JASON National Conference: Full Schedule

12:00pm EDT

Welcome Address + Keynote: From Chasing Tornadoes to Driving Mars Rovers: A Retrospective

Keri Bean will retrace her journey from a weather obsessed kid to leading the Mars rover drivers of Curiosity and helping fly the Ingenuity helicopter on Mars.

STEM Professionals

Keri Bean

MSL Rover Planner Deputy Team Lead, M2020 Helicopter Integration Engineer, NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory

Keri Bean is a systems engineer at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. She is the deputy lead Rover Planner (aka Mars rover driver) for the Curiosity rover and is a Helicopter Integration Engineer for the Perseverance rover and Ingenuity helicopter. She was... Read More →

Guest Presenters

Dr. Eleanor Smalley

President and CEO, JASON Learning

Wednesday July 7, 2021 12:00pm - 1:25pm EDT

Keynote

Audience Everyone

1:30pm EDT

Beyond the Water Bottle: Minimizing Microplastic Pollution (All Audiences | New Curriculum)

Limited Capacity seats available

The Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS) and JASON Learning invites your students to complete the Beyond the Water Bottle: Minimizing Microplastic Pollution Challenge. Meredith Evans Seeley (VIMS scientist and JASON STEM Role Model) will share her expertise about microplastics and their effect on ecosystems. JASON Learning staff will share the instructional resources available to support the completion of the Challenge.

STEM Professionals

Meredith Evans Seeley

PhD Candidate, Freeman Family Fellow, Virginia Institute of Marine Science, William & Mary

Meredith Evans Seeley is a Ph.D. candidate and Freeman Family Fellow in Marine Plastic Pollution. Meredith came to VIMS with a passion for studying plastics after observing first-hand how pervasive plastic pollution can be traveling in the U.S. and to countries such as India, Vietnam... Read More →

Wednesday July 7, 2021 1:30pm - 2:25pm EDT

Block A

Theme New Curriculum
Audience Everyone

1:30pm EDT

Mosquitoes, More Than A Bite! - A Virtual “Field Trip” with the Harris County Public Health Mosquito & Vector Control Division (All Audiences | Virtual Adventure)

Limited Capacity seats available

Mosquitoes can be more than a nuisance, they also transmit diseases. Join HCPH MVCD for an adventure in vector control operations - from mosquito collections and testing for mosquito-borne diseases in local mosquito populations to working with the community. Entomologists, Virologists, Researchers and Educators from the unit will be your guides as they provide a mix of live, interactive discussion, Q&A and clips of folks actually working in the field. Join us for this unique opportunity to go behind the scenes with the experts!

STEM Professionals

Dr. Max Vigilant

Technical Operations Manager, Harris County Public Health Mosquito & Vector Control Division

Dr. Miguel Saldaña

Alternate Mosquito Control & Applied Research Manager, Harris County Public Health Mosquito & Vector Control Division

Salvador Rico

Inspections Supervisor, Harris County Public Health Mosquito & Vector Control Division

Cheryl Battle-Freeman

Virologist, Harris County Public Health Mosquito & Vector Control Division

Chris Fredregill

Mosquito & Vector Control Director, Harris County Public Health Mosquito & Vector Control Division

Rebecca Riley

Health Education Specialist, Harris County Public Health Mosquito & Vector Control Division

Wednesday July 7, 2021 1:30pm - 2:25pm EDT

Block A

Theme Virtual Adventure
Audience Everyone

2:30pm EDT

Keynote: Connected Storm Sanctuary – Telecom in Natural Disasters

Learn how the 4th largest telecom provider in the US manages its award-winning cellular network during and after natural disasters to ensure the best experience for customer connectivity. In times of crisis, wireless connectivity is more important than ever: to ensure first responders can effectively keep people safe and so families and communities can stay connected to each other.

STEM Professionals

Dr. Robert Jakubek

VP Engineering and Network Operations, US Cellular

As vice president of engineering and network operations for UScellular, Robert is responsible for ensuring the superior quality of UScellular's high-speed network so that customers have the world's best wireless experience. Jakubek also leads engineering teams at all of UScellular's... Read More →

Wednesday July 7, 2021 2:30pm - 3:25pm EDT

Keynote

Audience Everyone

4:00pm EDT

JASON for Newcomers (All Audiences | Classroom Implementation)

Participate in an orientation to JASON, including JASON’s philosophy, curricula, and available resources. Educators will learn how to access standard alignments and identify the curriculum collections best suited for their needs. This includes tips and strategies for onboarding students and navigating the JASON platform. Best for educators getting started with JASON for the very first time.

Guest Presenters

DeLaura McLellan

National Trainer, JASON Learning

I'm a graduate of the University of Minnesota in Education; I've been in education for 40 years; I have taught in the classroom grades K-12; I was the Observatory coordinator for Jackson Middle School for several years; I've been a JASON Educator since 1992; I'm a NASA Solar System... Read More →

Monica Schmidt

National Trainer, JASON Learning

Elementary science and math teacher for life (even though I am retired from public education service)! Passionate about RV life with my hubby and being MiMi to two grandsons!

Wednesday July 7, 2021 4:00pm - 4:30pm EDT

Block C

Theme Classroom Implementation
Audience Everyone

12:00pm EDT

JASON Address + Keynote: Creating “A New Normal” for STEM Education with Justice for All Students: The COVID-19 Pandemic and Systemic Racism

The presentation proposes an instructional framework that STEM education, by foregrounding justice and capitalizing on new advances in STEM disciplines, could offer solutions to systematic racism. Specifically, the instructional framework leverages data science, computer science, and multidisciplinary convergence of STEM disciplines, which have become key to finding solutions to the pandemic. By harnessing the affordances of new advances in STEM disciplines to address systemic racism, the instructional framework presents one approach to creating “a new normal” for STEM education with justice for all students. The COVID-19 pandemic offers an unprecedented context to engage all students in societally relevant problems. During the presentation, participants navigate data sources and review our science lessons as an example of our instructional framework.

STEM Professionals

Todd Campbell

Department head of Curriculum Instruction, Professor of Science Education, Neag School of Education, University of Connecticut

Todd Campbell is the department head of Curriculum and Instruction and a professor of science education in the Neag School of Education at the University of Connecticut. His research focuses on cultivating imaginative and equitable representations of STEM. In formal science learning... Read More →

Okhee Lee

Professor of Childhood Education, New York University

Okhee Lee is a professor in the Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development at New York University. Her research involves integrating science, language, and computational thinking with a focus on English learners. Her latest research addresses COVID-19 and systemic... Read More →

Guest Presenters

JASON Staff

Thursday July 8, 2021 12:00pm - 1:25pm EDT

Keynote

Audience Everyone

1:30pm EDT

Equity After COVID, A Superintendent's Panel (All Audiences | Equity & Accessibility)

How are districts responding to the inequities revealed and made explicit during the COVID pandemic? Join a panel of Superintendents to hear perspectives on what it will take for all students to have “equal” access to STEM. Panelists will share what they are doing to support educators and students in the new, post-COVID-19 era, why it matters, and how JASON is playing a key role. Join the discussion as we explore the challenges and potential solutions in ensuring a just educational system moving into 2021-22 and beyond.

Moderators

Dr. Eleanor Smalley

President and CEO, JASON Learning

Guest Presenters

Dr. Aspasia Angelou

Superintendent, Nadaburg Unified School District No. 81 & Morristown Elementary District No. 75

Lori Bedsole

Advanced Academic Programs Education Specialist, Fairfax County Public Schools

Maura Horgan

Director of Curriculum and Staff Development, Newark City Schools

Thursday July 8, 2021 1:30pm - 2:25pm EDT

Block A

Theme Equity and Accessibility
Audience Everyone

1:30pm EDT

Metal Recycling – A Virtual Tour of a Working Scrap Yard (All Audiences | Virtual Adventure)

Limited Capacity seats available

Located in Portland, Oregon, Bob’s Metals Inc. has been processing scrap metal since 1983. Join Peter Van Houten and Justin Cannon for a virtual tour of their facility, sharing videos of how metal is processed from burning, shearing, shredding, bailing to smelting of scrap metal in the process of transitioning scrap into raw material as part of the material product life cycle. This session will also include a sneak preview of this year’s Annual Recycling Contest!

STEM Professionals

Justin Cannon

Metals Buyer, Bob's Metal

Justin Cannon is currently the Metals Buyer for Bob’s Metals Inc., a scrap metal processor in Portland, Oregon. A 2005 graduate of the University of Oregon with a Bachelor of Science degree in Sociology Justin began his career as a behavioral specialist in the special education... Read More →

Peter Van Houten

General Manager, Bob's Metal

Peter Van Houten is currently the General Manager of Bob’s Metals Inc., a scrap metal processor in Portland, Past-President of the Pacific Northwest Chapter of ISRI, and current chairman of ISRI’s Youth Outreach program partnering ISRI with Jason Learning in the promotion and... Read More →

Thursday July 8, 2021 1:30pm - 2:25pm EDT

Block A

Theme Virtual Adventure
Audience Everyone

1:30pm EDT

The Impact of the Argonaut Experience (All Audiences | Equity and Accessibility)

For over 30 years, The Argonaut program has provided opportunities for students and educators to work side-by-side STEM professionals in the field, and is one of JASON’s great success stories in how JASON has leveled the playing field for students and educators. Thanks to this fully sponsored program, over 800 students and educators have been engaged in hands-on, scientific fieldwork - individuals who otherwise would have never had opportunities to travel or immerse themselves in STEM. Hear from a panel of former student and teacher Argonauts about the impact their field experiences have had on life and work, and how for many it has been a life-changing experience. Teachers will consider the impact of the Argonaut program and encourage their students and other teachers to apply.

Guest Presenters

Amber Harris

Teacher/Former Teacher Argonaut, Southampton County Public Schools

Gabriel Smalls

Former Student Argonaut, Portsmouth, VA

Jane Ramos

Former Teacher Argonaut, Smithfield, RI

Jude Kesl

Argonaut Expedition Leader, JASON Learning

JASON Learning Argonaut Expedition Leader.

Mary Le

Former Student Argonaut, Spring ISD, TX

Thursday July 8, 2021 1:30pm - 2:25pm EDT

Block A

Theme Equity and Accessibility
Audience Everyone

2:30pm EDT

Keynote: From Environmental Stewardship to Entrepreneurship: The Importance of Developing the Next Generation of STEMpreneurs

Former NOAA Scientist turned entrepreneur, Dr. Melanie Okoro, discusses her transition from environmental scientist to entrepreneurship, shares actionable advice on how to inspire the next generation of STEMpreneurs, and the vanguard role of educators as stewards in empowering the communities they serve.

STEM Professionals

Dr. Melanie Harrison Okoro

Chief Executive Officer / Founder, Eco-Alpha Environmental & Engineering Services

Melanie Harrison Okoro is a marine estuarine and environmental scientist. She is the founder, CEO, and principal of Eco-Alpha Environmental & Engineering Services. Okoro focuses on environmental aquatic biogeochemistry, professional natural resource management, and STEM diversity... Read More →

Thursday July 8, 2021 2:30pm - 3:25pm EDT

Keynote

Audience Everyone

3:30pm EDT

Adding STEAM to STEM (All Audiences | Community Engagement)

For Educators by Educators Session
This session will provide participants with an overview of how Franklin City Public Schools used students and community resources to incorporate the visual art into STEM education.
JASON’s Learning Recycle Contest will be featured as a supplemental resource to JASON Learning’s Online Curriculum. This session will feature how visual art teachers support the core content areas for STEM education. Attendees will be able to see how Franklin City Public School implemented Arts across the content areas as a district wide initiative. We will share the outcome of how students build relationships with community partners and become influenced to shift their thinking about recycling. Attendees will walk away with innovative activities for real world application to incorporate in STEAM lessons.

Guest Presenters

Brittney Boone

High School Art Teacher, Franklin City Public Schools, VA

Brittney Boone is the Art Teacher & Year Book Coordinator at Franklin High School. Ms. Boone has received her Bachelor of Science Degree from Chowan University; she is also a Franklin High School alumni. Ms. Boone is also very passionate about art education, she strongly believes... Read More →

Clinton A. Smith, Sr.

Elementary School, Art Teacher, Franklin City Public Schools, VA

I received my B.S. degree in Art Education K-12 and a Masters Degree in Educational Media from Virginia State University. I also attended my local community college, Paul D. Camp Community College, and received a certificate in electricity and a diploma in electronics.During the... Read More →

Felicia Burkhalter

Chief Academic Officer, Franklin City Public Schools, VA

Felicia Burkhalter, Chief Academic Officer for Franklin City Public Schools, believes that All students can learn, just not in the same way on the same day. Through partnerships with teachers, administrations, central office staff, and community stakeholders, she is a champion for... Read More →

Thursday July 8, 2021 3:30pm - 3:55pm EDT

Block B

Theme Community Engagement
Audience Everyone

3:30pm EDT

JASON "Wins" The 3D Award (All Audiences | Innovations, Community Engagement)

For Educators by Educators Session
JASON Learning works on many levels and in many dimensions, making it an impactful program for all involved: educators, students, and parents. Come hear our success stories and tips and strategies for engaging parents and family members in the learning process. Participants will leave this session with new ways to implement the program as a teacher and ideas for supporting JASON at home as a parent along with a mini collection of resources we’ve prepared.

Guest Presenters

Dr. Devese Peace-Branch

Teacher/Science Department Chair & Curriculum Writer, Portsmouth Public Schools, VA

Devese Peace-Branch is an 8th Grade Physical Science teacher and has been an educator for 7 years in the Portsmouth Public Schools district in Portsmouth, VA. Devese majored in Chemistry and Interdisciplinary Studies and is a graduate of Norfolk State University. At Churchland Middle... Read More →

Karen Thomas

Science Instructional Specialist, Drew Academy

Thursday July 8, 2021 3:30pm - 3:55pm EDT

Block B

Theme Innovations, Community Engagement
Audience Everyone