NFB EQ Agenda

August 2-6, 2016

NFB EQ is a program of the National Center for Blind Youth in Science, an initiative of the National Federation of the Blind. This work is supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. 1322855.

Tuesday, August 2, 2016

2:00-7:00 PM Participant Arrival

Participants who are arriving by plane or bus/train should take a taxi or ride share service to the address below.

National Federation of the Blind Jernigan Institute

200 East Wells Street

Baltimore, Maryland 21230

6:00-7:00 PM Dinner, Dining Room

7:00-8:00 PM Introductions and Brain Teaser, Jacobus tenBroek Library

Meet other participants and crack a brainteaser together.

Wednesday, August 3, 2016

7:00-8:00 AM Breakfast, Dining Room

8:00-8:45 AM NFB EQ Teacher Seminar Kick-Off, NFB of Utah Auditorium

Welcoming remarks from leaders of the National Federation of the Blind

8:45-9:15 AM The Process Skills of Science: A Framework, Jacobus tenBroek Library

What are the science process skills and how can blind students demonstrate mastery of those skills?

9:15-10:15 AM Archeological Adventure Part 1, Jacobus tenBroek Library

Go on an archeological dig and figure out how blind students can participate fully in a mock dig.

10:15-10:30 AM Break, Jacobus tenBroek Library

10:30-11:00 AM Archeological Adventure Part 2, Jacobus tenBroek Library

Go on an accessible archeological dig.

11:00 AM-12:00 PM Alka-Seltzer Rockets, Jacobus tenBroek Library

Launch rockets, make a mess, and chat about accessibility along the way.

12:00-1:00 PM Lunch, Dining Room

1:00-2:30 PM LEGO Zipline, Jacobus tenBroek Library

LEGOs, Ziplines, and Accessibility, oh my!

2:30-2:45 PM Break, Jacobus tenBroek Library

2:45-3:45 AM More STEM Tools and Techniques, Jacobus tenBroek Library

Get your hands on a wide variety of tools for making STEM subjects accessible to blind students.

3:45-5:00 PM Tactile Technical Drawing, Jacobus tenBroek Library

Learn the techniques one talented art teacher has used to teach blind students technical drawing skills, like those used by engineers.

5:00 PM Dinner on Your Own

Participants will receive a stipend at registration to help cover the cost of food.

Thursday, August 4, 2016

7:00-8:00 AM Breakfast, Dining Room

8:00-9:30 PM Accessible Acid Base Titration, Jacobus tenBroek Library

Dawn your lab coat and goggles; it’s time for some chemistry! Learn about a technique developed by a blind chemist that allows blind people to conduct acid base titrations nonvisually and very accurately.

9:30-10:15 AM Accessibility Workshop Part 1, Jacobus tenBroek

Participants will work in groups to make a variety of STEM activities accessible for blind students.

10:15-10:30 AM Break

10:30 AM-12:00 PM Accessibility Workshop Part 2, Jacobus tenBroek Library

Participants will work in groups to make a variety of STEM activities accessible for blind students.

12:00-1:00 PM Lunch, Dining Room

1:00-2:00 PM Accessibility Roundtable: Reengineer Inaccessible STEM Activities, Jacobus tenBroek Library

What is one STEM activity that you struggle to make accessible to blind students? Bring that activity and collaborate with other teachers to reengineer it and improve the accessibility.

2:00-3:00 PM The Parking Lot: A Participant-Led Discussion, Jacobus tenBroek Library

A discussion of STEM related topics driven by program participants and based upon ideas and questions that have been placed on the “parking lot” throughout the workshop.

3:00-3:15 PM Break, Jacobus tenBroek Library

3:15-4:15 PM Blind People Working in STEM, Jacobus tenBroek Library

Talk with blind men and women who work in STEM; learn how they got to where they are.

4:15-5:00 PM What are the Students Up to?, Members Hall

Go check out what the NFB EQ students are working on. They might be wrapping up boat construction, drawing diagrams, polishing their water filters, or testing the fidelity of their boats in the pool.

5:00 PM Dinner on Your Own

Participants will receive a stipend at registration to help cover the cost of food.

Friday, August 5, 2016

7:00-7:30 AM Breakfast, Dining Room

7:30-8:00 AM Morning Meeting, Jacobus tenBroek Library

Get details on the plan for our day with the students out at the park.

8:00-9:00 AM Transportation to Gunpowder Falls State Park

9:15 AM-2:00 PM On-site Testing of Prototypes, Lunch, and Swimming

Observe as the students test their prototypes at the park. Then enjoy a cookout lunch and some time outside!

2:00-2:30 PM Transportation back to the NFB Jernigan Institute

3:30-4:30 PM NFB EQ Smack Down, Jacobus tenBroek Library

Share your big takeaways from the workshop as well as your favorite STEM or blindness related resource, which has not yet been mentioned.

4:30-5:30 PM NFB EQ Student Showcase, NFB of Utah Auditorium

Support the NFB EQ students as they showcase their work to their peers and the stakeholders in their engineering project.

5:30-6:30 PM Dinner on Your Own

Participants will receive a stipend at registration to help cover the cost of food.

Saturday, August 6, 2016

5:00-10:00 AM Participant Departures and Breakfast, Harbor Room

Participants must depart the NFB Jernigan Institute by 10:00 a.m. Saturday morning.