2016 Maine STEM Summit
Conference Strand Descriptions and Call for Proposals
Description of the Summit:
The Maine STEM Summit provides an opportunity to foster discussion, engagement, and innovation across the education, workforce, and technology sectors of Maine. Join the conversation about how to increase the capacity and access to Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) to all students throughout Maine. The summit convenes K-12 in-school and out-of-school educators and administrators, business leaders, learning scientists, nonprofit organizations, STEM researcher scientists, policy makers, parents, and students to learn and share with each other to build capacity for STEM experiences across Maine.
The 2016 Maine STEM Summit will focus on the theme of “Building Bridges: Developing Partnerships to Build Capacity for STEM Education in Maine”. This summit provides the opportunity to not just passively participate and listen to sessions. In addition to an outstanding learning experience the 2016 Maine STEM Summit is designed to support attendees in adding their voices to defining new collaborations, projects, and initiatives of many different forms. To address the theme of building bridges the conference welcomes session proposals in the following strands:
1) Maine’s STEM Workforce: Challenges and Opportunities
2) Professional Development: Share, Collaborate, Reform
3) Looking Ahead: Defining and Advocating for Maine STEM in 2026
4) What Is New and What Is Next for STEM Education Research in Maine
Each session coordinator is strongly encouraged to bring collaborators into the conversations and presentation. Successful proposals will tell the story of more than one organization’s experiences as well as providing interactive discussions and activities for participants.
Strand Descriptions:
1. Maine’s STEM Workforce: Challenges and Opportunities
Strand leader: Jason Judd, Educate Maine -
Innovative partnerships between businesses and educators are driving STEM education opportunities for Maine students to new possibilities, while also strengthening and preparing the STEM workforce of the future. This strand will highlight private-public collaborations, share challenges, successes and lessons learned, and prompt conversations about how we can continue to grow partnerships in this arena. We invite proposals that highlight partnership models between schools and community businesses and organizations.
2. Professional Development: Share, Collaborate, Reform
Strand leaders: Ruth Kermish-Allen, Maine Math & Science Alliance – ; Gayle Bowness, GMRI - ; Erika Allison, University of Maine RiSE Center -
Now more than ever, professional development providers in Maine are realizing the benefits of working together for greater impact in supporting and strengthening STEM education in Maine. Bringing together professional development providers and various stakeholders, this strand will highlight partnerships that blend multiple organizations, deepen and strengthen practice of professional development providers, and spark conversation between providers and educators about professional development needs and opportunities. This strand intends to open discussions related to addressing educator needs, highlighting current STEM professional development available, and potentially brainstorming new opportunities for Maine’s educators and STEM professionals.
3. Looking Ahead: Defining and Advocating for Maine STEM in 2026
Strand leaders: Tom Keller, Maine STEM Council – ; Ed Cervone, Educate Maine
As the STEM education landscape continues to evolve, educators and policymakers must look ahead to design pathways that will best prepare Maine students for the future. This strand will bring together stakeholders to describe a successful landscape ten years down the road and then attempt to define the types of needed advocacy, legislation, collaborations, and milestones we need to undertake today in order to get there. Conversations in this strand will bring together STEM education stakeholders to engage in discussions to define potential policy and capacity building initiatives for the State of Maine.
4. What Is New and What Is Next for STEM Education Research in Maine
Strand Leaders: Ruth Kermish-Allen, Maine Math and Science Alliance –; Erika Allison, University of Maine RiSE Center -
Maine is a rich landscape for supporting collaborations between research and practice. We have dynamic scientists and researchers actively contributing to the education landscape, and research-minded educators continuing to learn and discover best practices. This strand will highlight collaborations between researchers and collaborations between researchers and practitioners that are driving STEM education forward. We will look at the latest research collaborations and findings, learn about new research coming down the pipeline, and discuss new collaborations and structures could increase the impact of the research-to-practice landscape. This strand will highlight what works in STEM education and provide an understanding of what are the next big challenges and questions for STEM education research in Maine.
Session Types:
1) Facilitated Discussion
These interactive sessions are aimed at larger, meta-level issues that build on (but go beyond) a single project or partnership and have broader impact on the Maine STEM education community. They will be 60 minutes and held in a meeting room. A/V equipment will be provided; however, presenters are encouraged to make limited use of A/V tools and direct presentation techniques as these sessions are intended to focus on discussion. Suggested structures for a facilitated discussion include a small group discussions, non-traditional interactive activities.
(2) Facilitated Panel
This presentation format provides an opportunity for presenters to share experiences across a series of studies or projects. In addition, the panel will discuss the implications for future work in the state. The panel proposals are encouraged to focus on one overarching topic or issue that all of the presenters on the panel have been working on via different perspectives, contexts, etc. Each session will be 60 minutes and should include at least 30 minutes of discussion or interactive group work with the audience. A/V equipment will be provided.
(3) Hands-On Workshop
Workshop sessions provide guidance in project development and professional practices. Participants will leave these sessions with new skills and tools to use in their work. Workshops are the most interactive format of the STEM Summit and are designed to inject new tools and practices into Maine’s STEM education community. Each session will be 60 minutes and will be provided with A/V equipment. For special space requirements please notify the conference committee.
Maine STEM Summit
Conference Session Proposal Form
Deadline to apply: August 31, 2016
1. Title of the Session:
Your title should clearly describe your session and is limited to 10 words
2. Which Strand would your session best fit?
Maine’s STEM Workforce: Challenges and Opportunities
Professional Development: Share, Collaborate, Reform
Looking Ahead: Defining and Advocating for Maine STEM in 2026
What Is New and What Is Next for STEM Education Research in Maine
3. Session Presenters / Collaborators:
Each session should have two or more organizations represented to elaborate on the Summit theme of building bridges, partnerships and collaborations.
Presenter 1 (name, affiliation & email):
Presenter 2 (name, affiliation & email):
Presenter 3 (name, affiliation & email):
Presenter 4 (name, affiliation & email):
Please list additional presenters below:
4. Session Summary:
- This summary is your "marketing pitch" to interest people in your session and is limited to 50 words. Use clear and engaging language that will attract participants to your session.
5. Session Description:
- This description should elaborate on your 50-word summary and is limited to 250 words.
- The description is an opportunity to highlight how your intended session addresses the intent of the Summit, focusing on partnerships and collaborators. Each session should have two or more organizations represented. Successful proposals will tell the story of
more than one organization’s experiences as well as providing interactive discussions and activities for participants.
Additional Information> http://mainestem.org/stem-summit/2016-stem-summit/