STEM Learning Ecosystems Blog
Learn more about what’s happening in our STEM Learning Ecosystems across the country.
Members of STEM Learning Ecosystems from across the world recently gathered in historic New Orleans to share ideas and best practices in STEM education. Here is a compilation of their thoughts and ideas. Do you have other ideas for family engagement in education? Share your thoughts on Twitter and tag us @STEMEcosystems.
By Veronica Gonzales, Deputy Director of the STEM Learning Ecosystems Community of Practice and Alyssa Briggs, Director of the STEM Learning Ecosystems Community of Practice When we shared some personal reflections about our own experiences as STEM outsiders, we were hoping that it might prompt others to also share their stories. It did. Over the last week, we’ve heard […]
By Alyssa Briggs Director, STEM Learning Ecosystems Community of Practice I was a lucky parent. I was almost always able to align my work schedule to attend parent-teacher conferences, concerts, plays and the all-important “Family Night.” My daughter, Jessie, wasn’t always happy when I showed up and it took time for me to understand why. When she was in […]
What If – Reflecting about our early experiences in STEM Working for improvements for girls today By Veronica Gonzales I couldn’t believe I had scored a 5 on my AP Biology exam. I had studied for weeks for the test and it felt like all of my hard work had finally paid off. The next day, I proudly told […]
I almost fell out of my chair when I got the email – “Yes, I’ll speak.” Walter Isaacson had just agreed to deliver the keynote address at the bi-annual convening of the STEM Learning Ecosystems Community of Practice (SLECoP) Convening April 4 in New Orleans. I was excited to share the news on our team call later that day, “There […]
Eric Meyer of the San Diego STEM Ecosystem and Emily Dilger of the Bay Area STEM Ecosystem have been helping lead the California delegation planning for the November 14- 16 STEM Learning Ecosystems Community of Practice Convening. With the rich and unique backgrounds that they bring to their work, those attending the Fall convening are in for a special treat. Meyer […]
STEM-NM gained inspiration and ideas from another Ecosystem program to engages students and families in practical, job-related math activities. In the question and answers below, Allison Brody, a leader of the STEM-NM ecosystem, shares details about how the program operates. Be sure to visit the resource library on the STEM Learning Ecosystem Community of Practice website for more details about […]
Collaboration fuels ecosystems, but it can be difficult to maintain. Partners come together for meetings, for events, and for working groups, but the space between these gatherings can often feel like a lull in connections. As an AmeriCorps VISTA working with the Tulsa Regional STEM Alliance (TRSA), I created a project designed to combat these lulls. In the process, I […]
I have chosen to pursue service to America as an AmeriCorps VISTA (Volunteers in Service to America), quite simply, to foster confidence in the decades to come. In our particular place in history, it is vital that we hold on to optimism for the good of the future, rather than becoming stuck in a headspace of cynicism and confusion. I […]
On my second day as an AmeriCorps VISTA (Volunteers in Service to America) with Arizona SciTech, I accompanied my new supervisor to an organization offering youth courses in robotics, 3D modelling, game development, and virtual reality – all things which I, as a biologist, imagined as only existing in the futuristic lab-caves of Silicon Valley. The existence of these technologies […]
