Did you know that there are nearly 300,000 STEM professionals at the DoW? And did you know that those DoW STEM professionals, along with partner organizations, are leveraged to provide unique STEM learning experiences for students and educators? Participants will have the opportunity to explore STEM resources and opportunities offered by the Department of War. From hands-on learning activities to paid internships and college scholarships, learn how DoW STEM can help you power the next generation of innovators.

TAKEAWAYS:
Discover how the Department of Defense’s extensive STEM workforce and programs, ranging from hands-on activities to internships and scholarships, can provide powerful learning opportunities that inspire and prepare the next generation of innovators.

SPEAKERS:
Dr. Marquis Mason, Kristen McInerney

Transform your classroom into a hub of engineering innovation using everyday items! This interactive session will equip 3rd-8th grade science teachers with practical strategies and engaging activities for integrating STEM engineering challenges using readily available household items without breaking the bank. Participants will dive into hands-on activities that demonstrate how common household materials can spark critical thinking, problem-solving, and creativity. Learn practical strategies to make engineering accessible, exciting, and highly effective, proving that impactful STEM learning is within reach for all. Join us to ignite curiosity and cultivate the next generation of innovators with resources you already have!

TAKEAWAYS:
Discover how to turn everyday household items into engaging STEM engineering challenges, equipping students with problem-solving, creativity, and critical thinking skills while making hands-on, accessible STEM learning fun and effective.

SPEAKERS:
Shannon McWhorter, Allyson Sauter

Many educators, families, and communities understand that STEM learning can lead to rewarding careers that support strong, stable futures. The question then becomes: how do we let our students know that everyone has a place in STEM? And, if everyone has a place in STEM, how do we expose all students to meaningful STEM opportunities? Together, schools and communities can create intentional pathways to make STEM opportunities available to all students. In this session, we will explore some of these strategies with a particular focus on how schools can partner with families and communities to infuse STEM into in- and out-of-school learning experiences and tap into the local STEM assets that can be found in every community if we look for them! We will also explore how to build multiple pathways into STEM that allow for students to engage from kindergarten into postsecondary pursuits into STEM careers, as well as how schools, families, and communities can embed career connections int

TAKEAWAYS:
Learn how schools, families, and communities can work together to create meaningful STEM pathways, helping every student see themselves in STEM and access engaging, real-world opportunities from early childhood through postsecondary careers.

SPEAKERS:
Rebecca Stanley, Kristen McInerney

This interactive session presents a research-based Career Connected Learning (CCL) Framework and design elements to assist leaders in decision making around career-connected learning experiences and pathways. The session bridges national research, in- and out-of-school learning, and workforce demands driven by DoW priorities. We will detail the CCL Framework design process, share practical vignettes of successful CCL programs in action, and provide a roadmap for how to leverage the CCL Framework in your community.

TAKEAWAYS:
Explore a research-based Career Connected Learning Framework that helps leaders design effective career pathways, align learning with workforce needs, and apply practical strategies to strengthen CCL opportunities in their communities.

SPEAKERS:
John Lee, Marc Siciliano

Recent reports show millions of higher-skilled jobs are going unfilled because workers don’t know what skills they need, educators don’t know what skills to educate for, and employers don’t know what skills workers have. How can we bridge STEM opportunity gaps for all learners and mitigate the STEM shortage in the near future? Let's discuss partnerships and how to leverage DoD STEM and the Defense STEM Education Consortium (DSEC) to provide hands-on STEM experiences that meet students where they are, bring the workforce into the classroom, and take students to the workrooms. Anchored in the STEM Ecosystems framework, this model demonstrates how connecting K–12, higher education, community and industry partners can strengthen pathways from classrooms to careers.

TAKEAWAYS:
Discover how strategic partnerships can close STEM opportunity gaps by connecting classrooms, communities, and industry to build clear, hands-on pathways from school to high-demand careers.

SPEAKERS:
Ashley Carter, LaToya Parker, Jason Porter, Peter Branca

For more than 50 years, the National Inventors Hall of Fame has celebrated inventors while advancing creativity, innovation, and entrepreneurship. At the heart of this work is Invention Education, a powerful approach that helps students become confident creative problem solvers and critical thinkers—guided by the stories and mindsets of Our Nation’s Greatest Innovators™. In this interactive session, participants explore how Invention Education blends design thinking, inquiry, and real‑world relevance to deepen engagement and support transdisciplinary STEAM learning. Educators experience the invention process in action, moving ideas from 2D to 3D to market. Along the way, participants examine the research behind the process, discover how Invention Education aligns with state and NGSS Standards, and leave with an Invention Portfolio kickstarted!

TAKEAWAYS:
Learn how Invention Education empowers students to become creative, empathetic problem solvers by integrating design thinking, inquiry, and real-world STEM practices, with tools and strategies to foster engagement and innovation across grade levels.

SPEAKERS:
Veronica Kormos

Growing up following the advent of smartphones and social media, Generations Z and Alpha have experienced declines in mental and emotional health relative to previous generations. In an effort to combat this trend, there are innovative, computationally driven methods for measuring and fostering social connection among groups of students. This presentation will illustrate the design, features, and practical applications of such approaches. Further, attendees will learn strategies to implement these methods within classrooms and school communities to foster healthier, better-connected learning environments.

TAKEAWAYS:
Learn how innovative, data-driven approaches can measure and strengthen social connection among students, helping educators foster healthier, more connected learning environments for Generations Z and Alpha.

SPEAKERS:
Linh Ho, Johnathan Chittuluru, Daniel Pena

In this session, participants will explore practices that embrace neurodiversity to transform project-based learning environments into safe, empowering spaces where every student feels seen and capable. Through hands-on activities and real classroom examples, presenters will model techniques that build self-awareness, emotional regulation, collaboration skills, and student agency. One segment of the session will focus specifically on self-awareness for both teachers and students, demonstrating how reflective routines and goal setting elevate engagement and improve project outcomes. Participants will walk away with ready to use tools, templates, and strategies that support all learners’ cognitive differences, reduce classroom stress, and ignite authentic student ownership in PBL.

TAKEAWAYS:
Explore practices that embrace neurodiversity to transform project-based learning environments into safe, empowering spaces where every student feels seen and capable.

SPEAKERS:
Daniella Hubbard, Angelena Watkins, Laura Wilbanks

From self-driving cars to smart assistants, AI is reshaping the way we live, work, and learn, and it’s opening new frontiers for STEM education. The Department of War (DoW) is leading efforts to advance AI innovation and literacy, creating opportunities for students to explore real-world STEM careers and technologies that shape our nation’s future. In this interactive session, participants will explore creative ways to use AI to inspire and engage STEM students. Together, participants will examine how AI can serve as both a tool for teaching and a topic for inquiry, helping students think critically about technology’s role in society. Participants will discover DoW STEM career pathways related to AI, explore classroom-ready AI tools that make STEM concepts come alive, and experiment with sample AI prompts to spark student curiosity and problem-solving. Participants will leave with practical strategies and classroom applications to empower students to become thoughtful creators, not just consumers, of emerging technologies.

TAKEAWAYS:
Explore how AI can inspire STEM learning, serve as a tool and topic for inquiry, and connect students to DoD STEM career pathways, while gaining practical strategies to help students think critically and become creators of emerging technologies.

SPEAKERS:
Dr. Marquis Mason, Nicole Mills

This session will explore practical strategies for expanding access to STEM research and competitions in schools and districts. Participants will learn how these programs can spark curiosity, build technical skills, and foster problem-solving through authentic, hands-on experiences. The discussion will highlight examples of student-driven projects, such as designing technology for space missions, and examine how these opportunities can transform classroom learning into real-world applications. Let's discuss how we can leverage resources, which include DoW STEM and the Defense STEM Education Consortium (DSEC), to inspire the next generation of students to the wonders of STEM.

TAKEAWAYS:
Discover practical strategies to expand STEM research and competitions in schools, using hands-on, student-driven projects and resources like DoD STEM and DSEC to spark curiosity, build skills, and connect learning to real-world applications.

SPEAKERS:
Sharon Okoye

Discover how to make STEM learning more comprehensible and language-rich with Bridging Language and Learning: Empowering Multilingual Learners in STEM, a toolkit developed for the Defense STEM Education Consortium (DSEC). This hands-on resource equips educators and STEM partners with over 140 practical strategies and 130+ links to templates designed to strengthen literacy and language development for multilingual learners in STEM contexts. Participants will explore five essential practices, which are creating welcoming environments, building background knowledge, developing vocabulary, providing structured speaking and listening opportunities, and encouraging student writing, to help all learners thrive in rigorous STEM settings. Leave with ready-to-implement ideas that connect language, literacy, and STEM learning in any environment, from classrooms to community spaces.

TAKEAWAYS:
Learn how to strengthen STEM learning for multilingual learners using the DSEC Bridging Language and Learning toolkit, exploring practical strategies that integrate language, literacy, and STEM to help all students thrive in rigorous, engaging environments.

SPEAKERS:
Dr. Marquis Mason, Nicole Mills

As part of its STEM-on-the-Go Mobile Digital Fabrication Van Program, funded by the Defense STEM Education Consortium, TIES has developed a set of standards-based activities to engage students in Digital Fabrication-inspired Design Challenges. One of the curricula activities, focused on electric circuits, includes the design and construction of a pocket flashlight. During this workshop, participants will learn how to integrate a pocket flashlight project into their electricity and magnetism elementary science curriculum as they construct a series circuit using an LED, coin-cell battery, and copper conductive tape, and take home a functional flashlight. When this project is introduced in a school with digital fabrication machines, students will have the opportunity to design the base of the pocket flashlight and fabricate it on a laser cutter/engraver. All participants will receive a standards-based activity guide for the project.

TAKEAWAYS:
Learn how to engage students in hands-on electricity and magnetism lessons through a pocket flashlight design challenge, integrating digital fabrication and standards-based activities that connect circuits, creativity, and real-world STEM learning.

SPEAKERS:
Toby Bothel