The Institute for
S T E M E D U C AT I O N
STEM Education The U.S. Department of Education has identified the need to step up STEM education across the country so that students develop scientific knowledge as well as analytical thinking and problem-solving skills. That means educating K-12 teachers to expand classroom learning beyond textbooks by integrating hands-on learning into a cutting-edge curriculum. Clarkson’s pioneering approach to STEM education combines all aspects of learning, from developing K-12 outreach programs and training teachers through our Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) program to recruiting and retaining students from diverse backgrounds.
The 2017 Technology, Environment, Arts and Media (TEAM) summer program
“Clarkson’s long-standing support of STEM education is built on successful partnerships that have brought hands-on learning programs in engineering, environmental science, robotics, energy and mathematics to elementary, middle and high school students,” says Peter Turner, mathematician and founding director of Clarkson’s Institute for STEM Education. Programs like Partners in Engineering have put Clarkson faculty and students into classrooms, while campus-based summer camps have introduced engineering, robotics and physics to school-age students. “The Institute for STEM Education is Catherine Snyder, chair of education, and Peter Turner, the natural outgrowth of that long-standing director of the Institute for STEM Education commitment,” says Turner. “But it is more than four-week teaching assistant (TA) “boot camp” to that. Our approach is holistic and far reaching, prepare PhD candidates for their work as TAs. The incorporating teacher training and initiatives to boot camp, based on a model developed for the MAT improve STEM student retention.” program, is unique; few colleges provide any formal TA training at all, though successful teaching is Developing Successful Teachers linked to student engagement and retention. Clarkson faculty members have long been engaged in national- and state-funded programs to develop curricula and mentor K-12 teachers in mathematics and science. Turner, for example, has played a leading role in national STEM education initiatives, serving for six years as vice president for education of the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics (SIAM). But it was with the introduction of the MAT program at Clarkson in 2016 that the University could extend its influence on STEM education. Based at the Capital Region Campus, the MAT program is equipping new teachers to prepare and inspire students from a diverse range of backgrounds to enter STEM fields. Preparing educators extends to educating graduate students in other field, too. Two years ago, Clarkson’s Department of Education piloted a
K-12 Programs: From Potsdam to New York City STEM outreach extends to all Clarkson campuses, including the Clarkson University Hudson River Estuarium, in development on Pier 26 in Manhattan. The planned Estuarium will connect people to the natural world through hands-on activities, fostering a deeper understanding of estuaries and the vital role they play in maintaining water quality and watersheds while providing habitats for fish, birds and other wildlife. “Informal STEM learning environments like the Estuarium are recognized as one of the most important vehicles for introducing STEM to underrepresented or underserved students and leading them to pursue STEM careers,” says Turner. Clarkson University 27
