Massachusetts STEM Summit 2018: Full Schedule

Emcee - Doug Banks, Executive Editor, Boston Business Journal

Bridging STEM's Digital Divide: Verizon presents "Without a Net" - film screening and panel discussion

Rose Stuckey Kirk, Chief Corporate Responsibility Officer, Verizon; President, Verizon Foundation
Rory Kennedy, Moxie Firecracker Films Co-Founder; Producer/Director of "Without a Net: The Digital Divide in America"

Wednesday November 14, 2018 8:30am - 9:30am EST
Plenary Hall

Plenary

9:30am EST

Break

Wednesday November 14, 2018 9:30am - 9:45am EST
DCU Center

Break

9:45am EST

A Deeper Dive Into the Digital Divide

As a direct follow-up to this morning’s engaging film screening and discussion of “Without A Net: The Digital Divide in America”, this session will be a conversation about how the digital divide can be bridged and, ultimately closed, in Massachusetts. As the film illustrated, the digital divide not only affects the learning of children at all school levels but continues to affect these individuals as they move out of high school and into college and/or the workplace. Thus, the persistence of the divide throughout all points on the STEM pipeline beg to be addressed. Session speakers will represent the fields of STEM education and business.

Moderators

Donna Cupelo

Region President, Verizon

Speakers

Erin Cronin

Mathematics Teacher, Revere High School

Laryssa Doherty

Principal, Clarence R. Edwards Middle School, Boston Public Schools

Paul Foster

Chief Information Officer, Springfield Public Schools

Timothy P. Murray

President and CEO, Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce

Wednesday November 14, 2018 9:45am - 10:35am EST
Meeting Room A

AM Breakout I

Strand Higher Education, K-12 Education, Early Education, Workforce and Business

9:45am EST

Closing the Access Gap to STEM for Underserved Student Populations

Consider joining this collaborative partnership program bringing, at no cost to partner high schools, AP® science to underserved school populations.

Economically disadvantaged students in many urban, rural, and small suburban communities don’t have access to rigorous physics courses. Lacking opportunity to access such courses, these demographic groups are hard pressed to compete in physical science related Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics fields and academic programs with their peers from more affluent communities. Project Accelerate, a National Science Foundation funded project, is a partnership program between Boston University, West Virginia University and high schools bringing a College Board accredited AP® Physics 1 course to schools not offering this opportunity.

Preliminary results indicate that students participating in Project Accelerate do as well as their peers enrolled in traditional classroom-based AP® Physics 1 classes. Project Accelerate creates a collaborative learning environment utilizing the supportive infrastructures from the students’ traditional school with a highly interactive private edX online instructional tool. This pairing provides opportunities for under-represented groups who otherwise would not have access to this often prerequisite course to success in physical science, information technology and medical-related academic and career pathways.

Project Accelerate contains the potential to support hundreds of schools and thousands of students throughout the country bringing opportunity for success in STEM to under-served and economically disadvantaged young men and woman.

Moderators

Mark D. Greenman

Research Fellow, Boston University

Speakers

Ali Ferhani

Student, Community Charter School of Cambridge

Andrew Flye

Science Teacher, Boston International Newcomer Academy

Jeff Molk

Department Chair, Community Charter School of Cambridge

Wednesday November 14, 2018 9:45am - 10:35am EST
Meeting Room E

AM Breakout I

Strand K-12 Education
Keywords Academic Success Strategies, Digital Literacy / Digital Education, Diversity, Dual Enrollment / Early College, Partnership, Science

9:45am EST

Design Squad Global: New, sustainable invention activities to spark interest in solving community problems with STEM

Design Squad Global is the latest iteration of Design Squad, a respected source of design/build projects that focus on the engineering design process. In this panel, formal and informal educators will discuss how they have implemented projects from our new Inventing Green guide, with sustainable projects that encourage youth to solve everyday issues in an environmentally-friendly way. We will also highlight the Design Squad Global Club opportunity, a location-based program that empowers youth aged 10-13 to explore engineering and cross-cultural connections through fun, hands-on activities. DSG Clubs are guided by Club Leaders and partner with a DSG Club from a different nation or state exchange engineering ideas and designs. These projects and clubs engage youth with STEM, sparking interest in STEM-related fields and in using the design/build process to solve community problems.

Speakers

Robert Parks

Senior Editor, WGBH Education

Lisa Sama

Engineering Instructor, Luther Burbank Middle School (Lancaster, MA)

Saranya Sathananthan

Outreach Project Manager, WGBH Education

Kathleen Wright

STEM Specialist, Richard J. Murphy K-8 School (Dorchester, MA)

Wednesday November 14, 2018 9:45am - 10:35am EST
Plenary Hall

AM Breakout I

Strand K-12 Education

9:45am EST

Developmentally Appropriate Precoding Experiences for Preschoolers

Computational thinking skills and coding literacy will be critical to our children’s success in the future workforce. Join us to explore how to support the development of precoding skills as preschool children engage in play-based learning experiences. Participants will gain understanding of the need for early exposure to precoding experiences, components and benefits of computational thinking, and ways to embed developmentally appropriate precoding activities into preschool curriculum using everyday materials and without increasing screen time. Attendees will participate in examples of activities and useful handouts will be provided.

Speakers

Joanna Doyle

Director of Training and Education, Clarendon Early Education Services, Inc.

Rosemary Hernandez

Western Regional Director, Clarendon Early Education Services, Inc.

Wednesday November 14, 2018 9:45am - 10:35am EST
Grand Ballroom North

AM Breakout I

Strand Early Education
Keywords Digital Literacy / Digital Education, Educator Perspective, Interest, Technology & Computer Science, Workforce Development

9:45am EST

Discover Massachusetts Maritime Academy’s Follow The Voyage – Share The Experience Program

Take your students on an unforgettable, two-month, world-wide STEM adventure with Massachusetts Maritime Academy’s Follow The Voyage – Share The Experience program. Your students will virtually cruise aboard the TS Kennedy with cadets majoring in Marine Engineering, Marine Transportation, and Facilities Engineering who are taking part in their annual Sea Term. Students will also follow the Winter Experiences of cadets majoring in Marine Safety Science & Environmental Protection, Energy Systems Engineering, International Maritime Business and Emergency Management & Homeland Security as they study around the globe.

Administrators, teachers, librarians, and parents will love the comprehensive Follow The Voyage – Share The Experience curriculum linked to the Common Core Mathematics Standards and the Next Generation Science Standards. The curriculum also incorporates language arts, social studies, and fine arts. Many of the engaging lessons and hands-on activities were created exclusively for Massachusetts Maritime Academy.

During this session, you will be introduced to the Follow The Voyage – Share The Experience program, discover its history, and view evidence of the program’s success. You’ll also get a preview of the expanded 2019 Follow The Voyage – Share The Experience program which promises to be bigger and better than ever. We’ll provide the information needed to register a class, a grade level, or an entire school.

Don’t miss Massachusetts Maritime Academy’s one-of-a-kind 2019 STEM adventure on land and sea!

Speakers

Nancy A. Franks

Follow The Voyage - Share The Experience Coordinator, Massachusetts Maritime Academy

Wednesday November 14, 2018 9:45am - 10:35am EST
Conference Room 210

AM Breakout I

Strand K-12 Education
Keywords Career Awareness, Engineering, Math, Partnership, Science, STEAM

9:45am EST

Full STEAM Ahead: A Kinetic Sculpture Project

In this session, educators from the Public Schools of Brookline will share a successful interdisciplinary learning experience for 8th graders. Based on Arthur Ganson’s mechanical artwork at the MIT Museum, students integrated learning from science, engineering, visual arts, and technology to create their own kinetic sculptures in a public display of project-based learning. This innovative project brought about high levels of student engagement and achievement.

In this session, we will share details of all stages of this project (including photos and video), from preparation to classroom lessons to the final showcase. The stages include movement drawings, visiting MIT, observational drawings, brainstorming, sketching, building (and persisting), and reflecting. We will share successes, challenges, and lessons learned in thinking about future iterations and implications for our own practice as educators. Time will be built in for questions from attendees. We believe this session would benefit all teachers in grades K-12, with a particular emphasis for middle school. We are hoping that participants would leave with an inspiring opportunity to integrate content in an engaging relevant manner. We also hope the audience would take away the relationship among student-directed learning, persistence, and engagement, and that these skills will remain with students forever.

Speakers

Matt Durant

Educational Technology Specialist, Public Schools of Brookline

Mark Goldner

Science Teacher, Schools of Brookline

Tanya Gregoire

Enrichment & Challenge Support Specialist, Public Schools of Brookline

Ceara Yahn

Visual Arts Teacher, Public Schools of Brookline

Wednesday November 14, 2018 9:45am - 10:35am EST
Junior Ballroom

AM Breakout I

Strand K-12 Education
Keywords Academic Success Strategies, Diversity, Engineering, Science, STEAM, Student Perspective

9:45am EST

Pathways to STEM Student Success and Workforce Development

There is a growing demand for science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) professionals, but the number of STEM graduates is not keeping pace. UMass Boston College of Science and Mathematics (CSM) had been no exception to the problem of low graduation rates, an issue made particularly urgent considering the opportunity we have, as a minority-majority college, to contribute to the diversity of the STEM pipeline and workforce. This urgent issue led to careful analysis of student data to identify the “leaks” in the pipeline and the utilization of a multidimensional approach incorporating data-driven strategies and interventions that strengthened our pipeline and improved success rates for students. The strategies and interventions work synergistically to enable our students to succeed and persist in STEM fields. CSM has successfully leveraged the community concept, which begins with the Freshman Success Community (FSC) Program. The FSC serves as a platform to address the needs of first-year STEM students, provide an enriched academic experience, and increase motivation to pursue STEM. CSM has developed collaborative relationships with external corporate and institutional partners to support student research and internships. As students make progress through their STEM education (the pipeline), they participate in these high-impact practices and vertical learning communities to generate awareness of STEM careers, increase their confidence in their STEM capabilities, build their network through mentorship with faculty, peers, and industry professionals, and acquire the knowledge and technical and soft skills to be successful in college and pursue rewarding and productive careers in STEM.

Moderators

Andrew Grosovsky

Dean, College of Science and Mathematics, University of Massachusetts, Boston

Speakers

Marshall Milner

Executive Director Science Training Programs, University of Massachusetts, Boston

Wednesday November 14, 2018 9:45am - 10:35am EST
Meeting Room C

AM Breakout I

Strand Higher Education
Keywords Academic Success Strategies, Achievement, Administrator Perspective, Partnership, Workforce Development

9:45am EST

Project Based Learning Pathways: Reflections on a 6th Grade Public Middle School PBL Classroom Pilot

Project based learning (PBL) is a student-centered learning model that has a long history of implementation in schools, but is still considered to be an innovative teaching method to better prepare students for college, career and life. Research has shown that PBL can be particularly effective in helping students develop 21st century skills such as creativity, collaboration, communication and creativity, as well as improving retention of cognitive skills and knowledge.

In the 2017-18 school year, the Westford, MA public school system decided to launch a pilot 6th grade classroom that would offer a fully integrated (i.e., STEM and Humanities) PBL classroom as an alternative to traditional subject-specific classroom settings. Parents opted into the choice of this classroom for their children, and for some it was a way of trying to re-engage their sons and daughters who were losing interest in school. The session will summarize the results of the pilot in the words of the two teachers who led the class, two of their students from the pilot classroom, as well as an evaluator who conducted a mixed methods assessment during the school year. Topics covered in the session will include an explanation of how the integrated PBL model was implemented, what was needed to make the year a success, and what were the key learnings by looking at the outcomes from the year. Perspectives from students, parents, teachers and the administration will be included in the session.

Speakers

Malvika Bhardwaj

Student, Stony Brook Middle School

Tristan Caldwell

Student, Stony Brook Middle School

Sandra Femino

6th Grade Humanities Teacher, Stony Brook Middle School – Westford Public Schools

Jane Heaney

Program Evaluator, Westford Public Schools

Sanhita Lothe

Student, Stony Brook Middle School

Jennifer Masterson

6th Grade STEM Teacher, Stony Brook Middle School – Westford Public Schools

Wednesday November 14, 2018 9:45am - 10:35am EST
Meeting Room B

AM Breakout I

Strand K-12 Education
Keywords Academic Success Strategies, Educator Perspective, Math, Research and Evaluation, Science, Student Perspective

9:45am EST

STEM4Girls: Hands-on Experience to Engage 3rd-8th Grade Girls in STEM

In this session we talk about the STEM4Girls program, which is a one-day experience at UMass Dartmouth in which girls in grades 3-8 spend the day on campus engaged in STEM activities and talking to STEM professionals. In this session, we will talk about the design of the program and findings from our surveys. We will talk about the structure of the event, approaches that have worked, building partnerships with faculty from across the University as well as local teachers, enrollment in the program, and the design of activities for the participants. We will include testimonials about what STEM4Girls has meant to different stakeholders ranging from the girls who participate, the volunteer college students and the workshop leaders. Then, we will have open discussion with all participants about creating these experiences elsewhere in the Commonwealth.

Speakers

Shakhnoza Kayumova

Assistant Professor, Kaput Center for Research & Innovation in STEM Education at UMass Dartmouth

Chandra Orrill

Director, Kaput Center for Research & Innovation in STEM Education at UMass Dartmouth

Stephen Witzig

Associate Professor, Kaput Center for Research & Innovation in STEM Education at UMass Dartmouth

Wednesday November 14, 2018 9:45am - 10:35am EST
Grand Ballroom South

AM Breakout I

Strand K-12 Education
Keywords Engineering, Interest, Math, Out-of-School Time, Partnership, Science, Technology & Computer Science

9:45am EST

Tech Apprentice: 10 Years of Learning to Inform Employer Engagement

Through Tech Apprentice, the Boston Private Industry Council has focused on IT/tech internships as a subset of its overall Youth Summer Employment Program in partnership with the Mayor and the Boston Public Schools for over 10 years. In 2017 the PIC sought to understand how these very early pipeline efforts where impacting the future labor force and how programming and systemic work might evolve to meet the demand for greater scale, preparation and diversity in the tech workforce. This panel presentation and discussion will focus on:

Approaches for employer engagement and relationship cultivation;
More about the Tech Apprentice Signal Success curriculum and its potential for talent outreach, identification, and preparation;
What employers can do to be receptive environments for aspiring technologists;
Increasing student diversity through alignment with career and technical education pathways.

Moderators

Alysia Ordway

Employer Engagement Director, Boston Private Industry Council

Speakers

Jennifer Applebaum

Director of Youth Employment, Curriculum & Training, Youth Pathways, Commonwealth Corporation

Bea Mitchell

Director, Technology, DTCC

Olivia Paquette

Senior Career Specialist, Charlestown High School, Boston Private Industry Council

Bruce Stephen

Employer Engagement Director, Boston Private Industry Council

Michelle Sylvaria

Executive Director of Career and Technical Education High Schools, Boston Public Schools

Wednesday November 14, 2018 9:45am - 10:35am EST
Meeting Room D

AM Breakout I

Strand Workforce and Business
Keywords Business/Industry Perspective, Career Awareness, Interest, Partnership, Technology & Computer Science

9:45am EST

Who’s Nurturing the Next Generation of Innovators? Effective STEM Programs to Build Workforce Talent

The future of STEM business growth depends on current and future STEM talent, that pipeline of scientists, technicians and engineers with the skills, creativity and perseverance to innovate, and a citizenry that understands fundamental STEM concepts. Business leaders from companies that place high value on STEM competencies in their workforce will discuss the STEM educational programs that they support to inspire and nurture the next generation of researchers and innovators.

Hear from panelists about Santander Bank’s investment of over $1.3 billion in higher-education STEM programs and Intel’s investment of millions in K-12 STEM education. Learn about the successful STEM program developed by the international law firm of Fish & Richardson, in which intellectual property experts guide young innovators through the patent application process, providing full legal services annually to the two most inventive projects by Massachusetts students statewide. Over the last 18 years, the results have been impressive—high school students whose research is helping to cure breast cancer, address the worldwide opioid crisis and aid people suffering from seizures. Together, these companies and programs have helped hundreds of thousands of students to pursue STEM learning and careers.

Learn how your organization or company can create its own business-school partnership that provides STEM-mentored research opportunities for young innovators. Discover funding that is focused on STEM for high-needs communities and disadvantaged students. Moderated by a co-founder of Boston-based Dock Square Equity, topics will include advancing and financing STEM talent in K-20 and beyond, to keep pace with the growing STEM sector.

Moderators

Rishi Shukla

Co-Founder & Managing Partner, Dock Square Equity

Speakers

Timothy A. French

Principal, Fish & Richardson, P.C.

Anne McGrath Linehan

Corporate Social Responsibility Project Manager, Santander Bank

Wednesday November 14, 2018 9:45am - 10:35am EST
Grand Ballroom Center

AM Breakout I

Strand Workforce and Business
Keywords Achievement, Business/Industry Perspective, Innovation & Entrepreneurship, Interest, Workforce Development

10:35am EST

Break

Wednesday November 14, 2018 10:35am - 10:55am EST
DCU Center

Break

10:55am EST

A Data-Driven Approach to Aligning Higher Education Programs With Workforce Needs

Learn how accessible, on-line data on job trends in STEM industries can help guide curriculum, connect with industry and improve career awareness among students. As we work to build the STEM pipeline and create career pathways for students, educators need to have access to clear data and analysis that effectively conveys the skill needs of STEM industries. By examining an ongoing partnership between the biopharmaceutical industry and higher education, facilitated by the MassBioEd Foundation, attendees will learn how the daunting task of aligning education programs with the skill requirements of STEM employers can be greatly eased by the effective use of available data on hiring trends. This session includes panelists from higher education, industry and a data provider, who will share how access to such data and analysis has created a common ground for industry and higher education to come together to help direct alignment around skills development and provide new tools for educators at the secondary and post-secondary level to better create awareness among students about careers in the life sciences, for which 12,000 additional jobs will need to be filled by 2023.

Moderators

Peter Abair

Executive Director, MassBioEd Foundation

Speakers

Aron Clarke

Training Lead, Sanofi

Kenneth Henderson

Dean of the College of Sciences, Northeastern University

Dan Restuccia

Chief Product and Analytics Officer, Burning Glass Technologies

Wednesday November 14, 2018 10:55am - 11:45am EST
Junior Ballroom

AM Breakout II

Strand Higher Education
Keywords Academic Success Strategies, Business/Industry Perspective, Career Awareness, Partnership, Research and Evaluation, Science

10:55am EST

A Vision for Implementation: Current Initiatives for Supporting Pre-K-12 STEM Education in Massachusetts

The 2016 MA Science and Technology/Engineering Curriculum Framework, 2017 MA Mathematics Curriculum Framework, and 2017 Digital Literacy and Computer Science Curriculum Framework, establish a vision for all students. That, all students, regardless of their future education plan and career path, must have an engaging, relevant, rigorous, and coherent pre-K–12 STEM education to be prepared for citizenship, continuing education, and careers. As the STEM Office within the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE), we are committed to providing support and guidance to districts and schools that support how they can best engage and support their students in STEM as they progress through the “Pipeline.”

Pre-K–12 educators, coaches, and administrators are invited to learn more about the resources and strategies available, and examples of efforts already undertaken by some districts around providing high quality, rigorous, standards-aligned math, science, and STEM education for their students. During this session, we will highlight the following initiatives:

Math and Science & Technology/Engineering (STE) Ambassadors Program
Statewide Networks for Instructional Support
High Quality Instructional Materials
Content Specific Feedback
Administrator Guidebooks

Speakers

Anne DeMallie

Computer Science and STEM Integration Specialist, MA Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

Erin Hashimoto-Martell

Director of STEM, MA Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

Nicole Scola

Science and Technology/Engineering Content Support Lead, MA Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

Leah Tuckman

Mathematics Content Support Lead, MA Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

Wednesday November 14, 2018 10:55am - 11:45am EST
Meeting Room E

AM Breakout II

Strand K-12 Education
Keywords Administrator Perspective, Educator Perspective, Engineering, In-School Programming, Math, Science

10:55am EST

Closing the Digital Equity Gap: Ensuring Every Student’s Access to Technology Jobs

Participants in this interactive session will be guided through a Digital Equity Walk presenting data in an accessible way, using tools such as Tableau Public, for all to visualize and understand the gender, racial and socioeconomic disparities that exist. Audience members will explore the data individually before collectively discussing implications and identifying solutions to address inequities and improve outcomes. As participants walk and absorb the data, they will respond to the information they find most compelling.

This session will ask participants to reflect on current efforts to expand access to computer science study, where they are being introduced and how to address the fact that in 2016 only 13% of Massachusetts high school students participated in a computer science course and less than 1% took the AP Computer Science exam. Of the 1,151 test takers, 321 were female, 65 were Black, 80 were Hispanic, and 150 were low-income.

Attendees will leave with tangible solutions they can implement and advocate for in their communities to create a pipeline for ALL students to jobs that are now the #1 source of new wages in the country. Participation does not require prior experience with data and is geared toward all audiences.

Moderators

Jackney Prioly Joseph

Director, Career Readiness Initiatives, Massachusetts Business Alliance for Education

Speakers

Milton Irving

Executive Director, Timothy Smith Network

Aimee Sprung

Civic Engagement Manager, Microsoft New England Research & Development Center

Wednesday November 14, 2018 10:55am - 11:45am EST
Grand Ballroom North

AM Breakout II

Strand K-12 Education
Keywords Career Awareness, Digital Literacy / Digital Education, Diversity, Technology & Computer Science

10:55am EST

Energy House Design Challenge

Get comfortable with the engineering design process in your classroom while allowing students to take the rein with NEED’s “Energy House Challenge” activity. Come try your hand at building an energy house, from the purchasing aspect to installation and efficiency. You’ll be investigating the science behind keeping building occupants healthy and comfortable and our buildings energy efficient. Learn about efficiency, conservation and economic returns by using various materials to insulate a cardboard house and then test its efficiency. An excellent activity in applying engineering principals and problem-solving skills to energy efficiency, while incorporating math with a set budget and cost for materials. Students will be able to describe efficiency and conservation measures for the home and justify why these measures make sense economically. This challenge can be easily differentiated for grades 6-12.

Speakers

Nancy Gifford

Science Educator/Science Education Consultant, Monomoy Middle School, WGBH/PBS Learning Media, WGBH Bringing the Universe to America's Classrooms

Wednesday November 14, 2018 10:55am - 11:45am EST
Grand Ballroom Center

AM Breakout II

Strand K-12 Education
Keywords Academic Success Strategies, Achievement, Engineering, Interest, Science, STEAM

10:55am EST

Invention Education and STEM: Preparing Students from Diverse Backgrounds for the Innovation Economy

This joint presentation by the Academy of Applied Science and leading invention educators addresses the urgent need for greater diversity among the ranks of leading innovators in the U.S. and partnerships needed between K-12 educators, the higher education community and others to ensure that new learning opportunities are afforded to students in K12 all along the education continuum. Participants will examine invention education as a strategy for attracting more students from underrepresented backgrounds into STEM college/career pathways. The ways educators have structured invention education programs in both formal and informal settings and information about the alignment with state standards will also be shared. We will review a seven week asynchronous online project-based learning pedagogy course preparing educators to begin an invention program. Presenters will discuss strategies used to create partnerships within local communities and beyond to support students’ and teachers’ work. Examples of teachers’ journeys into invention education and what it has meant for students will be explored.

Speakers

Nicole Bellabona

Director, Young Inventors’ Program/Invention of Northern New England, Academy of Applied Science

Diane Dabby

Professor of Electrical Engineering & Music, Olin College

Veronica Lewis

Student, Georgetown Middle High School

Mary Lyon

High School Creativity/STEM Educator, Georgetown High School

Frank Xydias

Engineering Faculty, Milford High School

Wednesday November 14, 2018 10:55am - 11:45am EST
Meeting Room C

AM Breakout II

Strand K-12 Education
Keywords Achievement, Community/Partner Perspective, Diversity, Education-Industry Partnerships, Educator Perspective, Innovation & Entrepreneurship, In-School Programming, Interest

10:55am EST

Job Simulations: An Exercise Connecting Students and Employers in a Meaningful, Time-efficient Way

In today’s diverse STEM economy, students pursue a wide variety of careers critical to the scientific enterprise. However, it can be challenging for students to learn about career options due to time, financial and logistical constraints. Here, we present an educational model for experiential learning developed as part of our National Institutes of Health BEST (Broadening Experiences in Scientific Training) grant: #MicroSim job simulations. #MicroSims connect students with employers in a meaningful interaction that takes just a few hours. Each simulation activity replicates a task common to the career role, giving the student an opportunity to consider their own career fit. The student shares their job simulation product with an employer in an informational interview or small group discussion setting, helping both student and professional deepen the conversation and build a more meaningful connection. We developed job simulations as a component of our Career Pathways Communities (CPC), which are career-themed learning communities connecting employers and Ph.D. students. We anticipate that the #MicroSims model could be applied to students across STEM disciplines and at various educational levels. In this session, we will share strategies for development and implementation of #MicroSim job simulations and facilitate an audience discussion of potential applications in other contexts. Joining us will be an employer who helped to develop and facilitate a job simulation, and a student who experienced the program, sharing their perspectives about the experience and the benefits for all parties.

Speakers

Spencer L. Fenn

Assistant Director, Center for Biomedical Career Development, UMass Medical School

Cynthia Fuhrmann

Assistant Dean, Career & Professional Development, Center for Biomedical Career Development, UMass Medical School

Jennifer Griffin

VP, Industry Programs & Relations, Massachusetts Life Sciences Center

Heather Yonutas

Career Pathways Curriculum Intern, Center for Biomedical Career Development, UMass Medical School

Wednesday November 14, 2018 10:55am - 11:45am EST
Meeting Room D

AM Breakout II

Strand Higher Education
Keywords Business/Industry Perspective, Career Awareness, Educator Perspective, Research and Evaluation, Student Perspective, Workforce Development

10:55am EST

STEAMathon: Engaging Families in STEAM Activities

Within the K-12 school, we are always looking for ways to engage our families and our community. STEAM activities and events are a great way to bring our families and community members into our schools. By working with the community through local grants and donations, Mary E. Stapleton Elementary has hosted a completely free event that provides hands on activities and experiences in the areas of STEAM. These activities spark interest in our students in the areas of STEAM outside of school. They make connections with the materials they see and use at the event with jobs and interests that they have outside of school. This session will allow us to share our planning processes for a successful event that can be hosted at your school with examples of activities we have done and materials we have purchased that are now available for our classroom teachers to use throughout the school year. We will begin by sharing our planning process and documents that have been used in planning and promoting the event with exit surveys and feedback from families. We will then move to an open exploration where attendees of the session will have the opportunity to try some of the activities for themselves and ask questions about the event. We will share our beginning planning for next year’s event and some of the resources/vendors we have purchased items from or may be purchasing from in the future.

Speakers

Heather Allen

Classroom Teacher / STEAMathon Coordinator, Mary E. Stapleton Elementary School

Ashley Newton

Classroom Teacher / STEAMathon Coordinator, Mary E. Stapleton Elementary School

Wednesday November 14, 2018 10:55am - 11:45am EST
Grand Ballroom South

AM Breakout II

Strand K-12 Education
Keywords Career Awareness, Community/Partner Perspective, In-School Programming, Interest, Out-of-School Time, STEAM

10:55am EST

Supporting a Home-to-School Approach in Preschool Curriculum with Low-income Immigrant Families

The Readiness through Integrative Science and Engineering (RISE) project seeks to develop ecologically valid, culturally-relevant integrative science, technology and engineering (STE) preschool curriculum components and home-school connections, forged through exploration of family knowledge, activities, and routines related to STE, to support young dual language learning (DLL) children’s school success. A principal innovation of RISE is the process of co-construction, conceptualized as reciprocal and non-hierarchical engagement by researchers, parents and teachers. RISE was developed and initially implemented in seven Head Start classrooms in a large northeastern city, across two programs serving Latino and Chinese heritage families and their DLL children. We will present the RISE Model of Co-Construction, highlighting the Home-School Collaboration (HSC) component. The HSC component, guided primarily by the work of Joseph Tobin and Luis Moll, is built on the idea that schools can leverage families’ unique contributions to children's learning, rather than trying to overwrite these to get children "ready for school." Essential to our reconceptualization of family engagement is that the home-to-school flow of information is just as important as the school-to-home flow, with a particular focus in RISE on STE learning as the family-school bridge. By effectively connecting children’s familiar knowledge and classroom curriculum, teachers can facilitate powerful learning for children from non-dominant groups (Thompson, 2010). We will present our innovative approach, as well as preliminary evidence of its success, and discuss links to early childhood policy and practice.

Moderators

Christine McWayne

Professor of Child Study and Human Development, Tufts University

Speakers

Virginia Diez

Community Connector, RISE Project, Tufts University

Antonia Hutchinson

Family Advocate, ABCD Head Start, Malden, MA

Sunah Hyun

Doctoral Candidate and Research Assistant, Tufts University

Wednesday November 14, 2018 10:55am - 11:45am EST
Meeting Room B

AM Breakout II

Strand Early Education
Keywords Community/Partner Perspective, Diversity, Engineering, In-School Programming, Partnership, Research and Evaluation, Science

10:55am EST

The Flipped Internship: A New Partnership Strategy between Technology Companies and High Schools

High School Internships in technology companies are difficult to find. As a result, students often miss out on opportunities to learn, first-hand, about careers in technology. To solve this problem, MITRE and Burlington High School (BHS) collaborated and created a new strategy to provide High School Seniors with technology and career-related experiences in the “Flipped Internship.” Students were given an opportunity to propose and complete a career-related project while remaining in school. Industry mentors met with students once a week, and introduced them to software development methodologies such as Agile and Scrum, development tools like GitHub and Trello, emerging fields like Cybersecurity, and new software development platforms. Additionally, using technologies like Trello and Github enabled both teachers and off-site mentors to have insights into student progress and obstacles. Because the interns remained in the classroom, a large number of students were able to participate and work as colleagues, supporting and learning from each other. Weekly Mentor meetings were scheduled during lunch, and MITRE employees from different departments were able to meet and traveled together, creating a sustained engagement with the school that offered employees both structure and flexibility. Two lead engineers from MITRE’s NextUp group and two computer science teachers from Burlington High School will describe their experiences, share lessons learned, and provide a framework for other schools and businesses who would like to use this model.

Speakers

Emily Holt

Cyber Security Engineer, MITRE

Dylan Phelan

Visualization and Computer Graphics Software Engineer, MITRE

Shereen Tyrrell

Computer Science Teacher, Burlington High School

LeRoy Wong

Student Help Desk Instructor and Instructional Technology Specialist, Burlington Public Schools

Wednesday November 14, 2018 10:55am - 11:45am EST
Meeting Room A

AM Breakout II

Strand Workforce and Business
Keywords Business/Industry Perspective, Career Awareness, Educator Perspective, In-School Programming, Technology & Computer Science, Workforce Development

10:55am EST

The Pipeline Doesn’t End: Developing a Sustainable Culture of Digital Literacy in the Workplace

Given the theme of “Pipelines to Prosperity” and the importance of cultivating ongoing practices - as opposed to one-time check-off-the-box-and-it’s-done initiatives – we explore some workplace-tested ideas regarding “what works” based on notions of learning as situated in communities of practice (Lave & Wenger, 1991). To turn these theoretical insights into specific actionable programs, we offer an example of blockchain technology which demonstrates the importance of cultivating agile, diverse, entrepreneurial organizations capable of navigating future landscapes in which learning is a lifelong endeavor. To explore how businesses can reimagine their role in broadening participation in digital literacy initiatives, we draw upon insights garnered from the anthropological lens of “figured worlds” (Holland, Lachicotte, Skinner, and Chain, 1998). This session prepares employers of all sizes to leverage the latest research findings to implement digital literacy practices not only for “knowledge workers,” but for all workers. While Massachusetts is known internationally as a hub of technological innovation, many who hail from historically non-dominant communities, e.g. females, Latinx, Black and Brown individuals, and English Learners (ELs), are underrepresented in industries that require STEM knowledge and skills (Landivar, 2013).The reasons for this are myriad: access to resources is often not enough; successful efforts must also address issues related to identity, i.e. not seeing oneself as a “science person” (Carlone, 2004); the “problematic pipeline” (Chapa & De La Rosa, 2006); and sociopolitical practices that embrace deficiency viewpoints (Gutiérrez, 2013). We frame workplace digital literacy initiatives as one way to improve communication, collaboration, innovation, and actualize increased prosperity for all.

Speakers

Nicole Butts

PhD Student, University of Massachusetts Dartmouth STEM Education

Suzanne Cardello

PhD Student, University of Massachusetts Dartmouth STEM Education

Semiha Gun-Yildez

PhD Student, University of Massachusetts Dartmouth STEM Education

Wednesday November 14, 2018 10:55am - 11:45am EST
Conference Room 210

AM Breakout II

Strand Workforce and Business
Keywords Business/Industry Perspective, Digital Literacy / Digital Education, Diversity, Innovation & Entrepreneurship, Technology & Computer Science, Workforce Development

11:45am EST

Luncheon Buffet

Wednesday November 14, 2018 11:45am - 1:00pm EST
Plenary Hall

Meal

12:30pm EST

Luncheon Plenary

Emcee - Doug Banks, Executive Editor, Boston Business Journal

Presentation of The Hall at Patriot Place 2018 Massachusetts STEM Teacher of the Year

Bryan Morry, Executive Director, The Hall at Patriot Place presented by Raytheon
Erin Cronin, Revere High School

Dell and MathCounts present: "Are You Smarter Than a Mathlete?"

Howard Elias, President, Dell Services and Digital
Kristen Chandler, Executive Director, MATHCOUNTS Foundation

Wednesday November 14, 2018 12:30pm - 1:30pm EST
Plenary Hall

Plenary

1:30pm EST

Break

Wednesday November 14, 2018 1:30pm - 1:45pm EST
DCU Center

Break

1:45pm EST

Amp It UP! Industry Driven Lessons

The AMP IT UP program is an industry, school, and agency program that provides a day-long mini-externship to STEM teachers in local companies. Teachers observe how the math and science skills that they teach under the Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks are applied in the day-to-day activities of these companies. The program includes professional development sequence that embeds the field experience into a resulting lesson extension. As a result, hundreds of students in math, science and engineering classes throughout the north shore are learning about local high tech companies, STEM careers and the importance of mathematics, science and engineering practices.

We will share the professional development model, lesson plan templates and resources developed. Additionally, lesson extension samples will be shared with the group.

Speakers

Katie Crowder

Manager of Youth WD Programs, North Shore Workforce Investment Board

Mary Sarris

Executive Director, North Shore Workforce Investment Board

Christine Shaw

Professional Development Leader, Merrimack College

Wednesday November 14, 2018 1:45pm - 2:35pm EST
Grand Ballroom Center

PM Breakout I

Strand Workforce and Business
Keywords Business/Industry Perspective, Career Awareness, Educator Preparation, Engineering, In-School Programming, Math, Partnership, Science, Technology & Computer Science, Workforce Development

1:45pm EST

Beauty and Joy of Computing: A CS Principles Course

Computer science (CS) has been a field dominated by White and Asian men, but the educational community is actively seeking to engage and support female, Black and Latino students in rigorous high school computer science and prepare them for CS in college and the workforce. Come see how the College Board-endorsed AP curriculum Beauty and Joy of Computing (BJC) is teaching students how to program and how technology impacts society using cross-subject-area projects in a visual programming language and collaborative and student-led class discussions on current events. You will collaboratively explore a hands-on introduction to programming with the Snap! language and learn about the AP Computer Science Principles course, the BJC curriculum, and our ongoing research in urban schools. We’ll answer your questions about implementing this free course, the Snap! programming language, and the equity-focused research project, and leave you inspired to explore the Beauty and Joy of Computing with your students. Participants do not need any experience with programming but should bring an Internet-enabled device.

Speakers

Mary Fries

Senior Curriculum and Instructional Design Associate, Education Development Center, Inc.

Wednesday November 14, 2018 1:45pm - 2:35pm EST
Grand Ballroom North

PM Breakout I

Strand K-12 Education
Keywords Digital Literacy / Digital Education, Diversity, Interest, Partnership, Research and Evaluation, Technology & Computer Science

1:45pm EST

Creating a STEM Pathway through Mentoring, Purpose, and Food Justice

Our Change Maker program brings together youth from Springfield, Waltham and Boston and uses a cross-age, near peer, tiered mentoring model, positive-youth development STEM focus where high school youth will support middle school youth in learning the interdisciplinary science of hydroponics while they grow crops in their urban hydroponic farms. We have established Food Justice Ambassador teams across our three cities consisting of high school youth who will mentor and teach middle school youth in after-school settings with youth alumni (college-students) serving as Food Justice Leaders. Attendees will learn how we have combined three synergistic components into a STEM pathway model: (1) a near-peer mentoring approach, (2) STEM learning, and (3) youth purpose and career development. Unlike other out-of-school STEM programs, our proposed work will not only support the learning of STEM concepts, but it will do so by taking them on a personal journey designed to help them discover the relevance of STEM skills for fulfilling future career aspirations, as well as for contributing to the lives of others. Our approach is different from the many programs that focus on teaching STEM to close the opportunity gap. Rather, our program recognizes the potential for urban youth to become deeply knowledgeable citizens who understand the localization of food injustice within their communities and as such, can mobilize their enhanced STEM knowledge and skills to illuminate/resolve social injustices.

Moderators

Michael Barnett

Professor, Boston College

Speakers

Heather Metallides

Director of Science, Waltham Public Schools

Marcello Rossi

Springfield ChangeMaker Project Lead, Springfield Public Schools

Andrew Trossello

Teacher, Waltham High School

Wednesday November 14, 2018 1:45pm - 2:35pm EST
Meeting Room A

PM Breakout I

Strand K-12 Education
Keywords Career Awareness, Out-of-School Time, Partnership, Research and Evaluation, Science, Student Perspective, Workforce Development

1:45pm EST

Designing for Scale to Impact System-wide Student Success

To realize the significant change we seek in student success trajectories, solutions have to be implemented across a system at scale. However, scale can be difficult to achieve and maintain. Designing, launching, and supporting an initiative at scale brings its own unique challenges and benefits. Can an initiative launched at scale support a system-level model for promoting student engagement and success across an entire Commonwealth? This session highlights the efforts of the STEM Starter Academy Initiative, administrated through the Massachusetts Department of Higher Education, to support the STEM pipeline at all 15 of the public community colleges in Massachusetts. Through this work the campuses have built upon existing STEM programming to provide a cohesive set of student supports through the coordination of different offices on campuses and by learning from each other on what is working to impact student retention rates and program completion. This work has spawned several vibrant partnerships, and connected an active and diverse learning community that is deeply committed to inter- and intra-campus collaboration.

During this session we will review key steps in designing for scale, highlighting specific instances of success, challenge, and emergent best practice. Audience members will learn about implementing an initiative at the system level (at scale) through the lens of STEM Starter Academy programming. Key steps in the process of implementing and supporting work at scale will be highlighted during this session, as well as the practices and lessons learned that have helped shape this initiative into a true learning community that can be applied to other regional and state-wide partnerships.

Moderators

Allison Little

Executive Director, STEM, Massachusetts Department of Higher Education

Speakers

Meghan Abella-Bowen

Associate Dean for STEM Initiatives, Bristol Community College

Jeremiah Johnson

Senior Research Manager, UMass Donahue Institute

Valerie Kapilow

STEM Starter Academy Project Director, Massachusetts Bay Community College

Wednesday November 14, 2018 1:45pm - 2:35pm EST
Meeting Room C

PM Breakout I

Strand Higher Education
Keywords Academic Success Strategies, Administrator Perspective, Diversity, Interest, Partnership, Research and Evaluation

1:45pm EST

EcoMOD: Blending Computational Modeling and Virtual Worlds for 3rd Grade Ecosystems Science

In recent years, the field of education has challenged researchers and practitioners to incorporate computing as an essential focus of K12 STEM education. Widely recognized as a “basic skill” necessary for economic opportunity and social mobility, integrating computing within K12 STEM supports learners in applying computational thinking while co-developing practices essential to mathematical and scientific expertise. The EcoMOD research project is an example of such an integration. EcoMOD is a 3rd grade science curriculum that blends scientific modeling tasks and computer programming within an immersive virtual ecosystem.

The EcoMOD curriculum interweaves a 3D virtual ecosystem and a visual block-based programming and modeling environment such that the epistemic goals of science are visible to learners. In EcoMOD, students explore an immersive virtual forest ecosystem from multiple perspectives; collecting data, embodying behaviors of focal animals using an immersive point-of-view tool, documenting change caused by the arrival of two keystone species (beavers and woodpeckers), and, finally, developing theories to explain those observed changes. Students test their theories by constructing and refining computational models of the ecosystem. Model outcomes help students link individual organism behaviors to indirect and emergent system level impacts, in turn scaffolding the development of more sophisticated theories regarding the complex causal relationships within the ecosystem.

Speakers

Amanda Dickes

Postdoctoral Fellow, Harvard Graduate School of Education

Shari Metcalf

Project Director, Harvard Graduate School of Education

Wednesday November 14, 2018 1:45pm - 2:35pm EST
Conference Room 210

PM Breakout I

Strand K-12 Education
Keywords Educator Perspective, In-School Programming, Research and Evaluation, Science, Technology & Computer Science

1:45pm EST

Exciting Students in STEM: STEM Week Reflections and Lessons Learned

The Commonwealth’s inaugural STEM Week in October highlighted the importance of engaging students at all levels in STEM education, activities, and connections to the state’s workforce. In this session, STEM Week hosts, including educators, industry, and non-profit leaders, discuss strategies for building interest and excitement in STEM subjects, and specifically, how they planned STEM Week activities that galvanized students’ attention and energy. The session will also look ahead to STEM Week in 2019 as participants discuss lessons learned and their ideas on how to make STEM Week successful in the years to come.

Moderators

Erin Hashimoto-Martell

Director of STEM, MA Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

Speakers

Chakara Cardillo

8th Grade STEM Teacher, Randolph Community Middle School

Stacey Kaminiski

Executive Director, CONNECT Partnership & Southeast Regional STEM Network

Greg Mullaney

Associate Professor of Early Childhood Education, Quinsigamond Community College

Rochelle Willis

Business Development Manager, Skanska

Wednesday November 14, 2018 1:45pm - 2:35pm EST
Grand Ballroom South

PM Breakout I

Strand K-12 Education
Keywords Educator Perspective, In-School Programming, Interest, Partnership

1:45pm EST

Fairytales & STEAM - Cross Curricular Integration Through Project Based Learning

Fairy tales give young children a safe way to explore the world and grapple with the conflict between good and evil. They also inspire curiosity, creativity and problem-solving, making them a natural fit for the STEAM classroom. In this session, you will be introduced to the ways you can integrate disciplines to create a more powerful learning experience for K-2 students.

Moderators

Samantha Buckley

Second Grade Teacher, Framingham Public Schools

Speakers

Ashley Deschenes

First Grade Teacher, Framingham Public Schools

Sabrina Gravanti

Kindergarten Teacher, Framingham Public Schools

Wednesday November 14, 2018 1:45pm - 2:35pm EST
Meeting Room E

PM Breakout I

Strand K-12 Education
Keywords Diversity, Engineering, Science, STEAM, Student Perspective

1:45pm EST

Motivate Students with Free Innovative STEAM Resources from Public Libraries

The pipeline to prosperity begins with accessing resources your public library offers for free! Students learn better when their learning is supported in the community. STEAM emphasizes collaboration between schools, science organizations, higher education and business to prepare students for STEM jobs. Public libraries are a place where all of these institutions can come together to reach your students and their families. Public libraries have responded to STEAM with a plethora of free materials, kits, robots, programs, clubs, makerspaces and STEAM Centers. Educators for grades K-4 and school librarians will discover innovative resources available at public libraries throughout MA designed to support students, educators, classrooms, out-of-school activities and parent and community involvement. Learn about library resources specifically for K-4 students and for teacher use in the classroom or on a field trip to the library. Find out about library clubs for young coders, Skype programs with NASA, STEAM kits and centers, makerspaces and circulating telescopes. Explore new ways public librarians, school librarians and K-4 educators can form partnerships. MA Library Systems will provide an overview of statewide offerings. Learn about the Needham Free Public Library’s STEAM Center and their partnership with elementary schools, STEAM Professionals and OLIN College of Engineering. There will be a question and answer/discussion session on how educators and public libraries can work together to support parent and community involvement for student motivation and success.

Speakers

Paula Dugan

Children’s Supervisor, Needham Free Public Library

April Mazza

Youth Services Consultant, MA Library Systems

Nick Tartar

Associate Dean of Student Affairs and PDSO, Olin College of Engineering

Wednesday November 14, 2018 1:45pm - 2:35pm EST
Meeting Room D

PM Breakout I

Strand K-12 Education
Keywords Community/Partner Perspective, Interest, Out-of-School Time, Partnership, STEAM, Technology & Computer Science

1:45pm EST

Priming Preschoolers to Enter the Engineering Pipeline through Problem-Solving

Children are born curious about the natural world. Early childhood settings are the perfect environments to harness this curiosity by encouraging questioning and problem solving using principles of engineering. By supporting children as they navigate the principals of engineering, we are priming the pipeline for STEM success. Despite prior research that shows a STEM curriculum that integrates the engineering design process (EDP) encourages cognitive development and child curiosity, there is very little organized STEM or engineering instruction within early childhood classrooms. Some reasons for this include lack of preschool teacher preparation in STEM and a shortage of available early childhood STEM and engineering curricula. This presentation will offer participants the opportunity to understand how to infuse dynamic STEM opportunities into their own preschool programs by learning about Worcester Head Start’s STEAM initiative and STEAM kits. Participants will also learn about Head Start’s partnership with Worcester Polytechnic Institute on a federal grant to develop a problem-based preschool STEM curriculum, Seeds of STEM, which exposes preschoolers to engineering vocabulary and an adapted engineering design process.

Moderators

Carlene Sherbourne

Education Manager, Worcester Head Start

Speakers

Colleen Bostwick

Lead Teacher, Worcester Head Start

Suchira Channoi

Lead Teacher, Worcester Head Start

Bernadette Sibuma

Research Scientist, Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Wednesday November 14, 2018 1:45pm - 2:35pm EST
Junior Ballroom

PM Breakout I

Strand Early Education
Keywords Diversity, Educator Preparation, Engineering, Partnership, Science, STEAM

1:45pm EST

The Shrinking STEM Workforce: Capitalizing on the Expanding K-12 EL Population as a Solution

Could the need for workers in the STEM pipeline be mitigated by capitalizing on the growing numbers of English Learners (ELs) children and young adults entering the MA K-12 system?

Yes, if we are proactive with assessing incoming ELs’ numeracy skills when they enter the K-12 system and determine what they already know, we could meet them where they are academically in their math and science numeracy skills and provide them with proper supports so that they do not fall behind in these subjects as they learn and become proficient in the English language.

Learn about the MA Numeracy Assessment Protocol for Students with Limited and Interrupted Education (SLIFE) who are disproportionality ELs.
Learn how the interactive MA Mathematics Progression Chart helps: (1) identify the numeracy skills embedded in the rigorous MA Framework for Mathematics and (2) with proper placement in math and science classes.
See an exemplar numeracy skills assessment developed for the extreme case of lack of common language.
Have access to all of the above tools.

Speakers

Sara Nino

SPED and EL Coordinator, MA Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

Meto Raha

Math Content Specialist, MA Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

Wednesday November 14, 2018 1:45pm - 2:35pm EST
Meeting Room B

PM Breakout I

Strand K-12 Education
Keywords Academic Success Strategies, Diversity, Educator Perspective, Math, Science, Workforce Development

2:35pm EST

Break

Wednesday November 14, 2018 2:35pm - 2:55pm EST
DCU Center

Break

2:55pm EST

Best Practices in STEM Space Design and Use

How can we engage students through the design and use of STEM learning spaces across grades K through 12? This session is centered on a presentation of initial findings of a review of best practices for K-12 STEM learning spaces commissioned by the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA). The review is looking at K-12 academic STEM learning spaces, including elementary classrooms, science labs, and makerspaces, to provide recommendations for the sizing, configuration, outfitting, management, maintenance, and use of STEM learning spaces. Panelists will reflect on the importance of thoughtful STEM space design, the affordances and limitations of design for STEM learning opportunities and programming, and potential implications of initial findings. Participants will consider and reflect on how their STEM space design enables or limits local STEM programming and goals.

Moderators

Jake Foster

Owner & Founder, STEM Learning Design LLC

Speakers

Amy Fish

Innovation Studio Facilitator, Bourne Public Schools

Laura Smith

Consultant

Autumn Waldron

Assistant Project Manager, MA School Building Authority (MSBA)

Wednesday November 14, 2018 2:55pm - 3:45pm EST
Meeting Room E

PM Breakout II

Strand K-12 Education
Keywords Administrator Perspective, Educator Perspective, Engineering, In-School Programming, Science, STEAM

2:55pm EST

Co-constructed STE Curriculum in Head Start: Partnership-Based Research for Program Improvement

The Readiness through Integrative Science and Engineering (RISE) project focuses on the purposeful engagement of preschool teachers and children in both the explanation-seeking behavior of science and the problem-solving behavior of engineering and technological endeavors. Specifically, RISE seeks to develop ecologically valid, culturally relevant integrative science, technology and engineering (STE) preschool curriculum components and home-school connections (HSC), forged through exploration of family knowledge, activities, and routines related to STE, to support young dual language learning (DLL) children’s school success. Three Head Start teachers will provide brief presentations about how their curriculum concerning the concept of Living vs. Non-living Things unfolded. These presentations will provide the audience with clear examples of how curriculum implementation can align with, yet vary within, larger national and state frameworks, how a co-construction approach to PD can empower teachers and families, and how evaluation of curriculum and PD programs can measure fidelity to an approach rather than fidelity to a specific curricular script. Implications for application in other settings will be discussed, especially as relevant for informing culturally inclusive curriculum.

Moderators

Christine McWayne

Professor of Child Study and Human Development, Tufts University

Speakers

Heidi Chait

Early Childhood Mentor/Coach, ABCD Head Start, Malden, MA

Suzane Croteau

Lead Teacher, ABCD Head Start, Boston, MA

Cynthia Parker

Lead Coach for the RISE Project, Tufts University

Wednesday November 14, 2018 2:55pm - 3:45pm EST
Meeting Room D

PM Breakout II

Strand Early Education
Keywords Diversity, Educator Perspective, Engineering, In-School Programming, Partnership, Research and Evaluation, Science

2:55pm EST

Collaborative Design for Engaging STEM Volunteers in Middle Grades Class Projects

Citizen Schools’ Apprenticeship model has been shown through external evaluation to increase middle school students’ interest in STEM careers and proficiency in Math (comparable to 4 additional months of learning).

Citizen Schools’ design team has been working to develop a pilot that will allow us to engage more students in this style of learning as part of their science classes. Taking what we have learned about developing high interest, project-based learning courses with STEM in the out of school time, we set out to design an in-school model co-designed by science teachers and STEM volunteers.

This session will share the key volunteer engagement strategies we’ve developed for inclusion in our project-based learning units and model the design –based research methods we’ve used to evaluate and refine our resources for the model.

Come with an idea you have for a student project to workshop. The final component of the session with guide participants in a protocol to brainstorm their own curricular units they may want to develop (using our templates and online resources) that would be bolstered by the relevance, rigor and joy that volunteers can add to a project for middle school students – We’ll work in small groups to identify roles that STEM professionals could potentially play in supporting student’s authentic project work, and potential sources for recruiting those volunteers to bring the project to life!

Speakers

Amy Hoffmaster

Director of Program Innovation, Citizen Schools

Nell Kisiel

VP of Strategy and Business Development, Citizen Schools

Wednesday November 14, 2018 2:55pm - 3:45pm EST
Conference Room 210

PM Breakout II

Strand K-12 Education
Keywords Community/Partner Perspective, Educator Perspective, Innovation & Entrepreneurship, In-School Programming, STEAM, Workforce Development

2:55pm EST

Creating Fun and Engaging STEM Learning with Toddler and Preschool Children

Get ready to have some fun! Filled with “A-HA” moments, this workshop is designed to promote simple science, technology, engineering and mathematics in toddler and preschool settings. Through hands-on exploration with our fun and engaging experiments and activities, participants will take away great ideas and strategies that can easily be incorporated into their classrooms.

Speakers

Krissy Cannizzo

Outreach Coordinator, Professional Development Trainer, Children’s Museum in Easton

Wednesday November 14, 2018 2:55pm - 3:45pm EST
Junior Ballroom

PM Breakout II

Strand Early Education
Keywords Academic Success Strategies, Educator Perspective, Interest, Science, STEAM, Student Perspective

2:55pm EST

Cybersecurity Education Standards: Partnership Between Industry and Education

Using cybersecurity as an example, this session will examine the relationship between industry and education stakeholders as they developed computer science education standards. The session will follow two threads of conversation: one based on the specifics of cybersecurity and the other focused on the process. This session will examine: 1) how the sub-concept of cybersecurity was elevated to main concept status; 2) how the Standards Committee ensured that the standards include content and skills that were relevant to a fast-changing industry as well as being cognitively appropriate for the designated grade bands and; 3) the process of balancing the needs of industry and education.

The chair of the Rhode Island Computer Education Standards Advisory Committee will moderate a panel composed of a defense industry association education specialist, a high school teacher and a cybersecurity expert. They will discuss how experts in content and experts in pedagogy and educational administration worked together to develop the cybersecurity standards that were endorsed in May 2018 (as part of a larger set of CS standards) by the Rhode Island Board of Education and are currently being implemented.

After a very brief introduction to Computer Science for Rhode Island (CS4RI) and the development of the CS education standards, the panel will discuss the following questions:

Why should cybersecurity be a stand-alone core concept in the standards?
As risks continually evolve, how can cybersecurity be taught so it is age appropriate and relevant?
How are content and/or perspective differences resolved?

Moderators

Carol M. Giuriceo

Director, Rhode Island STEAM Center @ Rhode Island College

Speakers

Simon A. Cousins

Principal Client Specialist, FM Global

Linda Larsen

Director of Education Outreach & Workforce Development, Southeastern New England Defense Industry Alliance (SENEDA)

Joe Mazzone

Career and Technical Education Instructor, William M. Davies Jr. Career and Technical High School, Lincoln, Rhode Island

Wednesday November 14, 2018 2:55pm - 3:45pm EST
Meeting Room C

PM Breakout II

Strand Workforce and Business
Keywords Business/Industry Perspective, Educator Perspective, Technology & Computer Science, Workforce Development

2:55pm EST

Integration of Computational Thinking into Math and Science Curriculum Materials

In recognition of the fact that digital literacy and computer science knowledge and skills are rapidly entering the realm of foundational knowledge for all K–12 students, Massachusetts was among the first states in the country to have released Digital Literacy and Computer Science (DLCS) standards. While DLCS competencies are clearly critical for students’ academic and career futures, many educators in the elementary grades will find it challenging to address these standards if they feel they need to add a new subject area to their already jam-packed instructional time.

This session will share the work of one project that is addressing the challenge by integrating standards from the computational thinking DLCS strand into math and science lessons. This project is a collaboration between Education Development Center (EDC), Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE), and teachers from 15 school districts throughout the state.

In this session, attendees will get a brief introduction to computational thinking, engage in a computational thinking-rich activity, and have a chance to explore and discuss an integrated science-computational thinking task from one of the project-developed lessons. Anne DeMallie, DESE’s Computer Science and STEM Integration Specialist, will be on hand to discuss the DLCS standards and their implementation with attendees.

Moderators

Marian Pasquale

Senior Research Scientist, Education Development Center (EDC)

Speakers

Anne DeMallie

Computer Science and STEM Integration Specialist, MA Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

Kristine Thayer

Teacher (Grade 3), Glenwood Elementary School, Rutland, MA

Kevin Waterman

Project Director, Education Development Center (EDC)

Wednesday November 14, 2018 2:55pm - 3:45pm EST
Grand Ballroom South

PM Breakout II

Strand K-12 Education
Keywords Digital Literacy / Digital Education, Educator Preparation, In-School Programming, Math, Science, Technology & Computer Science

2:55pm EST

Nudging to STEM Success: Supporting Persistence and Completion in STEM Pathways

Evidence is growing that “nudges” grounded in behavioral science can help students persist through college. This session will discuss lessons and early outcomes from a national initiative using behavioral nudging and intelligent software to increase STEM success and completion. Early experimental results show that the nudging support resulted in a 10 percentage-point increase in spring-to-fall persistence.

Beginning in summer 2017, Persistence Plus and Jobs for the Future launched an initiative to support students at four community colleges with text message nudges for college completion. Serving more than 10,000 students, the Nudging to STEM Success project aims to increase persistence rates for entering students, with an emphasis on success in introductory STEM courses. Nudges are grounded in behavioral science and engage students via text message. These interventions are designed to help students develop a strong college-completion and STEM identity by connecting their STEM studies to their personal values and goals. Nudges also encourage students to set and follow through on academic goals and utilize campus supports like tutoring and advising, while revealing hidden barriers and misconceptions that hinder student success. Attendees will learn how schools in this initiative are leveraging behavioral science and mobile technology to help students navigate through college, and see examples of what interactive nudging via text message looks like from the student perspective.

Speakers

Serena Fahnbulleh Crain

Program Operations Lead, Persistence Plus

Wednesday November 14, 2018 2:55pm - 3:45pm EST
Meeting Room A

PM Breakout II

Strand Higher Education
Keywords Academic Success Strategies, Diversity, Innovation & Entrepreneurship, Partnership, Research and Evaluation

2:55pm EST

Robots and Screen-Free Coding for Your Youngest Learners — Come Play With KIBO!

Come play with the KIBO robot! Get hands-on with this screen-free coding and robotics kit for children in K-2 classrooms, while you hear ideas for integrating these activities within existing curriculum. We’ll share how easy it is to integrate robotics within the classroom to engage young students to learn STEAM concepts. Using K-2 classroom examples, like our first-grade students using robotics to drive home science learning initiatives, such as wind and weather instruction. Barbara Tennyson, an experienced STEM teacher and technology integrator, will share examples of using robotics to support in-class curriculum as well as meet computer science and digital literacy standards. Learn how to incorporate robotics into your existing classroom instruction to emphasize lessons with hands-on play!

Speakers

Jason Innes

Manager of Training and Curriculum Development, KinderLab Robotics, Inc.

Barbara Tennyson

Instructional Technology Specialist, Needham Public Schools

Wednesday November 14, 2018 2:55pm - 3:45pm EST
Gran Ballroom North

PM Breakout II

Strand K-12 Education
Keywords Achievement, Digital Literacy / Digital Education, Engineering, Science, STEAM, Technology & Computer Science

2:55pm EST

Vertically Aligned Life Sciences Lab & Career Experiences – An Opportunity for MS & HS

Would your students benefit from hands-on and inquiry-based life sciences activities in their classrooms, industry guest speakers and visits to local biotechnology companies and college campuses? Would your students benefit from up-to-date information on the workforce development and job skills trends in the life sciences?

MassBioEd & Science from Scientists, both recognized as premier STEM educational initiatives in Massachusetts, are launching a new joint program. We will provide middle and high school life sciences teachers and students with lab experiences and curriculum relevant to the life sciences industry. Students served in middle school will revisit the lab experiences and curriculum with greater sophistication in high schools supported by equipment and training grants. Through our partnerships with area colleges and life sciences companies, these same students will explore college and career opportunities in an effort to build a connected pipeline of classroom to career experiences for students and teachers.

We will provide potential partners with 1) much-needed technology and laboratory equipment, 2) robust, field-tested and frameworks-relevant lessons, 3) instruction for teachers in the effective implementation of labs and lab-based courses, 4) support to incorporate in-school mentoring to overcome implementation barriers, and 5) increased student access to college and career exploration opportunities.

We are seeking to build teams of middle & high school teachers, faculty and district administrators that are committed to sustaining life science experiences, college and career opportunities. Each team will be supported by equipment and transportation grants, with mentoring and technical assistance from MassBioEd & Science from Scientists.

Speakers

Michelle Mischke

Director of Education, MassBioEd Foundation

Amanda Schutt

Chief Operations Officer, Science from Scientists

Karla Talanian

Manager, Labor Market Research, MassBioEd Foundation

Wednesday November 14, 2018 2:55pm - 3:45pm EST
Meeting Room B

PM Breakout II

Strand K-12 Education
Keywords Career Awareness, Community/Partner Perspective, Educator Preparation, In-School Programming

2:55pm EST

What Can Your Library Do for STEM?

North Andover’s Public Library and Elementary Schools have each received grants to expand STEM resources available to students, educators, families, and the greater community. These resources include manipulatives that encourage learning through play and experimentation while developing a coding and engineering mindset. This workshop will give K-12 educators practical advice in creating a partnership between organizations and give educators the opportunity to explore new or deepen existing partnerships with local organizations.

Participants will learn about the collaborative efforts of these seemingly disparate groups and how they have used STEM materials across the curricula. Presenters will bring manipulatives and engage attendees in an interactive demonstration of how STEM materials were incorporated into a lesson on poetry. Examples of effective ways students have demonstrated their learning using STEM tools will also be shared. Attendees will have access to lesson plans to download.

At the conclusion of the session, participants will brainstorm possible partnerships and how they can use these ideas in their own roles. Additionally, they will have hands-on time with manipulatives such as robots, circuits, and building materials.

Speakers

PM Breakout II

Strand K-12 Education
Keywords Community/Partner Perspective, Digital Literacy / Digital Education, Educator Perspective, Engineering, Innovation & Entrepreneurship, Interest, Out-of-School Time

3:00pm EST

Exhibit Hall Closes

Wednesday November 14, 2018 3:00pm - TBA EST
Exhibit Hall

Exhibits