The Institute for 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.

“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 that. Our approach is holistic and far reaching, four-week teaching assistant (TA) “boot camp” to incorporating teacher training and initiatives to prepare PhD candidates for their work as TAs. The improve STEM student retention.” boot camp, based on a model developed for the MAT program, is unique; few colleges provide any formal Developing Successful Teachers TA training at all, though successful teaching is Clarkson faculty members have long been engaged linked to student engagement and retention. in national- and state-funded programs to develop curricula and mentor K-12 teachers in mathematics K-12 Programs: From Potsdam to New York City and science. Turner, for example, has played a leading STEM outreach extends to all Clarkson campuses, role in national STEM education initiatives, serving for including the Clarkson University Hudson River six years as vice president for education of the Society Estuarium, in development on Pier 26 in Manhattan. for Industrial and Applied Mathematics (SIAM). The planned Estuarium will connect people

But it was with the introduction of the MAT to the natural world through hands-on activities, program at Clarkson in 2016 that the University fostering a deeper understanding of estuaries and could extend its influence on STEM education. the vital role they play in maintaining water quality Based at the Capital Region Campus, the MAT and watersheds while providing habitats for fish, program is equipping new teachers to prepare birds and other wildlife. and inspire students from a diverse range of “Informal STEM learning environments backgrounds to enter STEM fields. like the Estuarium are recognized as one of the

Preparing educators extends to educating most important vehicles for introducing STEM graduate students in other field, too. Two years to underrepresented or underserved students and ago, Clarkson’s Department of Education piloted a leading them to pursue STEM careers,” says Turner. Clarkson University 27