April 2025
NETWORK NEWS
A year of celebration and transitions for the NISE Network as we mark our 20th anniversary and announce a new director
The year 2025 marks the twentieth anniversary of the NISE Network! It is wonderful to still be working with a community of informal educators and scientists dedicated to engaging the public in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) across the United States. Although the start of 2025 has brought significant uncertainty and challenges for many of us, we look forward to continuing our collaborative efforts with you in the year ahead and beyond.
As we move forward with our work, we are pleased to announce a transition from Rae Ostman to our new director Catherine McCarthy. In celebration of our 20th anniversary, we also caught up with our founding director, Larry Bell, to share what he’s been up to during his retirement.
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Navigating Change
As many of us are adapting and responding to rapid changes and uncertainty related to the change in federal administration, you may find the the following resources helpful:
Webinars:
Advice about federal grant or contract termination:
- National Council of Nonprofits: What To Do When Your Federal Grant Or Contract Is Terminated
- American Association of University Professors: Understanding the Law and Policies for Grant Terminations for the National Science Foundation
- American Alliance of Museums (AAM)
Advice about rapid change and assessing risk:
News from trusted sources:
- American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
- American Alliance of Museums (AAM)
- National Council of Nonprofits
- Nonprofit Quarterly
- The Chronicle of Higher Education
UPCOMING EVENTS
Online Workshops
The NISE Network hosts free online workshops as professional development opportunities for our partners to share with and learn from each other. Online workshops take place on select Tuesdays at 2pm-3pm Eastern. View upcoming online workshops at nisenet.org/events
• Creating Relevant and Meaningful STEM Experiences
Tuesday, April 15, 2025
2-3pm Eastern
Join us as we explore the importance of relevance in STEM learning experiences. We will start with an introduction to the principles of relevance, sharing strategies found to be successful during a study of place-based learning in the NISE Network's STEM Learning Ecosystems project. We will talk about the process of how to approach your community and find out what is truly relevant to your audiences. We will also hear from NISE Network partners already co-creating with their communities to engage audiences more meaningfully in STEM. Whether you are already involved in a STEM ecosystem, looking for ways to get more involved, or simply want to create stronger partnerships within your community, don't miss this opportunity to learn how to take the first steps towards creating more relevant and meaningful STEM experiences.
Learn more and register
Association of Children's Museums Interactivity Conference
May 14-16, 2025, Albuquerque, NM
The NISE Network is looking forward to seeing many partners at the conference! We’ll be at booth #61 in the InterActivity MarketPlace 2025 exhibit hall; catch us here or during a concurrent session.
nisenet.org/ACM2025
FEATURED ON THE WEBSITE
Online Workshop Recordings:
• Museum Experiences Participating in STEM Learning Ecosystems (recorded on 3-4-25)
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• Introduction to STEM Learning Ecosystems - Principles and Practices for Community-wide Partnerships
(recorded on 2-11-25)
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• STEM Identity & Career Interest for Students Traditionally Underrepresented in STEM
(recorded on 1-14-25)
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• Co-creation & You - Inspiring Partner Stories from Participants of the Co-Created Public Engagement with Science Project
(recorded on 12-3-24)
Learn more
• More online workshop recordings
Looking for an easy way to discover resources on the nisenet.org website?
Check out our “Browse by Themes and Topics,” featuring curated collections of hands-on activities and resources by themes and STEM topics:
nisenet.org/browse-topic
PARTNER HIGHLIGHT
The Powerhouse in Durango, Colorado brings the Night Sky to Life for a Dark Sky Celebration
International Dark Sky Week is later this month, April 21-28, 2025, and we are grateful to our friends at The Powerhouse in Durango, Colorado for sharing about their Dark Sky Celebration from last spring to spark ideas for other’s festivities this year! The four corners region of the southwest has access to some of the best stargazing in the country. However, growing communities increasingly threaten night skies. The Powerhouse partnered with tourism organization Visit Durango to bring awareness about the night skies through the NISE Network's exhibition, Sun, Earth, Universe. This NISE Network developed exhibition was a natural complement to Visit Durango’s ongoing efforts towards acquiring Dark Sky Community Certification for our city.
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COMMUNITY RESOURCES AND ANNOUNCEMENTS
Apply for an EZIE-Mag Magnetometer Citizen Science Kit
EZIE (Electrojet Zeeman Imaging Explorer) is a NASA mission to explore the Sun and the system that drives space weather near Earth. EZIE-Mag is a NASA-funded citizen science magnetometer program that will enable learners to capture science data similar to that obtained by the EZIE mission. Apply to participate and receive a free kit and magnetometer.
Learn more
SCIENCE IN THE NEWS
NEUROSCIENCE NEWS
Scientists are studying an experimental treatment for severe depression called deep brain stimulation. Study volunteer Jon Nelson shares his experiences with this life changing neurotechnology.
Listen to the six episode podcast
NISE Network resources:
• Brain and neuroscience resources
GENETICS & HEALTH NEWS
Hoping to revive woolly mammoths, scientists have created woolly mice using genetic engineering techniques.
NISE Network resources:
• Building with Biology: Introduction to Synthetic Biology and Society Video
• Storming the Castle Museum Theater Show
SPACE NEWS
NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope has revealed ejections from still-forming protostars. Webb’s advanced near-infrared instruments have allowed astronomers to see through the clouds to study young stars like never before.
NISE Network resources:
WEATHER NEWS
As temperatures warm, many people will soon be hearing the buzzing sounds of cicadas. This year’s cicada (Brood XIV) will emerge in the spring of 2025 in Georgia, Kentucky, Indiana, Massachusetts, North Carolina, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia. The cicadas are predicted to emerge in May through June when the soil 8″ beneath the ground reaches approximately 64 degrees Fahrenheit. A warm rain will often trigger an emergence.
Learn more
NISE Network resources:
• Climate and weather resources
NANOSCALE & SUSTAINABILITY NEWS
Scientists are examining the potential of nanostructures to increase the effectiveness of and reduce the cost of carbon capture technologies that pull carbon from the air.
Learn more
NISE Network resources:
• NISE Network Size, Scale, & Measurement resources
ENGINEERING NEWS
People have been dreaming about humanoid robots since the introduction of the beloved family maid Rosey on The Jetsons in the early 1960s. However, bringing robots into everyday life has been slow, but Generative AI is speeding this process.
Learn more
NISE Network resources:
• Engineering and robot resources
STEM THROUGHOUT THE YEAR
Discover activity ideas for incorporating current science, engineering, and technology content into events, special programming, holidays, and seasonal activities by visiting: nisenet.org/seasons
Year-long 2025
- International Year of Quantum Science and Technology (IYQ)
- National Science Foundation's 75th anniversary on May 10, 2025
- Planetarium Centennial (Fall 2023 to May 2025)
April
- What’s Up Skywatching Tips from NASA
- Citizen Science Month (April)
- National Kite Month (April)
- National Poetry Month (April)
- Global Astronomy Month (April)
- Mathematics and Statistics Awareness Month (April)
- National Arab American Heritage Month (April)
- Star Trek First Contact Day (April 5)
- In the Star Trek Universe humans make first contact with an alien species on April 5, 2063.
- NISE Network Science Fiction, Star Wars, Star Trek, and Superheroes resources
- National Robotics Week / RoboWeek (April 7-13-2025)
- National Public Health Week (April 7-13, 2025) / World Health Day (April 7)
- Worldwide Climate Justice Education Week (April 7-13-2025)
- Yuri's Night (April 12)
- World Quantum Day (April 14)
- World Art Day (April 15)
- International Dark Sky Week (April 21 - 28, 2025)
- Earth Day (April 22) & National Environmental Education Week
- DNA Day (April 25)
May
- Asian American and Pacific Islander Month (May)
- National Physical Fitness and Sports Month (May)
- National Bike Month (May) & National Ride A Bike Day (May 4, 2025), &
Bike & Roll to School Day (May 7)) - May the Fourth Be With You - Star Wars Day (May 4)
- Black Hole Week (May 5-9, 2025)
- Air Quality Awareness Week (May 5-9, 2025)
- National Children’s Book Week (May 5-11)
- International Day of Planetariums (May 7)
- The first planetarium projector was unveiled in Germany in October 1923 and the first planetarium opened to the public on May 7, 1925, when the Deutsches Museum opened in Munich.
- Centennial of the Planetarium 2023-25
- International Day of Light (May 16)
- National Public Works Week (May 18-24, 2025)
- International Museum Day (May 18)
- Global Accessibility Awareness Day (May 15, 2025)
- Endangered Species Day (May 16, 2025)
- National Paper Airplane Day (May 26)
NATIONAL MEETINGS AND CONFERENCES
- ASTC List of Conferences in the Community
Learn more - Informalscience.org List of Events
Learn more - Association of Children's Museums (ACM) InterActivity, May 14-16, 2025, Albuquerque, NM
Learn more - 2025 Science Events Summit, June 8-10, 2025, Philadelphia, PA
Learn more - National Rural STEM Learning Summit, August 26-29, 2025,
Fort McDowell, AZ
Learn more - ASTC Conference, September 5-8, 2025, San Francisco, CA
Learn more - National Science Teaching Association (NSTA) Conferences
Learn more