Show Summary:

Natasha chats with Dr. Roman Gomez, a lead research scientist in the Space Science and Engineering division of Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio, Texas. Roman shares his story of growing up in San Antonio, joining the Army, and then eventually getting his Ph.D. in astrophysics. Using questions submitted by Space Club elementary and middle school students, we discuss his journey in STEM, how he learned from his mistakes and his passion for all this space and science.

Links from the Show:

All About Space Club

Video: Career Chats: Dr. Roman Gomez (Research Scientist)

Bring Space Club to Your School! - FREE for educators!

Blog: STEM Curriculum: Mission to Moon

Video: Space Club Mission to Moon Project Highlights Video

Podcast: 37. The Learning Potential of Space Club

Related The STEM Space Podcast Episodes

46. STEM Career Chat with Bioengineer Dr. Georgia Lagoudas

53: Getting Data From Our Poop? Career Chat with Dr. Olesen

62. Life on Another Planet? Career Chat with an Astrobiologist!

64. Inspire Kids with Space: Chat with NASA Ground Controller!

70. Career Chat with a Satellite Program Manager

Vivify STEM Blog Posts

How to Teach Growth Mindset and Failing Forward

10 Easy STEM Career Classroom Activities

I Didn't Always Want to be an Engineer

Vivify STEM Lessons & Products

STEM Careers:

Who is an Engineer or Scientist? STEM Career Game & Activity (PreK-9th)

STEM Careers BINGO Game! (Middle & High School)

Digital STEM Choice Boards: STEM Careers, Space Mission, Virtual Field Trip, Branches of Science, and ISS Labs in Space

STEM Career Classroom Posters

Growth Mindset Back to School Rocket About Me Activity

Mission to Moon STEM Curriculum Unit (Space Exploration):

Elementary (K-5)

Middle School (6-8)

Other STEM Resources

Vivify YouTube: STEM Career Chats

Dr. Roman Gomez Speaks at 2019 Fall STEM Lecture Series

What is Olympic Weightlifting? via Wikipedia

U.S. Census Bureau Releases New Educational Attainment Data (2020)

THE STEM SPACE SHOWNOTES: https://www.vivifystem.com/thestemspace/2022/72/astrophysics-and-weightlifting-with-dr-roman-gomez

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Show Summary:

With no internet access and limited supplies, how can you inspire and engage kids with STEM? We often think of robots and circuit boards as an integral part of STEM education, but hands-on learning doesn't need fancy tools. In this episode of The STEM Space, Claire and Natasha discuss ideas for offering STEM in rural communities (with special guest, baby Fenya). We also provide a framework for developing relevant STEM challenges that are based on students' lived experiences.

Links from the Show:

Agastya International Foundation

Website

Video: Redefining Education

Related The STEM Space Podcast Episodes

64. Inspire Kids with Space: Chat with NASA Ground Controller!

60. Why Should You Have More Than One Solution?

58. Are You Training Up Innovators?

47. What Maps Have To Do With Creativity

Vivify STEM Blog Posts

Mission to the Moon: Virtual STEM Program

STEM Activities for Distance Learning

Not all STEM is Equal: 3 Stages of STEM Education

Design a School Garden STEM Project

Vivify STEM Lessons & Products

How to Create a Relevant STEM Challenge (Flow Chart) - FREE in the STEM Space

Design a School Garden: STEM Project Guide

Mission to Mars: Middle School STEM Curriculum Unit (Space Exploration)

STEM Activity Hoop Glider Challenge (Variable Testing)

Straw Rocket STEM Challenge

Lower Grades (K-3)

Upper Grades (4-10)

Other STEM Resources

The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind

Young Reader’s Edition (paperback)

William Kamkwamba: How I harnessed the wind | TED Talk

William Kamkwamba: How I built a windmill | TED Talk

Space Club Outdoor Habitat Video

Dee Howard International Education Foundation

Bernoulli's Principle

Vivify STEM Curriculum Map

THE STEM SPACE SHOWNOTES: https://www.vivifystem.com/thestemspace/2022/71/how-to-create-a-relevant-stem-challenge

THE STEM SPACE FACEBOOK GROUP

VIVIFY INSTAGRAM

VIVIFY FACEBOOK

VIVIFY TWITTER

Show Summary:

Do you have a student obsessed with a subject? You know, the one who asks you all the questions you don’t know the answers to? In this episode, Natasha interviewed York Space Systems Program Manager Christine Dubbert (who was that student) for the 2022 spring semester Space Club Career Chat finale. Tune in as we talk about her pathway to STEM, what it's like to be a woman in engineering, and her previous competitive Scottish Highland dancing hobby!

Links from the Show:

All About Space Club

Video: Career Chat: Christine Dubbert (York Space Systems)

Bring Space Club to Your School! - Now FREE for all educators!

Blog: Mission to Mars Curriculum

Video: Space Club Mission to Mars Student Highlights Videos

Podcast: 37. The Learning Potential of Space Club

Related The STEM Space Podcast Episodes

46. STEM Career Chat with Bioengineer Dr. Georgia Lagoudas

53: Getting Data From Our Poop? Career Chat with Dr. Olesen

62. Life on Another Planet? Career Chat with an Astrobiologist!

64. Inspire Kids with Space: Chat with NASA Ground Controller!

Vivify STEM Blog Posts

Top 10 Ways To Encourage Girls In STEM

10 Easy STEM Career Classroom Activities

I Didn't Always Want to be an Engineer

Vivify STEM Lessons & Products

STEM Careers:

Who is an Engineer or Scientist? STEM Career Game & Activity (PreK-9th)

STEM Careers BINGO Game! (Middle & High School)

Digital STEM Choice Board: STEM Careers!

STEM Career Classroom Posters

Mission to Mars: Middle School STEM Curriculum Unit (Space Exploration)

Other STEM Resources

Vivify YouTube: STEM Career Chats

York Space Systems

Space Development Agency

Spot The Station | NASA

THE STEM SPACE SHOWNOTES:https://www.vivifystem.com/thestemspace/2022/70/career-chat-with-a-satellite-program-manager

THE STEM SPACE FACEBOOK GROUP

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Show Summary:

How young is too young for STEM? My kids' daycare claims to teach STEM with activities geared to students as young as 2 years old! But how does a 2-year-old even do STEM? I am pretty skeptical so I asked Claire, who teaches STEM for Pre-K all the way to 8th grade, to get her perspective. Tune in as we discuss STEM for little kids, learning goals, and what is even possible.

Links from the Show:

Related The STEM Space Podcast Episodes

63. What is the Point of a Field Trip?

56. What Do Kids Need To Prepare For Engineering?

24. Craft Projects vs. STEM (featuring Kerry Tracy)

21. Teaching Fads: Should You Teach STEM?

8. STEM vs. STEAM+

Vivify STEM Blog Posts

5 Tips to Planning the Best STEM Field Trip!

Top 10 Ways To Encourage Girls In STEM

Understanding a Framework for P-12 Engineering Learning

Not all STEM is Equal: 3 Stages of STEM Education

The Importance of Failure

How to Teach Growth Mindset and Failing Forward

Vivify STEM Lessons & Products

STEM Careers:

Who is an Engineer or Scientist? STEM Career Game & Activity (PreK-9th)

Elementary STEM Careers BINGO Game (K-6th)

Icebreaker Teamwork STEM Activities

Building Bricks STEM Biomes and Habitats Engineering Design Challenge

STEM Task Cards: Building Icebreakers

Straw Rocket STEM Challenge (Forces & Motion)

All About Space Club

Bring Space Club to Your School! - Now FREE for all educators!

Blog: Mission to Mars Curriculum

Video: Space Club Mission to Mars Student Highlights Videos

Podcast: 37. The Learning Potential of Space Club

Other STEM Resources

Vivify YouTube: STEM Career Chats

Vivify Instagram:

Make a paper fish swim with surface tension!

Let’s make a lung with Madelyn!

Pig Lung Demo

Creative Answers Demo (Claire asked all of her classes a question and shared their answers!)

SmartLab Toys Squishy Human Body

Geo Board – Learning Resources Manipulatives

Tangrams - Wooden Pattern Blocks

THE STEM SPACE SHOWNOTES:https://www.vivifystem.com/thestemspace/2022/69/can-my-baby-do-stem

THE STEM SPACE FACEBOOK GROUP

VIVIFY INSTAGRAM

VIVIFY FACEBOOK

VIVIFY TWITTER

Show Summary:

Have you used game-based learning in your classroom? Can gaming actually improve learning outcomes? In this episode of The STEM Space, Natasha chats with renowned game-based learning expert and Texas A&M University professor André Thomas. His career started in the movie industry creating graphics for movies like Men in Black, then moved into the world of graphics for games like Madden NFL, and he now uses those experiences to develop immersive games to teach educational content like calculus. We discuss his background, how to engage students in the gaming industry, and ways for teachers to leverage game-based learning in their classrooms.

Links from the Show:

Related The STEM Space Podcast Episodes

17. We All Need a Lesson in Failure

18. What You Should Know About Failure

36. Are You A Visualizer?

Vivify STEM Blog Posts

The Importance of Failure

How to Teach Growth Mindset and Failing Forward

Vivify STEM Lessons & Products

Growth Mindset Back to School Rocket About Me Activity

Binary Code Reference Sheet and Activity ideas - FREE in the STEM Space Explorer Library!

Intro to Coding: Communication STEM Activity

Who is an Engineer or Scientist? STEM Career Game & Activity

Other STEM Resources

TED Talk: The Effective Use of Game-Based Learning in Education

André Thomas: 5 Ways to Break into the Video Game Industry

Game Based Learning - YouTube

BMW 5 Series Ink

BBC News: “Gaming worth more than video and music combined”

A&M-developed calculus video game helps students pass, pursue STEM careers

Variant: Limits Educational Trailer (YouTube)

Variant: Limits (game)

Triseum

Introduction to Game-Based Learning (Texas A&M Online Course)

André’s Favorite Low-Tech/No Tech Games:

How to Play Mexican Train (Domino Game) - WikiHow YouTube

Pandemic Board Game

THE STEM SPACE SHOWNOTES: https://www.vivifystem.com/thestemspace/2022/68/game-based-learning-with-andre-thomas

THE STEM SPACE FACEBOOK GROUP

VIVIFY INSTAGRAM

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VIVIFY TWITTER

Show Summary:

Are you interested in learning about the latest research in STEM education? In this episode, Natasha, a doctoral student at Texas A&M University, shares her recent research on the impact of attendance in an afterschool STEM program (Space Club) on student attitudes towards STEM. Tune in to hear the latest trends in STEM education and the behind-the-scenes of conducting quantitative education research.

Links from the Show:

Related The STEM Space Podcast Episodes

2. STEM Careers in your Classroom

4. Why You Should Teach Space

23. Mission to the Moon: Virtual STEM Program

37. The Learning Potential of Space Club

50. How to Involve Girls in After-School STEM

57. How to Organize a STEM Summer Camp

Vivify STEM Blog Posts

Top 10 Ways To Encourage Girls In STEM

7 Activities Featuring Women in STEM History

How to Start an After School STEM Club

Vivify STEM Lessons & Products

Who is an Engineer or Scientist? STEM Career Game & Activity

Intro to Coding: Communication STEM Activity

Digital STEM Choice Board Bundle

STEM Careers BINGO (Printed & Digital Versions)

STEM Career Classroom Posters

All About Space Club

Bring Space Club to Your School! - Now FREE for all educators!

Blog: Mission to Mars Curriculum

Video: Space Club Mission to Mars Student Highlights Videos

Other STEM Resources

Study from Science.org - “Highway signs showing traffic deaths don’t reduce crashes”

Girls Who Code

A Leak in the STEM Pipeline: Taking Algebra Early

PEAR’s STEM Tools: Common Instrument Suite & Dimensions of Success

This Camp Is Also an In-Depth Study of Why Girls Quit STEM

National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics, 2021 (PDF)

Osborne, J. (2003). Attitudes towards science: A review of the literature and its implications. International Journal of Science Education, 25(9), 1049 – 1079.

Shapiro, M., Grossman, D., Carter, S., Martin, K., Deyton, P., & Hammer, D. (2015). Middle school girls and the “leaky pipeline” to leadership. Middle School Journal, 46(5), 3–13.

Afterschool Alliance. (2021). STEM learning in afterschool on the rise, but barriers and inequities exist. (PDF)

Young, J. R., Ortiz, N., & Young, J. L. (2017). STEMulating Interest: A meta-analysis of the effects of out-of-school time on student STEM interest. International Journal of Education in Mathematics, Science and Technology, 5(1), 62–74.

THE STEM SPACE SHOWNOTES: https://www.vivifystem.om/thestemspace/2022/2022/67/is-stem-after-school-effective

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Show Summary:

Natasha chats with Kristina Ohl, a 6th-grade science teacher who decided to “re-create” one of her favorite activities, Vivify’s Mission to Mars Planning Game. She brought the real-world project back to Earth by having students plan and design an energy-efficient and eco-friendly house! She discusses her experience developing the lesson including consulting a sustainable building engineer and testing with elementary and middle school students. We also chat about effective teaching practices and how we cannot simply pour our knowledge into children’s brains - try as we might!

Links from the Show:

Previous Podcasts

24. Craft Projects vs. STEM (featuring Kerry Tracy)

29. Why Do We Teach Engineering in Schools?

56. What Do Kids Need To Prepare For Engineering?

Related Blog Posts

Design a Sustainable Eco-House STEM Project

Design a Mars Colony: STEM Project (Distance Learning)

Understanding a Framework for P-12 Engineering Learning

Critical Issues of K-12 Engineering Education

STEM Lessons

Design a Sustainable Eco-House STEM Project (Environmental Science 5E PBL)

Mission to Mars: Middle School STEM Curriculum Unit

Mission to Moon Middle School STEM Curriculum Unit

Other Links

EXPLO

THE STEM SPACE SHOWNOTES: https://www.vivifystem.om/thestemspace/2022/66/eco-house-stem-planning-game-with-kristina-ohl

THE STEM SPACE FACEBOOK GROUP

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Show Summary:

Tune in as Claire and Natasha tackle another question from our listeners: “I am new to STEM…how do you keep it all together? All the resources, organizing for all grade levels…I’d love to be a fly on the wall in Texas!” As the school year wraps up, Claire reflects on a crazy busy year and how she stays organized when teaching different STEM topics for her PreK all the way to 8th-grade students!

Links from the Show:

Related The STEM Space Podcast Episodes

33. My Students Built A Wheelchair

Launching A High Altitude Balloon:-

- 27. Launching A High Altitude Balloon

- 30. Launching A High Altitude Balloon Part 2

26. Making Time for STEM (ft. Kerry Tracy)

Vivify STEM Lessons

Editable Engineering Design Challenge Teacher Slides - FREE in our STEM Space Explorer Library

Alphabet STEM Challenges Bundle - Kindergarten STEM Unit

Animal Habitat & Biomes STEM Diorama Engineering Design Project

STEM Explorers: Elementary STEM Curriculum Around the World

Weather Balloon Launch: STEM Engineering Project Guide

Editable Budget Sheet for Engineering Design Challenges - FREE in our STEM Space Explorer Library

Stop Motion Animation Activity - FREE in our STEM Space Explorer Library

Building Bricks STEM Biomes and Habitats Engineering Design Challenge (LEGO®)

Genetics STEM Unit: Monster Engineering Challenge (5E Science Lesson)

STEM Drag Device Parachute Challenge

Vivify STEM Blog Posts

Not all STEM is Equal: 3 Stages of STEM Education

Top 35 Amazing STEM Books for Kids

STEM Explorers: Travel the World with STEM Activities for Elementary

How to Launch a Weather Balloon: Ultimate STEM Challenge

Engineering and the 5E Science Model

All About Space Club

Bring Space Club to Your School!

Blog: Mission to Mars Curriculum

Video: Space Club Mission to Mars Student Highlights Videos

Podcast: 37. The Learning Potential of Space Club

Other STEM Resources

Vivify STEM Curriculum Map

Email us your questions at [email protected]

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Show Summary:

What is it like to work at NASA? What happens at mission control? In this episode, Natasha chats with Patrick Ream, a ground controller trainee at NASA's Johnson Space Center! We talk all about his work at NASA, what inspired him to become an aerospace engineer, and his advice for motivating struggling students.

Links from the Show:

Watch this Career Chat and more on Vivify’s YouTube!

All About Space Club

Bring Space Club to Your School!

Blog: Mission to Mars Curriculum

Video: Space Club Mission to Mars Student Highlights Videos

Vivify’s Space STEM Lessons

Explore the Universe Scavenger Hunt (FREE in our Resource Library)

Astronaut Wearable Device Engineering Activity (Space & STEM)

All Space Exploration Lessons

Teambuilding and Communication Lessons

NASA Connections

Definitions:

ADCO - Attitude Determination and Control Officer

SPARTAN - Station, Power, ARticulation, Thermal, and ANalysis

Artemis Program

Orion Overview

Lunar Gateway Overview

NASA Johnson Space Center

NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL)

Video: Mission Control at NASA Johnson Space Center: History and Restoration

Moon’s South Pole in NASA’s Landing Sites

Careers at NASA: Explore the Extraordinary, Every Day

Live Space Station Tracking Map

THE STEM SPACE SHOWNOTES:https://www.vivifystem.om/thestemspace/2022/64/inspire-kids-with-space-chat-with-nasa-ground-controller

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Show Summary:

What is the point of a field trip? In this episode, Natasha brings Claire on another adventure with a group of undergraduate engineering students who plan to become STEM teachers. Learn how educators can thoughtfully plan a field trip experience to maximize learning and when may be the optimal time for these types of experiences within a unit of study.

Links from the Show:

About Lillian Gilbreth

Texas A&M’s Environmental & Emissions Research Facility

Related The STEM Space Podcast Episodes

56. What Do Kids Need To Prepare For Engineering?

55: How to Teach STEM During Women's History Month

48. What Is In Our Air?

Vivify STEM Resources

Understanding a Framework for P-12 Engineering Learning

Video of Pig Lungs in Action

Roller Coaster STEM Activity (Printed and Digital Journals)

STEM Space Lander Math & Engineering Activity (Printed & Digital)

THE STEM SPACE SHOWNOTES:https://www.vivifystem.om/thestemspace/2022/63/what-is-the-point-of-a-field-trip

THE STEM SPACE FACEBOOK GROUP: https://www.facebook.com/groups/thestemspace/

VIVIFY INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/vivifystem

VIVIFY FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/vivifystem

VIVIFY TWITTER: https://twitter.com/vivifystem