Virginia Tech's teacher training on STEM in Abingdon

Virginia Tech Southwest Virginia Higher Education Center recently hosted a Summer STEM Institute (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) for teachers. At the institute, the teachers experimented with activities and technologies that they can use and apply in their classrooms. Dr. Kristy Collins (Kids' Tech University's Vice-President and Registrar) hosted two teacher workshops with the ANDRILL flexhibit curriculum. See here for a Youtube video published by Virginia Tech Outreach and International Affairs.

For educators/teachers interested in learning about the flexhibit curriculum materials (which includes blubber gloves!) and climate literacy see the C2S2 website. Kids' Tech University is hosting the program which consists of two teacher workshops and a Climate Change Student Summit (C2S2). Teachers receive a stipend and CEU's for their participation in the second workshop and bring their students to the summit. Registration can be found on the C2S2 website.

VBI welcomes a Talent Search visit!

Kids' Tech University is a program of all the K-12 outreach and education efforts of Virginia Bioinformatics Institute. This week we welcome middle school students from Talent Search for a tour of our facility and a DNA extraction of strawberries lab activity (see why we do this activity- here!).

For more information on how to get connected with Virginia Tech faculty, researchers and students visit the KTU Faculty Network site!

Quotes available on KTU website

Hi All,

We've been doing some revamping of our KTU website. For everyone who has sent in quotes about their experience at KTU, thank you!! Past participants (parents and children) are welcome to submit a quote; please email Kristy at kdivitto@vbi.vt.edu.

Also, we welcome comments on the duration of each quote on the website!

Kids’ Tech University rolls out new faculty website

BLACKSBURG, Va., July 5, 2011 – Kids’ Tech University (KTU) is introducing a new program that aims to connect the scientific community at Virginia Tech and elsewhere to the general public and the K-12 education community. The program bridges the gap between faculty, research staff, and Ph.D. students at Virginia Tech and elsewhere to form the KTU faculty. KTU faculty members are available to visit schools, host groups of students and teachers, and serve as a scientific resource for K-12 educators, students, and their parents across the Commonwealth of Virginia and beyond. The program builds on the extensive network of researchers, teachers, children and parents KTU has built over the last three years. The program can be found at the KTU Faculty website, which makes available a database of researchers and educators hoping to find matches for their educational needs in all STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) areas. Children, parents and teachers are all welcome to explore the contents of the site and connect with the KTU Faculty network. Dr. Reinhard Laubenbacher, Director of Education and Outreach at VBI, noted: “The KTU program is constantly evolving and adding new features. This new program gives students, teachers, and researchers a unique opportunity to find a match for their educational needs. Through a quick database search, a connection that might otherwise never be made can be easily achieved. KTU faculty can serve as a vehicle that brings cutting edge research into the K-12 classroom.” In addition to the database, users can also learn about KTU programs and how to enroll. Friend KTU on Facebook and visit the KTU blog for updated information about programs and events or see the KTU homepage. About Kids’ Tech University Kids' Tech University (KTU; http://kidstechuniversity.vbi.vt.edu), is a pioneering educational initiative designed to excite children about science and provide them with a real university experience. Kids' Tech University was spearheaded by VBI in collaboration with the Virginia Cooperative Extension’s 4-H Youth Development Program. K-12 students, their parents and teachers, come to the Virginia Tech campus and they participate in a series of engaging scientific activities, including lectures by world-renown researchers and hands-on laboratory experiments. The goal is to expose K-12 students early to cutting-edge research in science, math, engineering, and technology to hopefully encourage them to pursue science careers.