Science in the City

Aug 12, 2019

What other inspirational teens do you know? Share and get a free resource

As you know, I have been really digging into the idea of a growth mindset and creating readings and reflection questions for students on a growth mindset, and a series of young innovators.

I have written the following set of blog posts, related to this topic:
Upstanders and Innovators Complete Set (Growing)
I have a long (and growing) list of inspirational and upstanding young people. However, I am also always looking for new inspiration.

Ideally, the people featured in this series would be a minority/low income/diverse backgrounds and overcome some type of difficulty to pursue a dream or create a science or STEM resource or invention.

My vision is that students be able to see themselves in these stories of students, and both better view themselves as scientists and be able to see the growth mindset characteristics in action and see their importance.


As of this writing, there are articles, written on two different reading levels, complete with questions for each of the following:

  • Trisha Prabhu
  • Boyan Slat
  • Kai Kloepfer
  • Deepika Kurup
  • William Kamkwamba
  • Shubham Banerjee
  • Jack Andraka
Share your inspirational teens and win a free teaching resource

You may see different news stories than I do, and I would love your help.  If you know an inspirational teen, I may not know them.  Please, take a minute and fill out this form!   Give me your suggestions, and if I use your suggestion, you will get a free copy of the resource that I create based on the teen you suggest!






Jul 29, 2019

How Can We Attract Students To STEM?

How Can We Attract Students To STEM?

Note: This is a guest post for Science in the City.  Author Bio is listed at the bottom

Today’s generation of teachers know the value and importance of STEM education, as society continues to need people with skills in science, technology, engineering and math. Many teachers are acting as mentors for their student’s specific interests – educating them on STEM-related role models in current times and throughout history.

However, establishing role models in the STEM world is beneficial, but not always enough. One female-graduate STEM student commented that Jane Goodall had always been her role model, but she never met Goodall. The student says that in her opinion, real-life mentors are more important than role models.

Articles on how-to-teach-STEM appear almost daily in journals designed to help teachers reach students who express little or no interest in those subjects. To meet this challenge, educators are becoming aware that it takes more than reading chapters in a book or filling in blanks on worksheets. So how can teachers – with the help of those outside of the classroom - encourage the next generation to consider pursuing a STEM-related education and career?

A graphic showing the components of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math)

Stimulate and Encourage Curiosity

Students of all ages must be encouraged to ask “why” questions. Give students the opportunity to taste, smell, touch and watch. Provide them with items to play with and analyze. As one teacher stated, “We must simply give them the resources that feed their curiosity. Growing fruits and vegetables in a garden, building forts, and playing with blocks can all be uniquely valuable.”

Toddlers who play with blocks and build forts increase their spatial abilities. Hands-on learning opportunities, such as puzzles or cooking in the kitchen, can drive a young person’s life-long interest in a subject.

Provide Real-Life Exploration Activities

Most adults recall their elementary school science project of creating an erupting volcano out of ordinary household items. The thrill of experiencing the result of a hands-on project stays with them for a lifetime.

A few years ago, the Massachusetts state education department implemented a “Got Math” program as an experiment for elementary and middle school students using real-life situations to learn the importance of developing their math skills. For example:
  • Students met with local businesses that taught them how to shop with coupons to reduce the cost of their purchases.
  • Students visited with architects who taught them how to use measurement and problem-solving techniques to design and build a foam model house to scale.
Other examples of real-life exploration activities include:
  • Young students experiment with objects to learn why some float and some sink.
  • Older students may watch crime-solving television programs and learn how the use of science techniques help solve crimes.
There is really no limit to how students can learn through experimentation.

Role Models, Industry Leaders and Mentors

Exposing students to role models and industry leaders is a good thing. They learn about the success of anthropologist Jane Goodall, engineer and entrepreneur Elon Musk, Bill Nye the Science Guy, Bill Gates of Microsoft fame, astronauts and NASA scientists, and other famous people. Students can see how they can similarly use STEM education in their lives.

Active mentors who guide students, and who can see the world the way their students see it, are priceless. Mentors are known for igniting their students’ life-long passion for succeeding in their chosen STEM field.

Introduce Students to STEM Jobs

STEM jobs pay well. According to one report, in 2018, the median earnings in the country for all non-stem jobs was $19.30 per hour. For STEM jobs, the pay averaged $38.85 an hour. As STEM talent becomes harder to find, the pay will only increase. Plus, it is expected that there will be more STEM-related jobs every year. As of 2019, there were approximately 2.4 million vacant STEM jobs in the country. Showing students these jobs can provide a financially bright future may entice them to pursue a career in that direction.

What are some examples of STEM careers? Below are a few examples you can provide to students:
  • Creation and improvement of cellphones, computers, tablets and videogames
  • Cybersecurity
  • Anything to do with artificial intelligence
  • Manufacturer
  • Engineer
  • Geologist
  • Paleontologist
  • Volcanologist
  • Archeologist
  • Anthropologist
And as STEM- related fields keep expanding due to innovation there will be jobs available in areas not yet even known.

Educators who capitalize on the innate curiosity of children — and who give them the hands-on experiences they need to encourage exploration and inquisitiveness — can find a classroom full of motivated learners. The long-term results may be college students pursuing their dream of finding a well-paying STEM career. Society, in general, will also likely progress as STEM education will help lead it in that direction.
A graphic showing an adult working with students on an engineering project

Author bio:

Chris Hobbs has more than 25 years of manufacturing experience in various hands-on and managerial roles such as machine builder, reliability engineer, maintenance technician, maintenance management, consulting, and more. Chris is currently the Technical Training Program Manager at Advanced Technology Services where he oversees the SkillPoint™ program comprised of electronic and mechanical courses to improve technicians’ skillsets and meet the needs of modern manufacturing.

Jul 15, 2019

How and Where to Connect with Science in the City

I love to connect with fellow teachers and learn from each other.  Here's how

I love to connect with fellow teachers. We all learn from each other, and become stronger by communicating and sharing.

Some people prefer to connect in different ways. I am in a lot of places around the internet, and I’d love to connect wherever you are.
  • Email: Feel free to shoot me an email. I am usually pretty quick to response to email, and I love getting responses or questions from you. This is probably the most individualized way to communicate.
  • Mailing list: I send out free resources, updates, sale announcements, and subscriber only exclusives.
  • Blog articles approximately every 2 weeks on various science and teaching topics (as well as the occasional guest post or giveaway exclusive for readers).
  • Facebook Page: My Facebook page is not super active, but you will see upcoming news, newsletters, occasionally new resources, some humor.
  • Facebook Group: The best place to connect with me as well as other science teachers from around the world. There are 2500 members, science teachers from around the world. We share resources, and ask and answer questions.
  • Pinterest: I have many active boards of my own, and well as collaborative boards with other science teachers that cover many commonly taught science topics, as well as technology, differentiation, literacy, and more.
  • Instagram: I am not super active on IG, but I do occasionally participate in giveaways, and post pics of things going on in class, or new blog posts.
  • Twitter: Again, I’m not super active on Twitter, but if you prefer twitter new articles are posted there, and sometimes other updates.
Hope to talk to you soon!! 
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