Finding Our Way - WCSU STEM

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Finding Our Way is a hands-on learning program that gets students involved in the environmental sciences of their surroundings and fosters lifelong interest in protecting our environment. Finding Our Way is a STEAM outreach program between Western Connecticut State University Department of Biological Sciences and local public school teachers. Programs are also offered in the summer depending on the availability of funding. 

 


 

2024 Finding Our Way WCSU-DPS Spring Opportunities!

Paid Opportunities for High School Students

Announcing the 2024 SWSA Spring Program. This program is open to all Danbury High School students, preferably in aquatic sciences or past SWSA students. If you are interested in working outside this spring, please apply!

Link to apply is below as well as four forms that need to be completed and sent to silvamar@wcsu.edu

Apply Here:

  1. 2024 SWSA Student Online Application

Forms for download:

  1. SWSA Medical Release form
  2. 2024 SWSA Student Application
  3. SWSA Photo Release
  4. SWSA Student Information Sheet

Aquatic Restoration Research Symposium!

In the spirit of last year’s winning project titled “Unlocking the potential of water quality through biodiversity and impervious surfaces”, we are happy to announce the 2024 Aquatic Restoration Research Symposium happening on May 22nd and 23rd (9am-12pm) at the Danbury High School.

*Prize money for best symposium group project*


Announcing the 2024 WCSU Environmental Stewardship Competition for Middle School Students! 

A student competition focused on Environmental Stewardship, sponsored by WCSU Finding Our Way STEM Outreach Office.

Application Entries Due: 22 April 2024   

Reports Due: 3 June 2024

Winners Announced: 11 June 2024

Download the 2024 Stewardship Application2024 Stewardship Competition Details, and the provided Final Report Project Timeline 2024

Want to see how you will be graded? See the grading rubric here.

Email completed forms to: guimaraes007@wcsu.edu

Final Projects must include:

1. Stewardship Report 2. Project Timeline 3. Pictures of the project or other evidence

 


  • Summary of announcement for parents in English, Portuguese and Spanish. Click here to download.

In 2022 we celebrate the B-WET program’s 20th anniversary

In the 20 years Bay Watershed Education and Training (B-WET) has been working around the country, it has been a powerful catalyst for environmental literacy. The B-WET program and the Meaningful Watershed Educational Experience (MWEE) framework support environmental education, foster student success and interest in learning, and empower students to implement environmental solutions in their own communities. Since 2002, the B-WET program has awarded over $110 million to support 874 projects. The program reaches thousands of educators and tens of thousands of students every year. Finding Our Way is just one of these fantastic projects that is funded by B-WET.

To learn more about what the B-WET program click on: B-WET Home


Student Opportunities

The Funny Thing About Climate Change Contest

Hundreds of cash awards available, ranging from $50 to $1,500!

Deadline: Monday, June 13, 2022

The 2022 Ocean Awareness Contest is a platform for young people to learn about environmental issues through art-making and creative communication, and become advocates for positive change. The 2022 Ocean Awareness Contest theme: THE FUNNY THING ABOUT CLIMATE CHANGE challenges students to learn about climate change and its impact on the ocean, and to explore new ways, like humor, satire, or kitsch, to communicate the urgency of the climate crisis.

Details:

    • Submissions accepted in: Visual Art, Creative Writing, Film, Interactive & Multimedia, Performing Arts: Music & Dance, and Poetry & Spoken Word
    • Open to middle and high school students ages 11-18 worldwide
    • Students can work as individuals or as a group/class/club
    • Hundreds of cash awards available, ranging from $50 to $1,500

Visit the website for full details and Bow Seat’s Resource Studio, where you and your students can access curated resources such as articles, primary literature, etc.


2022 Summer Watershed Stewardship Ambassador Program

This program is open to all Danbury High School Students preferably Sophomore and Junior aquatic science students. A paid ambassador program focused on Environmental Stewardship, sponsored by WCSU Finding Our Way STEM Outreach Office. 

Click below to apply!

2022 SWSA Student Application

 

For more information see the High School Summer Opportunities page!



Announcing the 2022 WCSU Environmental Stewardship Competition for Seventh Graders!

A student competition focused on Environmental Stewardship, sponsored by WCSU Finding Our Way STEM Outreach Office.

 

2022 Stewardship Application


Lake Symposium 2021

For more information, please contact Dr. Theodora Pinou, professor of Biology, at Pinout@wcsu.edu

If you would like to attend the Lake Symposium there are 3 sessions.

More Information CLICK HERE

If you missed any of the sessions CLICK HERE to watch the recording! 


Congratulations to the 2021 WCSU Environmental Stewardship Competition Winner

 

2021 WCSU Environmental Stewardship Competition winner Jahmiya Beamon-Scott with her Westside Academy teacher Beth Manning

2021 WCSU Environmental Stewardship Competition winner Jahmiya Beamon-Scott with her Westside Academy teacher Beth Manning

Link here to WCSU News

Link here to New Milford’s HamletHub


Lake Symposium 2020

For more information, please contact Dr. Theodora Pinou, professor of Biology, at Pinout@wcsu.edu

If you would like to attend the Lake Symposium there are 3 sessions.

If you missed any of the sessions CLICK HERE to watch the recording! 


Announcing the First Place Winner for the

2020 WCSU Environmental Stewardship Competition

for Seventh Graders!

Eva George, Westside Middle School Academy, receives First Place WCSU NOAA B-WET Stewardship Award for 2020!

(Click here) To learn more about her project!

Western Connecticut State University Press Release ~ Local Middle Schooler wins NOAA B-Wet Stewardship Award

Danbury Middle Schooler Wins NOAA Science Award


Announcing the 2020 WCSU Environmental Stewardship Competition for Seventh Graders!

 

Looking for something to do while you are inside?

Apply for the Stewardship Competition! A student competition focused on Environmental Stewardship, sponsored by WCSU  Finding Our Way STEM Outreach Office.  

(Click the above link for more details!)


2018-2019 Stewardship Award Winners Announced!

(Click above link for details)

Congratulations to the seventh-grade students from Danbury and surrounding area schools who are winners of the 2019 NOAA B-WET Stewardship Competition.

 

 

Front row, l-r: Joshua Hattar, Diego Soto, Sabrina Serpa-Smith, Marisol Tapia, Juliet Dahlstrom, Joshua Maruffi, Esther Ribiero, Sereen Ammezane and Jake Ledan. (Missing is Matthew Waldron.)

Back row, l-r: Program Assistant Carol Ball; Jonathan Neuhausel, Magnet School Coach, Westside Middle School Academy; Program Director Dr. Dora Pinou; and WCSU Professor of Biology Dr. Hannah Reynolds. (Missing is Carrie Rowe, Science Teacher, Rogers Park Middle School.)


2019 was a great year for many organizations!

Read about Finding Our Way, and other community organizations in an article from The Ridgefield Press. (Click Here)


Water Stewardship Volunteer Opportunities! Take your passion to the next level!

Congratulations to our Partner, Danbury Grassroots Academy on their many successes!  Many FOW students participate in this outstanding program. Click here to learn more.

Water Stewardship Advocates: Make a Video and compete for $500! Click the link here!

Here is an opportunity for your students to win $500 for creating a video that addresses key issues related to stewardship! 

More information here!


THREE FINDING OUR WAY ALUMNI EARN AWARDS

AT 2019 CONNECTICUT SCIENCE & ENGINEERING FAIR

KHUSHI PARIKH, SRISHTI RAMAKRISHNAN, AND SHARVA KARTHIKEYAN ALL WINNERS!

(Click above link for details)

 

 

Khushi Parikh, a ninth-grader at Danbury High School, won multiple awards for her project, “Engineering a Polylectic Biomimetic Micro Aerial Vehicle to Pollinate Flowers.”


Watch our 2018 Summer Experience Video Here!


EVENTS

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Click here for more events!

Keep watching this space for more details about these vital environmental activities as it becomes available!


More events, WCSU

We encourage you to attend Western Connecticut State University events open to the public. Click on the links below for more information.

Upcoming University Events

View photos of our Finding Our Way Family Science  Saturday, March 23, 2019! 

2018-19 Schedule

See what finding our way has offered our students. Learn more about the STEM learning experience and the Finding Our Way program.

More info here!

Applications Open for Natural Resources Conservation 

Academy

The NRCA engages high school students, conservation volunteers, and teachers in environmental ed and service-learning programming, and participants execute a long term conservation project in their own towns throughout Connecticut. Learn more at http://nrca.uconn.edu/ or see these fun videos on our Conservation Ambassador Program and Conservation Training Partnerships Program.

Shoutout to Ester Ribeiro has started her stewardship project already!  Wow!

GBBC eNewsletter

Our 2018 overnight field trip to Wallops Island, VA was a huge success

We visited the NASA Space Flight Center, the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration’s satellite station, Chincoteague National Wildlife Reserve and Dover Air Force Base and the Air Mobility Command Museum. We met scientists…more information.

Watch our video here!

 Connecticut Bird Atlas  

 

CT Bird Atlas Volunteer Appreciation Event, October 5, 2019, 10:00 to 12:00 at Hammonasset State Park. Come enjoy a fall morning with food and beverages. We will present a preliminary review of two years of bird breeding data.

As of an update from a past event, the Atlas Project data, trends, and stats; present the winter survey protocol! 

See Finding Our Way Summer Experience 2017

Check out our awesome video. Click here!

Summer activities 2018 schedule