ASTE members play a vital role in making our annual conference a success! Please consider serving our association in one of the volunteer roles below. You must be a current (2023) member to be appointed to these positions.
Have a question about volunteering? Please contact our ASTE Conference Program Coordinator Kelly Feille.
Proposal Reviewers
Proposal reviewers are appointed annually to review proposals submitted to a particular conference thread using a set of review criteria as specified in the Call for Proposals. Reviews are managed online through the ASTE website, and are submitted electronically. Reviewers typically are responsible for reviewing 6-8 proposals, depending on the number of submissions and number of reviewers.
On-Site Registration Desk Volunteer
Volunteer to work a 2-hour shift at the ASTE Conference Registration Desk to help welcome conference attendees and get them checked in and pick up their conference name badge. Volunteers must attend the in-person conference. The local conference coordinator will reach out to all volunteers on this list to coordinate your shifts as the conference approaches. Members in this critical position help set the warm and welcoming vibe of an ASTE conference!
Session Presiders
Session presiders help ensure our annual meeting runs smoothly and is a positive experience for both presenters and attendees! Presiders identify and welcome the presenters to the assigned session, assist them in preparing to use the presentation equipment, and verify the order of presentations for the session. They also monitor time to ensure the session begins/ends as scheduled, and ensure that all presenters are provided their alotted time to speak. They facilitate question & answer from the audience, and thank presenters and attendees for participating in the session.
Thread Coordinators
Thread coordinators are appointed for a 2-year term. Thread Coordinators are appointed to serve as co-chairs for each of the ASTE Conference Threads. Thread Coordinators are appointed by and work under the supervision of the Conference Program Coordinator, who sends out the call for Thread Coordinators annually in spring. Thread Coordinators are responsible for evaluating the reviews of each proposal and making a recommendation to accept/accept if space/reject). Thread Coordinators also review any thread-specific Work in Progress Poster proposals to ensure their relevancy to ASTE and their thread. The term of service is two years, and begins/ends at the Thread Coordinators meeting held at the ASTE conference (both outgoing and incoming Thread Coordinators attend the meeting). Appointments occur annually to allow overlap between incoming and outgoing coordinators. Thread Coordinators must be members in good standing of ASTE.
Apply to be a Thread Coordinator
ASTE Conference Threads
The ASTE conference is organized by ‘Threads’ that bring together sessions and topics related to a variety of member interests. Our current Conference Threads and Chairs are listed below.
College & University Science Education: Proposals for this strand will address issues such as conceptual change, content knowledge, pedagogical content knowledge, etc. that are pertinent to higher education science faculty who work with science teachers or science teacher educators, community, and after-school programs.
Chairs: Leslie Bradbury and Katie Green
Curriculum, Pedagogy, and Assessment: Proposals for this strand will be in the form of practice or research pieces that inform science teacher educators about curriculum, pedagogy and assessment for current and future science teachers as used by science teacher educators and in science departments.
Chairs: Kimberly Lott and Laura Schisler
Educational Technology: Proposals for this strand will be in the form of practice or research pieces that inform science teacher educators about technology use and training for present and future science teachers as used by science teacher educators.
Chairs: Jesse Wilcox and Colby Tofel-Grehl
Equity & Diversity: Proposals for this strand will foreground and critically examine issues of equity, inclusion, and diversity that are central to science teacher education, science education, and science.
Chairs: Terri Hebert and Preethi Titu
Ethnoscience and Environmental Education: Proposals for this strand will be in the form of practice or research pieces that inform science teacher educators about culture, diversity and environmental education for current and future teachers.
Chairs: Sarah Carrier and Sarah Haines
History, Philosophy, and Nature of Science: Proposals for this strand will be in the form of practice, theory or research pieces that inform science teacher educators about history, philosophy and the nature of science (not limited to science practices) for current and future science teachers.
Chairs: Ryan Summers and Alister Olson
Informal/Out-of-School Science Education: Proposals for this strand will be in the form of practice or research pieces that inform science teacher educators about informal science education for current and future science teachers.
Chairs: Michael Dentzau and Michelle Forsythe
Policy, Advocacy and Reform: Proposals for this strand will be in the form of practice, white papers, position statements or research pieces that inform science teacher educators about policy and reform and how each impacts science teacher educators and education.
Chairs: Joanne Olson and Daniel Carpenter
Preservice Science Teacher Preparation-ELEMENTARY: Proposals for this strand will be in the form of practice or research pieces that inform science teacher educators about science teacher preparation programs.
Chairs: Karl Jung and Tina Vo
Preservice Science Teacher Preparation-MIDDLE/SECONDARY: Proposals for this strand will be in the form of practice or research pieces that inform science teacher educators about science teacher preparation programs.
Chairs: Stephanie Phillip and Rachel Sparks
Professional Development for Science Teacher Educators (Workshops) Proposals for one-hour workshops for science teacher educators can be submitted to this strand. Workshops are currently embedded in the conference schedule, rather than being scheduled preconference.
*Chaired by the PD Committee
Science Teacher Professional Development-ELEMENTARY: Proposals for this strand will be in the form of practice or research pieces that inform science teacher educators about science teacher professional development.
Chairs: Selena Bartels and Wendy Ruchti
Science Teacher Professional Development-MIDDLE/SECONDARY: Proposals for this strand will be in the form of practice or research pieces that inform science teacher educators about science teacher professional development.
Chairs: Patrick Enderle and Debbie French
STEM Education: Proposals for this strand will be in the form of practice or research pieces that inform science teacher educators about STEM education, our understanding of what STEM means and the National Standards for STEM for future and current science teachers.
Chairs: Ingrid Carter and Emily Dare
Student Learning P-12: Proposals for this strand will be in the form of practice or research pieces that inform science teacher educators about the relationship between student learning and current and future science teachers.
Chairs: Richard Lamb and Stephen Thompson