Attendee Resources
NSTA Exhibits
The NSTA Exhibit Hall, with more than 150 of the leading science education companies and organizations in the world, has the newest products to show and share with educators. Check out the latest textbooks, microscopes, manipulatives, kits, and more as you explore the hall. Bring a friend and an extra tote to help carry all the giveaways you can take back to your classroom.
Exhibits will be located in the Connecticut Convention Center. Registration badges are required for admission.
Exhibit hours:
Thursday, October 27, 11:00 AM–5:00 PM
Friday, October 28, 9:00 AM–5:00 PM
Saturday, October 29, 9:00 AM–12:00 Noon
NSTA Virtual Show
Preview and create your own “must see” list of Hartford exhibitors before the conference. Visit the Hartford Virtual Show any time, day or night.
NSTA Avenue
Stop by and visit the NSTA Avenue (Booth No. 708) to learn about member benefits, products and services, programs, and partners.
Share with Others
NSTA Membership. Access high-quality educational materials and professional development opportunities when you're an NSTA member. Pick up a sample journal, your district ribbon, and a lapel pin … and meet some of our staff.
Leadership Opportunities. Submit your name for nomination to become a candidate on a committee, advisory board, or the NSTA Board of Directors and Council.
NSTA Student Chapters. Start a student chapter at your college or university.
Enhance Your Skills
NSTA Learning Center. NSTA's e-professional development (PD) portal is designed to help you address your classroom needs and busy schedule. Create your free account and gain access to more than 6,400 different resources, of which over 1,900 are free to all teachers.
The Learning Center resources are designed for different learning preferences. Try a two-hour Science Object; a 10-hour self-paced mini-course called SciPack with unlimited content mentor, pedagogical implications, and an embedded assessment; or a SciGuide with lesson plans and science simulations. Improve your knowledge with an NSTA Press e-Book chapter or with one of the thousands of award-winning journal articles available. Attend a free web seminar with live presenters or watch an archive or podcast on demand. When scheduled, attend a face-to-face NSTA Symposium at a conference.
A suite of practical tools such as My Library, My PD Record, and My PD Plan and Portfolio help you organize and document your professional learning. The new discussion forums allow you to learn from others and get suggestions from live Online Advisors all within a system where you earn badges and activity points while NSTA makes charitable donations and provides recognition for your PD work.
Add Your Voice
Science Matters. Learn about this NSTA initiative to bring content, news, and information that supports quality science education to parents and teachers nationwide.
The John Glenn Center for Science Education Campaign. NSTA's five-year, $43 million national campaign to make excellence in science teaching and learning a reality for all will fund a series of forward-thinking programs and a state-of-the-art facility designed to promote leadership, learning, and advocacy in science education.
Expand Your Mind
NSTA Press®. We publish 20–25 new professional development books for science educators each year. Share your thoughts with us on new book ideas.
Distinguish Yourself
NSTA Awards. NSTA offers 19 awards programs for preK–16 teachers to complete for money prizes.
Toshiba/NSTA ExploraVision®. The ExploraVision K–12 competition challenges students in the U.S. and Canada to research a technology of interest and explore what that technology could be like 20 years from now. Up to $240,000 in savings bonds is awarded annually to student winners for the most innovative ideas that combine imagination with the tools of science. Winning schools, students, and teachers capture additional prizes—including computers and an expenses-paid awards trip to the nation's capital—in this team- and project-based learning activity.
The DuPont Challenge Science Essay Competition. As one of the foremost student science and technology prize programs in the U.S. and Canada—now celebrating its 26th anniversary—the challenge helps to increase science literacy among students and motivates them to excel in communicating scientific ideas. Students are asked to write a 700- to 1,000-word essay discussing a scientific discovery, theory, event, or technological application that has captured their interest. Prizes include U.S. Savings Bonds and a special awards trip to the Walt Disney World® Resort and the Kennedy Space Center. Teachers advising winning students receive a cash grant, the awards trip, and an expenses-paid trip to the NSTA National Conference on Science Education.
Siemens We Can Change the World Challenge. This challenge—sponsored by Siemens Foundation and administered in collaboration with Discovery Education, the College Board, and NSTA—offers a unique opportunity to engage K–12 students in a national sustainability competition. Students must develop actionable solutions for a "greener" world to win more than $250,000 in exciting prizes.
Disney Planet Challenge. Developed in collaboration with NSTA and the K–12 Alliance, this project-based, environmental competition for grades 3–8 classrooms asks competitors to help the planet while giving educators a fresh new way to motivate students with the help of an educationally sound curriculum that meets national and state guideline requirements. Prizes include a three-day trip to Disneyland® Resort, grants for classrooms/schools, and other prizes.
NSTA's Shell Science Lab Challenge. This competition recognizes outstanding middle and high school programs for their exemplary approaches to science lab instruction using limited school and laboratory resources. The challenge will showcase the work of schools submitting innovative, replicable strategies to deliver quality lab experiences with limited equipment/resources, and award teachers/schools with additional tools and rich professional development opportunities to support high-quality science teaching. Prizes include a $20,000 grand prize lab makeover support package.
Mars Education Challenge. This challenge calls on science educators to develop ingenious ways to fit Mars science and exploration into the classroom. Predicated on the idea that the science required to study Mars is largely the same "Earth" science that is currently taught in schools, the program tasks participants with creating curriculum support materials that will enable educators to teach science in new and interesting ways by using Mars as an example. Teachers who write and submit Mars-related curriculum support materials can win cash prizes up to $5,000, trips, and an opportunity to do field studies with well-known planetary scientists.
America's Home Energy Education Challenge. Sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy and administered by NSTA, the America's Home Energy Education Challenge is designed to educate students in grades 3–8 about energy usage and energy efficiency and engage students and their families in a save energy, save money campaign. The program provides energy efficiency resources to schools, teachers, students, and families. Students can earn an Energy Fitness Award from the United States Secretary of Energy, and schools compete for up to $200,000 in cash awards and prizes.
NSTA Science Bookstore
Browse the newly redesigned NSTA Science Bookstore for hundreds of professional development titles for science educators of all grade bands and disciplines. Not only do we offer a wide range of books to sharpen your content knowledge and expand your teaching strategies, we also offer dozens of wonderful NSTA Gear items as reminders of your conference experience or as gifts for your family, colleagues, and students. Meet NSTA Press® authors and have your book signed. All conference attendees enjoy discounts of 20% on NSTA Press items and 10% on books from other publishers. We also offer free shipping when you place your order online in the Store for both books and gear.
Conference Transcripts
Conference attendees can now simultaneously evaluate sessions and track conference attendance for professional development certification online using any smartphone or computer. And this year we’re offering a valuable prize for one attendee who completes an online session evaluation! Click here for complete information.
Services for People with Disabilities
NSTA makes an effort to provide convenience and accessibility for all persons attending our conferences. We strive to make conferences barrier free, but we can do so only with your help in advance.
Please send in your requests early! NSTA cannot guarantee services for requests made on-site. If you register online, be sure to check the box requesting assistance. If you register by mail or fax, please check the appropriate box on the form and send a copy of your registration form to:
Kim McDonald
Registration Supervisor
National Science Teachers Association
1840 Wilson Blvd.
Arlington VA 22201-3000
We will contact you personally and discuss how your needs can be met. We also provide other special services at the conference, including sign language interpretation at the General Session. We may have special materials for the conference sent to you by overnight/priority delivery before the meeting.
Note: If you need special arrangements in your hotel room, please check the appropriate box on the Housing Request Form and contact your hotel directly once you receive your hotel confirmation.
Need Funding?
Start your search for funding as early as possible. It takes time to find out where the funds are and get qualified substitutes lined up. Click here for some tips.