Showing posts with label stem. Show all posts
Showing posts with label stem. Show all posts

Shoreline CC’s biotech program gives 25 rural high school students a glimpse at careers in STEM

Saturday, March 21, 2015

Students from Glide High School in Glide, Ore.
learn bioinformatics at Shoreline’s Biotech lab.

From Shoreline Community College

For the third year in a row, Shoreline’s biotech program hosted students from Oregon.

On Friday, March 6, 25 students from  Glide High School in the rural town of Glide, Oregon, came to participate in Amgen Biotechnology Experience labs funded by the Amgen Foundation.

The upper-level high-schoolers spent the day in Shoreline’s Biotech lab where Amgen outreach coordinator Adrienne Houck led the class in separating candy dye molecules using an electrophoresis box, an introduction to bioinformatics and genetically modifying bacteria with jellyfish DNA to make them glow under ultraviolet light.

During their three-day visit to the Seattle area, the class also spent time at the Seattle Science Foundation and the Seattle BioMed facilities.

In past years, enrollment in the trip has been capped at 20, but due to increased student interest the high school decided to accommodate 25 participants this time around.

To Houck, the program is an important one for students from rural areas such as Glide, which has a population of fewer than 2,000.

A Glide High School student learns
about genetically modifying DNA
in Shoreline's Biotech lab
“By exposing students from small towns to what is out there for them, they are more able to make future plans that include venturing out to bigger cities,” Houck said. 
“These STEM jobs most likely will not be available in Glide. Their high school teachers know that by demystifying the outside world through this trip, it allows students to see they can do it, too.”

Indeed they can. Among its current students in the Biotechnology Lab Specialist program, Shoreline counts a Glide High School alum who participated in this same visit a year ago.

Houck also believes that the trip to Shoreline helps the high-schoolers gain the confidence they need to attend college in general.

“Since Shoreline is a community college, it makes this venture less intimidating for rural students,” Houck said. 
“When they see that SCC can meet their future goals but allow them to grow as students, versus throwing them in a classroom with 300-plus students, these students from the rural areas know they have a place where they can be successful.”


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Shoreline STEM Festival in May

Wednesday, December 10, 2014


By Ray Koelling

Mark your calendars for the third annual Shoreline STEM Festival for all students K-12 and the entire Shoreline/ LFP community. It will be held Saturday, May 9, 2015 at Shoreline Community College from 10:00am-2:00pm.

It is graciously and generously sponsored by the Shoreline Public Schools Foundation, the Shoreline School District and Shoreline Community College. The event is put on by Shoreline STEM, a community-led and organized group of tireless and energetic parents advocating for STEM in K-12 education.

STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) is a part of education that is growing significantly in importance for the youth of our area and the country. While there are wonderful non-STEM career avenues to follow, STEM educational avenues open up nearly limitless opportunities to anyone in the 21st century.

There is a vast amount of scholarship money available in STEM higher education. All data recognizes STEM professions and careers as being the most financially rewarding. In terms of diversity, accessibility and opportunity for jobs or careers with the highest salaries, most stable growth and best life benefits, STEM career pathways consistently outrank non-STEM pathways.


We hope all students, parents, teachers and community will avail themselves of this unique and important opportunity to attend the annual Shoreline district-wide STEM Festival.

Gradually growing into the premier STEM event of this region, it is a “must attend” for any student interested in science, technology, engineering, math and what their futures might be in this rapidly changing society and world.

In addition, the Shoreline event could be a stepping stone to WSSEF (the Washington State Science and Engineering Fair) and then to national/international ISEF (Intel Science and Engineering Fair) where there are millions of dollars in scholarship and award money available.

For more information, please see the webpage or contact ShorelineSTEM@comcast.net or Ray Koelling.

Corrected 12-13-2014

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Gov. Inslee introduces alliance to strengthen STEM education in Washington

Monday, December 8, 2014

Governor Jay Inslee gave remarks on the importance of equality in STEM education at the Washington STEM Summit on Dec. 2 in front of an audience of more than 320 educators, businesses and community leaders, and elected officials. Photo courtesy Washington STEM.


Gov. Jay Inslee introduced his STEM Education Innovation Alliance that is charged with strengthening STEM education in Washington state at Washington STEM's third Annual STEM Summit at Microsoft's Redmond campus on December 2. 

Gov. Inslee was joined by Reverend Jesse Jackson at the Summit. Reverend Jackson spoke of the need for gender and minority equality in STEM education and jobs. He also spoke on the need for great STEM teachers and providing all kids with challenging STEM opportunities.   

"Washington state's STEM economy continues to grow, but our education system isn't keeping up with the demand from employers for a highly trained STEM workforce," said Gov. Jay Inslee. 
"Today the STEM Education Innovation Alliance starts its task of bringing together communities from across the state to develop a plan to ensure we are preparing our homegrown students to compete for the STEM jobs of Washington state's innovation economy."

The Legislature passed, and Inslee signed into law, the comprehensive STEM education initiative in 2013, which included the creation of a STEM Education Innovation Alliance and a STEM Benchmark Report Card. Gov. Jay Inslee announced in August that the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices awarded Washington state a $170,000 grant to support the governor's efforts to bolster STEM education and launch his STEM Education Innovation Alliance.

Currently, only 40 percent of high school students in Washington graduate with competency in the STEM topics that are critical for the state's economy. And only 9 out of 100 children born in Washington will go on to be employed in a STEM-related field— far fewer than the number of people needed to fill Washington jobs requiring STEM-related skills. 

There were more than 320 participants -- educators, students, businesses, community leaders, and elected officials at the Summit -- sharing promising practices in STEM education from across Washington state and the country including teaching the Common Core State Standards and Next Generation Science Standards.


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Teachers connect STEM industries and student experience

Wednesday, December 3, 2014

Cascade K-8 STEM teacher Rebecca Drury with the "best view in Lynnwood"
at the Lynnwood Waste Water Treatment facility at the edge of Puget Sound.

By Marianne Deal Stephens

Nine Shoreline School District teachers are currently participating in two STEM Professional Development programs through the Washington Alliance for Better Schools (WABS).

Shoreline Schools Director of Teaching and Learning Teri Poff and seven teachers described the programs at the November 17 School Board meeting. The STEM programs aim to connect teachers with real-world industries in order to enhance student engagement and ultimately better prepare students for college and careers. “STEM” refers to the academic disciplines of science, technology, engineering, and math.

Three teachers in the STEM Externship program were matched with local industries:
  • Shelby Bushman, Biology Teacher at Shorecrest High School, with King County Wastewater Treatment; 
  • Linda Richard, Math Teacher at Shorecrest High School, with Boeing;
  • Rebecca Drury, STEAM Teacher at Cascade K-8, with the City of Lynnwood Traffic Management and Waste Water Treatment divisions. 
The teachers spent eight days on location learning about the industries and then devised problem-based learning experiences for their students.

Shelby Bushman shared her newly acquired knowledge about wastewater treatment with students and altered an existing eco-column project to include more emphasis on the water cycle and give students more flexibility in eco-column design.

Shorecrest Math Teacher Linda Richard in the cockpit.
Photo by Adam Bursell of Boeing

Linda Richard is devising a project based on airline pricing for her math students.

Rebecca Drury plans to draw on her traffic experience with the City of Lynnwood to have her Cascade STEAM students measure the expected and actual speeds of pedestrians crossing the street and so consider whether traffic design adequately addresses real situations.
Linda Richard mentioned that several people she worked with at Boeing emphasized the importance of “soft skills.”

Students need to be able to communicate and work in a team as well as possess factual knowledge. Shoreline Schools Director of Teacher and Learning Teri Poff described how the WABS STEM programs foster critical thinking and other communication skills that figure prominently in the new Common Core State Standards.
Rebecca Drury noted that, despite the current emphasis on higher education, these industries need high school graduates who are well-versed in STEM, and not only workers with college degrees.

Linda Richard with her Boeing Externship colleagues.
Photo courtesy Shoreline Schools.

The WABS STEM Fellows program creates teams of teachers, industry experts, and higher education faculty. Teams meet approximately twice a month through the school year striving to connect real-world issues to the new science and math standards through relevant problem-based learning experiences.
  • Einstein Middle School Science Teachers Briahna Attebery and Ellen Smith plan to add a study of artificial heart valves to an existing unit that involves pig heart dissection. The artificial heart valve project will explore engineering and biological considerations through hands-on experiences.
  • Shorewood Biology Teachers Alisan Giesy and Theresa McCartney work on a team with Boeing Engineers, a faculty member from Edmonds Community College, and a teacher from another district. Their learning experience will address sustainability in a high-school cafeteria. 
  • Another team including Shorewood Chemistry Teachers Dori Nagy and Nicole Koontz is collaborating on a project centered on cell phones. Students will examine what cell phones are made of (primarily rare earth metals and plastics) and create a bioplastic cell phone case.

The STEM Fellows program will conclude with a spring event at the Museum of History and Industry. WABS is a collaborative of eleven local school districts and the University of Washington College of Education.


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Hundreds of young scientists at Shoreline STEM Career Exposition

Wednesday, June 4, 2014

A young scientist with her experiments
Photo courtesy SCC

The second Shoreline Science, Technology and STEM Career Exposition got off to a great start on Saturday, May 31, 2014.

Hundreds of young scientists brought their experiments, and results to Shoreline Community College for the event that is the brainchild of Shoreline resident Ray Koelling and supported by Shoreline Community College and the Shoreline School District. The free event is open all young people in grades K-12. Judges review the entries and give awards, trophies and recognition for participants.

The public fair was open from 10am -2pm in the PUB Main Dining Room, 16101 Greenwood Ave N, Shoreline 98133.

Besides student displays, the fair included hands-on opportunities, robotics, computers, medical research tables, solar power demonstrations more. Business and industry representatives were on hand to talk about possible career paths in science fields.

Welcoming the students, families and supporters were Shoreline’s Dean of Science Susan Hoyne, Rebecca Miner, the incoming Shoreline schools superintendent, and State Rep. Ruth Kagi, a longtime advocate of early childhood education.


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Free Science Fair at SCC for K-12 students on May 31

Tuesday, May 20, 2014

Above, Guy Hamilton, Director of the Biotechology Program at Shoreline Community College, shows a young attendee how use a pipette at the first Shoreline Science Fair, March 23, 2013, hosted at the college. The fair is the brainchild of Shoreline resident Ray Koelling. The fair was open to anyone generally in grades 4-12 in any school. Koelling and co-organizer Keith Officer also put together a science career fair that ran concurrently. 

By Jim Hills

The first Shoreline Science Fair was a successful experiment.

It looks like the second one will prove the concept with similar results.

On May 31, hundreds of inquisitive young minds are expected to converge on Shoreline Community College for the second Shoreline Science and Technology Fair and STEM Career Exposition. The event is the brainchild of Shoreline resident Ray Koelling and supported by Shoreline Community College and the Shoreline School District.

The free event is open all young people in grades K-12. Registration is open through May 26. Contact Koelling for more information about how to participate. There will be awards, trophies and recognition for participants.

The fair will be open to the public from 10am-2pm in the PUB Main Dining Room, 16101 Greenwood Ave N, Shoreline 98133.

Besides student displays, the fair will include hands-on opportunities, robotics, computers, medical research tables, solar power demonstrations more. Business and industry booths will also be there to show possible career paths.

Planned guest speakers include Rebecca Miner, the incoming Shoreline schools superintendent, at State Rep. Ruth Kagi, a longtime advocate of early childhood education.


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Shoreline Science Fair and STEM Career Expo May 31 at Shoreline Community College

Saturday, April 12, 2014

Display board made by Shorecrest graduate Vivian Lim, pursuing a career in science,
will be on display at the STEM Fair

We need to teach our kids that it's not just the winner of the Super Bowl who deserves to be celebrated, but the winner of the science fair.
---January 25, 2011 State of the Union address by Barack Obama
 
The second annual Shoreline Science Fair and STEM Career Expo will be held at Shoreline Community College on Saturday May 31, 2014 from 10am to 2pm. Admittance is free.
 
There will be a traditional science fair for grades K-12 and also a STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) Career Expo.  In addition to the Shoreline School District CTE being at the event, there will be multiple booths and hands-on exhibits representing the wide variety of STEM educational pathways that can lead to careers with very high wages and life-long and steady employment.
 
The data is in. Currently and into the future, STEM education and jobs will afford a person many more opportunities and ease of life than non-STEM career pathways will.


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Shorewood student part of Phase One of Aerospace Scholars Program at Museum of Flight

Tuesday, April 1, 2014

Washington Aerospace Scholars Program
at the Museum of Flight

The Washington Aerospace Scholars (WAS) program, hosted at the Museum of Flight in Seattle, is a competitive science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education program for high school juniors from across Washington State and is an affiliate of NASA Johnson Space Center’s National High School Aerospace Scholars program.

A partnership with the University of Washington also gives WAS Phase One participants the option to receive five University of Washington credits in Space and Space Travel (ESS 102) for their successful completion of the online Phase One curriculum. These credits satisfy the Natural World area of knowledge requirement for graduation from the University of Washington.

Shorewood High School student Nebiyou Abunie is participating in this competitive education program for high school juniors from across Washington State. The program is an affiliate of NASA Johnson Space Center’s National High School Aerospace Scholars program.

Abunie applied in fall of 2013, along with 308 student applicants from 112 different public, private and home-school organizations, to participate in Phase One of WAS. Abunie is now among the 214 students still participating and has already completed seven online lessons.

The group will spend the next two months continuing to compete for one of the 160 slots available in a Summer Residency session held at The Museum of Flight this June and July. In the summer residency experience, student collaborate on the design of a human mission to Mars guided by professional engineers, scientists, university students and certified educators. 

Founded in 2006 by five-time NASA shuttle astronaut Dr. Bonnie J. Dunbar, the WAS program’s primary goal is to excite and prepare student to pursue careers pathways in STEM fields.

The WAS program is possible with support from The Museum of Flight, The Boeing Company, The Washington NASA Space Grant Consortium, The GenCorp Foundation, and many individual donors.

Washington Aerospace Scholars applications for the 2014-15 program cycle will be available late summer 2014 at the Museum of Flight website. WAS participants must be high school juniors, United States citizens and Washington State residents with a 3.0 minimum grade-point-average. 


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King's School opens school year with new STEM building

Friday, September 6, 2013


The new STEM building at King's School
is nestled into the hillside and trees

Photos and story by Steven H. Robinson

The Bundrant Ness Center STEM Building opened for the new school year at King's to an excited faculty and students.

Jr High science lab

King’s School STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) added Art to the building for Digital Arts, with digital photo and video which will be taught by Gwen Gracey who has been a faculty member at King’s for 37 years.

The Bundrant Ness Center is an $11 million building with 27,000 sq. ft .which includes six science, six math, and six technology rooms. The spaces were built to be collaborative, flexible and efficient learning spaces. The building is on schedule and budget for completion.

Science Chair Sharon Satucci
in her new classroom

The classrooms integrate technology with Smart/Tech boards which allow instructors to incorporate computer, internet, handwritten diagrams and microscope images. Anything on the board can be retrieved by students on their smart devices (Phone, I-pod, tablet, computer) for review.

75% of the students in the King’s High School program take math and science all four years.  Classes are 45 minute blocks of instruction over an 18 week block.

Mikel Thompson's students and Robot 3717
placed 2nd in the 2013 World Competition

Mikel Thompson from the math and technology department has been involved for many years with the Robotics program. King’s won 2nd place in the International Robotics competition this year.  They compete in the “First Robotics” competitions each year and will host the Regional District  meet next year at King’s. The robotics students consider themselves as “Geeks and Nerds” and have won the respect of their peers on campus with their expertise and success. First Robotics' theme is “Sports for the Mind.”


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Volunteers needed for ShorelineSTEM

Monday, May 27, 2013

Guy Hamilton demonstrates how to use a pipette
at the March Science Fair
Photo courtesy SCC
By Ray Koelling

ShorelineSTEM is a voluntary, community organization wanting to help any and all the students of Shoreline and Lake Forest Park. After the recent big success of the March 23 event at Shoreline Community College, plans are underway for the second annual Shoreline Science Fair and STEM Career Exposition which will be held in late May/early June 2014.

STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math.

We hope that there is not only a growing interest in that annual event but with other STEM events throughout the year. Saturday, June 8, 2013 will be the Seattle Science Exposition and ShorelineSTEM will be at the WSSEF (Washington State Science and Engineering Fair) booth. In addition, ShorelineSTEM will be at the WSSEF booth on Saturday, June 15 in Puyallup at the Home-school STEM event at the Puyallup Fair Grounds. We hope to see you there.

ShorelineSTEM is looking for help with both the 2014 Science Fair event and also in planning some exciting project possibilities all to benefit the students of Shoreline and Lake Forest Park.  We are looking for any kind of help including computer help and science or even non-science mentors.

For any interest or inquiries contact ShorelineSTEM.


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Shoreline Science Fair is a big hit

Sunday, March 24, 2013

Guy Hamilton, Director of the Biotechology Program at Shoreline Community College,
shows a young attendee how use a pipette at the first Shoreline Science Fair,
March 23, 2013, hosted at the college.
Photo courtesy SCC

The first Shoreline Science Fair was a big hit with participants and organizers.

The March 23, 2013, fair was hosted at Shoreline Community College and drew 50 entrants from across Shoreline and Lake Forest Park. The independent fair is the brainchild of Shoreline resident Ray Koelling. The fair was open to anyone generally in grades 4-12 from any school.

While the fair drew students from Shoreline-area schools, it was not sponsored by the district. Koelling and co-organizer Keith Officer also put together a science career fair that ran concurrently with the judged competition for the students.

Officer said he felt the event was very successful and is looking forward to doing it again next year.

The event has a website and Officer said official results would likely be posted there.


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Science and Technology (STEM) Fair Saturday aimed at elementary through high school students

Tuesday, March 19, 2013


Science and Technology Fair (STEM)
this Saturday at Shoreline Community College.
March 23, 10am to 2pm



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Math and Engineering Fair at Cascade K-8 Feb 7

Friday, February 1, 2013


Cascade K-8 Community School
Math and Engineer Fair
"Design Makers"
Thursday, February 7
6-8 pm
17077 Meridian Ave N
206-393-4180


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Science and Technology Fair and STEM event planned for 2013

Thursday, November 1, 2012

A group of community volunteers is organizing the first annual Shoreline Science and Technology Fair and STEM Career Exposition.

The fair will be held March 23, 2013 in the Pagoda Union Building at Shoreline Community College. It is sponsored by Shoreline STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) and Shoreline Friends of Science.

The fair will be open to students in grades 4-12 from District schools. Registration is now under way and any STEM-related area is open for presentation.

The event will include a STEM Career Exposition featuring booths from area science and technology firms.

Pre-registration is now open.

For more information about the event, visit the website or email.


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Shoreline Student experiment scheduled to launch into space October 7

Wednesday, October 3, 2012

Aden Helland, Matthew McMillan, Tuguldur Myagmarsuren,
Jack Parkinson and Dylan Probizanski (not in order)
Science experiment is going into space

By Craig Degginger

A Shoreline student experiment is now scheduled for launch to the International Space Station October 7 from Cape Canaveral, Florida, through the Student Spaceflight Experiments Program,  (SSEP).

Students Aden Helland, Matthew McMillan, Tuguldur Myagmarsuren, Jack Parkinson and Dylan Probizanski designed an experiment last spring as Highland Terrace Elementary sixth graders with the help of their teacher, Peggy Nordwall, and scientist-mentor Jacqui Rublee, about crystal growth and impurities in microgravity. The boys now attend Einstein Middle School.

Their experiment will study the question if crystals grown in microgravity will pick up impurities. This would be important because of the need to fabricate pure, defect-free single crystals for their use as semi-and superconductors.

The Student Spaceflight Experiment is a national educational program undertaken by the National Center for Earth and Space Science Education, (NCESSE) in partnership with NanoRacks, LLC. Shoreline is one of only 11 districts nationwide to be chosen for this program.


The Spaceflight Program uses a commercial spaceflight payload, which will contain the student experiments, and will be placed aboard ferry vehicles for transfer to the International Space Station. The student experiment flight opportunity is enabled through NanoRacks LLC, which is in partnership with NASA under a formal Space Act Agreement as part of the utilization of the International Space Station as a national laboratory.

Highland Terrace sixth graders and Einstein eighth graders participated in a competition last spring in which they worked in teams to design an experiment that answers the question, "What phenomenon associated with a physical, chemical, or biological system would I like to explore with gravity turned off for a period of time?"

A committee of science professionals from the Shoreline community evaluated the proposals and selected three to be sent to the National Center for Earth and Space Science for the final evaluation where one proposal will be selected. Then the students prepared the winning proposal in the specially designed NanoRack Mini-lab kit and sent it to Houston for launch.

In addition, several middle school and elementary school students designed a flight patch to accompany the experiment in space. Patches designed by Carly Krantz of Highland Terrace and Lauren Cook of Einstein were selected to fly with Mission 2 to the International Space Station this fall.

This experience for these young students and staff and was made possible by the support of the Shoreline Community, including the Shoreline Public Schools Foundation, the Knossos Foundation, the Wong family, Tiia-Mai Redditt, Einstein PTSA and Highland Terrace PTSA.

Parents and community members with expertise in science and research mentored students with their proposals or participated on the evaluation committee. 



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Shoreline Science and Technology Fair and STEM Career Exposition

Tuesday, September 25, 2012

The Shoreline Science and Technology Fair and STEM Career Exposition is now in the planning. It will be held in the Student Union Building of Shoreline Community College on March 23, 2013, from 10am to 2pm (public).


The Fair and Exposition is for students grades 4-12, although ALL students and community are invited and welcome to attend.

The event is "toward the education and on behalf of the students of Shoreline and Lake Forest Park."

There will be awards, trophies, recognition, presentations, posters, booths, and competitions on behalf of ShorelineSTEM and the Friends of Science. It is anticipated there will be 150-200 student presenters, a STEM career expo, visits by former (recently graduated) Shorecrest and Shorewood students, and possible visits and a few words from our local legislators coming from Olympia.

Contact Ray at Friends of Science for more information.


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Groundbreaking at King's for new S.T.E.M. building brings out local dignitaries

Saturday, June 16, 2012

From left: Dan Eernissee, economic development manager for the City of Shoreline;
Mayor Keith McGlashan; Julie Underwood, Shoreline city manager;
Bob Lonac, president and CEO of CRISTA Ministries.
Photo by Steven H. Robinson

On Monday, June 11th, King’s Schools broke ground on its new S.T.E.M. center at a public celebration with current King’s students, faculty, donors, project vendors, CRISTA Senior Living residents, CRISTA ministries staff and the public.

S.T.E.M. stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math
Photo by Steven H. Robinson

The state-of-the-art 25,000 square foot building will be home to 27 new junior and high school courses focusing on science, technology, engineering and math (S.T.E.M.) and will open in September 2013.

Groundbreaking Celebration in Woolsey Stadium
Photo by Steven H. Robinson

American students are only ranked 22nd in science and 31st in math worldwide and by 2014, there are expected to be two million jobs in the United States created in the S.T.E.M. fields. The new courses offered at King’s Schools will engage students and give them a competitive advantage in achieving their educational goals.



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Highland Terrace student experiment chosen for Space travel

Sunday, June 10, 2012


Highland Terrace students
Their science experiment will be going to the
International Space station
Photo courtesy Shoreline Schools

A Shoreline student experiment from Highland Terrace Elementary has been selected to participate in Mission Two to the International Space Station this fall through the Student Spaceflight Experiments Program,  (SSEP).

Highland Terrace Elementary students Aden Helland, Matthew McMillan, Tuguldur Myagmarsuren, Jack Parkinson and Dylan Probizanski designed an experiment with the help of their teacher, Peggy Nordwall, about crystal growth and impurities in microgravity.

"Our question is if crystals grown in microgravity will pick up impurities. This would be important because of the need to fabricate pure, defect-free single crystals for their use as semi-and superconductors."

The Student Spaceflight Experiment is a national educational program undertaken by the National Center for Earth and Space Science Education, http://ncesse.org (NCESSE) in partnership with NanoRacks, LLC. Shoreline is one of only 11 districts nationwide to be chosen for this program.


The Spaceflight Program uses a commercial spaceflight payload, which will contain the student experiments, and will be placed aboard ferry vehicles for transfer to the International Space Station. The student experiment flight opportunity is enabled through NanoRacks LLC, which is in partnership with NASA under a formal Space Act Agreement as part of the utilization of the International Space Station as a national laboratory.

Highland Terrace sixth graders and Einstein Middle School eighth graders participated in a competition in which they worked in teams to design an experiment that answers the question, "What phenomenon associated with a physical, chemical, or biological system would I like to explore with gravity turned off for a period of time?"

A committee of science professionals from the community evaluated the proposals and selected three to be sent to the National Center for Earth and Space Science for the final evaluation where the Highland Terrace proposal was selected. The students will prepare the winning proposal in the specially designed NanoRack Mini-lab kit and send to Houston for launch.

The other Shoreline finalists were:
  • Structural Changes of Pseudomonas Aeruginosa Lipid A in Microgravity. Einstein Middle School students Lisa Jensen, Julia Manfredini, Francisca Ritoch and Joely Shepard. Structural changes of Pseudomonas Aeruginosa Lipid A in microgravity. This is important because if the lipid A structure is modified, perfectly healthy astronauts could be vulnerable to a PA bacterial infection.
  • Fluid Dynamics in Microgravity. Einstein Middle School students Connor Austin, Yann Dardonville, Noah Hoppis and Brianna Prosch. Testing the effect of microgravity on the surface tension of fluids with different densities, specifically, oils that can be refined into polymers and fuels for space travel.

The Einstein teachers are Ellen Smith, Mary Thurber and Ryan Paulhamus and the Highland Terrace teachers are Peggy Nordwall and Dennis Griner.

The Highland Terrace and Einstein students will make a presentation on their experiments at 7 p.m. Monday, June 11 at Shoreline Center during the Shoreline School Board's regular meeting.

In addition, several middle school and elementary school students designed a flight patch to accompany the experiment in space. Patches designed by Carly Krantz of Highland Terrace and Lauren Cook of Einstein were selected to fly with Mission 2 to the International Space Station this fall.

This experience for these young students and staff and was made possible by the support of the Shoreline community, including the Shoreline Public Schools Foundation, the Knossos Foundation, the Wong family, Tiia-Mai Redditt, Einstein PTSA and Highland Terrace PTSA.

Parents and community members with expertise in science and research mentored students with their proposals or participated on the evaluation committee. More information about this learning opportunity.



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King's Schools prepares to break ground on new Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) Center

Tuesday, June 5, 2012


King’s Schools, part of the CRISTA family of ministries, will celebrate the start of construction on a 27,000-plus square foot building dedicated to the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) on June 11, 2012. A 15-month construction phase will begin one week later (June 18) and conclude in time for the state-of-the-art “STEM Center” to open to King’s students in September 2013.

On June 11, all current King’s students and faculty will join donors, project vendors, CRISTA Senior Living residents, CRISTA Ministries staff and other assembled guests for a public celebration at 1 p.m. in Woolsey Stadium, located on the 56-acre CRISTA Ministries campus (19303 Fremont Ave North in Shoreline). The 15 classrooms within the building will be the new home to as many as 27 different high school and junior high courses within the STEM fields. Local project partners include Mahlum Architects (design) and Kirtley Cole Associates, LLC (construction). 

“On behalf of King’s Schools, it is with great excitement and anticipation that we begin construction of the STEM Center,” stated Eric Rasmussen, superintendent of King’s Schools. “This building, made possible by the generosity of our donors, will inspire innovation and excellence in King’s students for generations to come.”

Added Bob Lonac, president & CEO of CRISTA Ministries: “This is a historic day for CRISTA Ministries and our King’s Schools ministry. The incredible teachers and students that comprise the school will be well equipped to accomplish even greater achievements when the STEM Center opens its doors.”

Studies have shown that the United States now lags behind other nations in STEM education at the elementary and secondary levels. A 2010 executive report by President Obama’s Council of Advisors included the following: “to meet our needs for a STEM-capable citizenry, a STEM-proficient workforce, and future STEM experts, the Nation must focus on two complimentary goals: We must equip all students to be proficient in STEM subjects. And we must inspire students to learn STEM, and in the process, motivate many of them to pursue STEM careers.”

Established in 1950 as part of CRISTA, the mission of King’s Schools is to inspire hearts and equip minds for students ranging from preschool to 12th grade. For more information on King’s Schools, contact Sally Ralston 206-546-7218. 


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Einstein, Highland Terrace experiments chosen as finalists for space travel

Tuesday, May 8, 2012

Three Shoreline student experiments--two from Einstein Middle School and one from Highland Terrace Elementary--have been selected as finalists to participate in Mission Two to the International Space Station through the Student Spaceflight Experiments Program (SSEP). One of the student experiment finalists will be chosen to be performed on the International Space Station this fall.


The Student Spaceflight Experiment is a national educational program undertaken by the National Center for Earth and Space Science Education (NCESSE) in partnership with NanoRacks, LLC. 

Shoreline is one of only 11 districts nationwide to be chosen for this program.

The Spaceflight Program uses a commercial spaceflight payload, which will contain the student experiments, and will be placed aboard ferry vehicles for transfer to the International Space Station. The student experiment flight opportunity is enabled through NanoRacks LLC, which is in partnership with NASA under a formal Space Act Agreement as part of the utilization of the International Space Station as a national laboratory.
All Einstein eighth graders and Highland Terrace sixth graders participated in a competition in which they worked in teams to design an experiment that answers the question, "What phenomenon associated with a physical, chemical, or biological system would I like to explore with gravity turned off for a period of time?"

A committee of science professionals from the community evaluated the proposals and selected three to be sent to the National Center for Earth and Space Science for the final evaluation where one proposal will be selected. Then the students will prepare the winning proposal in the specially designed NanoRack Mini-lab kit and send to Houston for launch.

The finalists are:

Einstein Middle School finalists
Photo courtesy Shoreline Schools
Structural Changes of Pseudomonas Aeruginosa Lipid A in Microgravity

Einstein Middle School students Lisa Jensen, Julia Manfredini, Francisca Ritoch and Joely Shepard

Structural changes of Pseudomonas Aeruginosa Lipid A in microgravity. This is important because if the lipid A structure is modified, perfectly healthy astronauts could be vulnerable to a PA bacterial infection.

Einstein Middle School finalists
(not pictured, Brianna Prosch)
Photo courtesy Shoreline Schools

Fluid Dynamics in Microgravity

Einstein Middle School students Connor Austin, Yann Dardonville, Noah Hoppis and Brianna Prosch

Testing the effect of microgravity on the surface tension of fluids with different densities, specifically, oils that can be refined into polymers and fuels for space travel.


Highland Terrace Elementary finalists
Photo courtesy Shoreline Schools

Crystal growth and impurities microgravity

Highland Terrace Elementary students Aden Helland, Matthew McMillan, Tuguldur Myagmarsuren, Jack Parkinson and Dylan Probizanski.

Our question is if crystals grown in microgravity will pick up impurities. This would be important because of the need to fabricate pure, defect-free single crystals for their use as semi-and superconductors.

The Einstein teachers are Ellen Smith, Mary Thurber and Ryan Paulhamus and the Highland Terrace teachers are Peggy Nordwall and Dennis Griner.

In addition, several middle school and elementary school students designed a flight patch to accompany the experiment in space. Patches designed by Carly Krantz of Highland Terrace and Lauren Cook of Einstein were selected to fly with Mission 2 to the International Space Station this fall.

This experience for these young students and staff and was made possible by the support of the Shoreline Community, including the Shoreline Public Schools Foundation, the Knossos Foundation, the Wong family, Tiia-Mai Redditt, Einstein PTSA and Highland Terrace PTSA.

Parents and community members with expertise in science and research mentored students with their proposals or participated on the evaluation committee. For more information about this learning opportunity, see the program's website.




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