Smithsonian Science Education Center (SSEC)

Dear Smithsonian Science Education Center Community, As we embrace the holiday season, I want to extend my warm wishes to you and your family. May this time be filled with joy, laughter, and cherished moments. I am grateful to each and every one of you for being a part of our community this year. If you are considering a gift before the tax year ends, I hope you’ll include the Smithsonian Science Education Center in your charitable giving. Your contributions directly impact student learning. All of us at the Smithsonian are grateful for the generosity of this community. I wish you a holiday season filled with happiness, and a new year brimming with exciting possibilities! Warmest Regards, Dr. Carol O’Donnell Douglas M. Lapp and Anne B. Keiser Director of the Smithsonian Science Education Center To make a gift, visit: s.si.edu/DonateToSSEC

Learn how Wilson "Snowflake" Bentley's pioneering photomicrography revealed the intricate, unique patterns of over 5,000 snowflakes. ❄️ 📸

Smithsonian educators explain how Earth's 23.5-degree tilt and its heliocentric orbit create the unique seasonal patterns we experience, including the winter solstice on December 21st. 🌎 ☀️

Missed the application period for the Diversity in STEM Education Summit? We have more free conferences, professional development, new resources, and interactive programs for students lined up for 2025! 📬 Sign up for our newsletter to be the first to know: s.si.edu/NewsletterSSEC

The Smithsonian Institution Annual Report, "Reaching Every Learner," is officially in print and viewable online. The report showcases education across the Smithsonian with stories from our experts, interns, and alumni, underscoring how lifelong learning is at the core of everything we do. "Reaching Every Learner" explores how we are engaging and inspiring learners in new and meaningful ways.  Read more here in the FY23 annual report: https://lnkd.in/exqSyPhJ #SmithsonianEdu

Want to spend two weeks next summer in Washington, DC, with the National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution exploring the connections between informal STEAM education and authentic learning? The museum's free Teacher Innovator Institute for middle school (grades 5-8) STEAM teachers is now accepting applications. Learn more about this opportunity at a virtual info session on December 15 at 8:30 pm ET: https://s.si.edu/3ZFiT06

Born in 1902, Nobel prize-winning geneticist Barbara McClintock’s experimental corn gardens yielded crucial clues about the plant’s genetic material. In 1983, she received the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. She was the first person to identify all ten maize chromosomes in 1929. In the late 1940s, while studying the tendency of a specific chromosome to break, she discovered that some genes can move to a new location on a chromosome; not all genes were fixed in place, as was generally believed. This postage stamp is part of a collection featuring American scientists, issued by the US Postal Service in 2005. https://s.si.edu/4g61kMz 📷: Copyright United States Postal Service. All rights reserved. National Postal Museum #NobelDay

➡️ Students from diverse communities have higher academic outcomes and school experiences when taught by teachers from diverse backgrounds. While there has been an encouraging increase in diverse teachers over the last few years, this has not kept pace with the growth of students of color, who are now over 50% of all students in K12 public schools. This #CSEdWeek, as these educators from Houston, Texas point out, we also reflect on the increasing need for teachers of color in computing, a field that will define our future and world. 💻 We invite educators, administrators, and education leaders to apply as a team or mentor to the Diversity in STEM Education Summit by December 13, 2024 and join a community of changemakers working toward building and attracting a more diverse STEM teaching workforce. Apply here: s.si.edu/DISE-Summit

On Tuesday, December 10 from 4:00- 5:00pm, ET, join Carol Clymer, Beth McLean, and Esther Prins from the Goodling Institute for Research in Family Literacy at Penn State University to explore the Smithsonian’s Talk with Me Toolkits (TMTs). TMTs are organized around a theme and are intended to provide caregivers with ideas and questions to start conversations and interact with their children. You’ll leave with toolkits of activities that encourage thinking, vocabulary, and language development in young children. This free session will be helpful for librarians, family literacy instructors, teachers, and parents who might use the TMTs at home, school, libraries, community programs, and other settings. Free registration is available here: https://lnkd.in/ee59jgXk #SmithsonianEdu *Please note: this is a Zoom webinar with live captioning. You’ll be able to participate using the chat and Q&A, and your camera and mic will be disabled. We’ll record and post the webinar on the Smithsonian Learning Lab’s Events page (https://lnkd.in/ex8MWbcs) approximately 24 hours after the session ends. For general questions, or if we can provide additional accessibility services to support your participation, please email us at learninglab@si.edu. Please make your accessibility request as far in advance as possible—preferably at least one week before the program date.

From providing science kits to classrooms in Appalachia to professional development for Indigenous educators in Canada, this #GivingTuesday, you can help take Smithsonian STEM education resources across America and around the world! Give Today: s.si.edu/DonateToSSEC Learn More: s.si.edu/Donate-SSEC