SENCER Summer Institute 2022
August 5-7, 2022
Critical Contexts and Critical Pedagogies for STEM Learning
CALL FOR PROPOSALS, DEADLINE JULY 15! Click here for proposal submission form. (and many thanks to those who have already submitted proposals!)
NCSCE Members get discounts on registration, so membership pays for itself! Before you register, join HERE!
Member Registration, 100.00
Non-Member Registration, 150.00
Members will be invited to a members-only meeting Thursday, August 4.
This year’s SENCER Summer Institute will take advantage of our continuing virtual environment and combine synchronous and asynchronous content. Institute programming will be held online from August 5 through August 7, 2022. Our theme for this year’s Institute is:
CRITICAL CONTEXTS AND CRITICAL PEDAGOGIES FOR STEM LEARNING—Advancing democracy, social justice, and care in STEM Education.
In 1997 Jane Lubchenco, the incoming president of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, called for “A New Social Contract for Science.” As an environmental scientist she believed that the existential crisis of the human impact on ecological systems was foundational, and required that we must acknowledge the “intimate connections between these systems and human health, the economy, social justice, and national security.”
In the 25 years since her call, the range, complexity, and interrelatedness of the pressing problems facing the globe have become more painfully apparent. The climate crisis, infectious and chronic diseases, wealth inequality, technological threats to security and privacy have multiplied and intensified, with radically disparate impacts on vulnerable populations. In the US and globally, civil rights and hard-won liberties are being systematically rolled back in an effort to institutionalize inequities and unravel even the modest gains of the last 50 years, further disempowering under-resourced groups. In place of a “new social contract for science,” public trust in science, scientists, and “experts” in general, has hit a new low.
SENCER, founded in 2001, was an effort to respond to Lubchenco’s call by adding “responsibilities” to the more generic idea of “civic engagement” and by putting complex civic problems, both national and global, at the center of STEM learning. In SENCER’s 22nd year we must increase our commitment to advancing democracy, equity, and human flourishing and ensure they are at the center of our educational work in STEM. How can we as educators across the STEM learning ecosystem of k-12, higher ed, and informal ed, push back against the threats to both science and democracy, and empower our students and communities as civically and scientifically capable agents of change? Our keynote speakers represent scholars and organizational leaders who truly represent the SENCER “ideals” in their work to advance equity, justice, social responsibility and human well-being through research-based policy, advocacy and teaching.
KEYNOTE SPEAKERS
CONNIEL MALEK Executive Director, True Costs Initiative
Embracing the Intersections: The STEM and Social Justice Future We Need
Conniel Malek is a leader at the intersection of environmental knowledge, law, policy, and human rights. As TCI’s founding Executive Director, Conniel drives strategies centered on promoting collaboration among communities, funders, and creative leaders. This collaboration is integral to tip the balance so corporations are held accountable for and internalize the true environmental and human costs of their actions. The NCSCE is a proud recipient of funding from TCI for a project extending the wastewater surveillance research lead by Davida Smyth and Monica Trujillo to communities in the global south. Conniel is a proud daughter of the Caribbean and is particularly committed to advocating for the rights of people in overlooked parts of the globe as they pertain to climate justice and technical expertise. Under her vision and leadership, TCI became one of the founding members of Funders Organized for Rights in the Global Economy (FORGE). Currently, Conniel serves on the Board of Directors for Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL), Environmental Defender Law Center (EDLC), and EDGE Funders Alliance. She was an Equity in Philanthropy Fellow with the Rockwood Leadership Institute and prior to TCI, Conniel practiced corporate law for a decade. She also serves on several advisory boards for organizations committed to supporting systemic change and innovation in the human rights movement. Conniel received her law degree from the University of Virginia School of Law and her Bachelor of Arts, cum laude, in Government, with a concentration in International Relations, from Cornell University. Conniel is admitted to practice law in Pennsylvania.
For more information on the work of TCI read their report on current initiatives Re-envisioning Technical Support and What Constitutes “Expertise.”
Bryan Dewsbury Associate Professor of Biology, Florida International University
Reclaiming Humanity in the Science Classroom
Institutions of higher education have a responsibility to prepare students to be engaged participants in an evolving democracy. Hyper focus on subject matter expertise sometimes results in our pedagogy being void of strategies that connect to this larger social aim. In this talk we will unpack what we mean by ‘participation in a democracy’, and the specific ways in which classroom pedagogy, even in STEM classrooms, can be rewired to achieve both intellectual and social growth. Implications for policy and structural changes needed to make this a reality will also be discussed.
Bryan Dewsbury is an Associate Professor of Biology at Florida International University where he also is an Associate Director of the STEM Transformation Institute. He received his Bachelors degree in Biology from Morehouse College in Atlanta, GA, and his Masters and PhD in Biology from Florida International University in Miami, FL. He is the Principal Investigator of the Science Education And Society (SEAS) program, where his team conducts research on the social context of education. He is a Fellow of the John N. Gardner Institute and the RIOS (Racially-Inclusive Open Science) institute. He conducts faculty development and support for institutions interested in transforming their educational practices pertaining to creating inclusive environments and in this regard has worked with over 100 institutions across North America, United Kingdom and West Africa. He is a co-author on the upcoming book ‘Norton’s Guide to Inclusive Teaching’ and author of the upcoming book ‘What then shall I teach? – Rethinking equity in higher education’. He is the founder of the National Science Foundation (NSF) funded Deep Teaching Residency, a national workshop aimed at supporting faculty in transforming their classroom to more meaningfully incorporate inclusive practices. Bryan is originally from the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago and proudly still calls the twin island republic home.
Sara Tolbert, Associate Professor Science Education, Teacher Education, and Environmental Education, University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand
Thinking Like a Movement in Science Education
In the past decade, we have witnessed and experienced climate disasters, a worldwide pandemic, and countless other wicked socioscientific problems. Entangled in these wicked problems of the Anthropocene is the exacerbation of historical disparities, including racial, gender, and economic oppression. It is undeniable that socio-ecological and socioscientific problems are centrally political problems. What is the role of science education in a complex, entangled and politicised world? In this plenary session, drawing inspiration from social movement theory and from justice-oriented science education research, I explore the radical possibilities for thinking like a movement in science education. I consider the implications for our teaching, our research, and our involvement in professional organizations, schools, and communities.
In 2015 professor Tolbert, received a National Academy of Education (NAEd)/Spencer postdoctoral fellowship award to further explore socially transformative and justice-oriented approaches to science education. Drawing on her experience as a public school science/ESL teacher in the Bronx, NY, and Atlanta, GA, and Auckland (Papatoetoe), Aotearoa/New Zealand, as well as in Latin America as Assistant Director of Nature Guide Training Programs for UNESCO and Rare.org. Sara provides an international perspective on civically and socially engaged science learning. A primary focus of her current research is to facilitate learning experiences in which students and teachers engage with science and education as/for civic/community engagement, social justice, sustainability, and eco-justice. She is co-founder and leadership council member at Science Educators for Equity, Diversity, and Social Justice (SEEDS) http://seedsweb.org, co-director of University of Canterbury’s Learning for Earth Futures research cluster https://blogs.canterbury.ac.nz/leaf/, and co-director of Ōtautahi Food Justice Research Collaborative at the UC Community and Urban Resilience Initiative https://www.canterbury.ac.nz/resilience/.
Bill Walsh Founder Health Building Network, (now Exec Director of Passport Foundation as of April ‘22) https://healthybuilding.net/blog/598-hbn-founder-bill-walsh-to-lead-passport-foundation
Since 2000, HBN has defined the leading edge of healthy building practices that increase transparency in the building products industry, reduce human exposures to hazardous chemicals, and create market incentives for healthier innovations in manufacturing. In other words, they use scientific and technical knowledge to tackle the critical civic challenges and risks to our collective health in the built environment. HBN is interdisciplinary team of researchers, engineers, scientists, building experts, and educators, that pursues our mission on three fronts. Bill Walsh will talk about the educational opportunities that the built environment and the policies that govern it offer for undergraduate STEM learning.
PROPOSALS ARE INVITED IN TWO FORMATS
Lighting Talks — These are synchronous (scheduled, live) presentations limited to 5 minutes. The goal is to give participants an overview of your content and provide an opportunity for questions and follow-up via chat or live if time permits.
Recorded presentations – These are videos of no longer than 5 minutes that will be uploaded to the NCSCE Youtube channel . A designated session time (similar to a poster session) will be scheduled for video presenters to engage with participants via zoom breakout rooms. For a guide to preparing recorded submission go to: http://sencer.net/virtual-presenter-instructions/
21th SENCER SUMMER INSTITUTE ON-LINE August 5-August 22, 2021
The National Center for Science and Civic Engagement and the SENCER project will be taking advantage of our continuing virtual meeting format and combine synchronous and asynchronous programming spread over 3 weeks, from August 5-22. Our theme for 2021 is Climate Justice. TO REGISTER GO HERE
We now know that a warming climate is our greatest global-civic challenge. It is the “existential” threat to the well-being of the planet and its inhabitants. Climate justice is the recognition that the adverse impacts of climate change are not equitable, and fall disproportionately on marginalized and underserved communities. Addressing climate change will require STEM knowledge, but its inequitable social, political, economic, and public health impacts will demand much more, the kind of multidisciplinary and systemic inquiry reflected in the SENCER ideals. To support educators in modifying existing courses and creating new curricula focused on this critical problem, the SENCER Summer Institute is focusing on Climate Justice for its 2021 programs.
- Workshops – Our workshops will feature teams of experienced SENCER experts working with groups of faculty in breakout rooms. Workshop participants who fulfill all requirements will receive a SENCER certificate of completion. Workshops will run for two afternoons and be held from 1:00-4:00pm (Eastern) on the specified days :
- SENCER 101 – for new attendees, we will introduce you to the basics of backward course design using SENCER civic engagement principles and outcomes. Participants will produce a draft syllabus for a SENCER course. (August 5-6)
- SENCER 102 – for experienced SENCER instructors, this session will focus on improving your existing SENCER course through the incorporation of inclusive syllabus design, high-impact practices, and learner centered assessment strategies that will build evidence for student learning. Revised and peer-reviewed courses will be ready for inclusion in a faculty teaching portfolio. (August 7-8)
- Aligning the General Education curriculum with SENCER ideals – this workshop will feature faculty connected to the new national “Improvement of General Education Life Sciences Courses” (IGELs) network. (August 14-15)
- Designing a Climate Justice SENCER interdisciplinary module – In this workshop participants will develop a climate justice focused module that could be inserted into an existing course in a range of disciplines and course levels. (August 21-22)
- PLEASE PRE-REGISTER FOR INSTITUTE WORKSHOPS HERE
- Panels – Panels are scheduled from 4-6 on the days indicated and will feature both external experts and practitioners from within our SENCER community:
-
- The STEM Learning Ecosystem: Formal, Informal, and Life-long learning (Jay Labov, Dave Ucko) August 6
- Indigenous Knowledge and STEM (Ulla Hasager and participants from the UHawaii System) (TBA)
- Misinformation and STEM: Addressing Vaccine Hesitancy (Participants in an NSF RAPID funded project) August 12
- The Role of Disciplines in Advancing Civic Engagement: Chemistry, Climate Change, and Sustainability (Cathy Middlecamp, Matt Fisher) August 13
- Social Justice, Diversity, Inclusion: What the Research Shows (Bryan Dewsbury, Pat Marsteller, Juan Garibay, Sherryl Broverman) August 14
- Digital Poster Sessions and Recorded Presentations (with Q&A time with presenters) will also be scheduled.
CALL FOR PROPOSALS:
We welcome proposals for poster and recorded video presentations at this year’s SENCER Summer Institute, to be held online from August 5 through August 22, 2021.
PLEASE USE THIS FORM TO SUBMIT PROPOSALS FOR DIGITAL POSTERS AND RECORDED PRESENTATIONS
We especially encourage proposals that address educational efforts that address climate justice. Formats are:
- Posters (should be submitted as pdf)
- Recorded sessions – each recording should be 5-10 minutes long and will be uploaded to our SENCER youtube channel after the meeting. Additional instructions for submitting posters and recorded presentations for SSI are at: http://sencer.net/virtual-presenter-instructions/
Synchronous poster presentation sessions and 20 minute presentation slots for video presenters will be scheduled to allow for Q&A and further discussion of presentations. See proposal submission form.
The 20th SENCER SUMMER INSTITUTE WAS HELD IN VIRTUAL SPACE!
The 2020 SENCER Summer Institute WAS redesigned as a virtual meeting July 30-August 2, 2020. It featured asynchronous and synchronous presentations, videos, workshops, and keynotes FOR MORE INFORMATION, PROGRAM DETAILS, AND RESOURCES CLICK HERE!
______________________________
The 2019 SENCER SUMMER INSTITUTE was held at Case Western Reserve University August 1-4
Here is full program book for this year’s meeting:
For presentations, posters, and other materials that participants offered to share, click HERE
Photo Gallery
- NJ Team Receives Wm. E. Bennett Award
- Dave Ferguson Receives Wm. E. Bennett Award (posthumously)
- Assessment Symposium
- Assessment Symposium
- Matt Fisher at Assessment Symposium
- Franco Workshop on 2020 Census
- Davida Smyth at Assessment Symposium
- Plenary Speaker Marsha Semmel NEH
- Plenary Speaker Andrew Minigan from the Right Question Institute..Click on picture to see his note about SSI!
- Plenary Speaker Felton Thomas of Cleveland Public Libraries
- Felton Thomas on how community partnerships can promote student centered learning
- Poster Session
- Poster Session
- Poster Session
- Poster Session
- Sunset on Cuyahoga River
- SCI-Midwest Leaders
- Cuyahoga River Guide

Case Western Reserve University
The 2019 SENCER Summer Institute (SSI) was hosted by Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio, August 1-4, 2019.
SSI is the cornerstone of NCSCE’s faculty development efforts, and brings together formal and informal educators, learners, and community and government partners for over 60 plenaries, workshops, and other sessions that support STEM learning that is meaningful, interdisciplinary, and durable–advancing a lifelong engagement with the science and technology challenges that are so central to our democratic future.
In addition to our core focus on effective pedagogy and course design for science and civic engagement, the Institute program explored collaborations and partnerships that advance STEM learning and build our civic capacity for addressing the critical challenges facing our democracy. The Institute is designed for both individuals and teams working on curricular designs and programming with special attention to:
- STEM, the arts, and humanities
- Diversity, inclusion, and social justice in STEM
- Partnership Power–leveraging community partnerships to advance learning
- Assessment for STEM learning and Civic Engagement
- SENCER approaches in Engineering from K-12 to professional programs
- SENCER strategies for K-12 curricula, and Community Colleges
Archived Summer Institute Information