LATEST NEWS & INFO Category: Students

Good things are happening fast at Chase STEMM Academy. The K-8 building in the Toledo Public district earned an overall grade of “B” on its latest School Report Card from the Ohio Department of Education (ODE), after logging an “F” in 2015. Chase also has received statewide honors, being named an Ohio School to Watch by ODE and earning the department’s Momentum Award. How has the urban school come so far so quickly? We asked principal Jack Hunter about the […]

After several years of discussion, new graduation requirements are coming. In response to a call for more options, the new graduation standards, which will become effective in mid-October, go beyond the usual tests and offer combinations of criteria that students can satisfy to demonstrate their qualifications to graduate high school. For insight on the new requirements, we contacted Sarah Wilson at the Ohio Department of Education: Q: Tell us about your job at the Ohio Department of Education and your […]

This year’s statewide design challenge, #STEMdrivesOhio, explores Smart Mobility – using new technologies to improve the mobility of people and goods. That may sound very technical for younger students, but this West Chester school is up to the challenge. At the Kinder Garden School, youngsters in kindergarten through third grade work on an improved kid’s car seat. By centering safety and community wellness, the school’s using the design challenge as a learning experience. These young learners will even present their […]

A few months ago, OSLN asked STEM students across Ohio to respond to our third annual essay contest.  Tell us about a problem in your life, community, or world. How did you learn about it? How are you using STEM skills to solve it?  After reading through dozens of submissions, we’d like to formally congratulate this year’s winners: Madelyn Zarembka and Madrica Arnold! Read their essays below to learn how they use STEM skills to solve community problems– and listen to our podcast, Greater Than STEM, to hear other students tell their own stories.  High School […]

Preparing today’s students to join tomorrow’s high-tech workforce is the aim of STEM educators. But some teachers might not realize that they should go beyond presenting the “book smarts” of science, technology, engineering and math in their classroom. The successful STEM employees of the future also might need “workplace smarts” such as collaboration, communication and networking skills. That’s where the Battelle Center for Science, Engineering and Public Policy at Ohio State University comes in. The Battelle Center, on OSU’s Columbus […]

In December 2008, a young student named Clara Ma submitted a name for a project NASA then called the “Mars Science Laboratory.” With a 250 word essay, Clara suggested the name “Curiosity.” The Curiosity rover has covered over 13 miles of terrain on the Martian surface. Seven years later, the car-sized robotic explorer is the face of science on the red planet. This July, NASA’s next rover will launch. Today, NASA opened the contest for K-12 students to name the […]

NASA’s next robotic explorer to the Red Planet has many things. A ride to space: Launching July 2020 on an Atlas V rocket and landing in February 2021 A new, expanded rover design: 2,300 pounds of engineering and science equipment A mission: To answer key questions about the potential for life on Mars The one thing it’s missing? A name! Currently, the rover’s called “Mars 2020” but that’s a placeholder. This fall, it’s time christen the new rover with its […]

Last school year, two central Ohio boys came up with an idea to help disabled students get around school more easily. They called their invention the Desk Express, and their idea – fashioned into a small-scale prototype – has garnered awards from their school and in a statewide competition. The boys, Jack Monahan and Zach Rogers, are both seventh-graders at Heritage Middle School in the Westerville City School District. They recently traveled to Dearborn, Michigan for the National Invention Convention & […]

Editor’s note: For this week’s post we’re re-posting the very first essay contest winner. Teachers, your students could win a pizza party and even be featured on Greater Than STEM. Essays are due by May 31st. Detailed rules are posted here. Students, submit your essay here. Erica Barnes was the first winner of the Ohio STEM Learning Network high school essay contest. At the time, she was a junior at NIHF STEM High School in Akron, Ohio. We’ve published her […]

Last year, we ran our second student essay contest. We were thrilled by the responses from 300 students from across the state. Students wrote all about ocean pollution, food insecurity, foster care, and much more – but we wanted more people to hear their stories. So, we started a podcast to amplify students voices across Ohio and the world. We learned that no matter what the problem is, we can use our STEM skills to solve it – skills like […]