A ninth-grader from Great Neck, N.Y., has been named one of the top 300 junior innovators in the 2025 Thermo Fisher Scientific Junior Innovators Challenge, the premier STEM competition for middle school students. Jada Lin's research project explored the use of natural inhibitors to prevent the spread of antibiotic resistance in E. coli. Conducted as an eighth grader, her work focused on using organic products to reduce reinfection rates in health care settings.

Fourth-grade students at Park Elementary in Kearney, Neb., are learning math, geography and social-emotional skills through a program called "NFeLementary" that uses football as a teaching method. Students select an NFL team at the start of the school year, track their team's progress and participate in activities that connect academics with real-world sports. The curriculum encourages cheering for all teams and incorporates lessons in sportsmanship, making learning engaging and relevant, says teacher Amanda Reinert.

Imagi is a gamified coding platform that teaches Python to students in grades three through nine. The platform is accessible from most devices and is designed to help teachers facilitate coding education with ease. Imagi's transition from block-based to text-based programming supports foundational learning while keeping students engaged through creativity and real-world application. There is also a teacher dashboard that allows educators to create classes, assign lessons and track student progress.

The Santa Barbara Maritime Museum in California will host the Girls in Ocean Science Conference Sept. 27-28. The conference will connect middle- and high-school girls with female scientists and ocean advocates, focusing on research and mentorship. Participants will take part in hands-on lab activities by climbing aboard a local boat to do real-world field research, rotating through science stations led by experts from regional organizations.

The Community Foundation for the Ohio Valley has rolled out its Expand Energy STEM grant cycle, with applications accepted through Oct. 3. This cycle is focused on funding innovative STEM projects in local schools, encouraging creative proposals that enhance classroom learning beyond what is supported by regular school budgets. Each successful applicant can receive up to $1,000 from the program.

A partnership among Unruly Studios, the Georgia Statewide Afterschool Network and the Georgia Department of Education is introducing an innovative learning method that combines math, coding and movement. The Unruly Splats program equips students with interactive floor buttons that light up, make sounds and track points when stomped on, making math and coding activities both fun and physically engaging, while helping students build confidence in a joyful environment.