-demand speaker talking about the future of education and how to better relate to students using various medias. Dianna says: “I love how physics can explain the weird quirks of our universe.” Some of the biggest CEOs and leaders on the planet are fans of Dianna because their children are hooked on her educational YouTube Channel! She has been featured in FORBES, Science Magazine, Popular Science, Washington Post, U.S. News & World Report, Space.com, NBC, Vogue, HuffPost, Nerdist, and many more.

Wednesday October 20th

7:00-8:15 p.m. VIRTUAL SESSIONS

STAM1WED Level 4-12

Empowering Student Action with the Sustainable Development Goals

Anju Bajaj, Holy Cross School abajaj@holycrossschool.mb.ca

Do you want to empower your students to see themselves as changemakers who can find solutions to problems in their lives and communities? Join us for an interactive webinar and discover how to use the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals to spark student-led action in your class. Through a series of collaborative and reflective activities, you will discover how students can engage in design thinking through the lens of empathy, determine what an action project might look like in your school context and explore classroom-ready resources to get started.

STAM2WED Level 7-12

Caring for Our Watersheds

Amanda Benson, Harry J. Enns Wetland Discovery Centre a_benson@ducks.ca

Caring for Our Watersheds (CFOW) is an environmental project-based learning program that brings ESD to life in your classroom. Students in grades 7-12 are asked to answer the question "What can you do to improve your watershed?" Funding is available through Nutrien to turn these ideas into reality! In this session, we will go over what our free watershed workshops look like, how this program meets curriculum outcomes, what is expected of the students participating, and how we can bring CFOW to your school!

STAM3WED Level 9-12 *FULL*

Using Pseudoscience to Teach Scientific Thinking

Jim Clark, University of Winnipeg j.clark@uwinnipeg.ca

The session will describe examples of pseudoscience (e.g., ESP, healing touch) and how these can be used to help students develop the kinds of critical thinking skills used by scientists.

STAM4WED Level 10-12 *NEW*

Students Learning Machine Learning - The Dutch Elm Disease Project

Matthew Johnson, Volatus Aerospace Corp, Matthew.Johnson@volatusaerospace.com

The SEAR (Science Experiential Aerial Research) Program, developed by Matthew Johnson of Volatus Aerospace, is designed to engage students in the scientific discovery process. They will take part in a drone-based aerial data gathering mission, analyzing the data by training machine learning algorithms and comparing with empirical results from ground-based observations by the City of Winnipeg Insect Control Board.

Thursday October 21st

7:00-8:15 p.m. VIRTUAL SESSIONS

STAM6THU Level General

Virtual Wetland Visit

Paula Grieef, Harry J Enns Wetland Discovery Centre - Oak Hammock Marsh

Take a virtual field trip to the beautiful Oak Hammock Marsh from our new teaching studio. Learn about wetlands, wildlife, and how programming offered at the Harry J Enns Wetland Discovery Centre can help you achieve the specific learning outcomes for your grade level.

STAM7THU Level General

Tracking for Teachers – Local Wildlife Inquiry

Barret Miller, FortWhyte Alive, bmiller@fortwhyte.org

What critter left those tracks? Whose hair is on that branch? What kind of scat is on the steps? Learn about animal families and adaptations, and how to read the stories nature writes on the landscape- and relate these stories to your curriculum. Increase your confidence, share your wildlife experiences - and get ready to get tracking!

STAM8THU Level K-10 *FULL*

Excitement & Engagement in Science

Jacqueline Monteith, Frontier School Division, Jacqueline.Monteith@fsdnet.ca

Maintaining student (and teacher!) motivation and excitement in the science classroom can be easy, but can also be intimidating and expensive. Join Jacqueline for an inspiring session on keeping easy hands-on activities as the center of engagement and exploration. The first 20 participants in each session who register by October 1st will receive a supply package to use during the session.

STAM9THU Level 4-12

Empowering Student Action with the Sustainable Development Goals

Anju Bajaj, Holy Cross School abajaj@holycrossschool.mb.ca

Do you want to empower your students to see themselves as changemakers who can find solutions to problems in their lives and communities? Join us for an interactive webinar and discover how to use the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals to spark student-led action in your class. Through a series of collaborative and reflective activities, you will discover how students can engage in design thinking through the lens of empathy, determine what an action project might look like in your school context and explore classroom-ready resources to get started.

STAM10THU Level 9-12

Citizen Science in the Classroom: Beluga Bits

Ashleigh Westphal, Assiniboine Park Conservancy awestphal@assiniboinepark.ca

Learn how you can incorporate Assiniboine Park Zoo's citizen science and research project: Beluga Bits into your classroom. Citizen science can offer diverse and engaging opportunities for people to get involved in and even contribute to real-world scientific research. Projects like these can be a fun and unique way to help students learn and gain a greater appreciation of the world around them. For scientists, citizen science contributes invaluable information to research as well as the opportunity to train future scientists. Beluga Bits is a collaborative, citizen science-based research project studying beluga whales in the Churchill River estuary in northern Manitoba. Through Beluga Bits, people from around the world help answer questions about beluga biology, social structures, and habitat use. Citizen scientists also help us to monitor their aquatic ecosystem and identify emerging threats to this beluga population. Arctic ecosystems are the most rapidly changing environments due to climate change, yet here in Manitoba we often overlook the Arctic marine ecosystem right in our own backyard. Beluga Bits provides a connection between students in Manitoba classrooms with northern marine ecosystems by involving students in Arctic marine research. Our session will focus on a new virtual learning opportunity we have created to incorporate Beluga Bits into your classrooms and introduce students to broader marine conservation issues. Our educational package will include materials to facilitate classroom discussions and workshop ideas about ocean health, climate change, and marine and aquatic conservation.

STAM11THU Level 7-12 *NEW*

Youth Drone Camps

Matthew Johnson, Volatus Aerospace Corp, Matthew.Johnson@volatusaerospace.com

Engaging students in specialized drone technology camps in partnership with school divisions. Volatus Aerospace has rolled out a highly engaging program that engages youth ages 12-17 in drone technology, starting with basic and advanced piloting, to drone racing, photography and videography, and basics of coding using DroneBlocks coding software.

Friday October 22nd ON-SITE

Sessions (Note Location and Time)

STAM29FRIONSITE Level General *FULL*

Gearing Up For Outdoor Learning - Essential Equipment and How to Use It

Barret Miller, Fort Whyte Alive bmiller@fortwhyte.org

Location: Fort Whyte Alive, 9:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.

This outdoor session will show you how a few items can change your students’ outdoor learning experiences for the better, and help you feel confident taking learning outside. Participants will walk away with new knowledge and outdoor learning skills - and some giveaway equipment to get outside more easily!

STAM30FRIONSITE Level General *FULL*

Project Wet

Amanda Benson, Harry J Enns Wetland Discovery Centre - Oak Hammock Marsh

Location: Oak Hammock Marsh, 12:00-4:00 p.m.

Join us at Oak Hammock for an interactive Water Education for Teachers (Project WET) workshop. The workshop will demonstrate experiments and activities K-12 (focus will be based on participants). Indoor/outdoor based on weather and allowable provincial regulations. Please dress for the weather.

MAPT (Manitoba Association of Physics Teachers ) Virtual AGM Friday October 22nd at 8:00 a.m.

Friday Virtual Morning Sessions 10:30-11:45 a.m.

STAM12FRI Level General *FULL*

Five Fabulous Ways for Your Students to Create in Science

Brianna Rapini, The Amoeba Sisters

The one doing the creating is the one who is learning, and this includes your science students! As the Amoeba Sisters, we are creators of videos, GIFs, and comics that demystify science. Consider the power of providing opportunities for your students to create! Join "Pinky" from The Amoeba Sisters to explore how to involve your students as creators. Student creation types discussed include GIFs, comics, podcasts, and more with strategies for handling common obstacles. Teachers will leave this session with five ideas, several template resources, and recommendations of freely available tools to involve their students as creators, and not just consumers, of creations that can support science standards.

STAM13FRI Level K-8

Slow the Flow: Water Conservation

Minna Goulet, Fort Whyte, mgoulet@fortwhyte.org

Slow the Flow is a water conservation program funded by City of Winnipeg's Water and Waste Department, delivered by FortWhyte Alive. This program offers resources, lessons and virtual presentations at no cost. Focus is on Winnipeg; rural teachers are welcome to attend. We will cover where our drinking water comes from, where our sewage goes, and ways to conserve water and prevent pollution. The Leak Detector Challenge is an activity that can help students identify water leaks at home.

STAM14FRI Level K-12 *FULL*

Differentiation in Science Classrooms

Jacqueline Monteith, Frontier School Division, Jacqueline.Monteith@fsdnet.ca

Explore the importance of differentiation in science classrooms at all grades and stages. Differentiation is especially important in multi-grade and multi-skilled settings. Join Jacqueline for a how-to session on approaching teaching and learning so that it is meaningful, effective, and efficient for all students.

STAM15FRI Level 4-12 *FULL*

Geology in Our Neighbourhood

Jeff Young, U of M, jeff.young@umanitoba.ca

Winnipeg is located on the clays and silts deposited from Glacial Lake Agassiz, but all around us we find rocks that originated from around Manitoba. These rocks represent a long geologic history of igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic activity. In this session we will look at examples from neighbourhoods and schools that can be used in the Earth science curriculum.

STAM16FRI Level 6-12 *FULL*

PBL in the Sciences

Laura O’Brien, MBCI

Students desire the opportunity to use their learning to solve real world problems and the need for creative thinkers is greater than ever! In this session we will learn about the main elements of project-based learning while hearing many examples of how project based learning can be applied in the Sciences.

STAM31FRI Level 6-12 *NEW*

Drones In The Classroom – Introducing Teachers and Admin to Drone Technology

Matthew Johnson, Volatus Aerospace Corp, Matthew.Johnson@volatusaerospace.com

This program is in its third year of running in Manitoba. In this session, teachers will learn how to engage students across multiple disciplines to reach curricular outcomes. As Marshall has said all along, “the medium is the message,” so let’s use these highly engaging technological tools to help get the point across!

STAM32FRI Level 6-12 *NEW*

People and the Biosphere: Hands-on Activities for Environmental Science

Lindsey Bailey, Education Network Director, Population Education, lbailey@populationconnection.org

Discover data-rich lessons to help your students explore human population, biodiversity, climate change, land and natural resource use, as well as paths to sustainability. Data is an effective avenue for exploring a range of environmental issues, from climate change to habitat health to water use. The use of real-world data brings these issues to life, making abstract concepts more tangible and encouraging students to develop deep connections and thorough understanding. In this hands-on session, the presenter will lead participants in hands-on activities (problem-solving challenges, simulations and modeling) that use data sets in a variety of formats to analyze and think critically about some of the key topics in environmental studies – human population pressures, climate change, land use, biodiversity, and ecosystem health. The presented activities use a variety of learning styles with adaptations for differentiation.

STAM17FRI Level 9-12

Lake Ice Science

Sarah Warrack & Pauline Gerrard, IISD swarrack@iisd-ela.org

Learn about how we conduct our lake research in the winter.

STAM18FRI Level 9-12

Science in Pop Culture

Heidi Werner, St. James Collegiate, heidi.werner@sjasd.ca

Are you teaching Current Topics in Science 30S and looking for a new unit? Explore topics like space, alien life, time travel, technology, and artificial intelligence with your students! This session will provide you with access to course materials such as lessons and assignments to use with your class.

STAM19FRI Level 9-12

Introduction to Medical Ultrasound Imaging

Daniel W Rickey, CancerCare Manitoba and Physics & Astronomy, U of M

Ultrasound is the most widely used imaging technique within our health care system. In this presentation I give an overview of the physics and technology of ultrasound imaging. Included is Doppler ultrasound measurements of blood flow. I will also show live ultrasound imaging using a portable ultrasound scanner.

Friday Virtual Afternoon Sessions 2:15-3:30 p.m.

STAM20FRI Level General *FULL*

Geology and Art

Jeff Young, U of M, jeff.young@umanitoba.ca

A critical tool for any scientist is the ability to draw. For the geologist we try to interpret what we are drawing as we are drawing. Our interpretations lead to significant questions that forms the basis for all exploration. In this session we will discuss the need for geoscientists to draw.

STAM21FRI Level General

Incorporating Let’s Talk Science

Mika Pineda, Let’s Talk Science, lts.uofm@gmail.com

Let's Talk Science (LTS) is a national charitable, award-winning outreach program that focuses on improving science literacy to students from Kindergarten to Grade 12 across Canada. Let's Talk Science accomplishes its goals through interactive, hands-on science workshops to students. We believe in a "hands-on, minds-on" approach in empowering students to use science, technology engineering and math to flourish our world. The best part of our service is that it is provided for free, as we believe that all students should experience the wonderful world of science. In this session, we will talk about how educators across Manitoba can incorporate our programming in their classroom to provide more hands-on Science activities to students kindergarten to Grade 12. Participants will also get to experience one of our activities that they can easily try at home or in their classrooms.

STAM22FRI Level K-10 *FULL*

Excitement & Engagement in Science

Jacqueline Monteith, Frontier School Division, Jacqueline.Monteith@fsdnet.ca

Maintaining student (and teacher!) motivation and excitement in the science classroom can be easy, but can also be intimidating and expensive. Join Jacqueline for an inspiring session on keeping easy hands-on activities as the center of engagement and exploration. The first 20 participants in each session who register by October 1st will receive a supply package to use during the session.

STAM23FRI Level 4-8 *FULL*

Exploring Habitats & Endangered Species: Land-based Education

Darcy Granove & Dylan Huntley, LandEd - Little Bluestem Landscape Architecture, dgranove@littlebluestemla.com

LandED seeks to reconnect educators and children with nature through land-based education. Through the design initiatives of LBLA, landED offers a different approach to conventional learning methods, by encouraging outdoor play alongside ecological awareness. In this presentation, landED focuses on habitat exploration and endangered species education for middle years. We will explore how the land plays a role in teaching students about the interconnected relationships between animals, plants, and people. Attendees will be provided with a lesson plan of the topic which follows the Manitoba Science curriculum for middle years.

STAM24FRI Level 6-12 *FULL*

Outdoor Environmental Science

Katrina Froese (Fort Whyte Alive), kfroese@fortwhyte.org

FortWhyte Alive will share resources for engaging in science through learning about local ecosystems, from resources for identification of living things, to taking measurements and collecting data. This workshop will introduce participants to activities from FortWhyte's environmental science school field trip programs, and feature training on Riverwatch water monitoring, an outreach program which can get your students outside safely monitoring the health of a local waterway.

STAM25FRI Level 9-12 *FULL*

Citizen Science in the Classroom: Beluga Bits

Ashleigh Westphal, Assiniboine Park Conservancy, awestphal@assiniboinepark.ca

Learn how you can incorporate Assiniboine Park Zoo's citizen science and research project: Beluga Bits into your classroom. Citizen science can offer diverse and engaging opportunities for people to get involved in and even contribute to real-world scientific research. Projects like these can be a fun and unique way to help students learn and gain a greater appreciation of the world around them. For scientists, citizen science contributes invaluable information as well as the opportunity to train future scientists. Beluga Bits is a collaborative, citizen science-based research project studying beluga whales in the Churchill River estuary in northern Manitoba. Through Beluga Bits, people around the world help answer questions about beluga biology, social structures, and habitat use. Citizen scientists also help us to monitor their aquatic ecosystem and identify emerging threats to this beluga population. Arctic ecosystems are the most rapidly changing environments due to climate change, yet here in Manitoba we often overlook the Arctic marine ecosystem in our own backyard. Beluga Bits provides a connection between students and northern marine ecosystems by involving students in Arctic marine research. Our session will focus on a new virtual learning opportunity we have created to incorporate Beluga Bits into your classrooms and introduce students to broader marine conservation issues. Our educational package includes materials to facilitate classroom discussions and workshop ideas about ocean health, climate change, and marine and aquatic conservation.

STAM26FRI Level 9-12 *FULL*

Lake Chemistry

Sarah Warrack & Pauline Gerrard, IISD, swarrack@iisd-ela.org

Learn about how we conduct research at the IISD-Experimental Lakes Area. We will focus on how we collect samples and analyze our samples in the chemistry lab. This session will include a chemistry kit that you can use with your students to analyze the chemistry of your own water sample. This session is limited to 20 participants.

STAM27FRI Level 10-12 *FULL*

Remote experiments to measure Earth's Magnetic Field and Jupiter's Mass

Ruth Cameron, Danielle Pahud, & Andriy Yamchuk, Dept. Of Physics and Astronomy, University of Manitoba

Classes have been almost entirely remote at post-secondary institutions throughout the pandemic, presenting particular difficulties for the laboratory component. Come join us to see some solutions we found for our Introductory Laboratories at the U of M. Participants in this presentation will measure Earth's magnetic field. They will also use Kepler's third law to determine the mass of Jupiter. Please download the free phone app PHYPHOX (available for both iPhone and Android phone) and Stellarium (https://stellarium.org/ (free planetarium software on any computer system). Participants will also need a google account to access Google Sheets.

STAM28FRI Level 10-12 *NEW*

Students Learning Machine Learning - The Dutch Elm Disease Project

Matthew Johnson, Volatus Aerospace Corp, Matthew.Johnson@volatusaerospace.com

The SEAR (Science Experiential Aerial Research) Program, developed by Matthew Johnson of Volatus Aerospace, is designed to engage students in the scientific discovery process. They will take part in a drone-based aerial data gathering mission, analyzing the data by training machine learning algorithms and comparing with empirical results from ground-based observations by the City of Winnipeg Insect Control Board.

STAM33FRI Level 9-12 *NEW*

Flexible Lab Solutions with Vernier Canada

Adnan Chaudry, Vernier Canada, sales@verniercanada.ca

Description: Vernier sensors and software have been used for science education by schools across Manitoba for many years. Participants will learn about new lab solutions offered by Vernier Software & Technology that will allow schools to continue using their existing equipment in new ways. We will also explore the capabilities of the new powerful stand-alone interface, the LabQuest 3, and discuss how it compares to the previous iteration. We will also demonstrate our new applications, Vernier Graphical Analysis Pro, Vernier Video Analysis, Pivot Interactives, and other useful resources that will help students engage with science, even from a distance.