STEM Education Conference generates energy, community and support for STEM in Elementary Schools

This fall, Mercy University celebrated its tenth year of participation in the Wipro Science Education Fellowship (SEF), an international consortium that  builds science teacher leadership in grades K-12. To mark the occasion while bringing together STEM educators from the region, Mercy hosted Building Teacher Leadership Capacity, a conference for K-12 STEM Educators, at the Westchester campus on September 28, 2024.

Sponsored by Regeneron and hosted by the Mercy University Center for STEM Education (MCSE), the conference was designed to bring together STEM educators in the region, including Mercy’s Wipro Fellows and partners. "The goal of the annual conference was to foster a growing knowledge-sharing community of STEM educators and teacher leaders who dedicate themselves to bringing rigorous STEM education to all students," said MCSE co-directors Dr. Amanda Gunning and Dr. Meghan Marrero.

The event consisted of breakout sessions, poster presentations, and a keynote address by Wipro National Coordinator Arthur Eisenkraft, Ph.D., who spoke about the importance of STEM education in the earliest years. “Children are naturally curious, which makes them natural scientists,” he said. “If you don’t get them early, you lose them.”

In addition to his role as a distinguished professor of science education and director of the Center of Science and Mathematics in Context (COSMIC) at the University of Massachusetts, Boston, Eisenkraft is a champion of STEM education, training and motivating individuals, districts, and organizations to spread the message worldwide. Eisenkraft, who helped author the National Science Education Standards of the National Research Council, was invited by professors Gunning and Marrero after they contributed a chapter to his latest book on STEM education leadership.

Mercy’s Wipro program has supported three original cohorts of 20 science teacher fellows from five local districts as they completed a two-year science education fellowship, and later garnered additional funding to continue to support these Fellows for new projects. The program is now expanding their work with additional teachers through the Wipro Reimagined project. During the past 10 years, Gunning and Marrero have directed $1.8 million in Wipro funding across five local districts that reached 212 teachers, with more set to become involved this year. 

Highlighting the day’s events was the introduction of the first cohort of the Mercy University STEM Schools Network. Out of 11 schools that applied from various districts, only seven that have consistently engaged with programs and opportunities offered by the MCSE were selected to join the first cohort. “We wanted to celebrate the teachers’ successes, share new and emerging knowledge and practices, and recognize the first members of the consortium,” said Marrero. 

Benefits of joining the network include mini-grant funds for teachers’ STEM initiatives and discounts on the annual Mercy STEM conference and other STEM professional development programs. “We developed this network to better connect teachers and schools across our community,” said Gunning. “When teachers get together, they want to help each other, and their students succeed. We have seen some amazing successes from these teachers.” 

Anny Vanegas, a National Science Foundation STEM Master Teacher Fellow and a Wipro Reimagined Fellow, teaches at one of the STEM schools newly appointed to the Network. She described the steady growth of STEM opportunities made possible by the MCSE at her school, Columbus Elementary in New Rochelle, N.Y. “Science teaching is often misunderstood, which is unfortunate,” she said. But she added, with support from Mercy and the Wipro fellowship, she has seen an expansion of STEM and even a spreading effect she describes as “energizing. We have many more access points, not just at our school, but across the district. The consortium allows us to network and share ideas school-wide,” she said. “We’re proving that every child can become excited about science and become active learners. Everyone has something to give.”

To learn more about the Mercy University STEM Schools Network, visit the MCSE’s website at mercy.edu/stem-learning. 

Dr. Arthur Eisenkraft speaking to Dr. Amanda Gunning and Anny Vanegas, a Wipro Reimagined Fellow and teacher at Columbus Elementary in New Rochelle, part of the first cohort of the Mercy University STEM Schools Network.