Framingham State’s Christa McAuliffe Center Curates Remote Science Learning Opportunities for Students & Teachers

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FRAMINGHAM – The COVID19 emergency health crises has left many teachers and caregivers in Massachusetts scrambling to come up with accessible, interactive science content for their students who are home from school.

Over the past two weeks, employees at Framingham State University’s Christa McAuliffe Center for Integrated Science Learning have been collecting and curating resources for students from ages Pre-K through high school on the center’s website at https://cm-center.org/.

The website includes STEM at Home, a curated list of free online resources being offered by universities and science education organizations from around the country. The list is sorted into topics, includes links with brief descriptions, and the most appropriate age group for the activity.

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The list will continue to be updated regularly moving forward as more opportunities arise.

“We’ve heard from people who have felt a little overwhelmed with everything that is being offered out there,” said McAuliffe Center Director Dr. Irene Porro. “What we’ve tried to do is put the materials in one place, and present it in a way that is really easy to browse and digest.”

The vast collection of resources also includes content specifically created by the McAuliffe Center, such as the DIY Universe, which provides students and caregivers with a guide to build their own understanding of the universe and create their own exhibit they can share digitally.

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Another program called “ISS Image of the Week” features a selected group of images taken from the International Space Station, matched with resources and educational activities to promote further understanding of our shared planet. These sites, too, are being updated with new engaging materials regularly.

Finally, a collection of video presentations from a major science symposium the McAuliffe Center hosted at FSU in December is also available. The symposium, titled “Sustainable Space, Sustainable Earth” included lectures on fascinating science topics from leading scientists at MIT, Harvard, and the U.S. Naval War College.

“This crisis has provided us with an opportunity to improve these resources and make them really accessible,” said Dr. Porro. “We hope we can share with students, caregivers, and teachers who are stuck at home some engaging and exciting materials to keep learning.”