First Light - now in its 24th year! First Light is a free Saturday science program that operates during the school year for middle school students from D.C. public, charter, private and parochial schools. Hands-on science activities such as constructing and programming robots, investigating pond ecology using microscopes and electronic probes, the study of the solar system and telescope building — all relate to astrobiology, a new field that is based on interdisciplinary connections among life, physical, earth and space sciences. Each six-week session has a different focus. Each session enrolls about 25 youngsters admitted on a first-come first-served basis.

New! Outreach Biotechnology Loaner Lab
As an expansion of DCBiotech so more students can have opportunities, and with the generous support of the Shippy Foundation and the Association of American Medical Colleges, CASE is providing 4 Loaner Labs, free of charge, for you to use in your science classes!  Download the brochure, here:

            1. Bacterial Transformation - Ampicillin Antibiotic Resistance

            2. Bacterial Transformation - The Lac+ Phenotype

            3. Restriction Enzyme Cleavage of DNA and Gel Electrophoresis

            4. Experiment with Enzymes

CASE is scheduling Certification Sessions for DC science teachers Grades 7-12. Register here to attend a Certification Session for the Loaner Lab(s) you would like to use in your classes.

DC Biotech
Sponsored in partnership with the DCPS Office of Career and Technical Education and supported in part by the National Science Foundation, this program provides teachers with rigorous content and practical background in biotechnology for grades 11 and 12. Workplace skills in laboratory, Internet, mathematics, and communication are emphasized so that D.C. students start to be prepared for 21st Century technical careers.

Math For America
Math for America is a private nonprofit organization with a mission to improve math education in secondary public schools in the United States by recruiting, training, and retaining outstanding mathematics teachers.

Messenger
In collaboration with the Challenger Institute, CASE has worked on resource materials for teachers that relate to space science and the NASA discovery missions.

Past Programs

The CASE Summer Institutes expose teachers to new ways to teach science while boosting their content knowledge.

• Elementary Summer Institute
  This is the only long-term professional development program in STEM exclusively for D.C. teachers. Participants are grouped by grade for most experiences—early childhood, grades 2-3, and grades 4-5 —and learn instructional methods and content adapted to each grade level. Teachers experience hands-on activities with grade-appropriate materials and content; work with FOSS kits adopted by DCPS is included.

• Middle School Astrobiology
  The Astrobiology Institute is aligned with the D.C. Science and Mathematics Standards for grades 6 and 7. CASE professional staff and Mentor Teachers model the pedagogy needed to teach content through inquiry and hands-on activities. Teachers learn from Astrobiology: An Integrated Science, an excellent high school textbook and activities manual published by TERC and sponsored by the National Science Foundation along with hands-on activities developed by CASE.