Everyone Play Nice: A Brief Intro To Game Theory,
2026
Illinois Math and Science Academy
Everyone Play Nice: A Brief Intro To Game Theory, Dr. Zack Conley, Outreach
Professional Learning Day
What happens when your best choice depends on what everyone else does? Join us for an interactive session, where we will explore game theory through different activities and simulations. When is it better to be selfish and when is it better to work together?
Cardiac Emergency Response Plan (Cerp),
2026
Illinois Math and Science Academy
Cardiac Emergency Response Plan (Cerp), Angie Shoener, Student Affairs
Professional Learning Day
Learn about your role in the event of a cardiac emergency on campus and how to respond. The Cardiac Emergency Response plan will be explained to faculty and staff. Then you will participate in a practice drill. The session will finish with an evaluation and feedback from the practice drill.
Supporting Teens Through Grief & Loss,
2026
Illinois Math and Science Academy
Supporting Teens Through Grief & Loss, Jayshree Panchal, Student Affairs
Professional Learning Day
Teens may appear and communicate in ways that resemble adults, yet they are still in the process of learning to manage their emotions, comprehend their relationships, and establish their identity in the world. When they experience grief and loss, they are navigating through their own unique journey of mourning. This workshop aims to assist you in understanding how to provide support to teens as they navigate the lifelong process of grieving.
Ai Across The Curriculum: Early Insights From Unr Students And Faculty,
2026
University of Nevada, Reno
Ai Across The Curriculum: Early Insights From Unr Students And Faculty, Elisabeth Linn, Elena S. Azadbakht, Rosalind Bucy
AI in the Classroom: A Virtual Summit
In July 2025, the University of Nevada, Reno (UNR) joined librarians, educators, and administrators across 15-20 institutions to participate in an Ithaka S+R AI cohort. Ithaka S+R has worked with academic libraries, teaching and learning centers, and college administrators across more than 60 institutions, leading cohorts focused on teaching and learning with AI, integrating AI literacy into the curriculum, and more. This third cohort focused on defining, implementing, and scaling AI literacy initiatives across higher education. Through interviews with faculty and students, cohorts investigate needs surrounding AI literacy specific to their campus. This presentation will describe the preliminary results of …
Beyond Adoption: Shared Values And Guiding Questions For Ai-Aware Teaching,
2026
University of Nevada, Reno
Beyond Adoption: Shared Values And Guiding Questions For Ai-Aware Teaching, Sarah Cummings, Lyndsay Munro
AI in the Classroom: A Virtual Summit
We will discuss how shared questions can provide coherence without requiring uniform practice across disciplines, courses, or instructors. Examples from faculty across disciplines demonstrate how educators can begin with common values while reaching different, contextually appropriate decisions. By shifting attention from finding the single “right” approach to AI toward asking shared questions about teaching and learning, the framework offers a practical way forward amid varied practices, perspectives, and policies.
Gauging The Evolving Needs Of Residential Students,
2026
Illinois Math and Science Academy
Gauging The Evolving Needs Of Residential Students, Amber Lange, Mission & Impact, Dr. Katie Berger, Student Affairs
Professional Learning Day
What if IMSA faculty and staff could offer advice to higher education administrators about the evolving needs of residential students we have noticed while they are living here with us? Well this is your chance! Dr. Katie Berger and Amber Lange hope to lead this discussion at the annual conference for Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education and want your input. Join us for a brief discussion about what evolving needs you have seen in recent years here at the Academy.
Ai Beyond The Screen: Exploring Physical Ai,
2026
Illinois Math and Science Academy
Ai Beyond The Screen: Exploring Physical Ai, Tami Armstrong, Public Affairs, Dr. Ashwin Mohan, Ai Center
Professional Learning Day
What happens when AI moves beyond the screen and interacts with the physical world? Last year, Dr. Ashwin Mohan worked with a group of IMSA sophomores to explore Physical AI and develop hands-on activities using simple, low-cost tools. In this interactive session, participants will experience their work firsthand and learn how AI can learn from feedback and adapt. No coding or technical background is required: Just curiosity about AI, student innovation, and hands-on learning.
What’S Happening At The Chicago Hub?,
2026
Illinois Math and Science Academy
What’S Happening At The Chicago Hub?, Frank Kadri, Outreach
Professional Learning Day
Are you curious about what’s going on at IMSA’s newest hub location? After just one year, IMSA is already making an impact in Chicago. Chat with Chicago Hub manager Frank Kadri about what’s happening, and more importantly, what’s to come, including building a navigation app/website for STEM activities, experiences, partners, and providers that pairs with school selection for elementary and high schools across the city.
My Travels, Experiences, And Teaching Possibilities,
2026
Illinois Math and Science Academy
My Travels, Experiences, And Teaching Possibilities, Dr. Lee Eysturlid, Academics
Professional Learning Day
No abstract provided.
Building Culture: The Calaverita Engineering Challenge,
2026
Illinois Math and Science Academy
Building Culture: The Calaverita Engineering Challenge, David Hernandez
Professional Learning Day
In this session, we will explore the cultural significance of “Calaveritas” (sugar skull), an important artistic element of “Día de los Muertos” in Mexican culture. Visitors will investigate the engineering design and production process used to create decorative “Calaveritas”, exploring materials, structure, aesthetics, and manufacturing techniques. Through the design process, participants will create their own “Calaverita” while connecting culture, art, engineering, and technology to understand how traditional designs can inspire modern creative production.
Make It Matter: Designing Meaningful Professional Learning,
2026
Illinois Math and Science Academy
Make It Matter: Designing Meaningful Professional Learning, Cassandra Armstrong, Lindsey Herlehy
Professional Learning Day
You know your content. You have an idea. Maybe you even have a slide deck. But how do you turn that expertise into a 60-minute professional learning experience that educators will actually find valuable? This session will guide participants through the process of designing, preparing, and facilitating a professional learning session-- particularly for Institute Day. We'll explore what makes professional learning engaging and useful, consider how to move beyond "sit and get," and use a simple planning framework to turn an idea into an actionable session. Participants will have time to work on their own Institute Day proposal and leave …
Budget Basics,
2026
Illinois Math and Science Academy
Budget Basics, Brien Martin,Business Office
Professional Learning Day
An overview of budgeting in general, explaining what budgets are used for, how they may be built, suggestions for managing a budget (or multiple budgets), and an overview of the IMSA budget process, which is being revised and revamped as we head into FY2028
Interactive Review Of Imsa’S Emergency Operations Plan,
2026
Illinois Math and Science Academy
Interactive Review Of Imsa’S Emergency Operations Plan, Stefan Bjes,Campus Safety
Professional Learning Day
Emergency preparedness relies on collective confidence and clear communication across departments. This session serves as a "work in progress" collaboration to present IMSA’s refreshed Emergency Operations Plan (EOP) and workshop the best strategies for communicating these protocols to the broader staff body. Participants will explore core components of the plan—spanning severe weather, facility emergencies, and campus safety threats—while actively testing how to make these procedures engaging, accessible, and actionable for everyone on campus.
Beyond The Sign-Out: Reaching Across Imsa,
2026
Illinois Math and Science Academy
Beyond The Sign-Out: Reaching Across Imsa, Courtney Caruthers , Student Affairs
Professional Learning Day
REACH: a sign-out system and MUCH more! This session explores why IMSA is implementing REACH, how it supports Residence Life operations, and where its impact intersects with Academics, Student Affairs, families, and other campus partners. Participants will see how REACH can connect people, processes, and information to strengthen student support, while exploring what we are learning through implementation and where opportunities for greater collaboration may exist.
Ai Agents,
2026
Illinois Math and Science Academy
Ai Agents, Dr. Phadmakar Patankar, Academics
Professional Learning Day
No abstract provided.
Engaging In And Chaperoning Imsa Experiences,
2026
Illinois Math and Science Academy
Engaging In And Chaperoning Imsa Experiences, Brandon Ducoing, Emma Wilson Parker, Student Affairs
Professional Learning Day
IMSA’s student experience extends beyond the classroom, and adult presence plays an important role in making those experiences meaningful. This session will explore how faculty and staff can engage with students through events, activities, traditions, and other experiences. We’ll discuss what it means to be an effective chaperone, how to support student independence while maintaining appropriate supervision, and ways faculty and staff can get involved in experiences like CLASH of the Halls.
Course Evaluations: Current & Future,
2026
Illinois Math and Science Academy
Course Evaluations: Current & Future, Dr. Paul Gaszak, Dr. Angela Rowley, Dr. Amber Pareja, Andrew Salyer
Professional Learning Day
Course evaluations are an opportunity for students to provide constructive feedback each term about their courses, faculty, and experience at IMSA. In this session, we will review the current state of course evaluations, and there will be an opportunity to provide feedback on how the questions and process should evolve for future academic years.
"We Are Still Here”: Curating A High Quality Native American Children’S Book Collection For The Elementary Classroom,
2026
Independent Scholar
"We Are Still Here”: Curating A High Quality Native American Children’S Book Collection For The Elementary Classroom, Lucia Benzor
Teaching Social Studies in the Peach State
Elementary social studies educators face many challenges in the classroom when teaching on the subject of Native Americans. In addition to outdated materials or a lack of resources that inaccurately depict Native Americans as well as stereotypes found in a variety of media, students are left with various misconceptions that they bring with them to the classroom. To begin to combat these hurdles, the author advocates for the use of high quality picture books written by Indigenous authors and shares a carefully curated list of texts and suggestions for classroom use. The list features both fiction and nonfiction that address …
Artifacts Inquiry For Social Studies And Science Classrooms,
2026
Sam Houston State University
Artifacts Inquiry For Social Studies And Science Classrooms, Tina Valenzuela, Jaime L. Coyne
Teaching Social Studies in the Peach State
Artifacts offer opportunities for students to move beyond reading about the past to investigating evidence from it. In this article, we describe a museum-based artifact inquiry activity developed with teacher candidates and offers practical ways to adapt the activity for K–12 interdisciplinary classrooms. Beginning with a single artifact, learners make careful observations, distinguish observation from inference, develop compelling and supporting questions, investigate additional sources, construct evidence-based claims, and consider perspectives and limitations of the available evidence. The activity aligns with the College, Career, and Civic Life (C3) Framework Inquiry Arc and connects with the Georgia Standards of Excellence in social …
From Classroom Community To Civic Community: Three Activities For Social Studies Teachers And Teacher Educators,
2026
University of Georgia
From Classroom Community To Civic Community: Three Activities For Social Studies Teachers And Teacher Educators, Sonia Janis, Samantha Hand, Hyelin Kim
Teaching Social Studies in the Peach State
In politically uncertain times, social studies educators must cultivate classrooms where students feel valued, develop trust, take intellectual risks, and engage substantively with controversial issues and difficult histories. Drawing on our implementation of three community-building activities in a spring 2026 social studies education course, we describe how pre-service teachers (PSTs) experienced these activities as opportunities for relationship-building, identity exploration, and collaborative learning while preparing to teach difficult histories to local eighth-grade students. Each activity is paired with adaptations for middle and high school settings, including suggestions that attend to technology, student privacy, and diverse forms of expression. Community-building is an …
