Mass STEM Hub and PLTW team up with the Commonwealth and TD Garden to provide STEM Week experience for all K-12 schools in Massachusetts
BOSTON – Mass STEM Hub, a program of the One8 Foundation, today announced the official launch of the STEM Week Challenge in partnership with Project Lead The Way (PLTW), the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection and TD Garden. Registration is open for the STEM Week Challenge, which is free and open to all K-12 schools in the Commonwealth.
The STEM Week Challenge, brought to you by PLTW and Mass STEM Hub, takes place Oct. 21 through Oct. 25 during Mass STEM Week, a statewide effort to boost the interest, awareness and ability for all learners to envision themselves in STEM education and employment opportunities. The challenge features a curriculum developed by PLTW, the innovative PreK-12 activity, project and problem-based learning program, in conjunction with MassDEP and TD Garden. Centering around the theme of ‘zero waste,’ students will apply their classroom STEM experience to the real world.
“It is crucial that all students in the Commonwealth have the ability to take what they learn in the classroom and apply it to solve a real-world problem. This zero-waste STEM Week Challenge will give students a sense of accomplishment in doing just that, and we are thankful for Mass STEM Hub and Project Lead The Way for providing this opportunity during STEM Week,” Governor Charlie Baker said.
“In Massachusetts, we are working hard to get more young people interested in STEM fields. The STEM Week Challenge offered by Project Lead The Way and Mass STEM Hub is an exciting opportunity for teachers to give their students insight and experience into what it could be like to be a STEM professional,” Lt. Governor Karyn Polito said.
“The STEM Week Challenge is an opportunity for teachers across the Commonwealth to help students apply learning to real-world problems,” said PLTW President and Chief Executive Officer Dr. Vince Bertram. “The challenge is designed to actively engage students as they solve real-world problems that organizations like TD Garden and MassDEP currently face.”
All students will tackle the challenge of achieving zero waste, with curriculum experiences for each grade span to solve real problems such as food waste, microplastics, solar energy and e-waste. The 10-hour PLTW experience will consist of standards-aligned activities, projects, and problems where students will use knowledge and skills to tackle real-world challenges, culminating in a final project on zero waste. Students will have the opportunity to connect with STEM industry professionals throughout the week and present their projects at a showcase on Friday, Oct. 25 in Boston.
“I’m excited to see my students participate in the STEM Week Challenge,” said Keith Michon, teacher at Kuss Middle School in Fall River, Mass. and PLTW participant. “Seeing how engaged they are with STEM throughout the year, this is a great opportunity for my colleagues to incorporate applied learning in their classrooms and provide their students with an awesome STEM Week experience. The skills taught in STEM lay the foundation for students’ success in the real world, and the solutions our students will come up with during the STEM Week Challenge will no doubt have a positive influence in the future.”
Made possible with a grant from the One8 Foundation and partnership with PLTW, the curriculum, training and resources are free and available to all K-12 schools in Massachusetts. Trainings for educators run from Sept. 23 through Sept. 25 at locations in Boston, Worcester, Lowell and Westfield. Registration opened Sept. 3 and runs through Sept. 18. Only one educator per participating school is required to attend trainings. Registration is open here.
For more information please visit www.stemweekchallenge.org.
About Mass STEM Hub Mass STEM Hub is a program of the One8 Foundation and its mission is to provide schools with access to and support for the next level of STEM education that engages students and prepares them to succeed in a rapidly changing, high tech world. Mass STEM Hub has helped scale Project Lead The Way’s K-12 curriculum in engineering, computer science and biomedical science to over 35,000 students in Massachusetts enabling students to learn how to take theory to practice with real world problem solving. Visit www.mass-stemhub.org to learn more.
About PLTW
Project Lead The Way (PLTW) is a mission-driven organization that is transforming the learning experience for millions of PreK-12 students and thousands of teachers across the U.S. PLTW empowers students to develop in-demand, transportable knowledge and skills through pathways in computer science, engineering, and biomedical science. PLTW’s teacher training and resources support teachers as they engage their students in real-world learning. Approximately 11,500 elementary, middle, and high schools in all 50 states and the District of Columbia offer PLTW programs. For more information on Project Lead The Way, visit pltw.org.
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PLTW Press Contact:
Lauren McConnell
Director of Media Relations
317-694-9123
lcurtis@pltw.org
Mass STEM Hub Press Contact:
Kaileigh Higgins
Matter Communications on behalf of Mass STEM Hub
617-874-5827
MassSTEMHub@matternow.com