We all have a place in STEM
We are all engineers. We use the materials at hand and our knowledge to create solutions to daily needs. We may call it building shelter, harvesting and preparing foods, tinkering, repairing, or crafting, but we all do it. Yet, for many Minnesotans - particularly communities underrepresented in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) - STEM learning experiences are less accessible, or feel like ?a place that's not for people like me.We all have a place in STEM addresses equity and inclusion in STEM by a) developing a new activity station for The Works Museum's Family Engineering Events that explores the Dakota, Ojibwe, Hmong, Mexican, and Somali cultures through the lens of engineering and b) creating a community-driven Outreach Program to bring learning experiences directly to Minnesota communities. Through this project, we seek to change perspectives of who can and does engineer, creating a space where all Minnesotans feel welcome and included in the STEM community.
2022-2023 Children's Museum Competitive Legacy Grant
Outcomes for We all have a place in STEM are aligned with the project goals stated in the previous section:
Goal 1: To broaden community perspectives on what engineering is and who engineers by creating authentic, meaningful opportunities for children and families to explore the Dakota, Hmong, Mexican, Ojibwe, and Somali cultures through the lens of engineering.
Outcomes:
* The Works Museum will develop a new Family Engineering Event activity station through which children and families will interact with the five cultures through the lens of engineering.
* All children and families, including those from non-dominant communities, will make personal connections to STEM and engineering, as well as see these cultures represented in The Works Museum's STEM programs.
Goal 2: To increase access to impactful STEM education experiences that promote equity and inclusion, especially for communities underrepresented in STEM, including children and families from non-dominant cultures, people of color, English-language learners, low-income families and under-resourced schools.
Outcomes:
* Through a new Outreach Program, The Works Museum will form and invest in new relationships with communities underrepresented and underserved in STEM, with a broad geographic reach including both the Twin Cities metro area and communities in Greater Minnesota.
* The organization will successfully work with each new partner to understand opportunities and address barriers to participating in STEM.
* Deliver workshops aligned with the Minnesota K-12 Academic Standards in Science to 2,700 elementary students through the Outreach Program.
* Deliver Family Engineering Event programs supporting STEM curriculum and including the new activity station to 3,600 children and family members in the new partner communities through the Outreach Program.
Goal 3: To better serve all Minnesotans - and especially those facing STEM opportunity gaps - by formalizing relationship-based, community-driven outreach as a core practice of The Works Museum.
Outcomes:
* The Works will successfully implement a new relationship-based Outreach Program, building new connections in communities underserved by STEM.
* The project design and delivery will incorporate important inclusion practices, including collaborating directly with the communities we serve and fostering a sense of common belonging in the engineering community.
* The program will reduce barriers associated with access including geography, perceptions of not being welcome, transportation costs, or field trip logistical challenges such as limited time in the school schedule.
* The Works Museum will increase our capacity to continue doing this work, forming ongoing and long-lasting relationships and building trust with new partners, providing an important foundation to continue to amplify our impact.
We all have a place in STEM is a meaningful next step in our organization's journey to address equity and inclusion in STEM education.
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Komal Bansal - Senior Manager of Info Security - Vice President, U.S. Bank
Jazmine Darden - Entrepreneur, Educator and 3D Printing Instructor, Dunwoody College of Technology
Carolina Dufault - District Program Facilitator - Dual Language Programs, Minneapolis Public Schools
Brianne Gregory - Contract Administrator, Xcel Energy
Katy Kolbeck - Retired CEO, Dunham Engineering
Cary Komoto ? Secretary - Dean of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Lake Superior College
Julianne Laue - Director of Building Performance, Mortenson
John Lee ? Chair - Retired CEO, Barr Engineering
Hawley Mathieson - Teacher of the deaf, Edina Public Schools
Louise Miltich - Energy Program Director, Minnesota Department of Commerce
Jennie Pontillo - Senior Director Global Supply Chain Engineering Adhesives, H.B. Fuller
Gene Sieve ? Vice Chair - Vice President & General Manager, Burns & McDonnell
Karl Smith - Professor & Professor Emeritus, Purdue University & University of Minnesota
Megan Tuetken - New Platform Leader, HEM, 3M
Rachel Walker - Senior Permitting Manager, Plus Power; Komal Bansal, Nicole Cameli, Jazmine Darden, Carolina Dufault, Brianne Gregory, Katy Kolbeck, Cary Komoto, Julianne Laue, John Lee, Hawley Mathieson, Louise Miltich, Jennie Pontillo, Gene Sieve, Karl Smith, Megan Tuetken, Rachel Walker