Westminster featured in 2019 NSF-funded STEM for All Video Showcase

NEW WILMINGTON, Pa. — Three Westminster College professors will be featured in the 2019 STEM for All Video Showcase funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF). The event will be held online at https://stemforall2019.videohall.com/presentations/1505 through Monday, May 20.

In their presentation “Environmental Project Management Academy” (EPMA), Dr. Helen Boylan, director of the Westminster College Center for the Environment and professor of chemistry, Dr. Alison DuBois, director of Westminster’s Graduate School and associate professor of education, and Brian Petrus, assistant professor of business administration, look at the interdisciplinary, project-based EPMA experience in which sophomore and junior undergraduate STEM or business majors work together on a semester-long service learning project.

Through EPMA, students collaborate with community stakeholders as they integrate knowledge of environmental science, project management, and leadership in a project involving environmental issues relevant to the region, such as solar energy, resource commercialization, and rain gardens. The project is funded by the NSF under Grant No. 1712028, Improving Undergraduate STEM Education (IUSE) Program.

“The STEM for All Video Showcase is a great way for us to share the innovative EPMA program,” said Boylan. “Because EPMA engages students in a variety of interdisciplinary hands-on experiences, video is great way to feature the program. We encourage people to view our video, ask questions or make comments and ultimately share it.”

Now in its fifth year, the annual showcase will feature over 240 innovative projects aimed at improving STEM learning and teaching, which have been funded by the NSF and other federal agencies. During the showcase, researchers, practitioners, policy makers and members of the public are invited to view the short videos, discuss them with the presenters online, and vote for their favorites.

The theme for this year’s event is “Innovations in STEM Education.” Video presentations address improving K-12 STEM classroom, informal environments, undergraduate and graduate education, teacher professional development, and community engagement.

Collectively the presentations cover a broad range of topics including science, mathematics, computer science, engineering, cyberlearning, citizen science, maker spaces, broadening participation, research experiences, mentoring, professional development, NGSS and the Common Core.

Last year’s STEM for All Video Showcase is still being accessed, and to date has had over 81,000 unique visitors from 186 countries.

The STEM for All Video Showcase is created and hosted by TERC a non-profit, research and development organization, located in Cambridge MA.  TERC partners with six NSF funded resource centers MSPnet, CADRE, CAISE, CIRCL, STELAR, CS for All Teachers. The Showcase is funded by a grant from the National Science Foundation.   

Top picture, from left: Dr. Alison DuBois, Brian Petrus and Dr. Helen Boylan

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