SCEC at National Science Teachers Association Convention

Las Vegas, a city well known for lively entertainment, became a city filled with lively science teachers between April 16 and 19. The Las Vegas Hilton and the Las Vegas Convention Center served as headquarters for the 46 th Annual National Conference of the National Science Teachers Association.

SCEC Outreach Education Specialist Sara Tekula joined thousands of educators at the convention, where seminars, workshops, and exhibits helped bring attendees up to date on course content, teaching techniques, and new technology applications. A primary function is simply to give them a chance to network with others who focus on the same area of interest.

According to Sara, the convention was a "great chance for teachers from all over the country to share ideas and experiences within their domains of expertise." She spoke with many earth science teachers about the integration of earthquake science into curricula and heard suggestions on how to make the SCEC web-based science education modules (currently under development) more user-friendly. Sara attended two Earth Science Share-A-Thons, where teachers demonstrated successful methods to actively engage science students through hands-on activities.