Attendee Resources
NSTA Exhibits
The NSTA Exhibit Hall is a must-see! NSTA brings you the leading science education companies and organizations to showcase products, services, curricula, and much more. You'll discover something new and exciting in the world of science teaching.
Exhibits will be located in the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center. Registration badges are required for admission.
Exhibit hours:
Thursday, April 11, 10:00 AM–6:00 PM
Friday, April 12, 9:00 AM–5:00 PM
Saturday, April 13, 9:00 AM–5:00 PM
Sunday, April 14: no exhibits
NSTA Virtual Show
Preview and create your own "must see" list of San Antonio exhibitors before the conference. Visit the San Antonio Virtual Show any time, day or night.
NSTA Avenue
Stop by and visit the NSTA Avenue (Booth No. 1114) 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, review board, or the NSTA Board of Directors and Council.
NSTA Student Chapters. Start a student chapter at your college or university.
Enhance Your Pedagogical Content Knowledge with NSTA Professional Programs
Stop by our booth (#1112) located in the NSTA Avenue to learn about onsite, online, and blended professional learning opportunities available year round. Members of the NSTA team and current participants of our programs will be present to share information and answer your questions.
Considering onsite (face-to-face) professional learning opportunities?
The NSTA Professional Development (PD) Department supports science educators through a variety of professional opportunities tailored to their specific needs. The PD team works with members of state departments of education, districts, and individual schools across the country and internationally. Some of the opportunities include:
- New Science Teachers Academy
- Mickelson ExxonMobil Teachers Academy
- Customized Professional Development Experiences
- School District Collaborations
- Science Program Improvement Review
- Professional Development Institutes (PDI)
- Author PD Workshops
Click here to learn more about each of these programs and others offered, and to register for one of our PDIs offered at the conference, visit the PDI pages.
Considering online professional learning opportunities?
The Learning Center is NSTA's professional learning portal designed to address your classroom needs and busy schedule. The portal has more than 10,300 different resources and opportunities, including Science Objects, Journal Articles, and Web Seminars that you can use to enhance your content and pedagogical knowledge. Professional learning tools are available to personalize, manage, and document your learning growth. Community forums, where like-minded individuals and a team of online advisors meet regularly, are used for asynchronous discussions. A professional profile and leader boards are available to provide public recognition of your online work. Activate your free account at the booth!
The NSTA Learning Center is the place where you can obtain your conference transcript approximately 3–4 weeks after the conference. This transcript includes a list of all the sessions you evaluate. Visit the Learning Center's My PD Record and Certificates to access your conference transcript. While still available on the San Antonio conference browser, you may also access the Learning Center's Advanced Search to find materials uploaded by presenters for this conference and all past conferences. Please select "conference materials."
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 publish 20–25 new resource books for science educators each year. Share your thoughts with us on new book ideas.
Distinguish Yourself
NSTA Awards. NSTA offers 17 awards programs for preK–16 teachers to complete for money prizes.
Toshiba/NSTA ExploraVision®. The ExploraVision K–12 competition, now more aligned with the NRC Framework, 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 (at maturity) 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.
eCYBERMISSION is a free, web-based STEM competition for students in grades 6–9. eCYBERMISSION challenges students to think about real-world applications of STEM by working in teams to identify a problem in their community and use the scientific method, scientific inquiry, or engineering design process to find a solution. Students compete for state, regional, and national awards, with potential winnings of up to $8,000 (maturity value) in U.S. Savings Bonds.
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 27th 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 premier project-based learning environmental sustainability challenge—sponsored by Siemens Foundation and administered in collaboration with Discovery Education, NSTA, and the College Board—empowers K–12 students to develop actionable solutions that create a greener world. Students create an impact and can win more than $300,000 in exciting prizes like scholarships and adventure trips.
Shell Science Lab Challenge, program of NSTA. With prizes totaling $93,000 annually, 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. The grand-prize winner receives a $20,000 lab makeover support package.
NSTA Science Store
Attendees are invited to browse the newly redesigned NSTA Science Store, where you’re sure to find hundreds of books that uniquely blend accurate scientific content with sound teaching strategies for science educators of all grade bands and disciplines. Not only do we offer a wide range of topics to sharpen your content knowledge and expand your teaching methods, we also carry dozens of wonderful NSTA Gear items—such as T-shirts, mugs, and pencils—as reminders of your conference experience or as gifts for your family, colleagues, and students. We also offer free shipping on both books and Gear when you place your order online in the store.
- Examine some of our latest books—Integrating Engineering and Science in Your Classroom, The Everyday Science Sourcebook, Revised 2nd Edition, Teaching Science Through Trade Books, and the new Science Fair Warm-Up series—and check out our brand-new line of children's books from NSTAKids.
- Show your love of science and pride in teaching with shirts, hats, and more from our "Science Matters" and "I Love Science" NSTA Gear product lines.
- REMEMBER—All attendees enjoy discounts of 20% on NSTA Press items and 10% on books from other publishers.
Win a Kindle Fire HD 8.9"!
This year we're giving away a Kindle Fire HD 8.9", Dolby Audio, Dual-Band Wi-Fi, 16 GB to two attendees who complete a session evaluation! Remember, the more sessions you attend and evaluate, the more chances you have to win this eagerly anticipated tablet! For information on completing a session evaluation, see "Conference Transcripts" section below.
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 two attendees who complete an online session evaluation! Click here for complete information.
Graduate Credit
Our Lady of the Lake University is pleased to offer graduate credit (credit is by pass/fail option only) to conference attendees who complete the following requirements:
- Must be an officially registered NSTA San Antonio conference attendee
- Must attend conference sessions totaling at least 15 documented hours for one credit hour, or 30 documented hours for two credit hours.
- Must submit the following documents to Our Lady of the Lake University no later than May 31, 2013:
- Our Lady of the Lake University registration form.
- Payment of $100.00 for each graduate credit hour (maximum of two) (payment may be made by Visa, MasterCard, Discover Card, American Express, or check payable to "Our Lady of the Lake University").
- Please fill out the "Special Interest" Section with NSTA 2013 in the "Personal or Professional" purpose line.
- Official transcripts (sealed) from all other universities that you have attended.
- NSTA Conference transcript, (available at no charge from the NSTA website).
- 500-word reflection that describes your professional growth and the impact it will have on your professional work as result of your attendance at the conference.
Mail or fax (210-433-0869) the documents to:
Peggy Carnahan, Director
Our Lady of the Lake University
Center for Science and Mathematics Education
411 S.W. 24th St. (METZ 416)
San Antonio, TX 78207
Questions regarding Our Lady of the Lake University graduate credit can be answered by Peggy Carnahan (pscarnahan@lake.ollusa.edu or 210-434-6711 ext. 2743).
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 after March 15, 2013. 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?
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