In Chicago, over 1,000 dogs have been recently infected with the canine influenza virus and five had died within a short amount of time.  Multiple pet stores have closed as a result of the widely spreading infection and pet parents are understandably on high alert.  With the recent outbreak of the...

Animal and plant dissection are school lessons that have been integrated into biology and life science classrooms for many years.  There are times when students or teachers don't like the idea of dissecting an organism that was once living for educational purposes.  If you fit that category and...

Here in Illinois we have had a couple of snow falls already and ultimately it's a slipper slope because with the dramatic decrease in temperature comes blankets of ice!  This means skidding cars, bruised body parts and egos from falls and sore paws for many of our furry friends.  Winter can be...

In January I was given the honor to present to educators, Chicago public school board members, superintendents and administrators at the annual Superintendents Commission for the Study of Demographics and Diversity.  I spoke on inquiry based teaching and the Next Generation Science Standards.  It...

In December of 2014 The University of Illinois Extension partnered with the Cook County Forest Preserve to present Reflecting on Practice to fellow educators and staff. Reflecting on Practice was developed at the Lawrence Hall of science and is a professional learning program for informal science...

Earlier this month members of the STEM team were able to attend the National Science Teachers Association annual conference here in Chicago.  The conference is always loaded with educational programming to help you prepare and extend your lessons.  The focus is of course science but heavily...

The Young Naturalist Awards are sponsored by the American Museum of Natural History.  The competition is a research based science contest for students in grades 7-12.  The deadline is March first so get your entries in soon!  Learn more...