May 19, 2012
STEM Conference

Over 300 school district staff and community members participated in an exciting STEM Conference on Saturday, May 19, 2012, at Gulf Coast High School. STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math. Participants chose from over 30 break-out sessions.

The keynote speaker was Danny Forster, host of the Science Channel series Build it Bigger and Discovery Education’s Chief Architecture and Engineering Expert. Mr. Forster is also the creator and executive producer of The Rising, a documentary series about the rebuilding of Ground Zero. Emmy-award winner Hall Davidson closed the conference. Mr. Davidson joined Discovery Education in 2005 where he blogs, creates webinars, and works in educational partnerships and Global Learning Initiatives as a director of the Discovery Educator Network. He has spoken about technology and education to audiences around the world.

Superintendent Dr. Kamela Patton says, “Because of the rapid evolution of technology, we must provide our students with the kind of STEM activities and processes that will prepare them to thrive in the world that will await them when they complete their school careers – a world much different than the one in which we live today. The STEM activities they engage in today will help our students develop the skill sets they will need in the real world of tomorrow.”

For a list of session presenters and handouts, please see www.collierschools.com/stem.asp.

To see a photo gallery from this event, please see www.collierschools.com/photos/5-19-12_STEM.htm