STEM Modules

Connecting Research to the Classroom

The SD EPSCoR STEM Modules offer free curriculum enhancement resources for STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) teachers to help educators implement inquiry based learning experiences and spark interest in K-12 students to pursue STEM careers.

For Educators

Free curriculum modules for middle and high school teachers are available based on scientific research occurring in South Dakota. All curriculum modules are aligned with the new South Dakota Science Standards.

STEM Teacher Leaders
The curriculum modules were developed by a team of South Dakota STEM teacher leaders and have been tested in their classrooms. The modules provide lesson plans, activities, multi-media content, and the opportunity for you and your students to connect to the research scientists, companies, or organizations who are doing this work, through in-person or virtual visits.

We are always looking for teacher leaders to join our development team. If you are interested, please contact Anne Lewis.

SDSU Modules for K-12 Learning: Our partners at South Dakota State University have these modules to incorporate into K-12 classrooms. Agriculture, Lakota Ethnobotany for First Graders and for South Dakota Middle School Students, Soil Health, DNA Extractions from Fruits, and other areas are covered!


For Researchers

SD EPSCoR and the SD Discovery Center have teamed up to increase scientist-and-public engagement and encourage more students to consider STEM career paths.

We create curriculum modules with connection possibilities for middle and high school teachers based on your research. Join our efforts and help us feature your research as a lesson module in SD schools, connect with local students (in person or virtually) to talk about your work and what it is like to be a scientist in South Dakota. Take the first step by filling out an online form about your research here.

The SD Discovery Center offers Science Communication Workshops based on the NSF-funded Portal to the Public approach, that connects scientists with the public via informal science institutions.


All STEM Modules

Title Scientist Feedback
Download Module Files Titanium Implants Contact ScientistJevin Meyerink Provide Feedback
Download Module Files The Hunt for Cancer Cells (part 2) Contact ScientistRachel Willand-Charnley Provide Feedback
Download Module Files South Dakota Geological History Contact ScientistDebra Shewfelt Provide Feedback
Download Module Files Proteins — More than Just Meat! Contact ScientistScott Wood Provide Feedback
Download Module Files Potash to Potassium Contact ScientistDebra Shewfelt Provide Feedback
Download Module Files Nanotechnology Contact ScientistSteve Smith Provide Feedback
Download Module Files Modifying Nature Contact ScientistJose Gonzales Provide Feedback
Download Module Files Modeling the Fluid Mosaic Cell Membrane (part 1) Contact ScientistRachel Willand-Charnley Provide Feedback
Download Module Files Mind if I Mine Here? Contact ScientistCrystal Hocking Provide Feedback
Download Module Files Milkweed: Fitness, Friends, and Foes Contact ScientistCarrie Olson-Manning Provide Feedback
Download Module Files Milkweed Hybridization Contact ScientistCarrie Olson-Manning Provide Feedback
Download Module Files How do We Kill Cancer Cells? (part 1) Contact ScientistRachel Willand-Charnley Provide Feedback
Download Module Files Hidden in Plain Sight Contact ScientistJing Liu Provide Feedback
Download Module Files Helping Stem Cells Regenerate Bone! Contact ScientistEric Sandhurst Provide Feedback
Download Module Files Heat Exchanger and Space Flight: Materials Science and Metal Alloys Used as Heat Exchanger Contact ScientistAnamika Prasad Provide Feedback
Download Module Files Great Grapes with Artificial Selection Contact ScientistAnne Fennell Provide Feedback
Download Module Files Geological Studies of South Dakota Part 1 Contact ScientistBrook Long Provide Feedback
Download Module Files Fossils and Geological Studies of South Dakota Part 2 Contact ScientistBrook Long Provide Feedback
Download Module Files Exploring the Scope and Scale of the Nanometer Contact ScientistSteve Smith Provide Feedback
Download Module Files Engineered Bones Contact ScientistEric Sandhurst Provide Feedback
Download Module Files Earth’s Resources Contact ScientistCrystal Hocking Provide Feedback
Download Module Files Design Your Own GMO Contact ScientistJose Gonzales Provide Feedback
Download Module Files Design a Cell Membrane Contact ScientistRachel Willand-Charnley Provide Feedback
Download Module Files Crime Investigation Contact ScientistCedric Neumann Provide Feedback
Download Module Files Cells in Motion Contact ScientistJevin Meyerink Provide Feedback
Download Module Files Cell Signaling (part 2) Contact ScientistRachel Willand-Charnley Provide Feedback
Download Module Files Bioinformatics from Drone Images for Crop Scouting Contact ScientistQin Ma Provide Feedback
Download Module Files Biofilms in the Human Body – Part 3 of 3 Contact ScientistAshley ArmstrongContact ScientistLandra Knodel Provide Feedback
Download Module Files Biofilms in the Human Body – Part 1 of 3 Contact ScientistAshley ArmstrongContact ScientistLandra Knodel Provide Feedback
Download Module Files Back to the Future to Solve the Food Waste Problem Contact ScientistRamana Gadhamshetty Provide Feedback
Download Module Files Arthritis: From Feedback to Cellular Systems Contact ScientistScott Wood Provide Feedback
Download Module Files Air Pollution and Brain Diseases (MS) Contact ScientistPaula Mazzer Provide Feedback
Download Module Files Air Pollution and Brain Diseases (HS) Contact ScientistPaula Mazzer Provide Feedback
Download Module Files A problem in Wastelandia – Exploring Alternatives of Food Waste Management (ESS) Contact ScientistRamana Gadhamshetty Provide Feedback
Download Module Files A problem in Wastelandia – Exploring Alternatives of Food Waste Management (CTE) Contact ScientistRamana Gadhamshetty Provide Feedback