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National, regional speakers to examine STEM’s importance to future workforce, economy
ETSU hosting third annual Science, Technology, Engineering, Math (STEM) Education Conference
JOHNSON CITY— The importance of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education is the focus for speakers and attendees alike at this week’s third annual Math and Science Education Conference sponsored by East Tennessee State University.
More than 175 participants will hear from national, regional and local leaders stressing the ongoing need for a strengthened K-16 system that will better prepare students for the workforce and for pursuing majors in critical areas of study.
Scheduled Thursday and Friday (May 28-29) at The Millennium Centre across from campus on State of Franklin Road, the event is sponsored by ETSU’s Center of Excellence in Mathematics and Science Education, College of Arts and Sciences, and Claudius G. Clemmer College of Education.
According to Dr. Jack Rhoton, executive director of the Center of Excellence, the conference theme -- “Accepting the STEM Challenge” – captures ETSU’s effort to promote greater awareness about the critical role that STEM education plays in enabling this region and the state to maintain their economic and technological vitality in the 21st century global marketplace.
Rhoton said, “Our region’s success in the global economy depends on the strength and vigor of its labor force as well as its capacity to nourish research and innovation, both of which are increasingly dependent on an educational system capable of producing students who can compete in math- and science-dominated industries. We believe that the business, education and STEM communities must work together to achieve this goal.”
The conference will bring together educators, administrators, policymakers, and business, school and community leaders to share successes while addressing challenges associated with math and science education.
Conference registration runs from 10:30-noon on Thursday, and the luncheon speaker is Norris P. Snead, senior vice president, manufacturing support and chief administrative officer for Eastman Chemical Co. He will address “The War on Innovation” -- using specific examples from Eastman’s perspective -- concerning the challenges companies face in producing an innovative workforce in today’s global economy.
Additional featured speakers include Harvard University’s Dr. Jon R. Star, assistant professor of education in the Graduate School of Education, who will present a session on “Why students struggle with algebra and how schools and teachers can help,” which will highlight ways to help students be more successful in algebra.
Dr. Jeanne Century, director of science education and director of research and evaluation for the University of Chicago’s Center for Elementary Mathematics and Science Education, will speak about exploring ways to reconsider such areas as research, best practices and leadership qualities, among other issues. Most recently, Century served on the Education Policy Transition Team and Department of Education Agency Review Transition Team for the Obama-Biden Transition Project while focusing on STEM education and on education research and development.
And, Dr. Jeanne L. Narum, founding director of Project Kaleidoscope in Washington, D.C., rounds out Thursday afternoon’s agenda with an address on the “urgency of building and sustaining robust undergraduate STEM learning environments.”
Thursday’s dinner speaker, Dr. Gary Nixon, is executive director of the state Board of Education in Nashville. He will talk on “The Tennessee Diploma Project” and new curriculum standards designed to upgrade graduation requirements to help make Tennessee more competitive for high-skilled/high-wage jobs. Several items of concern he will also address include how to find much-needed math and science teachers, connecting more students with training beyond high school, and doubling the number of people earning a post-secondary credential.
Among Friday’s speakers are Dr. Kenneth A. Wesson, educational consultant in neuroscience who will address recent brain research and “what it tells us about ‘learning’ and the implications for teaching math and science,” and Raymond J. McNulty, senior vice president, International Center for Leadership in Education in Rexford, N.Y., and a former senior fellow at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, where he and leading educators focused on “reinventing” the nation’s high schools.
In addition to Rhoton, representatives from ETSU who will speak on Friday include Dr. Aimee Govett, associate professor, Center of Excellence in Mathematics and Science Education, and Dr. Jeff Knisley, chair and professor, Department of Mathematics.
Dr. Francis Q. Eberle, executive director, National Science Teachers Association in Arlington, Va., will deliver closing comments for the STEM conference, which ends at 2 p.m.