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science educators

throughout Colorado.

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Professional Development

and Current Opportunities

Denver Museum sponsored Workshops, Courses,

and Events

SCFD EdNight
- For all Educators (Plus-ones highly encouraged)
- Wednesday, September 23, 2026
- 6:00pm - 9:00 pm
- Free, but must register
Rocky Mountain Mind, Brain & Education Conference
- For Teachers ECE-12+
- Saturday, October 17, 2026
Museum 101
- For Pre-Service Teachers
- Contact to schedule

Link to more information and registration

If you are an organization that would like your information posted for professional development opportunities, please complete the Communication Request Form

Link to Communication Request Form

CU Science Discovery invites Colorado educators to join one of two free virtual Communities of Practice, designed to build connections, strengthen teaching practice, and provide ready-to-use resources for students.

- NEW: Data + Art + Science for Youth (DASY)

Explore creative, low-cost ways to build data literacy through arts and crafts. Learn strategies for integrating data-art activities into STEM classrooms and engaging diverse learners. Apply by Oct. 7, 2026.

- Integrating Tech with Micro:bit

Discover how the BBC Micro:bit can support innovation, creativity, and learning across science, math, and engineering. All experience levels welcome. Apply by Sept. 30, 2026.

Groups meet monthly via Zoom from October 2026-April 2027, culminating in an in-person gathering in June 2027.

Benefits
- Earn up to 2 CEU credits
- Free classroom materials for eligible rural educators attending at least five sessions.

More information at: https://www.colorado.edu/sciencediscovery/communities-practice

This October, GSA will host our annual meeting, GSA Connects 2026, at the Colorado Convention Center in Denver, and we are inviting local K–12 educators to attend a complimentary K–12 Educator Exchange networking event on Sunday, 11 October, from 3:30 - 7 p.m.

Educators who attend will have the opportunity to:

Earn 0.4 CEUs
Connect with fellow K–12 educators and geoscience professionals
Explore the exhibit hall featuring educational resources, colleges and universities, geoscience organizations, and industry partners
Attend the GeoCareers Session, "Lessons from 4 Years of 'Tree Time': Building Your Own Science Outreach Activity"

More information about the event is available in the flyer below, which can be shared, and interested educators can RSVP using the registration form.

Second Annual Meeting of the Rocky Mountain Association for Educator Preparation

October 10th, 2026

Colorado Mountain College Edwards Campus

Join colleagues from Colorado and Wyoming for the second annual meeting of the Rocky Mountain Association for Educator Preparation (RMAEP). RMAEP is an affiliate of the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (AACTE) and is devoted to all aspects of advancing educator preparation. Unlike traditional conferences, this meeting will be highly interactive and provide substantial time to think together about innovative approaches to strengthen and deepen preparation for all who serve in our schools. In keeping with the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, the conference theme is: Revolutionary Educator Preparation.

Please address any questions to: jared.stallones@unco.edu

2026-27 NASA TechRise Student Challenge – a FREE NASA challenge for middle and high schools.
The challenge is expected to open this September and invites student teams in sixth-12th grade to submit experiment ideas to fly on a commercial space industry suborbital flight. This year’s flight vehicle is the high-altitude balloon.

The challenge includes information sessions for your department or organization upon request, free educational resources to foster classroom learning and an exciting student virtual field trip in the fall.Sixty winning teams will also receive $1500 to build their experiment, a spot to test it on a NASA-sponsored flight, and technical support from our awesome NASA TechRise advisors.The challenge is a great way to get hands-on with a NASA project this school year, and we encourage teams ofall skill levelsto apply.Updated challenge resources (including videos, slide decks, and educator pacing guides) can all be found on the challenge websiteHEREwhen the challenge opens.

Prior NASA TechRise Flights and a Winner From Your State:
You can also learn more about the 2025-26 NASA TechRise Student ChallengeHERE,hear from educators about their experience with the challengeHERE,and view the NASATechRise portfolio page and a short video of Altona Middle Schoolfrom Longmont, Colorado showcasing their winning experiment from the 2025-26 NASA TechRise Student Challenge https://www.futureengineers.org/nasatechrise2025/gallery/79955

This summer was difficult across the state - from drought to wildfires to floods to poor air quality, the effects of climate change are here. One of the most crucial - and overlooked - solutions to climate change is education.

The Seal of Climate Literacy is a high school diploma endorsement, awarded by a student’s Local Education Provider, that recognizes students for learning and action in climate, equipping them with the scientific knowledge and skills necessary to thrive in a future impacted by climate change. The Seal of Climate Literacy builds upon the climate learning already happening within your educational community – from courses in science, agriculture, CTE, and more.

To earn the Seal, students must meet minimum high school graduation requirements, successfully complete at least two courses with climate literacy principles (including at least one science course), and complete a hands-on project addressing a local climate issue in their community. Many students in your community may already meet, or be close to meeting, these expectations.

Local Education Providers get to design what the Seal looks like in their community.
It all starts with an educator bold enough to say YES. Will this be you?

Reach out to ellarie@lyracolorado.org today to receive more information and ongoing, tailored implementation support throughout the school year.

Link to Seal of Climate Literacy website

Want a CSU Spur experience but can't make it onsite? We've got you covered! Our NEW virtual programming brings CSU Spur to your classroom. Our program offerings include virtual field trips, livestreams, and pre-recorded content to engage your students in the areas of food, water, and health. Explore the soil around you, watch live veterinary surgery, and so much more! We aim to empower learners to be anything they want to be by exploring a diverse array of careers. CSU Spur virtual programs are FREE and accessible to education groups of 15 or more students.

https://csuspur.org/virtual-programs/

Inquiry Hub: Science at its Peak

In these free workshops exclusively for CO teachers, we will explore the Colorado Academic Standards for science and consider strategies to implement aligned instruction. Together, we will investigate:

What are the Colorado Academic Standards (CAS) for science?
How can instruction aligned to CAS support student learning?
What does it look like to organize CAS aligned instruction around phenomena?
What resources are available for me to implement CAS in my classroom?

Each workshop is 6 hours.
Link to Science at its Peak Registration

21st Environmental Film Festival

at Colorado School of Mines

February 19 – 28, 2027

Young Filmmaker Submissions: Young Filmmaker Submissions are judged with other youth films, and not against the other categories. They may be any length. Deadline to submit October 16.

Link to CEFF Website to submit: https://filmfreeway.com/ColoradoEnvironmentalFilmFestival

CEFF 4 Classrooms: Students (grades 4-12) are welcome to a FREE morning film screening Friday, February 19, 2027 at Colorado School of Mines. Documentaries made by or for youth from around the world help inform the younger generations about the environment. This program is offered as an in-person field trip during the festival, or as an on-demand program at your school or in your classroom.

Link to CEFF 4 Classrooms: https://ceff.net/ceff-for-classrooms/

Join us for one or more professional learning sessions designed to strengthen data science learning and support classroom implementation. Participants may earn professional development hours that can be applied toward educator relicensure requirements.

Connect with data science leaders from NOAA, Esri, and the Raspberry Pi Foundation and bring FREE, engaging, ready-to-use resources directly into your classroom:

Geo-Data Science: What's Where? Why Care?, Dr. Joseph Kerski, retired ESRI Geoscientist - Thursday, September 17th from 4:15 - 5:00 PM
Visualization Strategies using Data and Art, Hilary Peddicord NOAA/CIRES CEEE - Wednesday, September 23rd from 4:15 - 5:00 PM
Experience CS + Experience AI: Foundational Computational Thinking and AI Literacy with Raspberry Pi Classroom Materials, Laura Gray - Thursday October 1st from 4:15 - 5:00 PM

Please register for one or multiple sessions by completing this form.

Questions? Please contact Samantha Agoos, Science Content Specialist and STEM Lead, at agoos_s@cde.state.co.us

ChangeX - Operation Outbreak

Turn your classroom into an interactive lab!

Operation Outbreak has launched a new community fund, managed by non-profit ChangeX.

There's funding and support available now to run a hands-on outbreak simulation with young people aged 14-18.

Using a mobile app, participants experience a disease outbreak, learning firsthand about epidemiology and public health decision-making.

The simulation is designed for groups of 20 or more young people.

Apply today and bring this experience to your school!
https://www.changex.org/funds/operation-outbreak?utm_source=amplifier&utm_content=teacher_association