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Idaho: Primed for STEM

February 8, 2016

Last week, David Burns from Battelle joined a delegation from Ohio to the Idaho legislature. The topic: How to foster STEM? You can read about the visit in detail in this piece for the Idaho Statesman by Bill Roberts. We asked what he’s thinking after returning home to Ohio.

So, this is how it starts.

David Burns from Battelle on Idaho's readiness for STEM schools

David Burns from Battelle on Idaho’s readiness for STEM schools

Everyone understands strong STEM education and STEM schools are a good idea. But, how do you move from idea to action? Whether you’re talking about Ohio in 2008, Tennessee in 2010, or Idaho today, it takes three elements.

First, you need a state legislature that’s engaged on the issue. Legislative support can be the cornerstone that advocates, businesses, and educators gather around. Representative DeMordaunt and Senator Nonini are serving that role.

Second, you need a foundation ready to seed innovation . This was one of my questions as we headed to Idaho. While STEM schools can build sustainable financial models for the long-haul, they do often need more in start-up capital. After a number of conversations last week, I’m convinced the right foundations are ready in Idaho.

Third, you need someone who knows what to do . I’ve seen too many educational innovations built on good ideas and plenty of funding that end up failing. This kind of work requires a blend of tested experience and flexible creativity that can be hard to find. But, it does exist. In fact, that’s exactly what I think STEMx offers. As a national platform for sharing ways to turn the idea of STEM into real impact, STEMx can provide whole package Idaho needs to move forward.

Idaho has some key resources already in place. Anne Seifert and her STEM educational outreach at Idaho National Labs and the Idaho STEM Action Center are just two examples of organizations deeply committed to STEM. Connecting these resources with the national STEM conversation will only accelerate the state’s work to do more for students.

Celebrating the 2023 STEM Innovation Forum

By Rob Evans • November 1, 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 .

STEM Innovation Forum: Agenda and New Sponsors

By Rob Evans • October 3, 2023
Join us for The STEM Innovation Forum: Activating Collaborations to Advance an Inclusive STEM Workforce
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