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K-12 STEM Engagement

Engage with Every Age: Resources for K-12 STEM Engagement

The MIT Alumni Association works to cultivate and celebrate a population of alumni volunteers from around the world who want to engage with local schools, educators, after-school programs, students and their parents to enhance student understanding and appreciation of science, technology, engineering and math subjects.  

There are so many reasons to care about K-12 STEM Engagement. Maybe you had a wonderful experience in grade school that inspired you to pursue your studies at MIT or maybe you wish you could go back and impact students with what you know now. Either way, below are some resources, ideas, and programs to help you get started.

 

Depending on the size of your group and interest, a good first step is to form a volunteer position dedicated to K-12 STEM engagement or a committee that would also be chaired by that volunteer.

The volunteer or committee would work to coordinate K-12 activities with the other members of the group and local students, teachers and other MIT groups including the Science and Engineering Program for Teachers, the Lemelson-MIT InvenTeams program, the MIT Inspirational Teacher Award, and the MIT-FIRST Alliance Outreach.  

MIT alumni are invited to participate in FIRST - For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology. Alumni may wish to participate as mentors, judges, or event volunteers for either the FIRST Lego League, FIRST Tech Challenge or FIRST Robotics Competition.

Established in 1989, the Science and Engineering Program for Teachers (SEPT) is a partnership between MIT and K-12 science teachers. The program helps to build understanding in science and mathematics. Many alumni clubs sponsor teachers for this annual summer program at MIT, and several also raise funds from local alumni to support the teacher's tuition and travel expenses.

The InvenTeam initiative, created by the Lemelson-MIT Program, offers an unparalleled opportunity for high school students to cultivate their creativity and experience invention. InvenTeams are teams of high school students, teachers, and mentors that receive grants up to $10,000 each to invent technological solutions to real-world problems. Each InvenTeam chooses its own problem to solve.

The MIT Inspirational Teacher Award recognizes outstanding secondary school teachers who inspire in their students a love of learning, encourage them to pursue excellence, and give them the skills and enthusiasm they need to make a positive difference in the world.

The Edgerton Center is dedicated to inspiring student interest in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields through a selection of academic year workshops and intensive summer camps. The group creates hands-on curriculum, connects MIT alumni volunteers with educators, and provides training, support, and materials for teachers, alumni, and other volunteers involved in K-12 STEM education.

MIT has a wide variety of K-12 outreach programs available to the public.