Summit Shares Best Practices for Attracting Students to STEM

The annual IEEE STEM Summit in October brought together a record number of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics enthusiasts, who shared ideas and inspired each other to continue their work with school-age children.

The event for preuniversity educators, IEEE volunteers, and other STEM enthusiasts provides resources and activities. Now in its third year, the free virtual summit had 581 participants from 87 countries last year. The 15 sessions garnered 950 comments and questions.

Participants posed questions to award-winning educators and knowledgeable volunteers from academia and industry, who offered practical advice on how to plan interesting and effective outreach activities. Sessions included topics on pedagogy, engineering education, and outreach best practices, as well as inspirational talks and resources to empower the STEM community.

Inspiring interest in STEM through new approaches

The summit was organized by the preuniversity education coordinating committee, a standing group of IEEE volunteers within Educational Activities. The committee's mission is to foster educational outreach to school-age children around the globe by providing educators and IEEE volunteers with tools for creating engaging activities and measuring outcomes.

The committee, which hosted the summit, provides resources and services through TryEngineering.org. Powered by IEEE, TryEngineering inspires educators to foster the next generation of technology innovators by providing resources, lesson plans, and activities at no charge for use in their classrooms and community activities. Students' interest in STEM careers can be ignited through exposure to new technologies and the way they operate.

The committee is committed to fostering a lively community where educators and volunteers can share ideas and experiences-which provides intriguing STEM content that can be shared through platforms and channels such as TryEngineering and taken back to the classroom.

I'm really glad that I was able to [meet people] from all over the world who share the same thoughts" about STEM, one participant said.

Jamie Moesch, managing director of IEEE Educational Activities, says, The IEEE STEM Summit provides preuniversity thought leaders with the opportunity to come together to share their best practices and motivate each other to inspire the next generation of engineers and technologists.

TryEngineering serves to coordinate a vast network of resources and volunteers committed to this cause."

Talks on climate change and generative AI

Saifur Rahman, IEEE past president, and Rabab Ward, vice president of IEEE Educational Activities, kicked off the event with welcoming remarks. Rahman spoke about the climate crisis and encouraged summit participants to utilize the IEEE climate change resources in their outreach events. Ward discussed the importance of outreach activities for school-age children.

The summit featured four keynote speakers and several panel sessions.

Wioleta Burdzy-Seth spoke about STEM for climate solutions, explaining climate change and how passion can be used to find solutions.

Jenna Carpenter referenced her TED Talk Engineering: Where Are the Girls and Why Aren't They Here? when she discussed why it has been difficult to attract and retain women in STEM fields. She also presented research-informed strategies to help address the situation.

Tiffani Teachey presented Unleashing the Power of Persistence: Nurturing an Engineering Mindset for Success. She discussed the role persistence plays in cultivating an engineering mindset, and she asked participants to encourage young students to be more determined.

The IEEE STEM Summit provides preuniversity thought leaders with the opportunity to come together to share their best practices and motivate each other to inspire the next generation of engineers and technologists." -Jamie Moesch, managing director of IEEE Educational Activities

Minjuan Wang spoke on the impact the metaverse and generative AI are having on education. She showcased several technologies being used for the metaverse and learning platforms.

A panel of semiconductor professionals discussed the growing interest in semiconductor engineering. Shari Liss, executive director of the SEMI Foundation, joined several IEEE volunteers who covered different aspects of the technology. They also discussed U.S. legislation that supports the industry and diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts that are helping to cultivate the field's workforce.

During the Girls in STEM panel discussion, several female students, educators, and engineering leaders shared their stories and perspectives on how to encourage and keep women in engineering.

Several sessions highlighted people who have successfully implemented STEM outreach programs, locally and globally, including a librarian and a NASA scientist.

One summit highlight was a hands-on activity. Several participants, including students from a U.S. elementary school, worked together to build a windmill using materials commonly found around the house or classroom.

Visit the IEEE TryEngineering YouTube channel to view other summit sessions.

This year's IEEE STEM Summit is scheduled for 22 to 25 October. More information about it will be posted on the IEEE STEM Summit website.

The IEEE Foundation, the philanthropic partner for TryEngineering, provided financial support for the summit. To support future events and the TryEngineering program, visit the IEEE TryEngineering Fund donation page.