Jonathan Moneymaker, Altamira
Following a successful 5th annual event in April 2018, WashingtonExec is organizing, along withNysmith School, the next annual K-12 STEM Symposium on Saturday, March 30 2019. WashingtonExec is proud of this hyperlocal, targeted event for government and industry parents with their kids. Popular showcases include flight simulators, slime, egg drops and cyber hackathons.
The free, 3,000-person event is the largest STEM Symposium held in the Northern Virginia area and has become a key partnership event for employers and educators to foster strong science and engineering workforce pipeline programs. With children from kindergarten to college, it is never too early or too late to pursue a STEM degree. This past year’s K-12 STEM Symposium was supported by Presenting Sponsor Altamira under the 5th year anniversary theme of “Super STEM: Building Tomorrow’s Superheros Today.”
Previous speakers to a kid-friendly audience include Sen. Tim Kaine, retired astronauts Dr. Sandy Mangus and Dr. Cady Coleman, as well as former fighter pilots and representatives from the intelligence community. The Washington National’s Racing President Thomas Jefferson and a Benjamin Franklin historical re-enactor have also made appearances. This past year, the symposium hosted for the first time the principals of Thomas Jefferson High School and the Academies of Loudoun, two Northern Virginia STEM-focused high schools.
The fun and high-energy event also annually presents the STEM Rising Star, STEM Advocate and Inspiring STEM Executive, and STEM Non-Profit awards to local advocates. Winners included Boolean Girl, a 501(c)(3) that narrows the STEM gender gap through education and exposure to computer programming and engineering. STEM Executive winner, Anne Swanson of CGI Federal, received the Inspiring STEM Executive award in 2018 for her leadership under the STEM@CGI programs, and Kirthi Kumar, a high school sophomore with a passion for gender parity in science and technology fields, received the 2018 STEM Rising Star award.
“I have attended the STEM Symposium at Nysmith every year since its beginning. Every time I left the Symposium, I couldn’t stop talking about the numerous new things I learned and how I wanted to apply them to solve the world’s problems,” Kumar said.
The 2019 K-12 STEM Symposium needs sponsors, exhibitors and keynote speakers. If you or your organization are interested in sponsoring or participating, visit the www.stemsymposium.com. Free registration for individuals and families is now open at www.stemsymposium.com.
