Save the Date: KC STEM Summit 2021 | Sept 8

Save the date! KC STEM Summit 2021, brought to you by KC STEM Alliance, is your opportunity to  connect, collaborate and communicate with other organizations offering STEM/STEAM experiences in the Kansas City region as we continue to build and strengthen our community’s STEM learning ecosystem.

KC STEM Summit 2021 will begin at 2 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 8, immediately followed by a celebration of Kansas City's first-ever Remake Learning Days festival this spring.

Note: This is a change from an earlier announced date of Sept. 9, so please update your calendars. We're planning a hybrid event so you can choose to attend in person or remotely. More details to follow soon—watch your email for a formal invitation and registration link.
 

STEM Outreach Opportunities

aSTEAM Village Community STEM Day | Sept 16

This community event organized by aSTEAM Village will bring together 450 high school students from Kansas City Kansas Public Schools with special guest Justin "Mr. Fascinate" Shaifer, a STEM education advocate, Science TV host and LinkedIn Technology Influencer; and Just Wulf—a software developer by day and indy hip-hop artist by night.

Your organization is invited to provide an immersive experience for these 450 KU GEAR UP students and introduce them to your programming. Activities will be open from 9 a.m. to noon and located indoors at the Royals Urban Youth Academy. Booth space and exhibitors will be limited and assigned on a first-come, first-served basis. (Only four or five booths will be available for information-only exhibitors.) Questions? Contact aSTEAM Village or see the attached flyer.

Register now >

Girl Fest | Oct 2

Girl Scouts of NE Kansas and NW Missouri will offer its first-ever Girl Fest on Oct. 2 at Camp Tongawood in Tonganoxie, Kan. This new outdoor festival will celebrate all things GIRL as families come together to explore Camp Tongawood and visit 40+ community partners offering hands-on activities. All areas will be represented including STEM, arts, outdoor experiences, sports, healthy living and more. 

A few slots remain for organizations interested in offering a fun hands-on activity. Activities should be achievable in a relatively short amount of time (5 minutes give or take a few) and you’ll also need more than four volunteers to man the station at all times. 

Note: Reach out soon if you’re interested and not yet connected—only a few spots remain.

Email Girl Scouts for additional details >

A Summer of Code with We Code KC | Aug 2-7

During We Code KC’s A Summer of Code event the week of August 2-7, kids can learn coding, web design, AI and more. Programs are free but space is limited.

See the options and sign up online >

p.s. We Code KC also seeks mentors and volunteers. Sign up via the link on this page.

T-mobile and iD Tech offer virtual camp for girls

T-Mobile and iD Tech are teaming up to sponsor underserved girls ages 13-18 to participate in one week of Virtual Tech Camp in this summer.

The experience includes two hours of live instruction per day plus two hours of self-paced project development. Instructors come from universities like Stanford, Caltech and NYU and the camp has courses for all levels—first-time coders to experienced pros. See attached flyer for more details.

Important: Apply by Saturday, July 31! Note: Although application refers to Overland Park residents, student from across the KC metro area are invited to apply. 

Apply now >

SciFlix with Science City | Aug 22

SciFlix is a community outreach effort designed around taking the science, the theories and the ethics in popular fiction and discussing it openly and honestly. 

For the Aug. 22 session, the film October Sky will begin at 2 p.m. in the Extreme Screen at Union Station. Afterward, participants will play a game for prizes and hear from special guest Alicia Cianciolo. Cianciolo, Aerospace Engineer at NASA, will provide her reactions to the film and insights in a Q&A session.
 

Purchase tickets >

Visit STEM Connect-KC for more!

The Battle of the Brains Returns!

Burns & McDonnell Battle of the Brains is back! Kansas City-area schools can earn a piece of $155,000-plus in grants by dreaming up an exhibit concept for Science City at Union Station — and one student team sees its idea come to life in a big way! Registration is open now, with information sessions beginning on August 5.

Sign up now >

Moving full speed ahead with FIRST^® FORWARD^SM

Project-based, hands-on FIRST programs introduce students to engineering and coding in an environment where students work collaboratively to solve an annual robotics challenge. This season, teams will use their creative powers and developing STEM skills to reimagine a path forward and invent the future of transportation. Registration is open for all levels at www.firstinspires.org.
 

FIRST LEGO League Season Launch | Aug 17

First out of the gate for 2021-11 is FIRST LEGO League, which includes Explore for young people in grades K-3 and Challenge for students in grades 4-8. The official season kick off is set for 11 a.m. CST on Tuesday, Aug. 17. 

Watch the season teaser >
 

How to Start a Team Workshop | Aug 21

Interested in starting a FIRST LEGO League team? Join a virtual session on Saturday, Aug. 21, to get the scoop about what's involved!

Register here >

Summit Tech Academy adds aviation program

Employment of aerospace engineering and operations technicians is projected to grow 7 percent from 2019 to 2029, faster than the average for all occupations. Most employment growth for these workers will be in the professional, scientific and technical services industry.

Summit Technology Academy in Lee’s Summit will launch a new Aerospace Academy to help prepare students for these fields. In the Aerospace Academy, students learn flight and electronic principles and then focus on one of seven different career tracks: aerospace engineering, avionics, professional pilot, aviation maintenance, drone pilot, aviation management and military aviation. 

Students have the opportunity to earn FAA remote pilot certification, providing the foundation to be an aviation pilot or a drone pilot. It also gives students an industry-recognized credential (IRC), providing an advantage when they compete for jobs. 


Pierce Jacoby, student from STA and Lee's Summit West High School, gave a demonstration of STA’s miniature wind tunnel for FAA Administrator Steve Dickson.

Earlier this summer Federal Aviation Administration Administrator Steve Dickson  toured the facility and learned more about the STA Aerospace Academy, which launches with the 2021-2022 school year.  

The academy’s formation included partnerships with the University of Central Missouri, the Lee's Summit Airport, the City of Lee's Summit Government, Lee's Summit Economic Development Council and industry connections including the Aircraft Electronics Association, Ultrax Aerospace Engineering, Aviation Institute of Maintenance as well as many other aerospace and industry partners. 

AEA, which provides industry training, is donating aerospace equipment through its educational foundation, including an electronic flight instrument system, radio equipment, antennas, wiring, tool benches, tool sets and more. UCM, which has an aviation flight training program dating back to the 1970s, will share expertise, connections and resources with STA.

Information and photo courtesy Lee's Summit R-7 School District 

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