BEING HUMAN IN STEM
  • About the Initiative
    • Inspiration & Mission
    • Timeline
    • Documentary
  • Amherst HSTEM Course
    • About
    • Spring 2020 Course
    • Spring 2019 Course >
      • Consolidating STEM Student Resources
      • Examining Mental Health in STEM
      • Outreach to Local Elementary Schools
    • Summer 2018 Condensed Course
    • Spring 2018 Course >
      • Expanding HSTEM Initiatives: Developing a Condensed Model for HSTEM Course
      • Developing Workshops to Foster Conversations about & Assess the State of Inclusion in STEM at Amherst College and Beyond
      • Supporting Engagement of Elementary School-Aged Children in STEM
      • About Us
    • Fall 2017 Course >
      • Expanding/Deepening HSTEM Interventions at Amherst College
      • Documenting/Archiving HSTEM Story and Artifacts
      • Engaging Stakeholders Beyond Amherst College
      • Supporting Engagement of Elementary School Aged Children in STEM
      • About Us
    • Spring 2017 Course
    • Fall 2016 Course
    • Spring 2016 Course >
      • The Interview Project
      • The Amherst Context
      • Sample Workshop Ideas
      • About Us: the Pioneers >
        • Ashley Bohan
        • Emma Ryan
        • Ruth Manzanares
        • Sheila Jaswal
        • Chelsea Nkansah-Siriboe
        • Sanyu Takirambudde
        • Louise Atadja
        • Gaby Mayer
        • Olivia Truax
        • Doyin Ariyibi
  • HOW TO HSTEM
    • Resources & Activities
    • Inclusive Curricular Resources
    • Readings >
      • Effective Practices
      • Background Reading on Inclusive STEM practices
      • Background Readings on Diversity in STEM
  • Beyond Amherst
    • Other HSTEM Courses >
      • About
    • In the News
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Spring 2018 HSTEM Course

The fifth iteration of the special topics course in the Spring of 2018 was the first time that HSTEM course was offered as an official course, not a special topics course. The course had 10 students and 5 faculty/staff facilitators. We developed and worked on 3 different projects that primarily built on the projects that started in the Fall 2017 course. We presented our results in a summit at Yale on April 29th, in conjunction with students from Yale University, Brown University, Skidmore College, and Hampshire College.

Read more about each project and see the outcomes below.  

Project Descriptions

Expanding HSTEM Initiatives: Developing a Condensed Model for HSTEM Course
One of the challenges of starting a new HSTEM course in other institutions is the semester-long commitment for both the students and the instructors. Thus, we developed a condensed, 2-week model of the HSTEM course. The program will be divided into two parts. The first part will set the foundations of HSTEM with various readings and reflections, and the second part will feature student projects that will be presented in a community-wide meeting at the end of the course. This course will  be piloted at Amherst College at the end of our Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) program during the summer of 2018. 
Read About Our Work
Developing Workshops to Foster Conversations about & Assess the State of Inclusion in STEM at Amherst College and Beyond
Short workshops are an easy medium in which to generate conversations about inclusion in STEM and gather assessments on the state of inclusion in the classroom. HSTEM developed and piloted a workshop in Fall 2016 in a general chemistry course to achieve such means. Last semester, we reviewed the workshop model and the student feedback to fashion an improved workshop model. This semester, we administered this new workshop model to students in resource centers at Amherst College. At the summit, we will present our general findings and suggestions for future modifications.
Read About Our Work
Supporting Engagement of Elementary-School Aged Children in STEM
Understanding and forging the relationship between the STEM experience and our identities begin at the elementary-school level. Thus, last semester, we worked to develop lesson plans and activities targeting elementary-aged children to foster enthusiasm for STEM from an early age and engage in a conversation about stereotypes in STEM. This semester, we implemented these workshops with three different groups of elementary-aged children and interviewed elementary school teachers to gather their their perspectives on student engagement in STEM. We hope to continue these workshops in elementary schools and have room for follow-up meetings to engage in deeper conversations regarding HSTEM.
Read About Our Work

Syllabus

HSTEM Summit @ Yale, April 29th, 2018

HSTEM Summit at Yale brought over 90 faculty, staff, and students from 10 institutions. Held on April 29th, 2018, the second annual summit kicked off with a keynote speech by Dean Tricia Serio from UMass Amherst. The summit continued to poster presentations by students from Yale, Brown, Skidmore, and Amherst students, and then a panel with students and facilitators from all courses. 
Photos were taken by Maeve McNamara, Amherst College Class of 2019.
We included the program to the summit below.
© COPYRIGHT 2017. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
  • About the Initiative
    • Inspiration & Mission
    • Timeline
    • Documentary
  • Amherst HSTEM Course
    • About
    • Spring 2020 Course
    • Spring 2019 Course >
      • Consolidating STEM Student Resources
      • Examining Mental Health in STEM
      • Outreach to Local Elementary Schools
    • Summer 2018 Condensed Course
    • Spring 2018 Course >
      • Expanding HSTEM Initiatives: Developing a Condensed Model for HSTEM Course
      • Developing Workshops to Foster Conversations about & Assess the State of Inclusion in STEM at Amherst College and Beyond
      • Supporting Engagement of Elementary School-Aged Children in STEM
      • About Us
    • Fall 2017 Course >
      • Expanding/Deepening HSTEM Interventions at Amherst College
      • Documenting/Archiving HSTEM Story and Artifacts
      • Engaging Stakeholders Beyond Amherst College
      • Supporting Engagement of Elementary School Aged Children in STEM
      • About Us
    • Spring 2017 Course
    • Fall 2016 Course
    • Spring 2016 Course >
      • The Interview Project
      • The Amherst Context
      • Sample Workshop Ideas
      • About Us: the Pioneers >
        • Ashley Bohan
        • Emma Ryan
        • Ruth Manzanares
        • Sheila Jaswal
        • Chelsea Nkansah-Siriboe
        • Sanyu Takirambudde
        • Louise Atadja
        • Gaby Mayer
        • Olivia Truax
        • Doyin Ariyibi
  • HOW TO HSTEM
    • Resources & Activities
    • Inclusive Curricular Resources
    • Readings >
      • Effective Practices
      • Background Reading on Inclusive STEM practices
      • Background Readings on Diversity in STEM
  • Beyond Amherst
    • Other HSTEM Courses >
      • About
    • In the News
  • Updates
  • Contact