Attendee Resources
NSTA Exhibits
The NSTA Exhibit Hall, with more than 400 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. Check back in mid-December to preview and create your own "must see" list of San Francisco exhibitors before the conference.
Exhibits will be located in the Moscone Center. Registration badges are required for admission.
Exhibit hours:
Thursday, March 10, 10:00 AM–6:00 PM
Friday, March 11, 9:00 AM–5:00 PM
Saturday, March 12, 9:00 AM–5:00 PM
Sunday, March 13: no exhibits
NSTA Virtual Show
Preview and create your own “must see” list of San Francisco exhibitors before the conference. Visit the San Francisco Virtual Show any time, day or night.
NSTA Avenue
Stop by and visit the NSTA Avenue to learn about member benefits, products and services, programs, and partners … all created for you! Here you'll be able to …
Share with Others
NSTA Membership. Access high-quality educational materials and professional development opportunities. Pick up a sample journal, your district ribbon, and a lapel pin.
Leadership Opportunities. Submit your name for nomination to become a candidate on a committee, review 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. Select high-quality online learning opportunities to build content knowledge. Use our suite of tools for self-assessment and to document your professional development progress.
NSTA Symposia. These ticketed conference workshops include presentations and classroom activities by NSTA partner organizations as well as online follow-up in the form of web seminars and a discussion listserv.
Web Seminars. Update your content knowledge with these free, 90-minute, live online presentations. Voice questions and share in rich chat conversations with the presenters and other educators.
SciGuides. Explore online resources and lessons organized by grade level and specific content themes. All are pre-evaluated and aligned with the National Science Education Standards.
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.
Enrich Your Mind
NSTA Press®. We release 20 new professional development titles for science educators each year. Share your thoughts with us on our books or your new book ideas.
SciLinks®. Link to science resources on the internet. Expert science educators recommend sites with accurate information and effective pedagogy—the best content available online.
Distinguish Yourself
NSTA Awards. NSTA offers 19 awards programs for preK–16 teachers to complete for money prizes.
Toyota TAPESTRY Grants. Toyota and NSTA have partnered for 21 years to award $10 million in TAPESTRY Grants for K–12 science teachers to implement 1,200 innovative, community-based projects in the areas of environmental science education, physical science education, and integrating science and literacy.
Toshiba/NSTA ExploraVision® Awards. This 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 25th 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, 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's 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.
Pete Conrad Spirit of Innovation Awards.Teams of high school students create products using science, technology, and entrepreneurship to address real-world problems in this competition. This year, students are required to create ideas in the areas of aerospace exploration, clean energy, and cyber security.
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.
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 for both books and gear.
Conference Transcripts
Conference attendees can now simultaneously evaluate sessions and track conference attendance for professional development certification. 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.