STEM Learning Ecosystems Set to Meet in Florida

Director of DoD STEM, inventor, leaders from across the globe will join event

JACKSONVILLE, Fla., April 13, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- About 500 of the world's top leaders and thinkers in STEM are expected to attend the May 1 to May 3 convening of the STEM Learning Ecosystems Community of Practice in Jacksonville, Fla. co-hosted by the STEM2HUB.

Louie Lopez, director of DoD STEM in the Office of the Undersecretary of Defense for Research and Engineering, is among the speakers set to discuss how STEM is vital for the future of the world.

Other speakers include: Dasia Taylor, the 19 year-old who invented color-changing stitches to detect infection; former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, who now chairs the education foundation, ExcelinEd; Henry King, innovation and transformation leader at Salesforce; Paula Golden of the Broadcom Foundation and leaders of IBM, Siemens, LEGO, Verizon and leading national foundations and philanthropic organizations.

In addition to mainstage sessions, the convening will include design sessions and experiential learning opportunities to empower leaders with tools and strategies to support STEM in their own communities, with a focus on the event's theme - Ideate. Innovate. Implement.

Ideate. Innovate. Implement will showcase strategies for empowering and engaging the next generation to solve the many challenges facing the world, including a special interactive Build | Fly | Code ™ training session led by For the Win Robotics (FTW), a leader in drone-based STEM and computer science programming. Following its widespread adoption in Pennsylvania, Build | Fly | Code has emerged as the gold standard in education technology programming.  Attendees of the Build | Fly | Code training sessions will leave with the drone they built, and a deep understanding of what this technology and program can offer young learners in their communities.

Ideate. Innovate. Implement, now sold out, marks the 14th convening of the 110-member STEM Learning Ecosystems Community of Practice.

"There is no shortage of meaningful STEM programs and initiatives in our world. What is lacking is a system for connecting those opportunities and aligning them to workforce needs of today and tomorrow," said Jan Morrison, founder and chief executive officer of TIES. "This convening is a unique opportunity for leaders to design systems and strategies to best serve our learners and equip our nation with innovators and STEM-trained workers for the next century."

TIES co-founded the 9 year-old STEM Learning Ecosystems Community of Practice and continues to serve as its backbone organization, leading growth of the initiative to its current size of 110 connected Ecosystems serving an estimated 40 million students worldwide. Forming STEM Learning Ecosystems was listed as the top priority for communities by the U.S. Office of Science, Technology Policy in its five-year strategic plan; and STEM Learning Ecosystems were called out in the Federal Chips and Science Act of 2022 as one of the eligible entities to receive funding to support STEM work.

The event begins at 8 a.m. Monday at the SawGrass Marriott and continues at the Yards for an evening of STEM fun, with lots of activities including pickleball, putting, food trucks, BMX bikes, a race car built by students from The Flying Classroom, Hour of Engineering, STEM On The Go Van and much more.

The STEM2HUB assisted with planning for this convening. Kathleen Schofield, executive director of STEM2HUB, said, "The NorthEast Florida STEM2 Hub is thrilled to be hosting this convening. It is such a wonderful opportunity to open our doors and share our collaborative work with the global community of practice." 

A full schedule for Ideate. Innovate. Implement is here.

About TIES and The STEM Learning Ecosystems Community of Practice
With philanthropic support from some of the nation's leading businesses and foundations, and TIES as its co-founder and backbone, the STEM Learning Ecosystems have grown to 111 Ecosystems across the globe. Ecosystems work to improve STEM learning for all and bring together leaders from K-12, higher education, business and industry, government and philanthropy to support meaningful STEM opportunities and learn from one another.

About Build | Fly | Code

Through the power of experiential STEM and computer science education, FTW Robotics' Build | Fly | Code program – offers educators new professional development opportunities while making drone technology fun and accessible for all learners. Tailored to both in-person and virtual learning, the program helps to close equity gaps in STEM and computer science education, specifically for students with disabilities and other historically underrepresented populations, such as students of color and female students. Hands-on lessons incorporating both drone hardware and software enable FTW Robotics to make the principles of flight theory, mechanical design and coding approachable for students of every age.

About For the Win Robotics

For The Win Robotics focuses on fostering critical thinking and lifelong curiosity through the power of experiential STEM and computer science education, reaching more than 1,000 schools across the United States. With its Build | Fly | Code program, the company has developed an innovative education system offering educators new professional development opportunities while making STEM and computer science education fun for learners. By promoting collaboration, critical thinking and curiosity, FTW is building essential skills today's students need to become the workforce of the future. For more information on For the Win Robotics click here.

SOURCE TIES Teaching Institute for Excellence in STEM