Center for STEM Education Co-Sponsors Collaboration Forum

           The University of Notre Dame’s Colleges of Science and Engineering will host the eighth annual Collaborating for Education and Research Forum on Jan. 31, 2015, convening educators, researchers, executives, and other stakeholders for regional opportunities based on the science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) disciplines.

            Forum VIII will focus on best practices in STEM teaching and learning. Dr. Matt Kloser, director of the Notre Dame Center for STEM Education, will help launch the day of networking and conversations by speaking briefly about measuring the success of projects and practices applied to local goals—what works, and how does one identify promising interventions?

            The Forum is co-sponsored by the Colleges of Science and Engineering, the Notre Dame Center for STEMEducation (in the Institute for Educational Initiatives), Notre Dame’s Office of Public Affairs, and the Notre Dame QuarkNet Center. A number of groups will present exhibits to encourage participation in their efforts leveragingSTEM knowledge in the Michiana area.

            The Forum series has served in the past as an incubator for ideas and grass-roots community initiatives involving a variety of STEM practitioners. Representatives from K-12 schools, higher education, the for-profit and non-profit sectors fostering STEM awareness, and others are invited to explore together upcoming ventures inSTEM education broadly.

            This year’s Collaboration for Education and Research Forum takes place Jan. 31 on the Notre Dame campus, in the Jordan Hall of Science, with sign-in at 8:30 am. See the preliminary program here. Overview remarks begin at 8:55 am, and discussions will conclude by 2:30 pm. Attendees receive a free lunch during the showcase of collaborative projects, and registered K-12 teachers and administrators will receive a letter  of attendance for professional development certification at the conclusion of the event

            The Notre Dame Center for STEM Education, based in the Institute for Educational Initiatives, embodies the University’s mission of collaboration and service through STEM research and the translation of research into practice. Its national outreach helps students, especially the underserved and those in Catholic K-12 schools, engage and excel in STEM disciplines.

            Notre Dame’s College of Science, celebrating its 150th anniversary this year, co-hosts the annual conference with the College of Engineering as part of the University’s interdisciplinary teaching and research aimed at addressing crucial challenges and pursuing the common good, locally and worldwide.

            Register in advance at michianastem.org/forumVIII, free of charge.

Originally published by William Schmitt at iei.nd.edu on January 21, 2015.