With these funds I will…

Provide the opportunity for 300 high school & middle school students to attend the 3rd iteration of our STEM Conference at Spring Woods High School FREE OF COST.

What is the STEM Conference?

The STEM Conference is an annual event where SWHS hosts visiting experts and professionals in science, technology, engineering, and math fields.  These volunteers: participate in career panels with our students where they share their experiences and answer questions.  They also host workshops and competitions to give students a taste for what studying and working in STEM could be like.  In 2015, 150 students from SWHS and its feeder middle schools participated in the day-long conference.  We hope to increase that number to 300 in 2016.  In past years the registration fee (15 or 10 dollars) has been a barrier for some students.  In addition to being fun and educational, we aim for the STEM conference to closely resemble professional conferences so that students can learn key soft skills for future professional success.  

STEM education is the key to the US economic future.

Every year more jobs are being generated that require an educational background in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics than any other field. Studies by the US Department of Labor and the Bureau of Labor Statistics show that by 2018 there will be 2.4 million unfilled job vacancies requiring STEM skills. Many jobs are going unfilled simply for lack of people with the right skill set.

All students deserve a quality STEM education!

African-Americans, Latinos, Native Americans and women are still underrepresented in STEM higher education and careers.  One of the challenges in increasing diversity in STEM is limited access to a quality, inclusive math and science education in K-12.

How will the funds be used?

The cost of registration per student is $20 which includes:

• Session materials ($3)

• Participant notebooks ($1)

• Lunch ($5)

• An official conference t-shirt ($9)

• ($2) allocated for activity prizes

 Sources

(1) http://www.bls.gov/ooh/About/Projections-Overview.htm

Back Up Plan