About 400 participants are expected for the “SC Summit on STEM and the Arts In and Out of School” conference at Chapman Cultural Center in Spartanburg, South Carolina on Monday and Tuesday, September 29 and 30, 2014. The conference will focus on the ways and means of putting more emphasis on the hard sciences with a goal of better preparing students to enter the technology-based workforce that is quickly becoming the new norm in global employment.
“STEM is a rapidly growing movement across the nation, and now the time has come to find out where the arts and creativity fit into the model,” said Tom Peters, Ed.D., Executive Director of South Carolina Coalition for Mathematics and Science at Clemson University.
One of the most recent developments in STEM’s evolution is the addition of art into the academic mix. This new concept is being called STEAM: Science, Technology, Engineering, Art/Design, and Mathematics. “The strategy of linking in and out of school STEAM learning involves cross-sector collaboration,” Zelda Waymer, Executive Director of the South Carolina Afterschool Alliance, said. “The partnerships we have created with the South Carolina Coalition for Mathematics and Science at Clemson University and Chapman will equip educators from different settings with innovative techniques and advance STEAM learning statewide.”
The event’s keynote speaker will be Chris Desoiza, Vice President of Research, at Milliken and Company. His topic will be “Securing the Future Through Innovation”. Speaking on behalf of the arts community will be Ken May, Executive Director, SC Arts Commission and board member of the South Carolina Afterschool Alliance. “Between these two leaders, we should have exceptional information and insights into STEM, the arts, and after school,” Dr. Peters said.
For more detailed programming information and to register, see www.scCoalition.org or call 864.656.1863.