What is the North Louisiana STEM Alliance? The North Louisiana STEM Alliance is a community of practice recognized by the STEM Funder’s Network STEM Learning Ecosystems (www.stemecosystems.org). Sci-Port Discovery Center is the host organization with Dr. Heather Kleiner as the leader. STEM refers to Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics.

What are STEM learning ecosystems?

from http://www.stemecosystems.org: A STEM learning ecosystem encompasses schools, community settings such as after-school and summer programs, science centers and museums, and informal experiences at home and in a variety of environments that together constitute a rich array of learning opportunities for young people. A learning ecosystem harnesses the unique contributions of all these different settings in symbiosis to deliver STEM learning for all children. Designed pathways enable young people to become engaged, knowledgeable and skilled in the STEM disciplines as they progress through childhood into adolescence and early adulthood.

Activities:

To date, the NLSA collaborated on more than 45 programs, serving at least 12,207 individuals for a total of 17,932 contact hours. These activities include teacher Professional Development workshops, student workshops, summer camps, coding, robotics, festivals, faires, and environmental education/clean ups. We are now in the midst of our third year to serve more students and teachers in North Louisiana.

To Join: Please contact Dr. Heather Kleiner at hkleiner@sciport.org or nlastemalliance@gmail.com for membership. You will be given access to the national community of practice site where many more resources can be found.