Complete program:

Session 1:           Wednesday, August 4, 2021      9AM-12:30PM - TO REGISTER click here.                                            Panel Focus: National & MA Initiatives - Connection to Local Programs

Session 2:           Wednesday, August 11, 2021    9AM-12:30PM – TO REGISTER click here                                           Panel Focus: Community Models for Making Positive Change   

Presenters will highlight programs and practices that can be replicated by attendees and include students, business & industry leaders, PK-16 educators/ administrators, and community leaders representing libraries and DEI and STEM organizations. Hear from representatives from Afro-Academic, Cultural, Technological and Scientific Olympics (ACT-SO), Brockton Public Library, NAACP Brockton Branch, Brockton Public Schools, MassHire Greater Brockton Workforce Board, Bridgewater Communities for Civil Rights, Community Coalition for Change, Raising Multicultural Kids, AAUW-Taunton Area Branch, Bristol Community College, Region V Science & Engineering Fair, UMass Dartmouth, AccuRounds, North Easton Machine, Collegium Pharmaceuticals, Easton, East Bridgewater, and Weymouth Public Schools, Wade Institute for Science Education and more. Topics include: creating welcoming schools, communities, and workplaces - democratizing access - state and local DEI & STEM initiatives - DEI & STEM professional development - mentoring models – virtual career visits with STEM professionals - recruiting and retaining a diverse workforce - reducing the racial wealth gap - racial equity, diversity, and inclusion strategies – multicultural children’s literature – DEI and STEM resources and more.

 Session 1:        Wednesday, August 4, 2021      9AM-12:30PM - TO REGISTER click here.                                     

9AM-10AM        WELCOME & PANEL
 
Welcome

CONNECT Partnership – SE MA STEM Network                                       
     Dr. Stacey Kaminski, Executive Director
Supporting Student Success in STEM – ACT-SO Gold Medal Winners                                    
    Afro-Academic, Cultural, Technological and Scientific Olympics (ACT-SO)       
    Yvangi Jacques (Avon Middle school) - Physics & Classical Piano
Executive Office of Education or MA STEM Advisory Council Initiatives - TBD           

PANEL FOCUS:
National & MA STEM & DEI Initiatives - Connection to Local Programs
 
PANEL MODERATOR: Michael Tamasi, AccuRounds - President & CEO, Executive Committee Business Leaders United – Chair, Advanced Manufacturing Collaborative – Co-Chair, Southeastern Advanced Manufacturing Consortium (SAMC) Partner.   

PANELISTS - Cris Ajemian, American Association of University Women - AAUW-MA Co-president, Bridgewater Communities for Civil Rights Member, Massasoit Community College - Retired Professor-Spanish, Portuguese and ESL; Dr. Jim Cobbs, MA Association of School Superintendents (M.A.S.S.) – Racial Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Strategy Committee, Brockton Public Schools (BPS) - Executive Director of Operations & Principal Edison Academy, MA Department of Elementary & Secondary Education (DESE) – Influence 100 Fellow, Brockton Branch NAACP Member; Yvette Joyce, M.Ed. – Public & Private Sector – Software Engineer, Brockton Public Schools – ELA Teacher, MA Department of Elementary & Secondary Education (DESE) - Inspired Fellow, Brockton Branch NAACP Member; Dr. Chandra Orrill, UMass Dartmouth - Kaput Center for Research & Innovation in STEM Education; Pat Monteith, Region V Science Fair & MA Science & Engineering Fair – Co-chair, Brockton Area Branch NAACP – Treasurer. National Council of Negro Women Boston Chapter – Member, MA Commission on the Status of Women –  Commonwealth Heroines of Massachusetts Class of 2021.  

10:15AM-12PM               WORKSHOPS
Three workshops will be held concurrently and offered twice at 10:15AM and again at 11:15AM. 
 
Making Positive Change – community STEM & DEI Initiatives
In response to issues relative to DEI (diversity, equity, inclusion) and the need to increase participation in STEM education and STEM careers, community organizations are working with schools, businesses, colleges & universities, public libraries, local government, and other community members to ensure all students have the skills, knowledge, and mindset needed to succeed in school and in their community, and to be able to take advantage of career opportunities that support financial independence and economic security in an equitable and inclusive workplace.
 
Attendees will learn about the goals of each organization and the strategies and actions that support achieving their goals.

Presenters: Bridgewater Communities for Civil Rights - Vernon Domingo; Brockton Public Schools – Renee Heywood, Executive Director of Equity, Diversity & Inclusion; Community Coalition for Change – Neusa Santos, Electrical Engineer at Haemonetics and Kathleen Wood, Clinical Respiratory Care Professor at Massasoit Community College; Easton Public Schools – Dr. Lisha Cabral, Superintendent, MA Association of School Superintendents (M.A.S.S.) – Racial Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Strategy Committee and Christine Pruitt, Asst. Superintendent Easton STEAM Committee Chair; NAACP Brockton Branch;  Phyllis Ellis, President, 2021 Myra Kraft Community MVP Award Recipient, New Commonwealth Racial and Social Justice Equity Fund Grantee; Raising Multicultural Kids – Kelly Lamb, Co-Founder/President. Facilitator: Diane Ferrera, AccuRounds Director of Human Resources, Southeastern Advanced Manufacturing Consortium Partner, SE MA STEM Network Advisory Board Member.

Computational Thinking Counts in Elementary Grades: 
Powerful STEM Teaching and Learning for the 21st Century

Attendees will engage in activities and learn about this project that supports elementary teachers to integrate computational thinking into their mathematics and science lessons. The project includes opportunities for teachers to develop lesson or unit plans and to share their work with other interested teachers. If you would like more information about this project, please contact Dr. Chandra Orrill, STEM Ed & Teacher Development – UMass Dartmouth at corrill@umassd.edu.
Presenters: Dr. Chandra Orrill, UMass Dartmouth - Kaput Center for Research & Innovation in STEM Education, Zarina Gearty and Kun Wang , Ph.D. students UMD STEM Education program. 

Hurricane Heros! Using Equitable Teaching Strategies in the 2021 STEM Challenge Join us as we model strategies for equitable STEM instruction using an engineering design challenge. This workshop will introduce our 2021 STEM week design challenge, Hurricane Heros! StormCity, Massachusetts.  Participants will engage as learners in one of the activities that will be part of our phenomena-based curriculum packet for STEM week participants.  
Presenters: Rosemary Rak & Margaret Brumsted, Wade Institute for Science Education, which is a 501 (c)(3) dedicated to hands-on, minds-on, inquiry-based science education. More information on the Wade Institute at https://www.wadeinstitutema.org.     

12-12:30PM       REPORT OUT BY DISCUSSION GROUP - Attendees will share STEM/DEI plan  

SESSION 2:       Wednesday, August 11, 2021    9AM-12:30PM - TO REGISTER click here  

9AM-10AM        WELCOME & PANEL

Welcome

CONNECT Partnership – SE MA STEM Network 
Dr. Stacey Kaminski, Executive Director
Supporting Student Success in STEM – ACT-SO Gold Medal Winners
Afro-Academic, Cultural, Technological and Scientific Olympics (ACT-SO) Isabelle Staco (Brockton High) - Biology – Full scholarship to Yale 
Executive Office of Education or MA STEM Advisory Council Initiatives - TBD

 PANEL FOCUS: Community STEM/DEI Models for Making Positive Change 
This panel will highlight how Brockton and East Bridgewater are addressing STEM and DEI in their respective communities.  

PANEL MODERATOR: Dr. Laura Douglas, President, Bristol Community College/ CONNECT Board Chair  

PANELISTS:                    

Brockton 

Brockton Public Schools                                                     
Dr. David Mangus, Brockton Public Schools-Science Department Head,  2016 MA STEM Teacher of the Year                                                                                                      NAACP Brockton Branch                                                    
Bishop Tony Branch, NAACP -1st Vice President, City of  Brockton - Diversity Chair, Vice Chair SE Regional School Committee – Vice Chair – serving students from Brockton, East Bridgewater, Easton, Foxboro, Mansfield, Norton, Sharon, Stoughton and West Bridgewater.               
Brockton Public Library                                                     
Paul Engle, Director   

East Bridgewater
                          
East Bridgewater Public Schools                                     
Gina Williams, Asst. Superintendent                                                                                                  
Karyn Clifford, Guidance Director PreK-12  
EBEA Task Force on Race                                                  
Julia Sheehan, East Bridgewater Public Schools  High School Social Studies Teacher, East Bridgewater Education Association Member

Business/Workforce 
​MassHire Greater Brockton Workforce Board              
David Vincent, Assistant Director of Youth Services for the MassHire Greater Brockton YouthWorks   
North Easton Machine                                                      
Paula Martel, North Easton Machine HR Manager,                                                                                               
MassHire Greater Brockton Board Member,                                                                                                 
Southeastern Advanced Manufacturing Consortium                                                                                                 
Partner, SE MA STEM Network Advisory Board    
          
10:15AM-12PM WORKSHOPS
Three workshops will be held concurrently and offered twice at 10:15AM and again at 11:15AM.   

Making Positive Change – successful strategies 
In response to issues relative to DEI (diversity, equity, inclusion) and the need to increase participation in STEM education and STEM careers, community organizations are working with schools, businesses, colleges & universities, public libraries, local government, and other community members to ensure all students have the skills, knowledge, and mindset needed to succeed in school and in their community, and to be able to take advantage of career opportunities that support financial independence and economic security in an equitable and inclusive workplace. Attendees will learn about strategies that support achieving DEI & STEM education goals.   Presenters: AAUW - Lynn Howard, Co-President & STEM Chair AAUW South Shore Branch, Immediate Past President Delta Kappa Gamma (DKG) Massachusetts, Fourth Grade Teacher Weymouth Public Schools; Bridgewater Communities for Civil Rights – Sam Baumgarten; Community Coalition for Change – Julia Sheehan, Director of Education; Raising Multicultural Kids – Denise Lane – Co-Founder/Executive Director.  Facilitator: Paula Martel, North Easton Machine HR Manager, MassHire Greater Brockton Board Member, Southeastern Advanced Manufacturing Consortium Partner, SE MA STEM Network Advisory Board Member.
 
Plastic Makes Perfect? 
We will provide a brief introduction to polymers, their use in life and technological advances, and their unintentional overuse in everyday life.  We will discuss ways in which plastic waste can be safely reduced. This includes current mechanisms such as recycle, reuse, and reduction; bio-digestion of plastics; and the production of environmentally-friendly alternatives to plastics. We are planning to present during STEM Week. Presenters: Michael Grima and Inara Colon - Collegium Pharmaceuticals, Stoughton MA.

Unpacking “Good Intentions”
We will be focusing on what it means to understand notions of equity and justice from Black and Brown students’ perspectives and lived experiences. We will be using an intersectional lens to unpack how our "good intentions" to cultivate identities of hard-work, grit, or persistence among students can be situated in meritocratic ideas or normative notions that in the long run can harm our students. We will propose a systemic approach to undoing some of the injustices rather than an individualistic approach that is often limited to individual agency.  Presenters: Dr. Shakhnoza Kayumova, UMass Dartmouth - Kaput Center for Research & Innovation in STEM Education and Eleanor Richard, Graduate Research Assistant.  

12-12:30PM       REPORT OUT BY DISCUSSION GROUP - Attendees will share STEM/DEI plans.