December 2021 NIST Newsletter

We hope the first term back has gone well for everyone. We are highlighting one of our previous DEI spotlights. The new year may bring some new inspiration for all of us. As you look forward to planing your classes, the syllabus is always a great place to start. In case you didn't have a chance to change anything for the Fall term of 2021, we wanted to provide you with the resources again for the start of 2022! Whether you are planning some small or large changes to your courses, the syllabus is the first thing all of our students see. Here are just a few suggestions and resources to help your syllabus reflect your commitment to positive DEI attitudes in your course, 

1. Add in a Diversity and Inclusivity statement to your syllabus. Find some examples here, but your center for teaching and learning on campus likely has more.
2. Include a statement acknowledging the land where your institution lies to show respect for the relationship between Indigenous People's and the land. If you are in the U.S. you can visit this site to identify original stewards of the region.
3. Here's an article that may help you find a way to show students you care.
4. Take a look at Matthew Cheney's Cruelty Free Syllabus for inspiration.
5. If you have a few more moments, here is a podcast: Toward Cruelty-Free Syllabi (recommended by Dr. Susannah McGowan from Georgetown University)

We would love to hear from you on Twitter. Not sure what to post, why not tell us about something you tried that worked well for you in your courses, an inspirational story from a student, or an amazing change that has happened on your campus.

@NISciTeaching

 We would love to hear from you and share in all the experiences you had over the past term!

We really hope that the past term went well for everyone. This month's newsletter is a bit abbreviated, but we hope you will find all of the information useful.

We have some important NIST programming opportunities and announcements. There are some upcoming meetings we want to make sure you are all aware of for the upcoming year.

As always, we at NIST are doing our best to provide resources and information that helps all of us grow in both personal and professional contexts. 

We sincerely wish each and everyone of you a safe and happy holiday season, and all the best for 2022! 

What does the President do? 
Below is the description of the role of President, as defined in the NIST bylaws:

The President shall be the chief elected Officer of the Institute. The President shall supervise and direct the conduct of the business of the Institute. In consultation with the Executive Committee, the President shall provide direction and guidance for the formulation of Institute policy. The President shall be responsible for ensuring that all affairs of the Institute are conducted in a manner consistent with the Bylaws. The President shall call and preside at all regular, and Executive Committee, meetings of the Institute which may take place in person or electronically, at the discretion of the President. 

Who should consider running for NIST President?

We are looking for a leader who:

• is passionate about advancing the mission of NIST 

• has significant experience working with NIST/the Summer Institutes on Scientific Teaching

• would like to collaborate with a dedicated team invested in professional development opportunities for science faculty and educators around the country

• is committed to balancing the interests of multiple stakeholders to develop a clear vision to move the organization forward

• will continue to guide NIST growth and development as a new organization 

• is ready for a leadership position that draws on personal characteristics such as resilience, emotional intelligence, courage, group facilitation, persistence, and patience. 

This is a wonderful opportunity to make a difference in the direction of a new organization, while also learning more about how nonprofit organizations work.

We seek nominations from candidates from a diversity of backgrounds, including individuals from a range of institutional types and scientific disciplines.

Duties of the President include:

• Facilitating regular synchronous Zoom meetings with the Executive Committee (currently biweekly)

• Communicating regularly with working groups, leaders, and associates to chart the future direction of NIST

• Planning and leading twice yearly leaders and associates meetings

• Serving as the public face of NIST internally and externally including with other science education and professional development venues to communicate the vision and mission of the organization

• Writing grants for future funding

• Time commitment of approximately two hours per week, although this may vary

Nomination process:

If you are interested, please nominate yourself! You are also welcome to nominate others for this role. The nominating committee will reach out to suggested nominees to determine interest in being on the ballot.  Nominations are due by February 25, 2022. Please submit your nominations using this Google form.

The election for President will be held in spring 2022. The individual who is elected will serve as  President-Elect through December, 2022; as President for two years, beginning in January, 2023; and one year as Past President, beginning in January, 2025. 

The sixth annual SABER West conference will be held face to face on January 15-16, 2022 with pre-conference workshops on January 14, 2022.

The goals of the meeting are to:

1. Increase interactions among STEM educators and education researchers.

2. Foster collaborations between 2 year and 4 year institutions.

3. Provide professional development to conduct education research and implement evidence-based teaching practices.

4. Create an inclusive conference space that fosters the growth of attendees and presenters as STEM educators and education researchers.

Registration opens late October. See the full description here.
 

The AAC&U Conference on General Education, Pedagogy, and Assessment invites colleagues from all areas of the higher education landscape to join in sharing efforts to create intentional and integrated general education programs, to assess our current practices, and to generate evidence of high-quality learning for all students. This conference invites educators to reflect on how to navigate turbulent contexts and maintain steady progress toward quality and equity. 

Register at this link for the meeting.

AAC&U invites you to join us for a conference that will go beyond the rhetoric and prioritize campus strategies, institutional culture, and accountability in operationalizing the values of equity and diversity. Conference sessions will explore the experiences of institutional and community participants, identify barriers that are hindering our progress, and promote discussion of the privileges, the biases, and the false belief in a hierarchy of human value that are embedded in our systems, structures, and policies. It is imperative that we stay focused on making progress towards transformation that can be achieved and sustained, and the efforts that represent more than just our words.

This meeting will be a hybrid event that offers some virtual/online offerings over the course of the conference as well

Register today and add your voice to those committed to pursuing undergraduate STEM reform.

Are you interested in applying Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles to your existing case study? Apply now to join us for the Applying UDL to Existing Cases Faculty Mentoring Network (FMN).
Space is limited, and the network is launching soon, so apply now!
 Description: 
We invite any case writers or users to apply for a Faculty Mentoring Network that will apply UDL principles to adapt existing cases.

• STEM OER Accessibility Framework
• Universal Design for Learning Guidelines
  • Introduction to the Universal Design for Learning Guidelines
  • UDL Mapping Activity

We will discuss UDL principles, consider applying inclusive mapping to the case and do a mapping activity & pinch point activity with the case you're revising (Tobin & Behling, 2018).
We hope to have also a Guide to identifying the nature of your students and what revisions might be first priority.

Applications due Dec 10th, Use this link to apply

Featured Podcast

• New Podcast! Teaching for Student Success Please visit the website, Teaching for Student Success or find the podcast on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify and Google Podcasts.

STEM Education Job Opportunities

• Online Course Developer - Harvard University
• Instructional Consultant - The Center for Research on Learning and Teaching in Engineering (CRLT-Engin) at the University of Michigan
• Science Dean - The College of New Jersey 
  Leadership Profile (here) 
  Nominations: Please forward names to Julie Tea, Ruth Shoemaker Wood, and Julie Williams-Krishnan at TCNJScienceDean@storbecksearch.com.
• Engineering Dean - The College of New Jersey Leadership Profile (here) 
  Nominations: Please forward names to Julie Tea, Ruth Shoemaker Wood, and Julie Williams-Krishnan at TCNJEngineeringDean@storbecksearch.com.
• Assistant Professor, Pedagogy of Biology - University of Texas at Tyler
• Program Manager, OPA Yale University- 
• Program Manager  - Yale University
• STEM Teaching Position (Biology, Math, or Physics) - U of Oregon in Partnership with Mohammed AlMana College of Medical Sciences (MACHS) in Al Khobar, Saudi Arabia

Questions about the National Institute for Scientific Teaching?  Contact us at  or nationalinstituteonst@gmail.com.

Please contact us at Deb Pires (debpires@ucla.edu) and Peggy Brickman (brickman@uga.edu).