NYU Tandon Welcomes K-12 Students, Teachers for STEMNow

New York University's (NYU) Tandon School of Engineering will launch its fourth annual STEMNow program this week in an effort to inspire excitement about science, technology, engineering and math among K-12 students.

Launching this Wednesday with a keynote speech from Carmen Fariña, chancellor of schools for the New York City Department of Education, STEMNow will bring nearly 1,000 students and their teachers to Tandon's downtown Brooklyn classrooms and labs.

"We know that STEM is the foundation of our future, and that's why New York City has invested in high-quality, hands-on STEM education for all students, including the Computer Science for All initiative and expanded STEM Summer in the City," said Fariña in a prepared statement. "I'm so pleased to have NYU as a partner in this work to get students passionate about STEM, and on the path to becoming the next generation of scientists and engineers."

Highlights of the event will include:

  • Applied Research Innovations in Science and Engineering (ARISE), a free, seven-week program for students in grades 10 and 11from minority or low-income backgrounds who have had limited access to high-quality STEM education. ARISE will feature college-level lab research and coursework in a range of STEM fields and almost one-to-one mentoring by graduate students, post-doctoral fellows and faculty.
  • The Creative Circuit Design Workshop is a one-week program for students in grades 11 and 12 that will explore the basic circuit blocks underlying nearly all of today's interactive devices.
  • Creativity in Engineering, Science and Technology (CrEST) is designed to train students from community renewal schools in various STEM disciplines.
  • Nearly 400 middle school students will attend CrEST workshops, which will feature CrEST lessons covered by teachers in 30 hours.
  • GenCyber: Computer Science for Cybersecurity will aim to introduce high school girls "to role models, computer science, programming, virtuous hacking and digital forensics during intensive and supportive sessions designed to encourage them to pursue educational opportunities in cybersecurity," according to a news release.
  • Science of Smart Cities will introduce middle school students to the engineering, science and technology behind making cities more livable, sustainable and safer.
  • Tech Kids Unlimited, hosted by an organization of the same name, will introduce students aged 7-19 years with special needs to technology tools to help them succeed.
  • The Architecture, Construction and Engineering (ACE) Mentor Program provides mentors for students interested in construction and design careers. This summer the NYU Office of Facilities and Construction Management will offer four paid internships.

STEMNow will also offer professional development opportunities for teachers, including:

  • Discovery Research (DR) for Teachers, in which "20 middle school science and math teachers will spend three weeks at NYU Tandon as part of a comprehensive year-round STEM professional development program, funded by a $2.5 million grant from the National Science Foundation DR K-12 program," according to a news release. "NYU will field a team of interdisciplinary experts in robotics, engineering, education, curriculum design, and assessment to make robotics central to and sustainable in the city's science and math classrooms. Math and science teachers return to their schools supported by NYU Tandon graduate students."
  • In Research Experience for Teachers (RET) in Cybersecurity Tandon faculty will teach educators how to engage their students in digital forensics and cybersecurity.
  • Cybersecurity for College Instructors RET will offer a similar program for teachers of college students.
  • STEM Summer in the City 2016 will include training for 15 teachers.

"This year's STEMNow will make an exciting mark on the landscape of STEM education in New York City and beyond," said Katepalli R. Sreenivasan, president and dean of engineering at NYU, in a prepared statement. "When a high school student is exposed to high-level research in a university lab or a passionate NYU Tandon student mentor, it opens up previously unimaginable possibilities. When teachers return to their classrooms with innovative ideas for engaging their students in STEM, it has a ripple effect on entire generations of future engineers and scientists. We're pleased to open NYU Tandon's doors so that others can be inspired by our stellar faculty and students, work in our labs and classrooms and immerse themselves in our culture of intellectual curiosity and technology in service to society."

More information is available at engineering.nyu.edu/k12stem.

About the Author

Joshua Bolkan is contributing editor for Campus Technology, THE Journal and STEAM Universe. He can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • hand holding globe and environmental icons in front of a green background

    CoSN, SETDA, UDT Release Guidelines for Environmentally Responsible Technology Purchasing

    CoSN and SETDA, in partnership with IT and telecommunications solution provider UDT, recently released a set of Sustainability Procurement Guidelines designed to help K-12 school and district leaders, procurement officers, and technology directors make purchasing decisions that are both environmentally responsible and operationally effective.

  • digital dashboard featuring a shield icon, graphs, a world map, and network nodes

    IBM Launches Agentic AI Governance and Security Platform

    IBM has introduced a new software stack for enterprise IT teams tasked with managing the complex governance and security challenges posed by autonomous AI systems.

  • red brick school building with a large yellow "AI" sign above its main entrance

    New National Academy for AI Instruction to Provide Free AI Training for Educators

    In an effort to "transform how artificial intelligence is taught and integrated into classrooms across the United States," the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), in partnership with Microsoft, OpenAI, Anthropic, and the United Federation of Teachers, is launching the National Academy for AI Instruction, a $23 million initiative that will provide access to free AI training and curriculum for all AFT members, beginning with K-12 educators.

  • tutor and student working together at a laptop

    You've Paid for Tutoring. Here's How to Make Sure It Works.

    As districts and states nationwide invest in tutoring, it remains one of the best tools in our educational toolkit, yielding positive impacts on student learning at scale. But to maximize return on investment, both financially and academically, we must focus on improving implementation.