May 25, 2017
At the U.S. News STEM Solutions National Leadership Conference in San Diego, two of New York’s STEM networks were selected to become a part of the national STEM Learning Ecosystem – the North Country STEM Network and WNY STEM – http://stemecosystems.org/press-release-stem-learning-ecosystems-extends-impact-addition-seventeen-regional-partnerships-focused-stem-education-pathways/.
The STEM Learning Ecosystems Initiative, launched by the STEM Funders network, has grown to encompass 54 regional Ecosystems that are making a significant impact on STEM education and workforce development. The 17 incoming ecosystem communities were selected because they demonstrate a commitment to cross-sector collaborations in schools and beyond the classroom—in afterschool and summer programs, at home, with local business and industry partners, and in science centers, libraries and other places both virtual and physical. As STEM Ecosystems evolve, students will be able to connect what is learned in and out of school with real-world opportunities.
The two new STEM Ecosystems in New York join an accomplished network of NY STEM Ecosystems including the East Syracuse Minoa Central School District STEM Learning Ecosystem, led by Donna DeSiato with Jim King, Steve Heaslip, and their partners in Central NY, the Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering Partnership in Western New York, Queens 2020, and the New York City STEM Education Network. Details on STEM Ecosystems across the nation can be found at http://stemecosystems.org/first-community-of-practice/