Leaders in STEM education: New center at UA supports area urban educators
STEM education is becoming increasingly necessary for students as our world relies on the latest technology to function and the demand to fill STEM jobs increases. The workforce in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics fields already grew from 8.6 million positions in 2015 to 8.8 million in 2016. And it’s projected that the number will grow 13 percent (compared to 9 percent for non-STEM jobs) between 2017 and 2027.
Objects created by a 3D printer, including a dinosaur skull, the Eifel Tower and kangaroos, were displayed as part of a booth that informed visitors on using the devices to support teaching and learning in K-12 education settings during the open house hosted in Zook Hall on Feb. 28 for the Urban STEM Education Center.
To support that growth, our LeBron James Family Foundation College of Education is positioning itself as a key partner of organizations and schools in the region for STEM collaboration by establishing an Urban STEM Education Center. The U-STEM Center will provide educators with research-based professional development to facilitate equitable STEM learning for all students, expose and engage learners in research-supported STEM curricula, and conduct research and evaluation of local, state and federally funded STEM education programs.
In addition to a national demand to fill STEM positions, school districts in Summit and Stark counties have expanded STEM education offerings for K-12 students. This expansion brings about an ever-increasing need for support in cultivating programs and providing professional development for teachers in integrating the science, technology, engineering and mathematics disciplines.
Dr. Nidaa Makki, co-director of the Urban STEM Education Center, was among those welcoming guests at the center’s open house on Feb. 19. Also offering remarks was Dr. John Green, interim president of UA.
“The College of Education is taking this step as a result of demand from our partnering school districts in area counties, and to further support our faculty’s existing collaborations with urban school districts,” said Karen Plaster, co-director of the U-STEM Center and associate professor of practice. “Urban education is already a focus of the college and this center will enable us to expand this focus and support districts with broadening access to STEM education.”
RELATED: UA’s new center aims to expand access to STEM education in urban districts
The U-STEM Center, located in Zook Hall, will offer school-based programs and research-based professional development workshops for educators to inform and reform their teaching practices in STEM. College faculty will visit partnering school districts to evaluate the districts’ STEM education needs and initiatives. Additionally, the center will offer workshops for educators to maintain their teaching licenses, which the college already does.
“Our new Urban STEM Education Center will provide valuable professional development and research expertise to educators in our urban and inner-ring suburban districts as we collectively develop new methods to educate elementary and secondary students in STEM content areas,” said Dr. Jarrod Tudor, interim dean of the college. “Additionally, our teacher education students who desire positions in these districts will be exposed to data-driven and tested instructional methodologies, which will make them the best candidates for education jobs as they graduate. We are proud that the Akron Public Schools and the Canton City School District superintendents provided letters of support to the University’s Board of Trustees.”
Members of Aurora Robotics had fun demonstrating their robot built out of Legos as part of First Lego League, an international competition for elementary and middle school students, at the open house for the Urban STEM Education Center on Feb. 19.
The U-STEM Center also supports the federal government’s commitment to provide all Americans with lifelong access to high-quality STEM education. A new initiative from the White House outlines a framework for building strong foundations for STEM literacy and increasing inclusion and diversity through broader access to STEM education.
Six existing college faculty members will be the primary engagers of the center, including co-directors Plaster and Dr. Nidaa Makki, associate professor of curricular and instructional studies. An advisory board will also be established to include current STEM education faculty, representation from urban STEM individuals from other areas of campus and representation from STEM organizations within the community.
Upcoming events and workshops include:
- Code Hopper (a mini-hackathon for girls in grades six through 12 on Saturday, May 4, at the Akron Art Museum)
- Math Teachers’ Circle Immersion (June 4-6)
- Think Tank to Shark Tank: Engineering to Entrepreneur Summer Camp (July 8-12)
- Summer Teacher Institute: Entrepreneurship and STEM Education (July 22-26), both in partnership with UA’s Barker Center for Economics.
For more information about these events and center activities, visit the Urban STEM Education Center online.
Media contact: Alex Knisely, 330-972-6477 or aknisely@uakron.edu.