Meetings

VT STEM K-12 Outreach Initiative
Tuesday, March 11, 2007
1:30 - 3:00, The International Affaires Offices (IAO), 526, Prices Fork Road

Meeting Notes

  • In Attendance: 18

James Pembridge, John Wenrich, Veronica Spradlin, Hyuksoo Kwon, Jeremy Garrett, Gary Long, Morgan Maurer, Bev Watford, Jason Thweatt, Mark Sanders,  Patricia Gaudreau, Besty Tretola, Rick Weaver, Faith Stamps, Fred Figliano, James Carlson, Llyn Sharp, Mike Rosenzweig,  

  • Welcome & Announcements

    Bevlee Watford Ph.D. Director, Center for the Enhancement of Engineering Diversity

    Rick Weaver. Supervisor of Career and Technical, Montgomery County Public Schools

    Llyn Sharp needs help with STEM Fair on April 6th .  450 boy scouts are coming to tech.  Needs volunteers to plan and carryout activities.

    Mike Rosenzweig requested that programs fill out survey information when it is sent out so they can be represented in the report to BOV.

    Gary Long is spearheading a G K-12 proposal to address graduate students in K-12 classrooms.  20 fellowships will be awarded.  The goal is to take grad students and put them in the K-12 classrooms to get them interested in teaching.  Those interested please e-mail Gary to get information. 

  • Patricia Gaudreau

    MCPS/VT STEM Summer Program Request & Web Site

    Patricia presented and idea on how to inform MCPS community on outreach programs. MCPS offers two summer programs:  The Summer enrichment program contacts and coordinates locations for summer programs and put them in a catalog that is distributed to parents so they can sign students up for outreach activities.  The Summer Academes may be able to provide transportation to VT for summer outreach programs if dates work with outreach needs.  Please contact Patricia to find more information.   

  • Dr. Watford Presentation

    Does NSF have a particular definition of "STEM"?

    CEED’s goal is to provide outreach activities to the community to get students interested in engineering.  Imagination program is one of the programs it brings students to campus to do engineering activities.  Transportation is provided from Roanoke to Tech. 

      Likes the idea of bring together a list of programs.

    What is STEM?

    NSF leaves the definition of STEM to the proposal writer to justify that they are part of the STEM field.  Excludes Medical Fields.

    Educational programs that do not pursue technical courses in junior and senior year were not considered STEM Programs.

    Technology worms it way into what we do. 

    If presenting a proposal contact NSF and provide them with what course work and what jobs the students will receive after receiving education.  They will then inform you if it is an easy or hard sell on proposal writer’s part to justify if it STEM.

    Mark Sanders - NSF does not have any definitions for any parts of the STEM fields?   

    NSF closest thing to a definition of any of the STEM fields is that ‘Science doesn’t include the social sciences’.

    Key to S-STEM proposals is students that receive money will finish their degrees in the STEM fields. 

    Call for proposal may be due in August so funds will be available for spring recruitment.      

  • Rick Weaver Presentation

    • What STEM may look like in practice?

    Put together a list of STEM programs on current STEM schools of STEM centers.  List sent to list serve. 

    Virginia STEM is workforce driven.  Virginia’s goal and definition is workforce development. 

    MCPS still has a strong separation of vocational & academics. Courses are loosely connected across the curricula by individual students four year course plans.  Courses are not universally available across the county.

    Blacksburg High school is starting to integrate but still more work is need to integrate CTE and Academics.  Courses are separated from an academic course by building design and tradition.

    NRCC will open a STEM center at their NRV Mall Campus this fall. This center will house the NRCC Engineering program and science, math and technology courses.

    VDOE efforts are encouraging schools to address both Academics and CTE.

  • John Wenrich

    Report on NCSSSMST conference

        • Also know as the governors schools. 

        Virginia has about 20 schools that house the top 1% of students.

      NCSSSMST is 1600 educators with 30,000 students.

Published a STEM report on what they are teaching in STEM. Listed on website.

  • Next Meeting Announcements

    Summer Program Brochure

    Introduction of new VT-STEM Logo