Montana STEM Ecosystem [Statewide]

Montana, Statewide

Montana STEM Ecosystem [Statewide] logo

About

The Montana STEM Ecosystem represents an emerging initiative poised to transform STEM education across the state. Through our network of approximately 300 diverse partners from education, industry, and community organizations, we collectively impact hundreds of educators and youth-serving programs annually. Our strategic approach to building cross-sector partnerships, combined with strong leadership from the Montana Afterschool Alliance, positions us to address critical workforce needs while ensuring equitable access to STEM opportunities throughout Montana’s unique geographic landscape.

Montana STEM Ecosystems

Initiating Organization: Montana Afterschool Alliance – A non-profit organization serving as the backbone for the ecosystem’s development and coordination.

Community Served: The ecosystem serves youth-serving programs across Montana’s nine regions.

Key Programs

Our mission focuses on expanding STEM learning opportunities through a network of organizations, institutions, industries, and individuals. Key initiatives include:

    1. Annual STEM Summits fostering statewide collaboration
    2. Quarterly virtual convenings for partner engagement
    3. Professional development workshops and resources
    4. STEM Summer Institute and Ready STEM Go! virtual conference
    5. Development of a centralized STEM resource hub

Key Articles

Workforce Development: The ecosystem addresses critical workforce needs through:

  • Alignment with projected STEM field growth in Montana
  • Collaboration with the Reach Higher Work-based Learning Collaborative
  • Partnership with the Department of Labor & Industry
  • Focus on addressing the 36% of Montana businesses reporting workforce challenges
  • Strategic connection between education and industry needs

Partners

Key collaborators across sectors include:

Education: Montana State University Science Math Resource Center, University of Montana spectrUM Discovery Area, Montana Digital Academy
Industry: Department of Labor & Industry, State Workforce Innovation Board
Community: ExplorationWorks!, Montana Science Center, Montana Girls STEM Collaborative
Government: Office of Public Instruction, MT GEAR UP
Philanthropy: Million Girls Moonshot, STEM Next Opportunity Fund, Mott Foundation

Contact

Heather Jameson
Strategic Initiatives Lead
Montana Afterschool Alliance
heather@mtafterschoolalliance.org