Massachusetts STEM Summit 2021 UMass Donahue Institute STEM Initiatives 2021 News Become a Sponsor 2013 News 2014 2015 2016 News 2017 2018 News 2019 News 2020 News Massachusetts STEM Summit 2012 Massachusetts STEM Summit 2013 Massachusetts STEM Summit 2014 Massachusetts STEM Summit 2015 Massachusetts STEM Summit 2016 Massachusetts STEM Summit 2017 Massachusetts STEM Summit 2018 Lead & Major Sponsors' STEM Initiatives About the STEM Summit. News Summit History Event Schedule Our Sponsors Welcome to the Massachusetts STEM Summit

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The schedule for the next STEM Summit will be posted here when it is finalized.

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As the public service, outreach, and economic development unit of the University of Massachusetts President's Office, the UMass Donahue Institute provides government, business, and non-profit organizations with effective solutions in the areas of applied research, organizational development, training, technical assistance. Our staff blends a range of content and technical expertise with hands-on professional experience in areas including early childhood development, K-12 and higher education, nonprofit funding/fiscal issues, workforce development, economic analysis, and international education.

For the past 12 years, the Institute has participated in the planning and implementation of the Massachusetts STEM Summit. Today, working closely with our partners – the Massachusetts STEM Advisory Council and the Massachusetts Business Roundtable – we continue to organize, facilitate, and staff the widely popular Summit which is regarded as a national model for mobilizing and energizing efforts to grow STEM interest and success in our communities.

Across the Institute's diverse business groups, STEM is addressed in numerous projects and initiatives:

  • As evaluator and data support consultant to the Massachusetts STEM Pipeline Initiative since its inception, our Applied Research and Program Evaluation group (ARPE) has supported the effort with ongoing formative feedback, targeted studies, and the development of the Massachusetts Statewide STEM Indicators Project (MASSIP), which most recently prepared the 2015 Massachusetts STEM Dashboard.
  • ARPE partners with state agencies, local school districts, higher education institutions, and non-profit providers to evaluate a broad range of STEM programs, including the Massachusetts Math and Science Partnership, key components of Race to the Top, and National Science Foundation funded initiatives and centers.
  • Our Economic and Public Policy Research group (EPPR) routinely focuses on STEM-related issues, particularly around workforce training, education, job opportunities, and industry sector trends.  Recently, EPPR led all aspects of research, stakeholder engagement, best practices and strategy development for Knowledge Corridor sections of Massachusetts and Connecticut. The strategies developed by EPPR cover a cradle to career perspective from early education and high school/vocational programs to community college initiatives, adult basic education and workforce training for key sectors.  Previously, EPPR led the Life Sciences Talent Initiative (LSTI), culminating in a study, Growing Talent: Meeting the Evolving Needs of the Massachusetts Life Sciences Industry.  Co-sponsored by the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center and the Massachusetts Biotechnology Council, the study was the product of a year-long process of research and collaboration among the life sciences industry, academia and government.  The report lays out recommendations to ensure the life sciences industry will have the talent it needs to grow in the Commonwealth over the next decade.
  • STEM is also increasingly entering into UMDI’s international work, in which delegations from abroad are hosted and engaged in professional exchange with American peers. Through this program, a group of Brazilian STEM educators and administrators was recently hosted for a series of visits and dialogue on innovations in STEM education with counterparts at area universities.
  • Our team of Early Childhood Specialists routinely works with Head Start programs throughout New England to guide staff and parents in adopting creative approaches to stimulating STEM interest in infants, toddlers, and preschool-age children. The team has recently conducted trainings on topics including the nature of science in early childhood, nature-based learning, and the Office of Head Start’s “High Five Mathematize” initiative. We also sponsor an annual Massachusetts Head Start STEM Exhibition, where Head Start educators, share the work they are doing with children and families in classrooms and home visits.

For more information, visit www.donahue.umassp.edu.

Contact
Name: Ken LeBlond, Marketing Commuincations Manager
Phone: (413) 545-3452
E-mail: kleblond@donahue.umass.edu

Please fill out the following form. Eric Heller, Interim Executive Director of the UMass Donahue Institute or J.D. Chesloff, Executive Director of the Massachusetts Business Roundtable will contact you with information on how your organization can become a sponsor of this year's Summit.

The Massachusetts STEM Summit is hosted by the Massachusetts STEM Advisory Council, Massachusetts Business Roundtable, and the UMass Donahue Institute.

The theme for the next STEM Summit, See Yourself in STEM: Connecting Educators to Employers, signals the launch of an exciting new era for this iconic event.

In the fall of 2019, Massachusetts held its 2nd annual STEM Week, with regional events across the Commonwealth showcasing hundreds of diverse and creative STEM education and workforce development programs. The next statewide Summit will build on STEM Week’s momentum as we explore opportunities for strengthening the STEM talent pipeline through creative approaches to building foundational STEM skills, developing high quality, guided STEM pathways for learners, and deepening employer partnerships to promote STEM career opportunities. STEM Week provided learners of all ages across the state with the opportunity to engage in opportunities on the ground and in their regions. The STEM Summit will afford us all the opportunity to convene, connect, and reflect on this progress together in order to plan for the year ahead to promote STEM as one Commonwealth.

The STEM Summit is supported by generous contributions from a broad array of public and private organizations invested in the economic vitality of the state, including businesses, educational institutions, government agencies, and non-profit entities. If you would like to now more about becoming a STEM Summit sponsor, please contact us.

To receive Summit news and announcements including the call for session and exhibit proposals, attendee registration announcements, and more, sign up for email updates.

StemSummitinfo@donahue.umass.edu

Background

In 2004, following the U.S. Department of Education’s National Summits on Mathematics and Science, Massachusetts launched the nation’s first statewide STEM Summit. Since then, the event has annually convened leaders and practitioners from the state’s education, business, and government sectors, all dedicated to promoting a STEM-literate workforce and citizenry across the Commonwealth. With stimulating plenary speakers, diverse topical interest panel sessions, and opportunities for networking, the Massachusetts STEM Summit has become an annual opportunity for sharing innovative ideas, discussing groundbreaking policies and strategies, and celebrating the tremendous ongoing work taking place at all levels of education and workforce development throughout the state.

After a challenging 2020 brought on by the pandemic, the STEM Summit was back with “Inspire A STEM Start”. The event focused on how the STEM workforce has led us through those challenges as well as the pivotal role STEM plays in the future of the workforce in Massachusetts. In the fall of 2020, Massachusetts held its 3rd annual STEM Week, with regional events across the Commonwealth showcasing hundreds of diverse and creative STEM education and workforce development programs.
 



Massachusetts STEM Advisory Council

The STEM Advisory Council is established by M.G.L. Chapter 6, Section 218 in order to expand access to high-quality STEM education for students across the Commonwealth. Members of the Council include individuals from academia, business, government and non-profits who believe in the necessity of a STEM-literate and skilled citizenry ready to meet the needs of a 21st Century workforce. The Council serves as the central coordinating entity to bring together all of the participants from state agencies, the legislature, and members of the public and private sectors involved with STEM planning and programming. Learn more about the Council: https://www.mass.edu/stem/home.asp.

In order to sustain economic prosperity and growth, the STEM Advisory Council seeks to build a deeper, more diverse human capital pipeline to fill the growing demand for talent by MA employers, while creating new opportunities for young people and adults to pursue rewarding and productive careers requiring STEM expertise.  Consistent with this purpose, the Council will work with the Administration to align and leverage public programs and resources, while engaging private-sector partners, in order to accelerate progress and achieve maximum impact.

The Massachusetts STEM Summit is an annual statewide event that attracts leaders and practitioners from the state’s education, business and government sectors, all dedicated to promoting a STEM-literate workforce and citizenry.

STEM Summit 2022 was held on April 28th in a hybrid format, with both virtual and in-person sessions featuring captivating and thoughtful speakers throughout the Commonwealth with a common goal of Inspiring a STEM Start for all individuals.

Building from the Massachusetts STEM Advisory Council goals, this year's Summit aimed to continue creating and sustaining high-quality, integrated STEM pathways, and deepening employer and educator partnerships.

As part of the in-person component of the hybrid summit, there were regional sites at UMass Amherst, Museum of Science in Boston, UMass Dartmouth, the Amazon facility in Westborough, and Westfield State University. Discussions occurred with employers, school decision-makers, and administration officials about opportunities to partner, best practices, and the future of STEM in the Commonwealth. A library of prerecorded content celebrating and recognizing STEM learning innovation and best practices were shared.

The Keynote speaker was Worcester Polytechnic Institute President Laurie Leshin, the 16th president and first woman to lead WPI. An accomplished geochemist and space scientist, she earned her BS in Chemistry, summa cum laude, at Arizona State University, and an MS and PhD in Geochemistry at the California Institute of Technology, which honored her in 2021 with its Distinguished Alumni Award. She also serves on the STEM Advisory Council and has played a key role in expanding access to high-quality STEM education for students across the Commonwealth. In May 2022, she will assume a new role, serving as the director of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, operated by Caltech for NASA.

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Hosted & sponsored by

Governor’s STEM Advisory Council Massachusetts Business Roundtable UMass Donahue Institute