Here’s everything you need to know before you head out the door Saturday, March 7, for the 2015 K-12 STEM Symposium to ensure you don’t miss a thing. The event would not be possible without Presenting Sponsor Leidos and Platinum Sponsor Vencore. Venue Sponsor is The Nysmith School.
Click here to see the full agenda.
Panels and Speakers
- Panel I (9:45 a.m., gym): Industry and Government Perspective — Workforce Needs and Solutions, featuring Michele Weslander-Quaid, Google’s Global Cloud Ecosystem Community Lead; and Dr. Ann M. Carbonell, National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) Senior Executive. This panel is moderated by Rob Zitz, Leidos Senior Vice President and Chief Systems Architect.
- Keynote Address: Dr. Evan Glazer (11 a.m.) will discuss the extent to which parents should encourage their student to participate in STEM-related programs as they get older. He will inform parents of different perspectives of how to engage their students in STEM-related activities in a way that will work for their families. Lou F. Von Thaer, President of Leidos’ National Security Sector, will also give a keynote address.
- Remarks from Sen. Tim Kaine (1 p.m., gym): Sen. Kaine plans to discuss the importance of generating interest and passion for the science and technology fields early on in children’s lives in order to properly equip the next generation for future workforce innovation and needs.
- Panel II (1:30 p.m., gym): Positive Messaging: Making STEM Cool for K-12 Kids, featuring Eric Schierling, a former F18 Top Gun pilot and the Director of Vencore’s Space Group; Pooja Chandrashekar, TJHSST senior and ProjectCSGirls founder; and Kenneth Cameron, a former astronaut, SAIC Vice President and Manager of the Risk & Reliability Solutions Division and NASA Johnson Space Center Safety & Mission Assurance Support Services Contract Program Manager.
- Closing Remarks (2:45 p.m., gym): WashingtonExec STEM Council
Break-Out Sessions
The 2015 K-12 STEM Symposium will feature break-out classroom sessions to provide resources for parents with children at different age levels to find out what age-appropriate STEM options are out there. Three different speakers will separately address parents with students in elementary, middle and high school.
Dogwood Elementary School Advanced Academics Resource Teacher Linda Martin will speak to parents of elementary-aged students (12:15-1 p.m.). Fairfax County Public Schools After-School Programs Administrator Mark H. Emery, PhD will address middle school parents (11:30 a.m.-12:15 p.m.). TJHSST College and Career Center Resource Specialist Eileen Kropf will speak to parents of high school students (10:15-11 a.m.). STEM Symposium keynote speaker and TJHSST Principal Dr. Evan Glazer will elaborate on his earlier keynote talk, “The Tiger, Dolphin, and Jellyfish Parent – Which One is Best for STEM?” (2:15-2:45 p.m., gym).
Exhibitors
More than 30 exhibitors, some with hands-on interactive displays, will exhibit in the Silver, Red, Blue and Purple Wings, along with the Multi-Purpose Room. Student science fair finalists will also be displaying their projects. Click here to read about the exhibitors.
Classroom Activities
Nysmith School teachers will have on-going activities in their classrooms.
Parent Action Plan
A Parent Action Plan, featuring 45-pages of STEM-related summer camps, after-school activities, online resources, educator training, internship information, best practices, science-related apps and more will be available online for printing at 8 a.m. Saturday, March 7. The listings are for the National Capital Region area.
It’s not to late to sign up for this free event. Click here to register.
The 2015 K-12 STEM Symposium is possible from the support of many local organizations, including CTOVision, Fairfax County Chamber of Commerce, Intelligence and National Security Alliance, Professional Services Council, Sage Communications and United States Geospatial Intelligence Foundation.
