STEM

An experiment in teaching computer science at Winchester Public Schools, featured at the National School Boards Association conference on Sunday, showed the value of consistent, focused professional development.

STEM leaders from Steubenville, a low-income district in Ohio, told attendees at the National School Boards Association conference on Sunday how they established CTE programs for pilots and drone flying, without breaking the bank.

VR headsets and 3D printers help the Verizon Innovation Learning Lab create interest in STEM at the Dorothy Height Charter School. Educators and school leaders toured it during the National School Boards Association Annual Conference.

While developing a manufacturing facility for EV batteries in Liberty, North Carolina, Toyota donated money through its charitable foundation to nearby school districts for programming in STEM and advanced manufacturing.

A Vancouver nonprofit recently sponsored a trip for BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, people of color) middle and high schoolers to the Clark College Columbia Tech Center, where they learned about its mechatronics program.

Where computer science has traditionally been divided among engineering and liberal arts colleges, the importance of the subject warrants a seat at the table as its own foundational discipline that incorporates others.

Company officials hope a combination of in-person and online educator training, focused on math and less-experienced teachers, will help to address a teacher shortage and declining math scores.

In recognition of Women’s History Month and Expanding Girls’ Horizons in Science and Engineering Month, Microsoft, Code Ninjas and the nonprofit Girls Who Code are sponsoring girls who enter a game-design challenge.

A new company that has already partnered with 1,100 schools aims to provide project-based learning and STEM activities like programming robots and developing computational skills outside of school hours.

As part of a national recognition of career and technical education, representatives from FBLA and FCCLA visited the U.S. Capitol last month to meet with decision-makers and lobby for continued support.

Colorado Springs District 11 is in talks with local colleges, industries and governments to create an innovation zone to offer specialized curriculum in aerospace, defense, cybersecurity, information and space technology.

The funding will benefit students at high schools in 15 Florida districts, and at three colleges. It will pay for training in emerging fields like enterprise cloud computing and mobile applications development, as well as traditional vocations.

The nonprofit is awarding funds and research kits to teachers in an effort to encourage early interest in STEM subjects like robotics and coding, and to diversify science, technology, engineering and math fields.

Institutions across the state are preparing spring and summer events such as the GenCyber conference, WVSU's Yellow Jackets CyberDefender Camp, WVU's Camp STEM, and the University of Charleston's science camps.

The ninth annual event will feature close to 90 booths this year, including virtual-reality headsets, a hydroponic garden, interactive exhibits and experiments in STEM fields.

The SAM Labs program at Indian Prairie School District 204 in Illinois uses building blocks with lights, motors and more that connect to a computer via Bluetooth to teach students about science and coding.

The Alabama Center for the Arts is being renovated into a STEAM Imagination Center, with a new degree program in design innovations that will include classes in computer systems information and additive manufacturing.

The Educational Service Center of the Western Reserve and a handful of other educational centers will train up to 1,100 educators to teach computer science through supplemental certifications and other programs.