Science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education and research professionals will gather for the seventh annual Collaborating for Education and Research Forum from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday (March 1) in the Jordan Hall of Science at the University of Notre Dame.
The forum, which will focus on the theme “Developing STEM Commercialization-Education Connections,” will showcase opportunities for collaboration. Throughout the daylong forum, presenters will describe regional efforts to forge industry-education connections. Speakers will include Vince Bertram, executive director of Project Lead the Way; Jeff Rea, president and CEO of the St. Joseph County Chamber of Commerce; Brian Wiebe, executive director of the Horizon Educational Alliance in Elkhart; and Brad Bishop, executive director of OrthoWorx in Warsaw.
“Previous forums have focused on building STEM connections between university and K-12 communities,” said Thomas Loughran, who directs the forum from the Notre Dame QuarkNet Center. “This year’s five-county Project Lead the Way initiative offers Michiana STEM professionals an opportunity to consider together an important STEM workforce development possibility spearheaded by business and industry. Our forum this year will focus on forging more commercialization-education connections of this sort.”
“We are pleased to bring local community leaders and STEM educators together to form collaborations that will strengthen our local community,” said Greg Crawford, dean of the College of Science. “This broad-based community partnership has a long history here at Notre Dame. We are proud to support this forum, which will help K-12 students develop the skills they will need to succeed in the global economy.”
Local K-12 STEM teachers and administrators are encouraged to register for free online. They will receive breakfast and lunch and earn certificates for five professional growth points. The event is sponsored by the University of Notre Dame College of Science, College of Engineering, Center for STEM Education, QuarkNet Center and University Communications as well as the Northern Indiana Science, Mathematics and Engineering Collaborative.
Contact: Marissa Gebhard, 574-631-4465, gebhard.3@nd.edu
Originally published by at news.nd.edu on February 24, 2014.