Science Standards

• Global Exploration for Educators Organization (GEEO) applications for travel grants are open
• Montana Environmental Education Association
  • Mini Grants
  • Travel Grants
• 21st Century Community Learning Center Competitive Grant Update The 21st Century Community Learning Centers grant provides funds to Local Educational Agencies (LEAs) and community-based organizations (CBOs). Grantees are awarded a minimum of $50,000 each year for 5 years. The 21st Century Community Learning Centers provide opportunities for academic enrichment during out-of-school time in a community learning center environment. Services reinforce and complement regular academic programs and offer literacy and educational development to students and families. You can apply, see the timeline learn a little more on the website.
• CSX Community Service Grants (includes schools) with suggested ranges from $1,000 to $5,000

• Montana Robotics Alliance: With 90 FIRST Lego League (FLL) and 30 FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC) teams across the state, we have a network of mentors to help kickstart your program.

Curriculum Resources

• FIRST Free Education Resources
  • Please take a moment to fill out our contact information form so we can learn more about your particular interest and connect you with the right individual in our organization.
• Federal Aviation Administration Airport Design Challenge, register now!
• Montana Envirothon 2025 competition: Roots and Resiliency: Fostering Forest Stewardship in a Canopy of Change. If you are interested in registering your team, please contact Tenlee Atchison, Executive Director at tenlee@cascadecd.com or Teresa Wilhelms, Administrator at secretary@cascadecd.com for the registration form, rules and hotel information. You can also call 406-866-0020.

Lumiere Education Competitions for MS Students

• American Mathematics Competition (AMC-8)
  • American Mathematics Competition (AMC-8)
  • The 3M Young Scientist Challenge
  • Congressional App Challenge
  • Thermo Fisher Junior Innovators Challenge
  • American Computer Science League
  • Pi Math Contest
  • eCYBERMISSION
  • American Rocketry Challenge
  • Future City
  • National Biology Bowl
  • National Engineering Design Competition
  • Lumiere Junior Explorer Program
• Lemelson-MIT Invention Challenges, sign up for their Newsletter.
• Ongoing Challenges:
  • Inspired Classroom offers many challenges throughout the school year. To learn more go to their FAQs webpage.
  • Ongoing Challenges Big Sky Film Institute
  • NASA always has some challenge going on! Subscribe to the NASA Express newsletter to find more NASA opportunities.

K-8

• Nautilus Live - Ship to Shore Interactions:
  • Looking for an exciting way to bring STEM to life in your classroom? Nautilus Live is offering free, live Ship-to-Shore interactions with their team of scientists and engineers currently conducting expeditions in the southwest Pacific Ocean. Learn more and schedule your session here: Nautilus Live - Ship-to-Shore Interactions
  • Don't miss this chance to inspire your students with real-world science and exploration!
  • These interactive sessions, lasting 30-60 minutes, are a fantastic opportunity for students to ask questions and engage directly with experts working aboard the ship. The Nautilus team is particularly eager to connect with Montana teachers before their season concludes in mid-December.
• From NASA EXPRESS: Explore key concepts about Earth science, missions, and climate with "NASA's Earth Minute" videos. Peer into NASA's Earth Observatory to find images, stories, and discoveries about the environment and Earth's systems.
• For even more Earth science resources, visit the NASA STEM.
• Find tips for incorporating hands-on data collection activities into your programs with the GLOBE Observer: Toolkit for Informal Educators.
• NASA's Climate Kids brings climate science to life with games, interactive features, and exciting articles.
• Help Scientists Search for Asteroids Around Dead Stars Do you ever wonder what the future holds for our solar system? The Sun will eventually become a dense, planet-sized object called a white dwarf. That means studying white dwarfs we see in the sky can provide a glimpse into our own solar system's fate.
• The Exoasteroids participatory science project lets you help scientists discover debris disks and asteroids around white dwarfs using images taken by NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) telescope. This data can provide clues into the formation and composition of other planetary systems in the universe.
• Audience: Science enthusiasts of all ages
• Visit the New MSTA Website and view all the upcoming events!
• Air Quality Flag Program. This program is funded by the Montana Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics. Flags, onsite training, and educational materials are free. If you would like to get involved, contact mac.nollde@ontanahphc.org, (406) 763-1006.
• Bugs, bugs, bugs! Field trips, Classroom visits, Distance Learning, all available through Missoula Butterfly House, scholarships are available.
• Coding: CS Ed Week, Computer Science for Educators-resources
• EPA Region 8 (Mountains and Plains) offers virtual presentations to the general public, teachers and students on a variety of environmental topics. Presentations can be tailored for any age group and are offered during the school week. EPA also has lesson plans, activity books, pre-recorded presentations and games available. EPA Region 8 offers informal mentorship's to young people who are interested in finding out more about environmental/conservation issues, projects and careers. Students are matched with a subject matter expert who can discuss with the students their environmental questions or career paths. Mentorship's can be one-time visits, a phone call, virtual meetings or last a few months depending on the student's needs/interests. Mentee's can be of any age. Teachers or parents interested in finding out more about these offerings should contact Wendy Dew at dew.wendy@epa.gov or 303-877-0428

NASA

• Celebrate 60 Years of the Deep Space Network

When scientists and engineers want to communicate with spacecraft in deep space, they turn to the Deep Space Network, NASA's international array of giant radio antennas. Next month marks the 60th anniversary of this communication network, and you can celebrate in your classroom with these new STEM resources.

Decoding Space Images

Grades 4-9

Exploring the Doppler Effect

Grades 9-12

Learn more about the Deep Space Network with STEM Lessons for Educators and Activities for Students.

• James Webb Space Telescope STEM Toolkit for both K-5 & 6-12 - Learn more about the launch
• Many more STEM Resources and Opportunities
• National Energy Education Development (NEED): Energy Curricular Materials and upcoming events

K-5

• NASA Guide to Climate Change for Kids
• For Elementary grades, to support early literacy, the Montana State Library and Montana Fish, Wildlife, & Parks are pleased to announce a relaunch of the Ready 2 Read Goes Wild Bear Trunk program, which will provide communities throughout Montana with a unique learning opportunity grounded in outdoor education and appreciation.
• GoNoodle Take Care with PEANUTS for Elementary Students
• PBS LearningMedia: Grades: PreK-5 and Grades: 3-4

4-8

Join the Missoula Art Museum for a virtual visit with an exhibiting artist! Begin by exploring a virtual curriculum to discover this year's featured artist and current exhibits. Then, schedule an hour-long virtual session for your students to meet the artist and participate in a hands-on art project. Registration coming soon!

• Email Inspired Classroom to Learn about the Program
• Museum as Megaphone
• December 8-12, 2025
• 4-8th Grades

6-8

International Trade Trailblazers

Ongoing, virtual platform, free support, and supplies
Middle School

EconoQuest: International Trade Trailblazers is an Inspired Classroom and the Montana World Affairs Council's newest globally focused program for middle school students. The program introduces students to a country or region of focus (COF). Students explore the COF's geography, culture, and basic economics. They then identify local and state resources to develop a product to trade internationally with the COF. Once their product is defined, the students become part of their corporation's board of directors and will decide how to export their product. The program is designed to meet state and national social studies standards for grades 6-8.

100% Free with Teacher Support

EconoQuest: International Trade Trailblazers is housed on a platform that provides an easy step-by-step implementation of the program in the classroom. All materials for teachers and students are accessible and contain curated, high-quality resources, learning tools, and additional program support. Like all our programs, we work hard to make this 100% free to our schools.

Are you already registered on the platform? Use Join Code: G8Z82HDP

Register for EconoQuest Learning Experience

6-12

• Media Mavericks: Teen Media Making Clubs Visit our Website
  • Start a Media Mavericks Club in YOUR Community!
  • Are you passionate about amplifying student voices? Do you see storytelling and media making as valuable tools in your classroom or library? Do you want to engage teens in projects that inspire civic engagement and teach real-world skills? If you answered yes to any of these questions, then you should start a MEDIA MAVERICKS CLUB!
  • Media Mavericks & KQED Youth Media Challenge Media Mavericks Showcase Page
  • Students are prompted to create a variety of media, including short film, mini-documentary, podcasts, infographics, photo essays, editorial cartoons, and more, in response to prompts that fall into three categories- persuasive commentary, informational, and first-person narrative.
  • Educator Toolkit: Educator Toolkit Educators who want to introduce their students to an authentic audience for their media have a vast assortment of resources to support their endeavors. The Educator Toolkit is a great place to start your journey!
  • Story-Maker: Story-Maker Expand your toolbox to include the powerful learning platform developed by Student Reporting Labs, Story-Maker.
  • KQED Teach: KQED Teach Access free workshops and self-paced courses on media-making, and implementing and assessing student media projects.
    • Participation is free, and no prior experience or expertise is necessary to implement highly-engaging, relevant, and valuable media projects in any educational setting. Students and their supportive educators who submit media to the Youth Media Challenge will receive a signature Media Mavericks Hoodie and other assorted swag.
    • Ann Bernard, our Youth Media Specialist, is here to guide you through the exciting journey of media production! Have questions or need advice? She's ready to help you get started, she can be contacted at ann.bernard@montanapbs.org or 406-994-6192
• Re: Ideas for making learning more relevant (and providing perspective on current issues)
  • In the 2023 case Held vs State of Montana, kids sued the state of Montana over not doing enough to prevent climate change, claiming that the state's inaction violated the Montana constitution's guarantee of a "clean and healthful environment." You can use this as an entry into discussing Montana's 1972 Constitution.
  • Digitized newspapers are a great way to research the history of current events, for example, the closure of a local business or bridge.
  • There have been a number of recent articles on trying to document all of the students who died at Indian boarding schools and returning the remains to their communities. This obviously connects to a study of the boarding school era.
  • Discussions of dark money in politics today tie nicely with a discussion of the Clark-Daly feud, fight for the state capitol and decision to pass the direct election of senators after William A. Clark successfully bribed his way into the U.S. Senate in 1899.
• Teacher Leaders in Montana History Cynthia Wilondek and Dylan Huisken (former MT Teacher of the Year) led a dynamite professional development workshop a few weeks ago on "Connecting Past to Present." They created a Google Doc with links to many resources and lesson plans. I'll only highlight a few here.
• NASA Graphing Global Temperature Trends for 5-12
• Climate Emergency Feedback Loops, 5 short Climate Change videos with curriculum guides, as seen on PBS
• PBS LearningMedia: Grades: 6-12

9-12

• Girls Who Code's free, virtual Pathways is a summer program for high school girls and non-binary students, including rising 9th graders, graduating seniors, and returning participants. Participants have the chance to explore technology, build projects based on their interests, and join a supportive global community—no prior coding experience or program fees required.
• About the Lemelson-MIT Program: For over 20 years, the Lemelson-MIT Program, within the MIT School of Engineering, has been helping educators provide invention education programs to students with incredible results through our InvenTeam Grants Initiative, curriculum development for all grades, and especially our PD workshops. Visit lemelson.mit.edu to learn more.
• The Montana Aerospace Scholars (MAS) is a two-phase program for high school students to take part in an extracurricular experience that immerses them in aerospace-related activities. MAS is offered through NASA partnerships with the Montana Learning Center at Canyon Ferry Lake and the Northwest Earth & Space Sciences Pathways program.
  
  Phase One is a remote portion where students will make an introduction video and complete a research essay. These assignments help students build general space technology and career knowledge while allowing them to develop skills such as problem solving, creativity, proposal writing, and critical thinking.
  
  Students who pass Phase One will be invited to the in-person experience at the MLC campus, Phase Two. They will work as a team to plan a detailed mission to either the Moon or Mars, depending on their program. Other activities provided at this residency include learning how to fly a plane, engaging in engineering challenges, partaking in aerospace-industry tours, and interacting with NASA personnel. Students will also spend time observing objects in the night sky at our state-of-the-art observatory, featuring the largest public access telescope in Montana (weather permitting).
  
  If you have any students who are interested, please encourage them to apply! This program is FREE. Applications are due by March 1st.
  
  A description of the program, a FAQ document, and the application can be found here:
  https://montanalearning.org/apollo50/
  
  If you or students have any questions, contact Executive Director Ryan Hannahoe at MontanaLearningCenter@gmail.com.
• NASA Future Temperature Projections Unit
• High School, the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) offers free, innovative classroom products. These online learning resources form the foundation of a global civics curriculum, empowering young people with the essential knowledge, skills, and perspective to be responsible citizens, take on the challenges of global competition, and steer through partisan rhetoric and disinformation. Review their resources that could be used in a science classroom. For more information contact Lori Matza, lmatza@cfr.org.
• BioInteractive: High School Science Curricular Materials

The 8th Annual STEM Summer Institute is coming up August 3-5, 2026 on the MSU-Bozeman campus,

• Proposals to present are now being accepted (presenters receive a stipend and registration) - see detail below
• Exhibit booth registration is now open (please share with any businesses or non-profits - the rates are quite reasonable) - https://www.mt-schools.org/stem-summer-institute-exhibitor2026.html
• Conference registration is now open, and MSTA members can use discount code STEM50 - https://www.eventbrite.com/e/stem-summer-institute-2026-tickets-1979807042158
• Data Science 4 Everyone will be offering travel scholarships - info coming soon.

Presenter Proposals Accepted Through Feb. 27, 2026

This year's theme is "STEM Across the Curriculum," and we're looking for dynamic presenters to lead workshops across five strands:

• Strand 1: Discovering STEM Learning Through Data
• Strand 2: Future of AI and Technology in STEM
• Strand 3: Mathematics: The Language that Powers STEM
• Strand 4: Place-Based & Environmental STEM
• Strand 5: STEM Careers, Pathways, and Industry Connections

Why Present at SSI?

Presenting at the STEM Summer Institute is a fantastic opportunity to share your innovative work, connect with Montana STEM educators from across the state, and contribute to meaningful professional development for K-12 teachers, school leaders, and STEM enthusiasts. Whether you're a classroom teacher, informal educator, researcher, or industry professional, we'd love to hear your ideas!

We're looking for 1-hour or 2-hour workshops designed for K-12 educators.

Presenters will receive a stipend for their workshop preparation and delivery ($200) and free registration to attend the conference. Additionally, if you're a Montana teacher, you qualify to apply for a scholarship to help cover travel costs, made possible by Data Science for Everyone. Scholarship details will be posted to the School Services of Montana website soon.

Proposal Deadline: February 27, 2026
Notification of Acceptance: March 16, 2026

Submit your proposal here: https://forms.gle/CCiiyueLUZmYswqB9

MSU Department of Education Appy Hours!

Event Dates, Times, Locations:

Billings: February 3, 5:30pm, Pizza Ranch (King Ave.)
Helena: February 9, 5:00pm, Pizza Ranch
Virtual: February 12, 7:00pm, Online
Belgrade: February 17, 5:00pm, Rice
Bozeman: February 19, 5:00pm, Dickey's BBQ
Butte: February 23, 5:00pm, Pizza Ranch
Livingston: February 26, 5:00pm, Big Sky Thai

MSU's Department of Education is excited to host a series of "Appy Hours" (appetizers and applications) for our alumni or current teachers interested in graduate degrees, professionals working in adult and higher educational settings, degree changers seeking to become teacher and college-bound students who have their sights set on the classroom and their families.

We are excited to connect with you and answer questions about our programs and hear how 2026 is going for you. Please note, that you do not have to submit an application during "Appy Hour," but we will be there to tell you about the process.

Click HERE to RSVP Call or text Dr. Marcie Reuer at 406-600-3930 or email at marcie.reuer@montana.edu, Associate Teaching Professor, Director of Outreach and Engagement, Department of Education - Montana State University

NSTA and Open Sci Ed

6th Grade Workshops

• Unit 6.1: Light & Matter
• Unit 6.2: Thermal Energy
• Unit 6.3: Weather
• Unit 6.4: Plate Tectonics
• Unit 6.5: Natural Hazards
• Unit 6.6: Cells & Systems

7th Grade Workshops

• Unit 7.1: Chemical Reactions & Matter
• Unit 7.2: Chemical Reactions & Energy
• Unit 7.3: Metabolic Reactions
• Unit 7.4: Matter Cycling & Photosynthesis
• Unit 7.5: Ecosystem Dynamics
• Unit 7.6: Earth's Resources & Human Impact

8th Grade Workshops

• Unit 8.1: Contact Forces
• Unit 8.2: Sound Waves
• Unit 8.3: Forces at a Distance
• Unit 8.4: Earth in Space
• Unit 8.5: Genetics
• Unit 8.6: Natural Selection

Professional Development Resources

• Montana Digital Academy's Frontier Learning Lab explores what's next in education: artificial intelligence, extended reality, and the tools reshaping teaching and learning. To cut through the noise, we're launching the nation's first AI Help Desk for educators, based in Montana. It's run by K-12 professionals who work with teachers every day. We help with real questions, real tools, and real classrooms. Email your question to ai.help@montanadigitalacademy.org. We'll reply as quickly as we can. Subscribe to Frontier Learning Lab Field Notes for updates and practical guides.

  The Frontier Learning Lab Flyer

• Science Olympiad - Please pre-register and a WebEx link will be sent.

  Middle and high school teachers who are interested in coaching a Science Olympiad team can learn all the ins and outs of coaching directly from the Montana Science Olympiad staff. Returning coaches are welcome to join, as well, to learn what's new for the 2025-26 season.

  The short presentation will cover how and why to create a Science Olympiad team; preview the events for the upcoming season; and discuss logistics and best practices. The session will be recorded and posted to the Science Olympiad website for those who can't make it.

  To learn more about Montana Science Olympiad, visit the website or view the Getting Started page.

  Email mtscioly@montana.edu for any questions.

• Meaningful STEM: Integrating Technology in the STEM Classroom
• Making Sense of Science PD from WestEd: Differential Effects of Three Professional Development Models on Teacher Knowledge and Student Achievement in Elementary Science
• Global Exploration for Educators Organization (GEEO) applications for travel grants are open
• Join us, become a member in the Montana STEM Ecosystem!
• Interested in teaching about Climate Change? Climate Generation is a nonprofit providing interdisciplinary climate change educator professional development. Register for their newsletter and learn more!

NASEM Newsletter Subscriptions

• Subscribe to the NASEM Climate Resources at the National Academies Newsletter
• Subscribe to the NASEM Division of Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education

Other News

• NEW RELEASE: Engineering Responses to Climate Change: Proceedings of a Forum
• RECORDING AVAILABLE: Climate Conversations: Biodiversity

Past Coffee Talk Recordings

Coffee Talk #1: A Review of the Numbers

Watch the first in the series as Sean Smith from Horizon Research, Inc. provides an overview of the landscape of implementation described in a number of reports produced by Horizon.

Watch the archived video

Coffee Talk #2: Rural Science Standards Implementation

The second webinar in the series, moderated by Tom Keller, hones in on implementation efforts within rural communities. A panel discussion with small group think time was used to allow the science education community to reflect on and discuss how to best support rural science standards implementation efforts.

Watch the archived video

Coffee Talk #3: Informal Ed Science Implementation

The third webinar in the series, moderated by Elizabeth Mulkerrin, includes panel discussion to consider the opportunities that exist within informal education spaces.

Watch the archived video

Community Links

• Exploration Works
• Montana STEM Ecosystem
• Flathead STEAM Alliance
• Montana Science Teachers Association (MSTA)
• Montana Girls STEM Collaborative
• Montana Afterschool Alliance
• New Tech Network (national, STEM)
• Montana Environmental Education Association
  • Missoula Butterfly House & Insectarium
• Montana Learning Center
• School Services of Montana
• MSU Science Math Resource Center
• spectrUM University of Montana
  • Newsletter Subscription
• Montana PBS Education newsletter
• Big Sky Film Institute

Regional Educational Websites

• Region I
• Region III
• Region IV

Facebook Groups

• Montana Science Teachers FB
• National AP Biology Teachers
• NGSS Storylining Biology
• NGSS Physics Teachers
• PBS Facebook
• Science Magazine FB
• National AP Biology FB
• NGSS Chemistry Teachers
• Nat'l Assoc of Biology Teachers
• Golden Triangle Curriculum Consortium, Serving North Central Montana

Professional Organizations & Newsletters

STEM U.S. Department of Education

• Choose your preferred subscriptions
• STEMM Equity and Excellence 2050

American Association for Advancement of Science

• AAAS Science Education

National Science Teachers Association

• NSTA Reports Subscription
• American Association of Chemistry Teachers

NASA Express

• NASA Express Subscription

NGSS NOW

• NGSS NOW Subscription

National Energy Education Development (NEED Project)

• NEED Subscription

Please contact me to add a site that you find useful, mmccarthy5@mt.gov