October 2023 Newsletter

The Hub team spending some quality time together at Highland Woodshop in Corvallis.

View the Spanish translation of our newsletter here.

Hello and happy fall-

I hope that you all are doing well and that your back-to-school season is off to a great start! Our Hub team recently gathered together for a professional development and teambuilding experience with our friends and partners at Highland Woodshop in Corvallis to learn pyrography, the prehistoric art of writing with fire.

Sharing dedicated time and space for connection, creativity, and self-expression through hands-on learning allowed us to ground ourselves in the Hub’s mission and have a lot of fun in the process. Our facilitator, Katherine Edmonds, shared a quote with us from Rick Rubin from his new book, The Creative Act: A Way of Being, to help us open to the artistic process and quiet our inner critics. In revisiting that quote for this column, I came across another from his book that elegantly captures the transformative power of STEAM learning experiences:

“Think of the universe as an eternal creative unfolding.

Trees blossom.

Cells replicate.

Rivers forge new tributaries.

The world pulses with productive energy, and everything that exists on this planet

is driven by that energy.

Every manifestation of this unfolding is doing its own work on behalf of the universe,

each in its own way, true to its own creative impulse.”

We here at the Hub are energized with that pulse of creative energy and eager to kick off the year together with you to bring equitable access to STEAM and CTE learning to learners of all ages in our region. 

Thanks and be well,

sw

Students in a special education classroom working together to design and build a marble maze using LEGO.

Traditionally, special education students have often been underserved when it comes to STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math) and CTE (Career and Technical Education) education. 

There are a multitude of reasons for this including a lack of inclusive approaches, resources, training, and expertise. Unfortunately though, one of the main reasons is there continues to be misconceptions or biases about the capabilities of special education and youth transition program students. This leads to lowered expectations for their engagement in STEAM/CTE subjects and can result in a lack of encouragement and support for these students to pursue these fields.

Engaging special education students in STEAM/CTE activities offers numerous benefits and is essential for their overall development and success.

Engaging students in STEAM/CTE activities is crucial for promoting their academic, social, and emotional development. It creates a supportive and inclusive learning environment where all students can thrive, build valuable skills, and prepare for success in various aspects of life. STEAM/CTE activities empower special education students to explore their potential, embrace their unique strengths, and become active and engaged learners.

LOOKING FORWARD TO PART 2: 

Next month we will talk about the Hub’s pilot project with special education and youth transition program students at Philomath High School.

Makerspace Librarian, Forrest Johnson, assisting LBCC students with a research-based zine project.

You can’t be what you can’t see.

Our Maker and Innovation Learning Lab, aka The MILL, is a collaborative community STEAM workspace on the Albany campus of Linn-Benton Community College, created by the Mid-Valley STEM-CTE Hub that is designed to facilitate equitable community access to equipment, resources, and reciprocal learning opportunities.

The MILL is a place to learn how to work with a wide range of tools and materials, join with others in the creative process, and share your knowledge with others; it is a resource center to gain experience with the concepts and tools used in modern business, art, and industry! 

Over $23,800 in recent support from LBCC partners is helping broaden the impact of The MILL. We are grateful for the following departments and divisions that have made this possible:

• Academic Progression 
• Advanced Manufacturing and Transportation Technology 
• Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion 
• Extended Learning 
• Business, Education, and Liberal Arts 
• Career Connected Learning Systems Navigation 
• Information Systems

The MILL is the Mid-Valley’s premiere spot for collaborative projects,

experimentation, hands-on learning, and as one local class said,

“The best field trip they had all year.” 

If you are interested in helping expand our MILL program offerings through the contribution of funds or resources (in-kind or supplies & materials), please reach out

to Sarah Whiteside at whitess@linnbenton.edu. Learn more about the MILL and how to utilize the space

this year!