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Looking to 2017 after STEMxchange

Dec 21, 2016

Last week, we gathered more than sixty STEMx leaders in Dallas for the 2016 STEMxchange conference. Each year, this is the extended meeting for STEMx members to sit down, chat, and plan collective action.

STEMxchange moves around the country each year. This year, Educate Texas, a founding member, played host. Coming from DC, it was easy to appreciate the warmer weather. I also got to meet many of the leaders from the network, and listen to their organization’s plans for 2017.

mike headshot

Mike Feder, Director of STEMx, on the 2017 STEMxchange meeting

One piece was immediately clear: our network is growing. For the first time, we sat down with representatives from the networks that joined in 2016. From South Carolina to the Virgin Islands , Utah to West Virginia , we met many new faces, ready to get to work for students across the country.

But gathering is the easy part, what did we get done? Here are three tidbits from our discussions that you’re welcome to steal even if you couldn’t make it to the conference.

#1 – Make your case on the Every Student Succeeds Act with allies: We’ve talked at length about “ESSA” and its impact. At the conference, I heard from states who are working *with* potential competitors for funding. These states are sitting down with groups like their local afterschool networks to present a strong, collective message to policymakers. This is how we can make real, lasting change.

#2 – Education groups want to partner with state STEM networks: Education organizations have heard ESSA’s message for state-based leadership loud and clear. We hosted experts on the STEM Works database, Connectory Exchange and Learning Blade. Each group has worked in detail with a STEMx state network to bring their programs to scale. For example, the Tennessee STEM Innovation Network and Learning Blade worked together to offer the product to every school in the state. The schools get a new tool, and the network builds a relationship with teachers and principals. Most importantly, students benefit.

#3 – STEM schools in Texas are innovating far beyond what most people expect. Kyndra Johnson, of the Lancaster Independent School District shared some of their achievements, thanks to a lasting partnership with Experience Aviation. A few years ago, they built a street-legal race car, and now they building an airplane. Wings of Hope joined the team, challenging students to build a Cessna 182. The aircraft will be used in mission projects next year, bringing medical supplies and food to other countries.

Tackling the big problems of the world through STEM education is impossible without strategic alliances and savvy partnerships. Like 100Kin10’s Talia Milgrom-Elcott said, “Each of us has a piece of this work, and it’s only going to get solved if each of us plays our part in concert with one another.”

Finally, I can’t miss the opportunity to thank our sponsors. STEMxchange wouldn’t have been possible without the generous support of the Overdeck Family Foundation , Battelle , Educate Texas , and Communities Foundation of Texas.

Look forward to more STEMxchange debriefs in the coming weeks, and keep doing your part to bring STEM education to kids across the nation.

By Rob Evans 01 Nov, 2023
by Heather Sherman, Director of STEMx The 2023 STEM Innovation Forum: Activating Collaborations to Advance an Inclusive STEM Workforce was a success! Through our collaboration with STEMconnector and Million Women Mentors, we convened 160 leaders from industry, government, non-profit organizations, and education institutions from all over the United States to discuss strategies and best practices to support the STEM workforce. We were honored to host a variety of dynamic speakers including: Jared Polis, Governor of Colorado Brynt Parmeter, Chief Talent Management Officer, U.S. Department of Defense Dr. Athina Kanioura, Executive Vice President, Chief Strategy and Transformation Officer, PepsiCo and Dr. Lisa Hinkelman, Founder and CEO of Ruling Our eXperiences (RoX). We extend our gratitude to our panelists, Learning Session speakers, and participants who joined us in Denver. Broadening participation We set out share information on trends in STEM education and workforce development, with an emphasis on broadening participation in STEM careers. Resources from sessions highlighting strategies for broadening participation are linked below: DoD STEM: Developing a STEM Workforce to Support the National Security Mission Priming the Pump for High Demand STEM Careers STEM Workforce Readiness for Teen Girls: “If She Can See It, She Can Be It” Driving change Another goal of the forum was to feature high impact strategies, programs and solutions that are driving change, and STEMx members from LASTEM , the PAST Foundation and MBRT showed how they are engaging youth and building career awareness through their workforce programs. Emerging technologies We looked towards the future to better understand how emerging technologies will change the world and the ways we must prepare STEM talent for jobs in logistics, artificial intelligence, research safety , bioenergy , and renewable technologies. Chevron‘s sponsored panel, “Cultivating the Talent to Drive the Innovation and Technologies for Ever-Cleaner Energy” was a rich discussion featuring experts from Chevron, Project Lead the Way and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. Dr. Jamie Vernon, Executive Director, and CEO, Sigma Xi Society was a fantastic moderator for this discussion. Next steps We have linked event resources including videos, slide decks and collateral on the event landing page . The event photo gallery is located there as well. If you attended, please complete our 30 second event survey . Five lucky winners will be selected at random to receive a Forum water bottle! More importantly, your feedback matters to us. If you did not attend, mark your calendar for next fall - we’re looking to make next year even bigger! If you are interested in hosting in your state, or have thoughts about compelling content that we should include, please reach out to Heather Sherman .
By Rob Evans 03 Oct, 2023
Join us for The STEM Innovation Forum: Activating Collaborations to Advance an Inclusive STEM Workforce
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