STEM: WORK AND LEARNING FOR SCHOOLS AND KIDS

Last spring, the Education Foundation, in partnership with Tufts/Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine and with funding from UMass Science Resource Center and others, hosted the first Blackstone Valley STEMkids Conference for 80 7th and 8th graders from throughout the Valley. This March 28th event was a big success, helping to reach our goal to

• Expose middle school students to careers in STEM fields
• Create an opportunity for students to converse with local professionals who engage in these careers
• Inspire middle school student to do their best in school in preparation for a position in one of these neat careers
• Introduce middle school students to a professional and higher education environment

Teachers from each of the school districts accompanied their students to this all-day Saturday conference, and enjoyed it as much as they did! An afternoon session was held especially for parents to learn about financing career development for their youngsters. Over 30 people attended.

The NEXT STEM conference will be held at Tufts/Cummings School on Saturday, October 17th. Teachers will help plan the event and will accompany up to 12 students from their 7th or 8th grades, participating in workshops, learning about technology, and visiting the Cummings campus.