innovation collaborative hosts its first steam summit

The Innovation Collaborative’s first virtual STEAM Summit, Building Learning Through the Intersection of Science and the Arts, successfully aired on Oct. 17, 2024. The Summit featured keynote speakers, conversations among STEAM professionals, and breakout sessions facilitated by leading STEAM researchers and practitioners. These popular breakout sessions addressed ways that K-12 and Out-of-School-Time research and practice can help all students succeed.

More than 150 participants registered for the Summit. The wide variety of attendees represented K-12 schools; college campuses; Out-of-School-Time organizations; arts and science organizations; and school leadership programs.

Leading off, keynote speaker J.D. Talasek, Director of Cultural Programs at the National Academy of the Sciences, presented an inspiring lecture titled “Pipeline of Creativity”. He spoke about the importance of integrative learning, the elasticity of the mind, and the nexus between arts and sciences.

Dr. Kylie Peppler, Professor of Informatics at the University of California, Irvine, presented “Tools of Change: Designing STEM Education for Inclusive Learning”. She discussed how some traditional STEM tools and materials are less effective than newer ones in engaging large populations of youth. These newer tools and materials, such as paper circuits and e-textiles, inspire more creativity and have been shown to be more inclusive and to promote successful outcomes. For further information, see the newsletter article Kylie Peppler Summit Follow-up Part 1.

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Conversationalists were Dr. Bob Root-Bernstein, Emeritus Professor of Physiology at Michigan State University; Kimberly Olson, visual arts teacher at Centre School in Hampton, New Hampshire; and Dr. Sharon Delesbore, Assistant Principal, Stephen F. Austin High School in Sugar Land, Texas. Their conversations addressed the relationship between scientific discovery and the artistic process, connections between disciplines and the role of problem solving, and the crucial role of school leaders in supporting a culture of inquiry, equity, and creativity.

Six breakout sessions covered a range of relevant STEAM topics. The sessions and session facilitators were:

• STEAM Lessons and Classroom Strategies — Kimberly Olson and visual arts educator Ashley Lupfer
• Bringing STEAM to Out-of-School-Time Learning Settings — STEAM researchers Dr. Erica Halverson and Dr. Laura Connor
• The Importance of Equity and Inclusion – STEAM researcher Dr. Nettrice Gaskins and Dr. Sharon Delesbore
• Funding STEAM Collaboration for Research and Programs – STEAM researchers Dr. Bob Root-Bernstein and Dr. Peter Wardrip
• Creativity and STEAM – Dr. Kylie Peppler and Collaborative Executive Director Lucinda Presley
• Integrating the Arts into the Science Classroom – K-12 administrator Anne Ludes and K-12 science expert Amanda Upton.

Click on the session title to visit each group’s created Whiteboard. Summary reports on the breakout sessions are available here. 

The Innovation Collaborative thanks all presenters and facilitators, in addition to Visibility Chair Jim Palmarini for his role in producing the Summit, and Visibility Team members Michael Jay and Lisa Tang for providing technical support.

Visit the Collaborative’s new YouTube channel to see content from the Summit and follow us on social media for updates on upcoming programs. You can reach us at https://www.innovationcollaborative.org/contact.html   

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