STEM Next Opportunity Fund’s Post

“Exploring Career Connections in STEM is providing a new model for workforce development in STEM fields by integrating afterschool programs into the career readiness continuum,” said Ron Ottinger, executive director of STEM Next Opportunity Fund. “The power of partnerships ensures that youth from rural and underserved communities are not left behind in the fast-growing STEM economy, while also responding to the growing workforce needs of the nation.”

🌟 Big news! OIC of America is partnering with the NBA Foundation to bring FREE hands-on STEM education to Minneapolis in 2025! 🚀 This collaboration is empowering K-12 students and their families with interactive STEM Saturdays (starting February) and a huge STEMFest on June 21. Together, we’re inspiring future scientists, engineers, and innovators! 👩🔬👨💻 Read our full Press Release here: https://lnkd.in/erUA_pe9

During National Science Week, it makes me think about the aspirations of our children. It's "dress up as your future job" day at school on Friday. My son is torn between being a footballer and a Computer Engineer. Computing is his back up plan if becoming a footballer doesn't work out 😂🖥 My daughter's heart is set on being a Vet: she's wanted to be a vet since she was 4, after discovering she couldn't be a fairy 🧚♀️😂 Celebrating this week isn't just about recognising the achievements in science and engineering. It's about fueling the ambition of our kids. We are the cheerleaders for their dreams, the pick-me-up for each time they stumble. Whether it's a missed goal or a coding project that doesn't quite work, our role is to instill resilience. It's about teaching them the grit to get back up and the determination to press on. In nurturing our kids, we're developing a mindset that sees failure not as a defeat, but as a stepping stone. Every setback is a lesson, and every challenge faced is progress in disguise. It's our responsibility to make sure that their journey towards their goals is filled with curiosity, learning, and growth, not just in their chosen fields, but in the life skills of perseverance and hard work. This week, take a moment to spark a conversation with your children about their dreams. Encourage them to ask questions, to explore the world around them. And remember, whether they dream of scoring the winning goal or healing an injured animal, it's our support that will make all the difference. Every child that dreams of change, of innovation, and of caring for our world, deserves a chance to make it happen. 🌟💡🚀 #NationalScienceWeek #FutureInnovators #DreamBig

Happy STEM Day! Here are some updates from our program!

Inspiring the next generation of STEM innovators. Edinburgh Science’s Careers Hive transformed the National Museum of Scotland into a STEM hub, engaging 2,061 pupils and teachers from 38 local schools. With our support, students explored careers through hands-on activities like energy efficiency in the Cosy Cosy House. As well as our sponsorship of this exhibit, we also had two colleagues volunteering throughout the week to talk to the students about their pathway into STEM careers; whether traditional or nonlinear. Hear from our Head of Business Development (North), Paul Steen, talking on this initiative and its place in forming a career pathway into heat networks. Igniting curiosity and raising awareness of their growing importance in the UK. You can also explore Edinburgh Science's latest blog post on our support of this engaging initiative: https://bit.ly/3VyVRpj Together, we’re creating a future where young minds are equipped to tackle challenges, innovate solutions, and build a low carbon world.

FRIENDS!! The 2024-2024 school year will be the last year of the Virtual STEM Role Model Project! This project virtually connects high school students with professionals working in STEM fields, as well as with students currently in a STEM Program (college, university, technical school, apprenticeship). These STEM students and professionals are referred to as Role Models in this project. These virtual connections between high school students and Role Models allow high school students to hear a diverse set of STEM career pathways and journeys, as they themselves prepare to pursue their careers. Not two STEM pathways/journeys are identical, and there are so many STEM careers to explore! Hearing about the different STEM career options and the different pathways that different Role Models took, will inspire high school students to explore their own interests and plan out their own pathways. If you are a STEM Professional and you are interested in learning more about how you can volunteer in this project and share your STEM journey with high school students, please reach out to Ariel Medina at Ariel.medina@esd105.org or Hanah Singco at Hanah.singco@esd105.org.

Happy STEM Week! In Massachusetts, this year's STEM Week focuses on "STEM Start Now." What does that mean? It means that "at any age, you can learn about STEM, from our youngest learners to adult learners, and STEM educational opportunities and jobs are here at this very moment in Massachusetts. " Learn more about STEM Week in MA at https://lnkd.in/ehXEbc8V.

Our colleagues share their passion for STEM with youth across the country through our partnership with Boys & Girls Clubs of America. Nurturing a diverse STEM workforce is critical to generating the most innovative and inclusive solutions to global challenges. As volunteers, our colleagues encourage Club kids to dream big and imagine themselves as future innovators by participating in hands-on activities and sharing their STEM career stories. Together with Boys & Girls Clubs of America and our colleagues, we're working to ensure all youth have opportunities to pursue and succeed in STEM.

Our colleagues share their passion for STEM with youth across the country through our partnership with Boys & Girls Clubs of America. Nurturing a diverse STEM workforce is critical to generating the most innovative and inclusive solutions to global challenges. As volunteers, our colleagues encourage Club kids to dream big and imagine themselves as future innovators by participating in hands-on activities and sharing their STEM career stories. Together with Boys & Girls Clubs of America and our colleagues, we're working to ensure all youth have opportunities to pursue and succeed in STEM.

We offer more than just reliable, safe, and clean energy; we are dedicated to strengthening and uplifting our communities with our strategic grant making program. We are #XEProud to support STEM initiatives throughout the year and celebrate the significant impact made by our 132 STEM Career Pathway partners. Together, we aim to enhance STEM education opportunities and bridge emerging and established talent to STEM careers through: ✏️ K-12 project-based learning 🎓 Post-secondary financial aid and mentorship 📚 Inclusive learning environments 🔬 Training for STEM careers In 2024, we invested $1.79 million in STEM Career Pathways initiatives, ensuring that 707k students benefit from hands-on STEM learning! Let’s keep inspiring the next generation of innovators.