NISTEM

The Northeast Indiana Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (NISTEM) Center has been established in partnership with a cadre of regional stakeholders to support and encourage active engagement in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) related activities and educational pursuits. Established in 2007, the NISTEM Center and website was developed in conjunction with the completion of a proposal submitted to a statewide BioCrossroads STEM initiative by individuals within Indiana University – Purdue University Fort Wayne (IPFW) and Science Central, along with financial support provided in part from a grant received from the National Center for Outreach submitted by local television station WFWA PBS39 in partnership with IPFW and supported by the Fort Wayne Convention and Visitor’s Bureau.

Quickly growing to include a large regional stakeholder base, NISTEM now works to incorporate and support the diverse needs of the regions education systems, informal education centers, and business community. The NISTEM Center has developed into an ever-evolving center that promises to continue to highlight, unify, support, and increase community involvement in STEM-related activities for the children and adults in our region, as well as recruit others to participate in the magnificent events regularly hosted in Northeast Indiana.

Report Shows Least Nutritious Cereals Are Heavily Marketed to Children
A new study by researchers at Yale University's Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity suggests that the least healthy cereals are most aggressively marketed to children, Time magazine reports.

Report Suggests New York City Menu Labeling Law is Effective at Promoting Health Changes
The New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene has released data suggesting that a citywide menu-labeling law has helped residents make healthier food choices, Reuters reports.

HealthierUS School Challenge to Expand to Middle, High Schools
The Obama administration has announced plans to expand the HealthierUS School Challenge to include middle and high schools, the McPherson Sentinel reports.

Data Suggest Children Watch Entire Day's Worth of Television Each Week
New data from television monitoring group Nielsen suggest that each week children spend an average of an entire day watching television, representing an eight-year high for television viewing among children, the Los Angeles Times reports.

West Virginia Makes Efforts to Improve Nutrition Standards for Day Care Centers
West Virginia school officials are poised to launch a program aimed at strengthening nutrition standards for the state's day care facilities, the Charlestown Daily Mail reports.

Tennessee Schools Making Efforts to Prevent Childhood Obesity
Tennessee is using student body mass index (BMI) data to evaluate current efforts to address childhood obesity and better target future interventions, the Daily News Journal reports.