The annual Commissioner’s Business Recognition Awards program celebrates private sector involvement in Florida public education. This year, more than 80 businesses and organizations from across the state will be recognized for their unwavering commitment and creative partnership with the state’s public schools. In addition, the Florida Education Foundation will pay tribute to Commissioner of Education Dr. Eric J. Smith for his years of service and bold leadership in improving public education in Florida. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit http://www.floridaeducationfoundation.org/, or contact Deb Schroeder at (850) 245-9692 or Deb.Schroeder@fldoe.org.

The Florida Advanced Technological Education Center (FLATE), a National Science Foundation Center of Excellence for high-tech manufacturing, is hosting an Engineering Technology Summer Institute for educators June 15 – 17, 2011, at the Clearwater Campus of St. Petersburg College. The two-day professional development opportunity will focus on additive manufacturing (3-D printing) and 3-D modeling and design, as well as sessions on student recruitment and retention. The Institute is open to all full-time faculty in secondary or postsecondary public institutions who teach engineering technology, engineering, or related courses in Florida. There is no charge for the Institute and a $250 stipend may be available to eligible participants. The deadline to submit an application is May 1, 2011. For more information, visit www.fl-ate.org or contact Dr. Marilyn Barger at barger@fl-ate.org or (813) 259-6578 or Brad Jenkins at jenkinsb@spcollege.edu.

Teachers, administrators, students and parents are invited to participate in the Digital Media Festival on June 16, 2011, at the University of Central Florida. The one-day workshop will enable participants to work with industry professionals to learn how to use software programs in more artistic ways, find out about careers in technology and the arts, and learn how to integrate technology into art and other curricular areas. For more information or to register online, visit www.faae.org/digital.cfm. If you have questions, send them to info@faae.org or call (407) 488-8868.

The Florida Alliance for Arts Education will host its annual Leadership Summit in Orlando on June 16 – 18, 2011, with the theme, “Arts Education is 21st Century Education.” The summit features breakout sessions by and for educators, administrators and advocates, the Arts Achieve! Model Schools Recognition, the Digital Media Festival Exhibit and much more. For more information, visit www.faae.org or contact Susan Burke, Executive Director of FAAE, at (407) 488-9951 or susan@faae.org.

Language arts, math, nutrition, social studies and science teachers will benefit from the 2011 National Agriculture in the Classroom conference June 22 – 25, 2011, in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. Engaging interactive workshops and tours will showcase unique agricultural operations in South Florida and illustrate how educators can incorporate real-life agriculture applications into their lesson plans. Visit http://www.conference.ifas.ufl.edu/aitc/ for more information and conference registration.

Educators are invited to apply to attend the Summer Seminar offered by the National Endowment for the Humanities June 26 – July 29, 2011. During the five-week program, participants will study the economy of the North Sea region in northwestern Europe. The seminar will meet at the Institute for Historical Research at the University of London for the first week and at the Netherlands Institute for Advanced Studies in Wassenaar, The Netherlands, for the remaining four weeks. For an application and a full description of the seminar, visit http://www.umassd.edu/euro/neh_prosp_app.cfm.

Student transportation professionals and others from across the state are invited to attend the 63rd Florida Association for Pupil Transportation Summer Symposium June 28 – 29, 2011, in Ocala. The symposium comprises two full days of general and concurrent sessions and includes workshops on bullying prevention, school bus stop selection and safety, serving charter schools effectively, and using benchmarking and key transportation performance indicators to measure and improve performance. For more information, visit www.faptflorida.org/FAPT%20Summer%20Symposium.htm.

Educators from across the state are invited to the 2011 Panhandle Area Educational Consortium/FloridaLearns Foundation Leadership Conference July 13 – 14, 2011, in Panama City Beach, Fla. Participants will hear what education experts have to say, discover fresh approaches and find solutions to challenges facing schools and districts, connect with peers to discover best practices, and become motivated to begin another academic year with renewed enthusiasm. For more information, call (877) 873-7232 ext. 2260 or ext. 2320, or visit http://www.paec.org/leadershipconference/.

The Florida Distance Learning Association will host its annual conference at the Orlando campus of Nova Southeastern University Sept. 23 - 24, 2011, with the theme “Distance Learning: Best Practices and Beyond.” The conference seeks to raise awareness of the best practices in distance learning, promote greater participation in dialogue and exchange, and strengthen district education in the state and nation. For more information or to register, visit www.fdla.com or contact Conference Program Coordinator Tara Kobel at tleconsultants@aol.com.