Part 1: Finding funding, strengthening skills
By Kristin Bass, PhD, Director of Research Development, Rockman et al Cooperative
I had the good fortune to participate in two outstanding national science education meetings this fall: the annual conference for the Association of Science and Technology Centers (ASTC) which took place in San Francisco, and SciEd, the annual gathering for National Institutes of Health-funded science education projects, held virtually this year. I was a volunteer and attendee at ASTC, and a Conference Co-Chair for SciEd. REA staffer Nicole Jarvis presented at ASTC, while Alison Allen, Scott Burg, and Maggie Deagon presented and facilitated SciEd sessions.
At both events, I gained new insights on current trends in formal and informal science education, and how to organize and get the most out of a professional meeting. In the first of two blog posts, I’ll reflect on my two most meaningful takeaways about STEM education.
1. The STEM education funding landscape continues to evolve.
The two meetings highlighted the ways in which federal and nonfederal funders are currently supporting science education and related research. At ASTC, National Science Foundation program officers held an informal meet-up to talk about the recent STEM K-12 solicitation. This program replaces four solicitations that have been archived: Advancing Informal STEM Learning (AISL), Computer Science for All (CSforall), Discovery Research preK-12 (DRK-12), and Translation and Diffusion (TD). Funding is up to $750,000 for up to three years, with proposals accepted throughout the fiscal year. Program officers strongly encouraged potential applicants to send a one-page concept paper to STEMK12@nsf.gov for feedback.
Corporate and private foundations also played a prominent role at ASTC. For instance, the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation sponsored ConnectFest, a free public science festival. Over four hours, ten local science and technology centers engaged thousands of visitors of all ages in hands-on science activities. Likewise, Sanofi held a reception to introduce The Air We Share, a new initiative with ASTC to fund public engagement programs in environmental issues and respiratory health at science and technology centers. Representatives from both of these organizations were excited about this new partnership and its potential for inspiring community-based action and promoting STEM learning.
At SciEd, Dr. Erika Shugart, the Principal of Erika Shugart Consulting, delivered the inaugural L. Tony Beck Memorial Lecture on funding, policy, and practice in informal STEM education. She gave an overview of some different types of funders, encouraging audience members to diversify their revenue streams through sources like family and local community foundations. On the federal side, a planned conversation with NIH and NSF program officers will be rescheduled for a later date.
2. Communication, collaboration, critical thinking, and creativity are essential skills that should be taught explicitly in STEM programs.
Dr. Rebecca Peterson presented a keynote address at SciEd on developing K-12 students’ “durable skills” to prepare them for the biomedical and healthcare workforce. She encouraged the audience to “Name the Baby” by defining intended core skills as specifically as possible, then designing activities that elicit those skills. Rubrics and self-assessments can help teachers and students track progress. The SciEd audience really resonated with this idea. Some participants mentioned the talk in subsequent breakout sessions as they considered how it applied to their programs.
ASTC sessions included numerous examples of projects that taught durable skills, including math mini-maker projects that encouraged creativity and critical thinking, museum exhibits that raised awareness of climate change consequences and solutions, and online communities helping middle school engineers learn to collaborate with confidence.
Across the two conferences, I saw durable skills activities taking on many forms to cover a wide variety of STEM content. The challenge ahead is how to measure those skills effectively and consistently. Evaluation will play a prominent role in advancing these critical competencies.
If you’d like more information about these two meetings or are looking for a research or evaluation partner for your STEM programs, we encourage you to contact us to discuss your project needs. We offer a free 30 minute consultation and would look forward to hearing from you.