May 21, 2019
STEM SENC Partner Update
ECOSYSTEM NEWS
STEM SENC Partner Meeting Recap
Thank you to those of you who attended our second partner meeting on April 15 at UNCW. It was nice to see a mix of those who attended our first meeting along with some new faces. Our meeting was facilitated by Becky Bowen, NC State Extension. Her services were provided free of charge to us through our participation as a ReCONNECT community. Our work together focused on identifying partners interested in volunteering for the steering committee (see next section) and work groups, as well as drafting a logic model. The three primary goals that were targeted included:
  • Increasing STEM Awareness & Relatability
  • Increasing Student Participation in STEM Opportunities
  • Strengthening the STEM Community of Partnerships
Steering Committee Meeting
The first STEM SENC Steering Committee Meeting will be held on Monday, June 10 from 10 AM -1 PM on UNCW’s campus. Lunch will be provided. Kim Jones (Brunswick Community College), Ed Hunt (UNCP), Michelle Chadwick (Onslow County Schools), Susan Miller Hendrix (Robeson County schools), Marie Hopper (FIRST NC), Tiffany Lindstrom (Corning), Roszena Devione-Bivens (James Sprunt Community College), Somer Lewis (UNCW), Sue Kezios (UNCW), and Heddy Clark (UNCW) have volunteered for the committee. If you would like to join them to provide guidance and vision for STEM SENC, please email Heddy Clark at clarkhk@uncw.edu .
2019 Spring Convening Recap
On April 3-5, Heddy Clark (UNCW), Angie Reid-Griffin (UNCW), and Susan Miller-Hendrix (Public Schools of Robeson County) represented STEM SENC at the Spring Community of Practice Convening in New Orleans, LA. I encourage you to reach out to us to hear more about our experiences and to take a look at the presentations (many slide decks are available) on the internal website here . (It will ask for your log-in first).
 
A few of our thoughts and highlights:
  • The STEM Learning Ecosystems Community of Practice (SLECoP) now includes ecosystems from 38 states in the United States as well as Kenya, Israel, Mexico and Canada. Fifteen ecosystems were added to Cohort 5 in the spring, including a statewide ecosystem in South Carolina! Read more about them here.
  • The Measure STEM discussion continued with a half-day session before the convening. Several organizations (i.e., Educational Results Partnership (ERP), PEAR, BEAR, and TALLO) presented about ways they could assist with measurement and evaluation. The national SLECoP is working with ERP to develop a portal to collect data across ecosystems. Learn about strategies the Tulsa's STEM Learning Ecosystem has employed, plus their outcomes, key partnerships, and overall findings in this case study.
  • We are doing great work in Southeastern North Carolina, but we are not doing a great job telling our story.
 
For an interesting Convening recap from Remake Learning Network (who the facilitates the Pittsburgh Regional STE(A)M Ecosystem) and some examples of how we could better tell our story, read the blog here . 
 
The next Convening will be held on October 21-24 in Cleveland, Ohio. Please let Heddy Clark ( clarkhk@uncw.edu ) know if you are interested in attending.
ReCONNECT NC Update
ReCONNECT Rural and Urban Impact Report

The Institute for Emerging Issues has released the ReCONNECT Rural and Urban Impact Report. It provides a synopsis of the ReCONNECT Rural and Urban Forum and provides key statements, findings, readings and further steps for re-connection of civic engagement in NC. Read it here . 
Rural and Urban Forum - Audience Feedback

Dr. Carmen Sidbury spoke about STEM SENC at the ReCONNECT Rural and Urban Forum in February. After the presentations, IEI asked the audience to write some advice for communities. Many people responded - some generically and some with advice for specific communities. Some made comments instead of offering advice. Click here to view the raw feedback , you'll see a few notes specifically about STEM SENC. A recording of Dr. Sidbury's talk can be viewed below:
"ReCONNECT NC Day" - August 14, 2019!

The Institute for Emerging Issues has declared August 14, 2019 " ReCONNECT NC Day ", a day for North Carolinians to come together and connect. More info to come!
Next Forum: ReCONNECT to Economic Opportunity

The next Forum is October 15, 2019 in Charlotte. The focus is ReCONNECT to Economic Opportunity. Early bird registration starts July 15; be on the look out for future details!
Become a LEAD STEM Fellow for 2019-2020
LEAD STEM is a year-long leadership development program for STEM Learning Ecosystem leaders and emerging leaders. The application process is competitive and there is a tuition and time commitment. The program outcomes include personalized leadership development, the development of a capstone to meet a local ecosystem need, and engagement in a national network of STEM Leaders. Interest forms are due Thursday, October 31, 2019 by 5 PM. Applications will be due November 2019 . Click here for more information and to apply.
STEM Learning Ecosystems: Monthly Webinars
Webinars take place on the 2nd Tuesday of every month at 1:00 PM EST. They are available for playback on demand in the Internal Community of Practice Site .

For access to the Community of Practice internal site, please emai l WKaufman@samueli.org and introduce yourself as a partner of STEM SENC.

June Webinar TBA, additional May webinar:

A Conversation with the U.S. Department of Education
May 22, 2019 - Wednesday
2:00 PM - 3:00 PM EST

J oin the STEM Ecosystems to learn more about the U.S. Department of Education’s STEM priorities – and the role of STEM Learning Ecosystems! STEM Learning Ecosystems play a crucial role in advancing STEM education. Join to learn more about the U.S. Department of Education’s STEM priorities, to share questions, and to engage in dialogue regarding how your community is advancing STEM.

OPPORTUNITIES: For All
Cape Fear Women In Tech - May Event: Jhansi Kandasamy
Cape Fear Women in Tech's next event will be held Tuesday, May 28 from 5:30 PM - 7:30 PM at Tek Mountain. This event will feature guest speaker Jhansi Kandasamy, GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy Executive and Vice Chair of the U.S. Women in Nuclear. To read more on Jhansi and to RSVP to the free event, visit the WIT website.
Reminder: US2020 STEM Mentoring + Making Awards
With support from founding sponsor, Tata Consultancy Services , US2020 is pleased to announce the launch of the 4th annual STEM Mentoring + Making Awards. The awards are a national platform to celebrate and encourage exceptional work in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) mentoring. This year, US2020 has incorporated making into the title to reflect the growing interest and excitement around maker-centered learning across the country.
The STEM Mentoring + Making Awards will be announced in Cincinnati, Ohio at the University of Cincinnati’s newly built 1819 Innovation Hub on August 7, 2019. The award ceremony will be held in conjunction with US2020’s bi-annual network convening along with local co-host Greater Cincinnati STEM Collaborative . In addition to the award ceremony, the event will bring together leaders from US2020’s twenty-two partner communities. 
This year's categories include: Excellence in Public-Private Partnership, Excellence in Corporate Culture, Most Innovative Maker-Centered Learning Program of the Year, and Diversity and Inclusion Program of the Year. Applications will be live March 18-June 1, 2019 . 
Click here to learn more about each award category, sign-up for informational webinars, and apply.
Call For Proposals: NICE K12 Cybersecurity Education Conference
The 2019   NICE K12 Cybersecurity Education Conference   Planning Committee is seeking timely and thought-provoking K12 cybersecurity-focused individual speakers & group panels that will challenge and inform educational leaders from across the stakeholder community.

The theme for the 2019 conference is, “Innovation, Vision, Imagination: Harnessing the talent of today to build the cybersecurity workforce of the future”. This year the conference will build upon previous year’s excellent student involvement and is calling for education, industry, government, and students to present in each of the 5 tracks. Both individual and group panel speaking proposals are encouraged to highlight effective collaborations, bold experiments and innovations, metrics of success, and other potentially game-changing methods in K12 cybersecurity education.

The conference will feature five tracks:
  1. Increasing Cybersecurity Career Awareness
  2. Infusing Cybersecurity Across the Education Portfolio
  3. Integrating Innovative Cybersecurity Educational Approaches
  4. Designing Cybersecurity Academic and Career Pathways
  5. Promoting Cyber Awareness

Click here to apply by June 15, 2019 .
STEM Leadership Alliance Summit
The STEM Leadership Alliance Summit will be held in Orlando, Florida on July 7-11, 2019. The event is designed for school district educators and administrators as well as community partners and it would be ideal to come as a team of four to five. Ed Hunt (UNCP) has expressed interest in attending. If you are interested in forming a STEM SENC team, please reach out to him at Edward.Hunt@uncp.edu .

This is an opportunity to connect in school and out-of-school to integrated STEM through project-based real-world experiences, aligned to the Next Generation Science Standards and each state’s literacy and math standards.
 
The conference is being co-designed by TIES and leadership of the Alliance, including its five professional associations - The National Science Teachers Association (NSTA), National Council of Teachers of Math (NCTM), International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE), International Technology and Engineering Educators Association (ITEEA) and American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE).

Because you are a member of the STEM Learning Ecosystems Community of Practice, TIES is offering you free Southwest Airline tickets to attend this workshop and discounted hotel rooms at the Portofino Bay Hotel . They are also offering you a discounted registration rate of $395 per person, please use code QV10B. To register and learn more, click here .

The free flights and discounted rates are available on a first-come, first-served basis. To take advantage of the free flight, please:
  • Register for the STEM Leadership Alliance Summit (don't forget use the discount code above)
  • Email Kelly List Wells indicating your interest in a Southwest Airline ticket
  • Kelly will be notified when you have registered, so when she receives your ticket request, she will send along instructions to receive the ticket (as supply allows)
NC Biotechnology Center: Event and Meeting Grants
NCBiotech's event and meeting grants provide support for North Carolina-based events and meetings that bring information and networking opportunities on diverse topics to the life science community statewide.  

Biotechnology Event Sponsorships (BES) provide up to $3,000 for events to support life science-focused events held primarily for a North Carolina audience. Biotechnology Meeting Grants (BMG) are restricted to national/international meetings being held in North Carolina and offer up to $10,000. 

Any North Carolina-based nonprofit organization may apply. Click here to learn more .
Getting to Work on Summer Learning & Summer Learning Toolkit - Webinar Recordings
Start the new year strong with the tools and best practices to power your planning and execution of high-quality summer programs in the coming season. The National Summer Learning Association (NSLA) is excited to co-host a free, three-part summer program planning webinar series with the  National AfterSchool Association   and the  Afterschool Alliance .
 
Part 1— Getting to Work on Summer Learning & Summer Learning ToolKit
This webinar was held February 27, 2019.
Click here to watch the recording. Click here to download the slides.
 
Part 2— Summer Learning Toolkit, A Deeper Dive: Keys to Staffing & Professional Development
This webinar was held March 28, 2019.
Click here to watch the recording.
 
Part 3— Summer Learning Toolkit, A Deeper Dive: Creating Site Climate & Culture
This webinar was held April 11, 2019
Click here to watch the recording. Click here to download the slides.
OPPORTUNITIES: For Educators
Reminder: Captain Planet Foundation: ecoSOLUTION Grants
The Captain Planet Foundation supports educators and their work to facilitate youth-led projects that result in positive impacts to the environment of a school or community. Their goal is to empower youth by providing hands-on environmental stewardship opportunities, inspire youth and communities to become agents of change for their environment, serve as a catalyst for education that uses environment as a contact for applies and STEM Learning. Click here to read the grant guidelines and apply by July 15.
OPPORTUNITIES: For Students
Remind er: Junior Seahawk Academy Summer 2019
The 2019  Jr. Seahawk Academy  Summer Camp will be held July 8-12, 2019 at the Watson College of Education at UNCW. This is an educational day program designed specifically for middle-grade students (ages 10-14). Summer activities include STEM explorations, robotics/coding, advising, service crafts, and mentoring! Click   here   to register. Click here to learn more about being a mentor.
RESOURCES
Have something you would like to include in the next newsletter ? Email it to stemsenc@uncw.edu .

Have something to share that is more time sensitive or that you would like to discuss with the group? Post it on the listserv by emailing the item directly to  stem-senc@lists.uncw.edu .