Blog Layout

Announcing the “Start a Smile” challenge

Mar 31, 2020

Within the school community, everyone is adjusting to new roles. Parents navigate new work situations. Educators find ways to continue learning beyond the classroom walls. What can students do?

Following on the incredible success of the “Name the Rover” essay contest , the STEMx network proudly presents a new opportunity for K-12 students, in partnership with Future Engineers. The “ Start a Smile ” challenge will highlight the creativity and commitment of young people.

Students, your challenge is :

INVENT A WAY TO HELP SOMEONE SMILE WHILE IN ISOLATION

ENTRIES DUE: June 1, 2020 | 6:00 PM PST

Submit a photo and short essay (150 words or less) of your solution and be sure to follow the student privacy rules of NO FACES or NAMES in your photo or essay. Your invention could be physical, digital, visual, audible, low tech, or high tech, but it should only use items found around your home.

Downloadable version of the design cycle.

Entries will be taken through a new Future Engineers portal. This event is made possible by support from Battelle , the nonprofit research and development company which manages the STEMx network.

Parents, this could be a great opportunity to educate children on how the design cycle works. STEM workers like engineers use the design cycle to create new inventions.

Once your entry is finished, help other people find the contest by tweeting about the problem you addressed to .

We can’t wait to see what you create!

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
Share by: