View recorded sessions from our 2024 STEM Ecosystem Convening, where STEM stakeholders from Region 13 came together to share insights, collaborate, and inspire innovation. Explore recorded discussions on integrating real-world learning experiences into PreK-12 education, fostering creativity, critical thinking, and collaborative skills among students.
Join us to access valuable recordings, network, and gain inspiration to enrich the educational journey for future generations.
The Time to Make Texas a "State of STEM" is Now!
The new K-12 Science TEKS and K-8 Technology Applications TEKS incorporate key components of the Texas STEM Education Framework. Educators using these TEKS are helping to prepare ALL students for future career opportunities!
Did you know?
From 2020 to 2030...
Texas will add over 620,000 STEM occupations
Of the 20 STEM occupations projected to add the most jobs,
17 require no more than a Bachelor’s degree, and
11 pay more than $100,000 a year for experienced employees. (Source)
Starting in 2024-2025…
All students K-8 are expected to, as part of the new Technology Applications TEKS:
explore computational thinking concepts, including decomposition, abstraction, pattern recognition, and algorithms.
use innovative design processes to solve authentic problems.
All students K-12 are expected to, as part of the new Science TEKS:
use engineering practices to design solutions to problems.
investigate STEM careers.
use recurring themes and concepts to make connections across disciplines (K-8).
Learn from the STEM educators already doing and supporting this work in classrooms, camps, libraries, and museums across Region 13 and beyond.
Do your part to help prepare ALL students for future career opportunities by making Texas a "State of STEM!"
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Paul Andersen is an educational consultant and YouTube creator living in Bozeman, MT. Paul is an experienced educator, having taught science in Montana for 20 years. Paul was the 2011 Montana Teacher of the Year, and was also one of four finalists for the 2011 National Teacher of the Year. In addition to teaching Paul has created hundreds of YouTube science tutorials that have been viewed millions of times by students around the world. Paul has provided training for thousands of students, teachers, and administrators around the world. Paul enjoys providing meaningful professional development that can be applied immediately in the classroom.
As the Director of Computer Science Education Strategy at EPIC, Allen leads and manages rapidly expanding diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives and represents EPIC programs at a state and national level. Before joining UT, Allen worked in various positions in the educational field. As Associate Director of Mathematics and Computer Science of the Rice Office of STEM Engagement (R-STEM), Allen provided mathematics and computer science support specializing in providing lesson ideas, professional development, and teacher mentoring in STEM subjects. As an interventionist in Orleans Parish Schools, he worked with elementary students to improve their literacy and numeracy levels. As a middle school teacher in Alief ISD, he taught 8th-grade mathematics and Algebra I. Allen currently holds a B.S. in Computer Engineering from Xavier University of Louisiana and an M.Ed. in Teacher Leadership from Lamar University.
Dr. Koshi Dhingra has dedicated her career to STEM education and is passionate about having every child live up to their potential. Seeing a lack of girls and other underrepresented youth in STEM programs, she founded talkSTEM in 2015 to address the imbalance. She has a doctorate in science education from Teachers College, Columbia University, has years of experience teaching in graduate and undergraduate programs, and has held leadership roles in universities. She advises and collaborates with a broad range of educational institutions globally. Dr. Dhingra began her career teaching science in middle and high school in New York. She lives in Dallas, Texas with her husband, three children, and two dogs.
Dr. Carol Fletcher is Director of EPIC (Expanding Pathways in Computing) at UT Austin's Texas Advanced Computing Center (TACC) where she oversees research and professional development projects in STEM and CS education such as the nationally recognized WeTeach_CS program. She is PI for two NSF projects focused on broadening participation in computing (BPC), the Expanding Computing Education Pathways (ECEP) Alliance and Accelerating Women's Success and Mastery in CS (AWSM in CS). Her research interests include BPC and measuring large scale professional development in STEM.
Carol is a former middle school teacher and an elected Pflugerville ISD School Board Trustee from 2001 to 2019. Her experiences as a teacher, policymaker, and researcher bridge the gap between education, workforce, and policy. Additional leadership roles include Chair of the Texas Computer Science Task Force, CS4TX Steering Committee, the TEA's STEM Educator Standards & IT Industry Advisory Committees, and numerous NSF funded STEM education grant advisory boards.
Michelle Sedberry is the Statewide STEM Coordinator at the Texas Education Agency and the STEM Lead for the Texas EcosySTEM. She has a graduate certificate in Multidisciplinary Science focused on bilingual math and science and a master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction. Michelle has been an educator for over 23 years as a classroom science teacher, district administrator, education service center science specialist, and science professor at Texas Tech University. She is the author of Creating Future Engineers through Elementary Engineering Professional Development and has four published science curriculum guides for Hank the Cowdog Ranch Life Series.
Johannes Starks currently serves as the Executive Director of BEST of Texas Robotics, overseeing a network that impacts over 300 schools and 3000 students across Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and New Mexico. Actively traveling the state, she encourages District leaders and industry partners to play a pivotal role in shaping the STEM pipeline by mentoring students in STEM competitions and assisting them in uncovering their hidden talents. In her previous role as the Campus Director for iSchool High STEM Academy in Lewisville, Johannes excelled in fostering collaborations with entities such as High School Students United with NASA to Create Hardware (HUNCH), the United States Patent and Trade Office, and Young Science Achievers Program (YSAP), ensuring meaningful STEM experiences for students. Driven by a commitment to align her vision with STEM education, Johannes actively collaborates with organizations, aiming to provide transformative opportunities. Drawing inspiration from observing students' lives undergo positive transformations through their participation in network schools, she firmly believes in their inherent potential to achieve greatness.
The Wonder of Science, The Science of Wonder (Paul Andersen)
Using Mini-Lessons to Teach the SEP and RTC (Paul Andersen)
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Access to the recorded sessions from our 2024 STEM Ecosystem Convening!
