Recognition Event: Meet Our Award Recipients!

As we wrap up our 2015-2016 STEM Recognition program, we’d like to share a little bit about the amazing programs that we got to know this year.

One of the goals of the Hub has been to highlight exceptional work that is already taking place throughout our area. It is our intention to have an impact on students by providing teachers and administrators with examples of great STEM activities that are happening around us. We want to INSPIRE others to engage students in meaningful STEM lessons throughout their years of school.

We used the NYS STEM Quality Learning Rubric as a guide to indicate the current status of programs as well as to provide them with a vision for future growth.

Over the next several weeks, the STEM Blog will feature  these programs, providing a closer look at these award-winning programs that are enriching STEM experiences for our students throughout the Finger Lakes Region.  We will feature a single school per blog post and include a brief description and some of the slides that they provided to us with their application.  In the meantime, please enjoy the photos from our Recognition Event at the STANYS Central Western Section Science Exploration Days at St. John Fisher College on Friday, May 13th.   There are too many to post, so please click here to view them via google.  We thank STANYS and all of our sponsors for their incredible support!

2016 Award Winners (listed in alphabetical order):

• Brighton High School – Energy and Sustainability Course
• Churchville Chili School District – Garden of the Saints
• Eastridge High School – Project Lead the Way
• Brockport Central School:  Fred W. Hill Elementary School STEM Program
• Greece Arcadia High School – Titan Memorial Hospital
• Greece Athena Middle School – 21st Century STEM Innovative Solutions Expo
• Lima Primary School – STEAM Education Program
• Seneca Falls:  Mynderse Academy ­ Robotics Club
• Nathaniel Rochester Community School ­ NRCS Monthly STEM Challenges
• Nathaniel Rochester Community School – NRCS STEM School
• Nathaniel Rochester Community School – NRCS 3rGrade STEM Class
• Nathaniel Rochester Community School – NRCS Kindergarten Class
• Rochester Institute of Technology ­ SMASH Experience for Girls
• Siena Catholic Academy – Ms. Vona’s 6tGrade STEM Class
• Sodus Middle/High School STEM Program – STEM Challenges Regional Event
• St. Louis School – STEM Lab
• Wayland­-Cohocton High School ­ STEAM Program (Timber Framing and Woodland Resources)
• Wheatland-­Chili Central School District :  K12 STEM Education Program

Learn more about our recognition program by visiting our program page on the Finger Lake STEM Hub website.

STEM Scholarship is now open for Fall 2016

The New York State Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Incentive Program application is now available for high school seniors entering college in fall 2016.

The STEM Incentive Program is available to those students who:

· Are in the top 10 percent of their high school Class of 2016

· Plan to attend a SUNY or CUNY college or university in fall 2016

· Plan to pursue an undergraduate degree in a STEM program of study

· Plan to work in a STEM field and live in New York State for at least five years after graduation

· Meet other eligibility requirements listed on the HESC website.

The deadline for application is August 15.

To learn more about the program and it’s requirements and regulations, visit the HESC website.

Student Blog Series: Tell us what you are doing in STEM!

There are many exciting opportunities and activities that are happening across our region.  We would love to hear from the students that are participating in these activities, so that we can share your stories and highlight what students today are interested in.

Who wants to share their experience?

STUDENTS: Have you participated in a Science, Technology, Engineering or Math (STEM) program that you really enjoyed?

• What did you think about it?
• Do you think other students would like to participate in this?
• What has this experience meant to you?

We will walk you thought the writing process, giving as much (or as little) support as you need.  If you have an experience you would like to share, we would love to hear it! If you would like to see an example of a student blog, please see our WE@RIT:  A Student’s Perspective blog.

TEACHERS:  Writing about field trip or class experiences also makes a great group project.  If your class would like to share what STEM programming they have been excited about, we’d love to hear from you. If you would like to see an example of a classroom submission, please see our Hour of Code:  5th grade edition blog.

If you’d like to share your experience, please contact our Web Administrator at tammybon@EmpireSTEM-FL.org

Initial STEM Coach Goal Met

Earlier this month we featured the RES STEM Initiative and their call for volunteers to get more STEM coaches into area classrooms.  If you didn’t see the original blog post, you can read it here:  STEM Education is Important – and You Can Help!

The RES STEM Initiative has exceeded the 2015/16 school year starting goal to have 30 volunteer Coaches available to support STEM teachers in Upstate New York.  We filled the conference room the evening of Thursday November 5^th, with STEM Coach candidates, Teachers, and School Administrators interested in building the connections that put technical people into classrooms.  Engineers, technicians, entrepreneurs, machinists or anyone with a STEM Related Background, will now begin to support hands-on STEM Delivery.  (The year-end goal is more than twice that number.)

November meeting was well attended

The “magic” is that these people have the real-world application experience to make whatever STEM Topic their teacher/partner is pursuing, tangible, usable, and therefore worth remembering!  These Technical people not only bring concepts, but in particular, they bring the Hardware that supports STEM instruction, to the classroom.  We are offering volunteer STEM Coaches to all Rochester area school districts.  Six STEM Coaches are already working at Honeoye Falls-Lima Primary School.

Taking a closer look with Survey equipment

If you have a Science Technology Engineering or Mathematics background, and are retired (or available during school hours), please consider joining this effort.

The RES is also providing Literacy Tutoring at the Dr. Walter Cooper Academy.  This is a Third-Grade volunteer initiative that also needs your support.

There is a BSA Explorer Troop run by the Rochester Engineering Society, where Teens get an eleven-week exposure to Area Engineering/Manufacturing Firms, and extensive Career-Path guidance from practicing Engineers.  We featured this Explorer Troop earlier this year on our blog.  Check out the blog post here.

For further information, please use the Contacts below:

STEM Coaching:  Jon Kriegel –  jkriegel@rochester.rr.com  or cell: 585 281-5216

Literacy Tutoring:  Lee Loomis – leeloomis46@gmail.com

RES Explorer Post 801 Staff or Tour Options:  Richard Repka – rrepka10@gmail.com

Jon Kriegel is a Director and Past President of the Rochester Engineering Society.  Jon began mentoring and volunteering as part of Eastman Kodak’s 21st Century Learning Challenge, and continues to volunteer today through his work as the Volunteer Coordinator at the RES.

2015 STEM Holiday Wish List

Ready to start your holiday shopping? This year there are more STEM-inspired gifts than ever!

While there are far too many choices to provide a comprehensive list, we’ve tried to give an overview of what is new this year, and what parents we’ve spoken to are looking for.

Tight on space or have too many toys?  Some clutter-free ideas:

• Memberships – give the gift of experience with a family membership to the Rochester Museum and Science Center, The Strong:  National Museum of Play, or the Seneca Park Zoo.
• Magazine Subscriptions – kids love getting mail, why not send them something monthly to keep the excitement going all year.  RocketSTEM, Make:,  Cricket Media (several great choices for all ages CLICK, ASK, MUSE, DIG, and FACES), National Geographic for Kids,  and Kids, Code, and Computer Science magazine are among some of the choices available.  Even the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) has their own magazine:  Engineering, Go For It (eGFI).
• Redbox or Netflix gift certificates or subscriptions to access the many STEM inspired films and series that are now available.  Follow up with materials to do these 20 STEM activities inspired by kids movies.
• Toy subscriptions – services such as Pley let you order a set, play with it, return it and get something else.  Repeat all year long!

Spin off their current favorites:

• Do your kids love the popular TV series Shark Tank as much as mine? STEM Center USA was the focus of a recent episode, a company that focuses exclusively on innovative STEM products.
  

  3D carving brings your ideas to life!

• Look around at what they play with the most.  Is there another level that will enhance their play?
• Do they like carving?  Take it up a notch to 3D carving.  Inventables has a great selection for the makers on your list.

Great ideas for Girls:

Did you know that today’s elementary school girls are actually more interested in pursuing a STEM career than their male classmates are? (souce:  Fortune) And yet, there is still a great disparity in the field (see our recent blog on this topic).  Toy manufacturers are responding to this increase with STEM-inspired offerings specifically with girls in mind.  Some highlights:

Keeping girls engaged in STEM!

• The folks over at Mighty Girl always put together a great holiday list, and they didn’t disappoint this year.  Building Her Dreams:  Building and Engineering Toys for Mighty Girls focuses on classic building, construction and engineering toys, while the Holiday Gift Guide has a broader variety, with selections broken down by age group and category.
• Goldiblox has a wide range again this year, from a line of real-life hero action figures to award-winning construction toys, this company focuses on maintaining the natural curiosity that many girls have, and giving them playthings that nurture their interest in building and engineering.
• At Project MC², where “smart is the new cool” they have apps, videos, games and plenty of gear for girls of all ages.
• Roominate is another girl-inspired, girl-led company focusing on inspiring and encouraging girls to pursue their interests in engineering by teaching girls through play.

Looking for lots of ideas to browse?

STEM Wish Lists:  Many major retailers have caught on to the STEM interest and now have their own guides available with tons of choices in every price range

• The Ultimate Maker’s Gift Guide
• Amazon STEM Toys
• Kids, Code, and Computer Science has a nice list of Video Game gift ideas

The Classic Building Blocks:

No holiday STEM list would be complete without a Lego mention.  Legos are a holiday classic for many families.  While you are shopping for new sets or accessories to complement what you already have at home, take a few minutes and join the Lego Club (FREE!) which gives ideas and inspiration to your builders throughout the year.  Since most STEM-enthusiasts already have a healthy collection of Legos at home, we’re going to suggest our favorite accessories.

Just a dream for 2015, hopes are high for 2016!

• Brick Separator – these make great stocking stuffers!
• Base Plates – you can never have enough of these
• Lego Storage Systems – many ideas, for any size collection!
• Lego Slippers – sadly these are only available in France this year, but this item is sure to be a hit among parents.  Who among us hasn’t felt the agony of a stray Lego underfoot? Hopefully our 2016 Wish List will be able to announce that they are available on our side of the pond.

Whether you are planning on battling the crowds on Black Friday, or going with the tech-friendly Cyber Monday, we hope we’ve given you a few new ideas.  Please share with us your own finds and suggestions!

 

Designers, Inventors, and Creators Celebrated at DIY Festival

Ever wonder what you could make with a 3D printer, how to build your own robot at home, or design your own game? Then we have just the event for you! The Rochester Mini Maker Faire.

This Rochester Mini Maker Faire will be held at The Rochester Riverside Convention Center on Saturday, November 21st, from 9 a.m. through 5 p.m. The festival will celebrate those who love to make, create, learn, play, invent, craft, hack, build, think and be inspired by science, technology, engineering, arts, music, and crafts. The day will be filled with exciting exhibitions, demonstrations, and hands-on activities for all ages. Think of it as a giant show and tell mixed with a science fair, a craft fair, and a carnival all mashed together into one huge STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math) event.

This year’s faire will host over 100 maker exhibits including:

• A bridge made of hundreds of balloons that anyone can contribute to
• CNC machines, 3D printers, and other leading-edge inventions and technologies
• Movie costumes and props made by a 14 year old, and other young maker booths
• Hands-on robotics
• A Giant Seesaw that anyone can play on
• Illuminated electric violins that create light shows as they are played
• Board and computer games created by Rochesterians
• Areas to build your own cardboard structures, take electonics apart, and create new covers for old books
• Soldering workshop with an electronic badge that you can take home
• Student projects from local schools and colleges
• The crew behind the Making It Podcast
• Something for everyone!

The full listing of makers that can be seen at this year’s faire can be found at: http://makerfairerochester.com/makers/2015-makers/

The Rochester Mini Maker Faire celebrated its first event in November of 2014 with over 90 maker exhibits from across Western New York and 1,500 visitors of all ages in attendance. Photos from last year can be found on our Facebook page.

Tickets can be bought at the door, or online. Advance tickets can be purchased until the day of the Rochester Mini Maker Faire at a substantial discount from the at the door prices.

For more information on this weekend’s event, or to buy advance tickets, go to www.makerfairerochester.com

To learn more about the Maker Movement in general, visit the Maker Faire Website.

Dan Schneiderman is an organizer, web developer, and maker. He is currently co-chair the Rochester Mini Maker Faire, a member of the Finger Lakes Regional STEM Hub, and is working on a few interactive light projects. Within the past year, he has helped schools with their Maker programs, volunteered at FIRST Robotics events, and hosted LED throwie experiences. He recently left his job to focus on expanding the maker movement within Rochester.

STEM Hub Director speaks at conference addressing gender disparity in STEM

Dr. Sara Silverstone Director, Finger Lakes STEM Hub

Dr. Sara Silverstone, Finger Lakes STEM Hub Director, spoke at the American Association of University Women’s Oct. 24th conference “From Mud Pies to Dinosaur Bones: Encouraging Girls’ Interest in STEM”.

Dr. Silverstone gave an overview of the current research on women and STEM.  She presented highlights of two AAUW reviews of published research on Women in STEM: “Why So Few? Women in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics”, published in 2010 and  “Solving the Equation: The Variables for Women’s Success in Engineering and Computing”, published in 2015.

Research shows that stereotypes and biases often lead employers—both men and women—to select male candidates, regardless of qualifications. One study found that the biggest difference between women who leave the field of engineering and those who don’t is the culture of their workplace. College experience also plays a major role in whether females enter and are successful in engineering programs. Several engineering schools, including Harvey Mudd College and RIT, have made major changes in the culture of their institutions leading to a dramatic increase in the number of femle engineering graduates. Another factor that can contribute to the success or failure of women in STEM is whether they have a growth or  fixed mindset, as described in the work of  Dr. Carol Dweck, professor of psychology at Stanford University.

Read more about the conference in the Cornell Chronicle.

To learn more about the American Association of University Women (AAUW), please visit the association’s website.

 

 

Dr. Sara Silverstone is the Director of the Finger Lakes STEM Hub, and the CEO and Founder of Brockport Research Institute (BRI).

Urgent Need for Volunteers – please share!

Earlier this fall we wrote about why STEM Education was important, and how you could help.  See the full article here.

Rochester Engineering Society’s Volunteer Coordinator Jon Kriegel has many opportunities in our classrooms that are looking for volunteers, and his focus this fall is identifying new volunteers and getting them matched up with area projects.

An informational meeting for anyone interested in volunteering will be held on November 5th at 7:00 PM at the Rochester Museum and Science Center.

This meeting is open to the public, and anyone interested in volunteering is encouraged to attend.

If you are able to attend, please register so that we can make sure we have enough space and materials:  Click here to register.

Who should attend?

• Retired Engineers
• Engineers who work B or C shift
• Volunteers whose employer supports community involvement during the day
• Anyone with a STEM background that has time during the school day

What kind of Volunteer Opportunities are available?

• Classroom Visitation
• STEM Coaching
• Project Lead the Way Support
• First Robotics
• And many more – the more volunteers we have, the more opportunities we can support.

Please share this meeting announcement.  The more potential volunteers we can connect with, the better!

For more information on this program, please call RES Volunteer Coordinator Jon Kriegel at (585) 281-5216.

STEM Education is Important – and You Can Help!

How do you arm a STEM Teacher with real-world application examples?

Put an Engineer in the classroom!

The Rochester area has a long history of outreach success. As the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) fields continue to grow, this outreach is even more important.

Bringing Engineering principles right into the classroom.

The Rochester Engineering Society (RES) is inviting Engineers across our region to support a myriad of STEM initiatives by volunteering their time in the classroom starting this fall.

Why do we want to put Engineers in the classroom?

• To help the Teachers stay current with our ever-changing technology.
• To share real life examples with students, exploring topics in a meaningful way that the students will remember.
• To support the teacher with the delivery of engineering and technology concepts, while also providing the supportive hardware necessary to make these concepts tangible.

Please consider advancing STEM education in upstate NY by visiting classrooms and sharing your personal experiences and successes. We seek Engineers to work on topics chosen by either the classroom teacher or by you. Many opportunities are available, and you can work at a school of your choosing, or elect to be placed where there is the highest need for volunteers.

Together we can make a difference in how students see STEM-related career options, and help our teachers stay technically current.

Demonstrating cocepts through real life experience with the human gyrosphere

Who can volunteer?

Ideally, we are looking for volunteers available during the day. Retired Engineers, or those that have a flexible work environment that lets them visit schools during the traditional school day are in the highest demand. All you need is a background in Engineering or another STEM field, and a willingness to spark an interest in STEM in today’s youth.

For more information, please visit www.roceng.org/volunteer or call (585) 281-5216.  Please share this opportunity with anyone you think might be interested.  There are many positions and opportunities available!

RES also sponsors an Engineering Explorer Post, which we highlighted earlier this year during Engineering Week.  Read more about Explorer Post 801 here.

Jon Kriegel is a Director and Past President of the Rochester Engineering Society.  Jon began mentoring and volunteering as part of Eastman Kodak’s 21st Century Learning Challenge, and continues to volunteer today through his work as the Volunteer Coordinator at the RES.

The “E” in STEM

Last month during Engineering Week, we started taking a look at Engineering Explorer Posts available to our local High School Students.  This week’s focus is on Explorer Post 801, hosted by the Rochester Engineering Society.

Explorer Post 801

The members of the Rochester Engineering Society (RES) feel the best part of STEM is the “E”.  Each year, the RES sponsors “Career Options in Engineering”, Explorer Post 801.  The post is open to older high school girls and boys in the five county area around Rochester, NY.  The focus is to help students find out what “Engineering is really about”.

The stereotypical engineer has thick glasses, bends over a desk all day, writes with a mechanical pencil all while avoiding eye contact with people.  The purpose of Post 801 is to introduce students to real engineers, doing real work in the real world.  I’ll bet there is at least one of us that matches the stereotype, but most engineers spend their day talking with other engineers, customers, trades people and consumers trying to solve real problems.

Inside the RIT Microelectronics clean room

Students hear about a typical day in the life of an engineer from the engineer.  Students learn about engineering education, about the perks of being an engineer and even about some of the trials an engineer might experience.  This is not about slick power point presentations, but more show and tell, with a smattering of advice from the heart.

Each of our presenters tells the story of their road to engineering.  Some were math whizzes in high school but a few were not!  They tell the story of what college they selected and why.  We always hear a few stories about special jobs they did that you would never expect an engineer to do.  One has a story of cleaning up Anthrax contamination in a NYC sky scraper while another has stories of working on JFK autopsy pictures.

Gleason Works

Each engineer tells the story of a job that pays well, offers constant challenges and continuous learning, but offers the bigger perk of personal satisfaction.  At the end of the day, engineers design and build products that help people.  Imagine your personal pride as you are in a car driving over the Frederick Douglass – Susan B. Anthony Memorial Bridge in Rochester with your family and grandchildren, knowing that your work helps tens of thousands of people make it home from work each day, every day, safely and quickly.

The post runs from January to March, meeting each Thursday night from 6:30 to 8:30.  Sign up is in early October.  This year we had 24 students and 12 meetings.  Our students met engineers from: Chemical Engineering, Nuclear Engineering, Structural Engineering, Highway Engineering, Bio medical Engineering, Microelectronic Engineering, Software Engineering, Aeronautical Engineering, Electro-Magnetic Interference Engineering, Mechanical Engineering and Imaging Science.  You can see the full schedule on the RES Website.

Chemical Engineering at RIT

Each week we meet at a new location so we can see and feel what it is like to be an engineer.  We tour facilities like: the Gleason Works, the Microelectronics Wafer Fab Facility at RIT, the Bio-medical Engineering labs at the U of R, the Electro-Magnetic Interference and Product Safety Test Engineering labs at TUV Rheinland of North America and the Ginna Nuclear power plant.

The RES Explorers would like to express our appreciation for the generosity of our host companies, institutions and most importantly the presenters that donated their time and talents to meet with our students.  Our program will start again in January 2016 and we would welcome your children.  Contact Lynne Irwin at the RES res@frontiernet.net (585) 254-2350 or Keith Gomez Keith.Gomez@scouting.org from the Seneca Waterways Council, BSA (585) 244-4210 for more information.  The cost of the program is approximately $40.

Richard Repka is a Commercialization manger at Kodak Alaris.  He has a BS & MS in Electrical Engineering from RIT and Syracuse University.  Richard is a Senior Member of the IEEE and a member of the Rochester Engineering Society (RES), where he also leads the RES Explorer Post 801.