Designed for grades 5-8, Science Action Club makes it easy and fun to lead hands-on STEM in afterschool and summer camp—no experience necessary! Through games, projects, and exciting investigations, youth in Science Action Club explore nature, contribute to authentic science research, and design creative strategies to protect the planet. Each kit includes: Twelve fun activity plans for …
I’ve been binge-watching the reality show “The Great British Bake Off” for the past couple of months. For those that haven’t watched it, “The Great British Bake Off” is a baking competition in the UK where amateur bakers compete in a weekly series of cooking challenges, set by two expert culinary judges. If you are …
After more than six wonderful, exciting years at the California Academy of Sciences, I’m now looking for new professional opportunities. I’ve had an incredible run at the Academy, grown a lot, met some wonderful colleagues, and worked on a number of fun and exciting projects. Now feels like the right time to move on and …
I caught a couple of my hard-working colleagues cleaning a whale skeleton suspended high above one of our galleries. I love how calm and focused they are, despite the height of the cherry picker they are on.
It’s Spring Break for many schools in the area, so we’ve got lots of guests at the California Academy of Sciences. I always love seeing our science presenters doing their thing with a large audience. Here’s one of them giving a “Swamp Talk” to some of our visitors. Here’s more video of Claude in action!
“Expedition Reef” is the latest planetarium show produced by the California Academy of Sciences, and my favorite so far! “Expedition Reef” focuses on one of Earth’s most precious resources — the delicate chains of coral reefs found all around our planet. The show reveals in stunning detail what makes these ocean environments so special, …
I’m excited to share the news about KQED Learn, a free, safe online space for students to engage in thoughtful discussions about timely societal topics, using fact-based arguments and social media that they share. As the next generation of KQED’s awesome “Do Now” series, this looks like a great tool for teachers to facilitate thoughtful debates …
I just finished Designing Your Life by Bill Burnett and Dave Evans. A present from a good friend (Thanks, Barry!), it comes at a perfect time in my life, as I contemplate a career shift. Designing Your Life is a guide to applying a design-thinking process to career planning. As someone who has done and taught design for …
For the past couple of weeks, I have been focused on next steps in my career. I’m plotting a major professional transition, which is both frightening and thrilling. As I ponder all of the possibilities and consider all of the external and internal factors involved, my brain gets overtaxed with the cognitive load. Then I …
Okay, this is not quite as cool as an actual Wakandan embassy coming to Oakland, but pretty damn close. Inspired by the success of their movie "Black Panther," Disney is giving $1 million to Boys and Girls Club to fund STEM learning programs around the country, including funding of a "STEM Center of Innovation" in …