STEM Center: For K-12 Educators

We plan to bring middle and high school groups back to campus for STEM field trips in Fall of 2022. We are currently redesigning the on-campus STEM experience and look forward to launching this new set of opportunities for engaging our guests in real-world, authentic STEM practices and ways of thinking. You can find updated information about this opportunity here. 

For elementary school teachers looking for a STEM-themed campus visit, the John C. Wells Planetarium, Science on a Sphere, and Edith J. Carrier Arboretum will be open for K-5 field trips. We will share more information about these opportunities in July.

Annual Brain Bee

For students ages 13-19. This is a day of friendly competition, hands-on experiences in our neuroscience labs with faculty and students, and connecting with peers from across the commonwealth with similar interests. The winner competes in the National Brain Bee in April. There is no cost. This event is held on a Saturday from ~9-2 in early-mid February. See more about the JMU Brain Bee here.

Summer STEM Camps

JMU's School of Professional and Continuing Education offers STEM-themed camps throughout the summer for students in grades K-12. See information about Summer 2022 camps here.

madiSTEM

This is an annual, no-cost, 1-day STEM conference designed for girls in grades 6-8. This event is hosted by faculty in the Department of Mathematics and Statistics with support from the STEM Center and affiliated colleges. See information about madiSTEM 2022 on March 26th here. 

Annual STEM Center Breakfast

We host an annual breakfast for connecting and professional learning on JMU's campus. This is an opportunity for K-12 STEM coordinators, team leaders, and other administrators from 13 surrounding school divisions to come together and share their ideas, success stories, and challenges. By inviting JMU STEM and Education faculty with interests in K-12 STEM outreach as well, we also provide a space for matching needs with opportunities.

This event includes a mini-workshop on a topic that aligns with current recommendations for enriching STEM education within the formal classroom environment. Recent topics include computational thinking and project-based learning in STEM.

The STEM Center breakfast is typically hosted in early April on a Friday morning from 8:30-11. The 2022 breakfast has been cancelled due to the challenge of finding substitutes that many of our guests are currently facing; we want to make sure this is an equitable opportunity accessible to teachers in all divisions.