STEM Family/Community Engagement Events: Establishing Strong Community STEM Ecosystems to Advance Research for a Healthy STEM Workforce
Involving communities and families in STEM learning opportunities with youth enhances development of STEM identity for all. We have developed a successful model of family and community engagement in STEM. If you are interested in hosting STEM family events, we are happy to provide insight, input, and assistance using our model.
Alabama Robotics Competition
outreach.cs.ua.edu/robotics-contest
The 2023 contest welcomed 55 teams participating from 40 different schools. The robotics contest is designed for all grades (K-12) and a wide range of robotics kits. This competition offers an amazing, cost-effective competition for students of any age.
Alabama Computer Science Summer Camps
Scientific Research and Education Network (SciREN) Alabama
SciREN 2023 was another great program! Our Networking Gala was funded by the Alabama Water Institute (AWI). UA Researchers developed K-12 lesson plans based on their cutting-edge research and aligned to state standards. Over 50 educators talked to UA researchers about their work and the lesson plans. They also visited with community organizations including the McWane Science Center, Alabama STEM Council, Children’s Hands On Museum (CHOM), and Druid City Makerspace.
See our archive of K-12 lesson plans created by UA researchers (faculty, graduate students, and undergraduates!) Sign up as an affiliate to hear about our SciREN 2024 dates in spring.
Project IMPACT: Research focused on Building K12 STEM Pipelines Leading to a Healthy and Inclusive STEM Workforce while Strengthening STEM Identity for Those Underrepresented in STEM
The mission of Project IMPACT is to partner with STEM professionals and industry leaders in order to create a PK-12 STEM pipeline establishing youth as STEM-minded individuals with a strong self-efficacy to pursue future STEM endeavors. Through this model of collaborative STEM engagement and mentoring in informal settings, students, educators, and STEM professionals work on real-world STEM learning experiences. This is a transformative model designed to transition students through different levels of STEM engagement from their entry into formal schooling until they graduate high school. This research is disrupting STEM learning spaces for youth so that STEM learning is cumulative, relevant, and ongoing throughout PK-12. Pictured below: Middle school girls worked with engineering majors from UA to design and build a go-kart during Project IMPACT.
