December 4, 2025

This newsletter brings together ideas, tools, and activities to help you start planning your spring semester confidently and stay steady through the busy semester ahead. Think of it as a spring-semester boost—packed and ready for takeoff!

Dr. Ciara Sivels is a nuclear engineer at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Lab who studies the properties of atoms to solve complex problems. Watch the episode and explore free resources and the lesson plan here. Check out the lesson plan in PocketLab for free.

Try these activities to honor the work of Black scientists!

Black History Month Playlist

Discover welding as a critical, in-demand skill that incorporates many STEM disciplines with Chief Wellness Welder Shanen Aranmor of Weld Like a Girl. Watch the episode and explore free resources and the lesson plan here. Check out the lesson plan in PocketLab for free.

Test your memory about trailblazing women in science!

Women in STEM Playlist

Meet Dr. Alexis Vogt, an optical engineer and professor. Discover how optics is all around us - and how this industry harnesses the power of light to drive innovation in STEM and everyday life. Watch the episode and explore free resources and the lesson plan here. Check out the lesson plan in PocketLab for free.

Try this Engineering challenge from NGS Magnified!

Engineers Week Playlist

Dr. Jessica Frick is a Microgravity Chemist & Materials Scientist who is using microgravity as a tool to pioneer the manufacturing of semiconductors in space! Watch the episode and explore free resources and the lesson plan here. Check out the lesson plan in PocketLab for free.

Check out this Women in STEM Kahoot quiz series!

Women in STEM Playlist

Join neuroscience educator Emma Bleakman for a crash course in neuroplasticity! Empower your students to take ownership of their own learning by utilizing these neuroplasticity activities and downloadable resources in ANY K-12 classroom.

Check out these Brain Awareness Week resources!

Brain Awareness Playlist

Learn what it's like to be a space engineer and planetary defender at NASA with engineer Joan Melendez Misner. Watch the episode and explore free resources and the lesson plan here. Check out the lesson plan in PocketLab for free.

Try this space shuttle resource from NGS Magnified!

Space Playlist

Eythan Jenkins is a software engineer at Northrop Grumman who contributed to the groundbreaking Manta Ray project—a first-of-its-kind autonomous underwater vehicle. Watch the episode and explore free resources and the lesson plan here. Check out the lesson plan in PocketLab for free.

Check out these robotics resources!

Robotics Week Playlist

Join zookeeper and wildlife educator Jordan Veasley, alongside tropical biologist and host of Discovery Channel’s Expedition X, Phil Torres, for an exciting exploration of their animal-filled careers. Watch the episode and explore free resources and lesson plans here. Check out the lesson plans here and here in PocketLab for free.