CONTACT: Rebecca Keister, 401-456-4679, rkeister@ric.edu
Laura Hart, 401-456-8977, lhart@ric.edu
PROVIDENCE, R.I.– Rhode Island business leaders are invited to join educators and stakeholders at the RI STEM Center at Rhode Island College for “Creating Rhode Island’s Future: Building Capacity for STE[A]M” on Friday, May 30, from 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. in Alger Hall, Room 110.
The state’s annual Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics [STEM] conference will focus on developing and prioritizing strategies that will provide the preliminary steps toward a STEAM [STEM, Art + Design] plan and council in Rhode Island. This conference is provided free of charge.
“There is a need for education, industry and government to work together to move STE[A]M forward in Rhode Island,” said Carol Giuriceo, director of the RI STEM Center. “We agree on where we want to be, but we need to answer the question: How do we get there?”
Attendees will address three challenges in breakout sessions: connecting engaged students, connecting STE[A]M skills to increase career readiness and connecting statewide sectors to build support for a STE[A]M vision for Rhode Island.
The conference seeks to establish a long-term vision for a STE[A]M council and create actionable steps for implementation.
Dr. Margaret Honey, president and CEO of the New York Hall of Science will deliver a keynote address. Dr. Honey recently served as chair of the National Research Council’s committee that produced the 2014 report, “STEM Integration in K-12 Education: Status, Prospects, and an Agenda for Research.”
The conference also includes a breakout session on implementing computer science education in Rhode Island public schools, sponsored by the Rhode Island Chapter of the Computer Science Teachers Association.
For more information on the conference, visit
www.ric.edu/steamconference. Register for the conference at
tinyurl.com/RegistrationMay30
The Rhode Island STEM Center at Rhode Island College is the state’s primary educational hub, resource and research collaborative, established to increase interest in and advancement of STEM in Rhode Island.
