June 2025
NETWORK NEWS
Association of Children's Museums InterActivity Conference 2025
We want to send a huge thank you to all those who connected with us during last month's Association of Children’s Museums (ACM) InterActivity conference in Albuquerque, NM. We appreciate everyone who took the time to stop by the booth, talked to us during a session, or found other ways to engage with us throughout the conference. We greatly enjoyed meeting new people and catching up with old friends. Whether or not you were able to join us in person, you can download the resources shared at our booth during the conference to learn more about our latest opportunities.
Convocation on the Status of Informal Science and Engineering Education
This meeting hosted in June by NASEM brought together the research, practice, policy, and philanthropic communities to take stock of the progress made in the field over the past 15 years since the release of the National Academies Learning Science in Informal Environments (2009) report. Participants considered the impacts of this report, reflected on the trends, and shared challenges and solutions.
Read the posters and white papers
Navigating Changing Federal Priorities for STEM, Public Engagement, and Education
Many federal agencies are undergoing significant transitions as they align with the priorities of the new federal administration. These changes have already led to major reductions in ongoing scientific research, public engagement in STEM, and educational programs. In addition to federal staff reductions, there have been sudden terminations of existing awarded grants and the “archiving” of active solicitations. Meanwhile, the current version of the president's proposed budget includes historic cuts to STEM research, public engagement, and education.
As many of us are adapting and responding to rapid changes and uncertainty related to federal administration priorities, you may find the the following resources helpful:
News from trusted sources:
- Afterschool Alliance Current Policy Landscape
- American Institute of Physics FYI Science Policy News
- American Alliance of Museums (AAM) Center for the Future of Museums Blog
- Save NSF coalition resources
- The Planetary Society space policy news
- American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
- National Council of Nonprofits
- Nonprofit Quarterly
- The Chronicle of Higher Education
Federal grant and contract terminations:
- Illustrated stories of scientists impacted by federal budget cuts
- Crowd-sourced lists of terminated NSF and NIH grants
- NASA terminated grants from the Planetary Society
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)
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
We are taking a break from online workshops this summer, but stay tuned for more info about our fall online workshops schedule. Please feel free to take a look at recordings of recent workshops.
FEATURED ON THE WEBSITE
Online Workshop Recordings:
• America 250 - How Can Children's Museums and Science Centers Celebrate the United States Semiquincentennial? (recorded on 6-3-25)
Learn more
• Creating Relevant and Meaningful STEM Experiences
(recorded on 4-15-25)
Learn more
• Museum Experiences Participating in STEM Learning Ecosystems (recorded on 3-4-25)
Learn more
• Introduction to STEM Learning Ecosystems - Principles and Practices for Community-wide Partnerships
(recorded on 2-11-25)
Learn more
• STEM Identity & Career Interest for Students Traditionally Underrepresented in STEM
(recorded on 1-14-25)
Learn more
• More online workshop recordings
New Publication:
Check out our new publication in Visitor Studies, “Implementing Culturally Responsive Evaluation Methods: Reflections on Challenges to Traditional Understandings of Power, Validity, and Rigor” with free access online.
You can find more publications including: 1) Externally published journal articles, books, and other professional publications, 2) Guides for professional learning, and 3) Evaluation reports and research studies. nisenet.org/publications
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
Exploring Earth and Space Science with The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis, Indiana
2025 marks the 100th anniversary of the largest children’s museum in the world, The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis! Providing out of this world experiences on a daily basis that captivate and inspire the minds of all ages, it should be no surprise to find many actual “out of this world” experiences that engage visitors in the science and excitement of space exploration. You can also find some of the NISE Network’s Explore Science: Earth and Space toolkit activities around the Corteva Agriscience STEMLab, where the museum also hosts many longer, classroom-style programs such as "Seeing Stars,” where participants learn about some of the ancient myths behind constellations, as well as "Out of this World Engineering," where participants attempt to solve three real problems facing individuals living on the ISS by working together as a group.
Learn more
COMMUNITY RESOURCES AND ANNOUNCEMENTS
Rubin Observatory First Look Images
The Vera C. Rubin Observatory, located on a mountaintop in Chile, released its first images on June 23rd and first look watch parties are being held around the world (Image is a new view of the Trifid and Lagoon Nebulae).
Learn more
Also available is a new free planetarium show:
Messengers of Time and Space
GLOBE Observer:
NUBE, A Cloud Card Game webinar, Thursday,
June 26, 8pm EDT
Learn about NUBE, a new card game from GLOBE Clouds. Members of the game development team will share how the game was created and tested.
Learn more
Print your own copy
Planetarium Centennial
The first planetarium opened to the public in 1925. If you missed the live Planetarium Centennial Celebration event, the full recording of the closing event is now available to watch anytime.
Learn more
ViewSpace Image Tours
NASA’s Universe of Learning offers new free interactive ViewSpace Image Tours. This is a new way to explore NASA's stunning space imagery, allowing users to pan, zoom, and uncover key details about astronomical objects ranging from spiral galaxies to star clusters. This is a new feature of ViewSpace which is a free, web-based collection of digital interactives and videos highlighting the latest developments in astronomy and Earth science.
Learn more
NASA Planetary Defenders documentary New NASA documentary on planetary defense and the people finding, tracking, and understanding asteroids and comets that could pose an impact hazard to Earth. It’s free to show, and there’s a digital toolkit of promotional resources.
Learn more
Register for the Smithsonian National Education Summit July 15-17
Learn about novel approaches to museum education and collaboration from experts across the nation. Many online sessions; free to attend.
Learn more
SCIENCE IN THE NEWS
NEUROSCIENCE NEWS
Why are noisy rooms harder for some people? New research reveals that the insula brain region shows altered connectivity in people who struggle to understand speech in noisy environments.
NISE Network resources:
• Brain and neuroscience resources
GENETICS NEWS
The USDA announced a plan to fight a fly known as the New World screwworm using sterilized flies to be released from a facility in southern Texas. This pest can cause damage especially to livestock.
NISE Network resources:
• Building with Biology: Introduction to Synthetic Biology and Society Video
• Storming the Castle Museum Theater Show
SPACE NEWS
Located on a mountaintop in Chile, the Vera C. Rubin Observatory has begun to capture the cosmos in exquisite detail. Using the largest camera ever built, Rubin will repeatedly scan the sky for 10 years and create an ultra-wide, ultra-high-definition time-lapse record of our Universe
NISE Network resources:
• Telescope and the Electromagnetic Spectrum
WEATHER NEWS
Recent research has found that atmospheric winds have a surprising impact on ocean weather, which can help predict ocean weather forecasts.
Learn more
NISE Network resources:
• Climate and weather resources
NANOSCALE NEWS
Scientists have developed a tiny pacemaker smaller than a grain of rice designed for babies with heart defects.
Learn more
NISE Network resources:
• NISE Network Size, Scale, & Measurement resources
SUSTAINABILITY NEWS
A device powered only by sunshine can harvest drinkable water from the air — even in one of the world’s driest deserts. The prototype uses a spongy hydrogel that sucks water from the air during the cool night-time.
Learn more
NISE Network resources:
ENGINEERING NEWS
A jet-powered humanoid robot dubbed iRonCub3 had its first successful flight demonstrating its aerodynamic control system.
Learn more
NISE Network resources:
• Engineering and robot resources
SCIENCE COMMUNICATION
NEWS
One of this year’s winners of the Dance Your PhD contest focuses on food chemistry complete with a bright red chili pepper costume.
Learn more
NISE Network resources:
• Theater and stage program resources
RADIO NEWS
A powerful solar flare erupted from the Sun triggering radio blackouts across North America; solar flares are caused when magnetic energy builds up in the Sun's atmosphere and is released in an intense burst of electromagnetic radiation.
Learn more
NISE Network resources:
• Making Waves with Radio kit
• Electromagnetic Spectrum
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
- Planetarium Centennial
June
- What’s Up Skywatching Tips from NASA
- Pride Month (June)
- Lightning Safety Awareness Week (June, dates vary by state)
- National Dairy Month (June)
- National Mosquito Control Awareness Week - Fight the Bite (last full week in June)
- American Mosquito Control Association (AMCA)
- Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) World Health Organization (WHO) resources
- GLOBE Observer Mosquito Habitat Mapper toolkit
- GLOBE Observer Mission Mosquito Larvae Hunters Guide
- NISE Network Should We Engineer the Mosquito? forum
- NISE Network health and medicine resources
- NISE Network genetics resources
- Asteroid Day (June 30)
July
- Plastic Free July (July)
- Moon Landing - anniversary of Apollo 11 first step on the Moon (July 20)
- National Ice Cream Day (July 18)
- World Brain Day (July 22)
August
- Perseid Meteor Shower (August)
- The Perseids are the most popular meteor shower as they peak on warm August nights as seen from the northern hemisphere
- NISE Network Asteroids, Comets, Meteors, and Meteorites resources
- National Immunization Awareness Month (August)
- National Sand Castle Day (first Saturday of August)
- National Aviation Day (August 19)
- National Radio Day (August 20)
- World Mosquito Day (August 20)
- American Mosquito Control Association (AMCA)
- Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) World Health Organization (WHO) resources
- GLOBE Observer Mosquito Habitat Mapper toolkit
- GLOBE Observer Mission Mosquito Larvae Hunters Guide
- NISE Network Should We Engineer the Mosquito? forum
- NISE Network health and medicine resources
- NISE Network genetics resources
- Frankenstein Day (August 30)
- Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley was born on August 30, 1797; she wrote the novel Frankenstein in 1816, and published it in 1818
- Frankenstein200 kit of activities
NATIONAL MEETINGS AND CONFERENCES
- ASTC List of Conferences in the Community
Learn more - Informalscience.org List of Events
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 - Mid-Atlantic Association of Museums (MAAM) Annual Conference, October 28-30, 2025 Pittsburgh, PA
Learn more - STEM Ecosystems Convening October 20-22, 2025, Washington, DC
Learn more - Association of Children's Museums (ACM) InterActivity, April 21-23, 2026, San Diego
Learn more National Science Teaching Association (NSTA) Conferences