The Nebraska Association of Teachers of Science (NATS) held its fall conference at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Oct. 16-18, marking the group’s first return to campus after more than 50 years.
The conference, sponsored by the Department of Teaching, Learning and Teacher Education in the College of Education and Human Sciences, EPSCoR (Nebraska’s Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research), and Activate Learning welcomed more than 150 science teachers from across Nebraska, as well as other presenters, to City Campus with sessions primarily taking place in Carolyn Pope Edwards Hall. While many teachers came from the eastern part of the state, some traveled from as far as Hemingford in the Nebraska panhandle.
“It was a wonderful opportunity this year to welcome the NATS annual conference back to UNL and celebrate the accomplishments of not only our own alumni science teachers, but those of so many teacher-leaders from all across the state,” said Beth Lewis, professor of science education in teaching, learning and teacher education. “We always want our pre-service teachers to get involved in their professional organization as soon as possible, and having the conference on campus was an ideal opportunity for those future science teachers to attend. As the great Husker students that they are, they also helped by volunteering their time.”
After a pre-conference social that included a trivia event on Thursday evening, the conference offered more than 40 breakout sessions on Friday along with an afternoon poster session. The keynote address was given prior to lunch at the Champions Club by Bertha Vazquez, director of The Center for Inquiry and The Teacher Institute for Evolutionary Science. Vazquez spent 34 years as a middle school science teacher in Miami-Dade County Public Schools. Saturday’s half-day schedule included professional development workshops along with a closing session with Vazquez.
NATS was founded in 1961 as the Science Teaching Section of the Nebraska Academy of Sciences (NAS). After changing names in 1980 and 1990, the group separated from the Nebraska Academy of Sciences in 2020 to become an independent organization that is still affiliated with NAS.NATS also has strong connections regionally with other state-level science teacher organizations and also with the National Science Teaching Association (NSTA).
Membership in NATS is open to any individual interested in the advancement of science education in the State of Nebraska. NATS currently has nearly 200 active members from across the state. Learn more at nebscinats.org.
College of Education and Human Sciences
Teaching, Learning & Teacher Education
