Highlights from the 2018 ALA Conference

Congratulations to the STAR Net team on another successful year partnering with NASA at the annual ALA conference! The STAR Net team interacted with library staff from around the country at the NASA booth, and their button-maker, with designs including “Space Cat’ and “Eclipse Dog”, was quite popular! They presented numerous NASA Hyperwall sessions, highlighting activities like Loony Lunar Phases and Strange New Planet, and presented three, hour-long conference sessions highlighting new tech trends in STEM, afterschool partnerships, and 2017 eclipse reflections.

Build a Better Book Project

Based at the University of Colorado Boulder, The Build a Better Book Project works with school and library Makerspaces to engage youth in the design and fabrication of accessible picture books and graphics. Using both low- and high-tech Makerspace tools, youth design, fabricate, test and refine multi-modal books, games and STEM graphics that incorporate tactile and audio features. These products are designed by and for learners with visual impairments as well as other physical and learning disabilities.

Learn More | Take The Survey | Online Resources

Hunting for activities for your library’s next STEM program? Look no further! Hands-on Fun with STAR Net will highlight several different hands-on activities from the STEM Activity Clearinghouse that were designed with the library setting in mind. Whether you are new to STEM programming or are already a “STEM Superstar”, we hope you will watch this webinar recording for tips, techniques, and loads of fun!

Watch the Recorded Webinar

Digital resources are now available on the NASA Museum Alliance website for NASA's 60th anniversary celebration which will take place on October 1, 2018. Digital resources for Apollo's 50th Anniversary, celebrated from October 2018 to July 2019, will also be included. As NASA adds more resources, we will notify you.

Visit NASA Museum Alliance | Download Resources File

This month, CSL (Issue 6, Part 3) features a five-week program connecting underserved families with scientists and engineers to do open-ended engineering design challenges. In this issue, you can also learn about citizen science resources for young students, developed by educators at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, and learn about the Philly Scientists project, a curriculum with a mobile application and digital badging reward system that seeks to engage underserved youth in grades 5–8.

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With the sun high in the sky and shining bright, now is a great time to talk with your patrons about shadows! In this activity, patrons trace shadows outside and then come back later to observe how those shadows have moved. Do you think your shadows would look different if you drew them at the same time of day during the winter?

View This Clearinghouse Activity