Educators to Converge on STEM Conference

Buzz Aldrin will speak at the conference.

Purdue University will Thursday host more than 500 teachers and education professionals from throughout the state for the Indiana STEM Education Conference. The event will feature workshops and presentations, including an address from retired NASA astronaut Buzz Aldrin.

The conference will focus on three strands: K-12 STEM practice, STEM education research, and STEM resources. Carla Johnson, executive director of Indiana GEAR UP and professor of science education at the Purdue College of Education, says participants will learn about curriculum, pedagogy, research, and resources to enrich the experiences for and better prepare students for STEM disciplines.

"The conference provides a venue for K-12 educators and leadership across the state and beyond to share their own best practices in STEM education,” said Johnson, who is also chair of the conference. “It is outstanding to see how much the commitment, investments and impacts of STEM education have grown across the four years of our annual conference."

The conference is sponsored by the Purdue College of Education, the Center for Advancing the Teaching and Learning of STEM, the Indiana Department of Education and the Indiana Commission for Higher Education.