The training, funded by a USDA/NIFA grant, was developed and is taught by Extension faculty from the Center for Land Use Education and Research (CLEAR) and partners from the Department of Natural Resources and the Environment, the Center for Environmental Sciences and Engineering, and the Neag School of Education. This formidable partnership conducts three inter- related STEM projects collectively known as the Natural Resources Conservation Academy (box, right). Connecticut is one of 19 states to date that have adopted the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), an ambitious new way of teaching science that was developed by a consortium of states and nonprofit sci- ence organizations including the National Science Teachers Association, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and the National Research Council. Connecticut school districts are still in the very early stages of adopting NGSS method- ologies, and many teachers are eager for edu- cational units and techniques that fit NGSS standards. Teacher Professional Learning Professional Development Workshop for High School Science Teachers Participants sample a local stream for macroinvertebrates. Inset: back in the lab, water samples are tested for nutrient levels. UConn Extension is leading a project that provides high school science teachers from across the state with a head start on a new way of teaching. Over the past two summers, 48 teachers from 38 school districts attended the 3-day Teacher Professional Learning (TPL) workshop, Land and Water. 16 2018 HIGHLIGHTS OF EXTENSION