Book your Hotel Today!

Wyndham I-Drive Avanti Palms Resort and Conference Center

6515 International Drive

Orlando, FL 32819

First, put in your dates!  It is showing dates for the entire week! So you must edit. It will show a rate of $118+ per night. If you click on the total for stay next to rate details, it will break the room cost down to the $98 per night.

The $20 per night resort fee will be waived upon check out only if you use our booking link.

FAST Hotel Booking Link

please email Barbara Rapoza at b_rapoza@yahoo.com

For Vendor information pertaining to the Exhibit Hall at our Conference,

please contact

 Sharon Cutler: cutlersharon@mac.com

VENDOR REGISTRATION FORM <--Click here if you would like to represent your company at our 2026 FAST Conference in Orlando

Main Conference Registration will Open Soon!

Early Bird Registration is open until October 9, 2026

General Conference  (presenters DO NOT use, see below)    

              Early Bird        $75  (ends October 9, 2026)

              Regular         $100  (after October 9, 2026) 

Life members               

             Early Bird        $25  (ends October 9, 2026)

             Regular           $40  (after October 9, 2026) 

This is for life members ONLY. If you would like to become a life member, click on the JOIN US button on the homepage.

Presenter

Presenter     $75

This registration button is for approved PRESENTER and CO-PRESENTER registration ONLY 

NOTICE: All PRESENTERS and CO-PRESENTERS must register and pay by Sept 20, 2026 to secure their session. 

 Main Conference Registration page

Field Trip, Social Events and Workshops registration page <--click here

Even though the online registration for the Field Trip, Social event, and workshops, we still have some availability for some workshops.

We will accept walk-ins Thursday Morning.

Florida Science Olympiad

Inspiring the Next Generation of Innovators

FAST 2025 CONFERENCE PROGRAM BOOK

Program book is online! See you all at the conference.

Will be updated in Jul for 2026 

There is a small fee to attend the field trip and the workshops that is in addition to the conference registration fee. Concurrent sessions on Friday and Saturday are free.  Conference registration is required to attend all events.

 

Sponsored by FPL & Accelerate Learning

Date: Thursday, October 22, 2026

Time: 5:30 PM – 7:30 PM

Cost-FREE! Pre-registration required

Even though the cost is free to everyone, you MUST REGISTER by October 9, 2026 to ATTEND! Your registration allows us to order enough food and drink so all attendees will have a great time! You must be registered for the conference to attend. 

Location: Amelia Ballroom

Educators only, no guests!

Come as you are and enjoy snacks, beverages and the company of your colleagues.

WORKSHOPS

We are pleased to offer exciting workshops on Thursday, October 22^nd. Pre-registration is required for these workshops which are 2-hour in-depth sessions. The cost to attend a workshop on Thursday is in addition to and separate to registering for the FASTConference. A workshop participant must also be registered for the Main Conference. Any workshop not meeting minimum capacity will be cancelled. 

If you and your guest fail to register for the conference, you and/or your guest's field trip, social event and/or workshop registration will be voided. 

Workshop #1

^{Date: Thursday, October 22, 2026}

Time: 9:30 am – 11:30 am

Title: Explore How Multimedia Production Supports STEM Learning and Student Engagement

Presented by: 

Isobel Haynes, Florida Film and STEM Academy

Audience: PreK-12 Teachers

Location: TBD

Workshop Cost: $ 5.00, Pre-registration required

Maximum: 45

Minimum:   5

^Description:

This workshop focuses on the use of multimedia production as a way for students to apply, demonstrate, and communicate their understanding of scientific concepts. Using a scientific principle as a foundation for the video, participants will explore how filmmaking, digital storytelling, and media creation can transform complex STEM concepts into engaging, student-driven learning experiences. The process and instructional strategies explored throughout this workshop can be adapted to a wide range of STEM topics and classroom environments.

This workshop is also designed to help students recognize that many of the communication methods and digital platforms they already engage with daily are inherently rooted in STEM. From camera systems to editing software, music and sound design, to video games and VR media - students begin to understand the deep connection between creativity, technology, and innovation.

By emphasizing STEM in both the lesson content and the final multimedia product, instructors create a creative and collaborative learning environment where students can experience applied STEAM education in a meaningful way. This process not only reinforces scientific understanding, but also fosters confidence, encourages problem-solving, and helps students see themselves as active participants within STEM fields.

Participants will work in small groups for storyboarding/video planning, a filming session and editing in Canva, but other software can be discussed and explained as desired.

Workshop #2 

^{Date: Thursday, October 22, 2026}

Time: 9:30 am – 11:30 am 

^{Title: Beyond the Four Walls: Strategies for Engaging Outdoor} Learning

Presented by: 

Maria Hill, Shanna Moss, Collier County Public Schools

^{Audience: All Teachers}

Location: TBD

Workshop Cost: $ 5.00, Pre-registration required

Maximum: 45

Minimum:   5

Description:

Step outside the traditional classroom and discover how outdoor learning can transform student engagement, curiosity, and achievement. This highly interactive professional learning experience will provide educators with practical tools, hands-on activities, and classroom-ready lessons designed to build confidence in teaching outdoors.

Participants will experience outdoor learning firsthand through engaging activities that can be immediately adapted for any grade level or content area. Educators will explore effective classroom management techniques for outdoor settings, strategies for maintaining student accountability and safety, and methods for maximizing learning in existing outdoor spaces. The session will also showcase sample lessons, low-cost outdoor classroom design ideas, and planning tools to help teachers create meaningful learning experiences beyond the classroom walls.

By the end of the session, participants will leave with actionable strategies, ready-to-use lesson ideas, and a personalized plan for incorporating outdoor learning into their instructional practice.

Workshop #3

^{Date: Thursday, October 22, 2026}

Time: 9:30 am to 11:30 am

^{Title: Skull Comparison Investigation on a Budget!}

Presented by: 

Bertha Vazquez, The Center for Inquiry

^{Audience: High School}

Location: TBD

Workshop Cost: $ 5.00, Pre-registration required

Maximum: 45

Minimum:   5

Description:

This Florida Essential Lab is usually completed with very expensive 3D models, making it impossible for many teachers to carry out. The Teacher Institute for Evolutionary Biology has created its own version of this important activity so teachers can effectively teach this vital information for less than ten dollars. Each student group will only need a set of paper copies of seven hominid and primate species provided, two 12-inch rulers, and one protractor.

We will provide the participating teachers with the classroom slide presentation, the student instruction sheet, the data collection sheets, and the list of necessary online resources. Students will begin by describing, measuring, and comparing cranial drawings from contemporary apes, modern humans, and fossil hominins. Students will discover some of the similarities and differences between these forms and see the pattern of the gradual accumulation of traits over time, leading to modern humans. Each student group will make measurements of the following, and the data will be collected in the accompanying data chart: Forehead, Chin, Sagittal Crest, Prognathism, Facial slope, Supraorbital Brow Ridge, Dental Arcade, Canines, Foramen magnum, Cranial Module. Each measurement is carefully described in the classroom presentation and student instructions.

Workshop #4

^{Date: Thursday, October 22, 2026}

Time: 12:30 pm to 4:30 pm

Title: Wet, Wild, and Woodsy: Hands-on Environmental Science for Every Classroom                                   (4-Hour Workshop) 

Presented by: 

Emily Blum

^{Audience: PreK-12 Teachers}

Location: TBD

Workshop Cost: $ 5.00, Pre-registration required

Maximum: 30

Minimum: 10

Description:

Dive into a dynamic 4-hour professional development experience featuring three premier environmental education programs: Project WET, Project WILD, and Project Learning Tree. Inspiring educators through hands-on, engaging activities that will explore water resources, wildlife, and forests while discovering practical strategies to bring environmental science to life for students.

This workshop provides ready-to-use lessons, interdisciplinary connections, and inquiry-based teaching approaches that foster environmental literacy, critical thinking, and meaningful connections to the natural world. Suitable for educators working with learners at all levels. Attendees will become certified educators for Project Wet, Project Wild, and Project Learning Tree.

Workshop #5

^{Date: Thursday, October 22, 2026}

Time: 12:30 pm to 2:30 pm

Title: Interactive Word Wall Workshop: Experience Building a Visual Scaffold that Supports Speaking and             Writing About Science 

Presented by: 

Julie Jackson, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Science Education, Texas State University, San Marcos, TX

Audience: K-12 Classroom Teachers, Science Supervisors, and Science instructional Coaches 

Location: TBD

Workshop Cost: $ 5.00, Pre-registration required

Maximum: 45

Minimum:   5

Description:

Strong science instruction begins with intentional vocabulary planning. This interactive session will focus on purposeful planning to help teachers identify the academic vocabulary that matters most and strategically embed it throughout instruction to build student understanding and language development. Participants will explore a practical Vocabulary Planning Document that streamlines the selection of standards-aligned vocabulary and supports the creation of interactive word walls. Attendees will leave with a ready-to-use planning tool and strategies to implement immediately to strengthen science vocabulary instruction.

Workshop #6

^{Date: Thursday, October 22, 2026}

Time: 12:30 pm to 2:30 pm

Title: Designing for Sensemaking 

Presented by: 

Dr. Victor Sampson, CAO, Argument-Driven Inquiry, Associate Professor, University of Texas

Audience: All Educators, Curriculum Specialists 

Location: TBD

Workshop Cost: $ 5.00, Pre-registration required

Maximum: 40

Minimum: 10

Description:

Today’s science classrooms are shifting from places where students simply learn information to environments where they actively make sense of phenomena, solve problems, and develop explanations using evidence. This interactive workshop introduces the Argument-Driven Inquiry (ADI) instructional model as a research-based approach for creating meaningful, three-dimensional science learning experiences.

Participants will explore how ADI supports students as scientists by engaging them in asking questions, designing investigations, analyzing evidence, constructing arguments, communicating ideas, and refining explanations through collaboration and critique. The seven-stage ADI model provides a structure that promotes student agency, scientific reasoning, and deeper understanding while integrating reading, writing, and discussion as essential parts of science learning.

Through hands-on analysis of sample investigations and collaborative design activities, participants will examine how ADI makes student thinking visible and supports formative assessment throughout the learning process. Educators will leave with practical strategies for designing instruction that moves beyond completing activities to helping students think, communicate, and problem-solve like scientists.

This session is ideal for K–12 science educators, curriculum specialists, instructional coaches, and leaders interested in strengthening inquiry-based instruction and creating classrooms where all students engage in authentic scientific sensemaking.

Workshop #7

^{Date: Thursday, October 22, 2026}

Time: 12:30 pm to 2:30 pm

Title: Igniting Inquiry with AI: Creating Classroom Simulations Where Students Decide, Defend & Discover

Presented by: 

Jason Hayes, Instructional Designer, Barbara Garcia, Professor, Dr. Isabelle Tardif, Alexandra Auslander, Michele Mouttapa, Dean, Public Health Program, West Coast University

Audience: High School, College, Science Supervisors, Curriculum Specialists

Location: TBD

Workshop Cost: $ 5.00, Pre-registration required

Maximum: 45

Minimum:   5

Description:

Artificial intelligence is changing classrooms — but its greatest potential is not simply helping students find answers. What if AI could place students inside a real-world science scenario where they must investigate, make decisions, defend their reasoning, analyze evidence, and revise their thinking as new information emerges?

In this hands-on workshop, participants will explore how AI can be used to design interactive, decision-based classroom simulations that promote critical thinking and authentic science practices. Teachers will first experience an AI-supported public health outbreak investigation from the student perspective, making choices and evaluating evidence as they work through the challenge.

Using an “I Do, We Do, You Do” approach, participants will then examine the instructional design behind the simulation and learn how to create their own AI-supported experiences aligned to their classroom content. Although the featured example focuses on a public health investigation, the framework can be adapted for biology, environmental science, chemistry, earth/space science, health science, and other STEM courses across grade levels.

Participants will leave with more than ideas — they will build a classroom-ready interactive simulation they can immediately use with students. Teachers will also learn how to package and share their simulation through tools such as QR codes for easy classroom implementation.

Bring your curiosity, creativity, and a device — and discover how AI can move students from asking “What is the answer?” to “What evidence supports my decision?”

Workshop #8

^{Date: Thursday, October 22, 2026}

Time: 2:45 pm to 4:45 pm

Title: Everglades Literacy Teacher Training

Presented by: 

Bianco Cassouto, Everglades Director of Education

Audience: All Educators, Coaches, Specialists 

Location: TBD

Workshop Cost: $ 5.00, Pre-registration required

Maximum: 40

Minimum:   5

Description:

The Everglades is one of Florida’s greatest natural classrooms. This interactive teacher workshop introduces participants to the Everglades Literacy Program, a PreK–12 interdisciplinary STEAM curriculum designed to connect students with the science, history, conservation, and future of America’s Everglades.

Through hands-on, inquiry-based activities, educators will explore the Everglades Literacy Conceptual Framework and free classroom-ready lessons that build understanding across grade levels. Participants will investigate how the Everglades watershed can be used as a real-world phenomenon to strengthen science practices, environmental literacy, mathematics connections, critical thinking, and student decision-making.

The session highlights strategies for integrating Everglades education into classroom instruction while supporting Florida Standards and building awareness of human impacts, restoration efforts, and solutions for protecting this fragile ecosystem. Educators will also learn how to transform school culture through the Champion School Program, which recognizes outstanding commitment to Everglades education and stewardship.

Participants will leave with printed lessons, classroom resources, and practical strategies they can immediately implement to inspire students as future problem-solvers and caretakers of Florida’s natural resources.

Workshop #9

^{Date: Thursday, October 22, 2026}

Time: 2:45 pm to 4:45 pm

Title: Ignite the Mind of a Child through Science Trade Books. 

          Beyond the Story: Using Science Trade Books to Build Inquiry, STEM Thinking, and Standards-Based             Learning

Presented by: 

Gail Marshall, Judy Cox, Consultants C3 Science Educators and Authors, LLC

Audience: PreK/Elementary

Location: TBD

Workshop Cost: $ 5.00, Pre-registration required

Maximum: 40

Minimum:   5

Description:

How can a great science story become a powerful tool for student sensemaking? In this interactive workshop, participants will explore how carefully selected trade books can support three-dimensional science learning by connecting core science ideas, science and engineering practices, and crosscutting concepts.

Using We Saw the Moon in the Afternoon: Explore with Yani and Zack as a model, participants will experience a “walk through” strategy that sparks curiosity, generates student wonderings, and reveals opportunities for deeper scientific thinking. The session will highlight connections to Florida science and literacy standards through an exploration of the “Anatomy of a Standard,” focusing on how action verbs guide both what students should know and what students should be able to do.

Working collaboratively, participants will use provided rubrics and inquiry/STEM indicators to analyze sections of science trade books, identifying connections to standards and opportunities for meaningful student engagement. Groups will examine how characters use scientific practices, make real-world connections, and model strategies students can apply to their own learning.

Participants will also explore the 5E instructional model and discuss how trade books can be intentionally incorporated into lesson planning to promote exploration, explanation, and application of science concepts. Attendees will leave with practical tools, resource lists, and strategies for evaluating and using trade books to enhance standards-based science instruction.

Workshop #10

^{Date: Thursday, October 22, 2026}

Time: 2:45 pm to 4:45 pm

Title: Don’t Believe Everything You Believe: Building Scientific Thinkers in the Age of Misinformation

           – FEATURED SPEAKER!

Presented by: 

Bertha Vazquez, The Center for Inquiry

Audience: All Educators 

Location: TBD

Workshop Cost: $ 5.00, Pre-registration required

Maximum: 45

Minimum:  10

Description:

Today’s students are surrounded by an endless stream of scientific information, and misinformation. Social media posts, advertisements, AI-generated content, health claims, and news stories often use scientific language, graphs, statistics, and references to “research” to appear credible. Helping students navigate this information-rich world requires more than teaching them to evaluate the source of a claim or the evidence behind it. It also requires helping them understand themselves, how prior beliefs, emotions, identity, cognitive biases, and online algorithms influence what they accept as true. By understanding how the scientific process builds reliable knowledge through evidence, testing, and revision, students learn to evaluate the source, the claim, and their own thinking, becoming more thoughtful consumers of information and better scientific thinkers.

In this interactive workshop, teachers will experience Generation Skeptics lessons as students while investigating real-world claims, practicing lateral reading, analyzing how social media feeds shape what we see, evaluating evidence, and engaging in respectful conversations with people who hold different viewpoints. Participants will explore the connections to Florida science standards and the Science and Engineering Practices, and leave with free, adaptable classroom resources that help students think more like scientists in an increasingly complex information landscape.

There is a small fee to attend the field trip and the workshops that is in addition to the conference registration fee. Concurrent sessions on Friday and Saturday are free.  Conference registration is required to attend all events. 

We still have some availability for some workshops. We will accept walk-ins Thursday Morning.

Field Trip

 iFly Indoor Skydiving STEM Program

Experience Indoor Skydiving- The Ultimate Thrill Experience in a state-of-the-art vertical wind tunnel. This STEM program includes a physics demonstration, a flight safety and gear orientation, lab stations and the indoor flight! Meet in the registration area at 8:45am to either arrange car pooling or drive the 10 minute drive on your own. 

Date: Thursday, October 23, 2025

Time: 8:45am until 12:15pm

Cost: $10.00

Minimum 15, Maximum 50

Social Events

 Meet and Greet! 

Sponsored by FPL & Accelerate Learning

Date: Thursday, October 23, 2025

Time: 5:30 PM – 7:30 PM

Cost-FREE! Pre-registration required

Even though the cost is free to everyone, you MUST REGISTER by October 10, 2025 to ATTEND! Your registration allows us to order enough food and drink so all attendees will have a great time! You must be registered for the conference to attend. 

Location: Amelia Ballroom

Educators only, no guests!

Come as you are and enjoy snacks, beverages and the company of your colleagues.

CLICK HERE FOR A PDF OF CONCURRENT SESSIONS.

or see below 

Click here to see a short video of our Conference in Tampa!