Wednesday, September 07, 2011

At the same time as local school districts are working to prepare students for careers related to Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM), budget reductions at the state and local levels have made it more difficult to find resources for STEM-related programs. Through a new partnership, Cape Fear Future (CFF) and the University of North Carolina Wilmington’s Watson School of Education (WSE) are helping to fill the resource gap by providing information for teachers and parents about local STEM opportunities.

UNCW WSE and CFF have jointly introduced a new web-based resource to maximize teacher/parent access and student use of STEM programs across the region. On the new site, www.uncw.edu/ed/stem, the partners will maintain and expand what they hope will eventually be a comprehensive guide to STEM opportunities.

“The future for education in this area is very bright, and this effort enhances many other positive efforts taking place in the Cape Fear region,” said Sallie Smyth, CFF program director. “With increased ease of access and availability to STEM resources, I am confident participation in area programs will increase and awareness of the importance of STEM will strengthen. We are thrilled to be partnering with the UNCW Watson School of Education.”

The partnership expands on an initiative spearheaded last year by the CFF Education Team. Through working together on that team, CFF and WSE found that they share several common goals:
• To enhance K-12 education in the Cape Fear region
• To promote the importance of STEM-focused education programs
• To facilitate teacher/parent access to available STEM programs for students

The CFF Education Team, established in 2010 and including representatives from UNCW WSE, area schools and businesses, identified a need for an easily accessible, single source of information about STEM programs for students. The team developed a guide listing STEM programs offered by 22 organizations, which was distributed to school districts in New Hanover, Brunswick and Pender counties.

This year, the CFF Education Team has renewed its focus on STEM education, which is a priority of New Hanover County Schools Superintendent Tim Markley. Taking a larger role in the process, the Watson School will partner with CFF to manage quarterly expansions and updates of the STEM resource guide and website, expand its distribution in the region and help raise awareness of the list through local school districts.

“We all agree on the importance of STEM education to prepare students for future careers,” said Watson School faculty member Karen Wetherill, who is involved with the project. “The WSE has strong contacts with local districts and educators through our Professional Development System (PDS) program, which works with 14 districts and individual schools in our region. We will use those relationships to increase awareness and usage of this excellent STEM resource.”

Media contacts:
Dana Fischetti, Media Relations Manager, UNCW, 910.508.3127 or fischettid@uncw.edu

Sallie Smyth, Cape Fear Future Program Coordinator, Greater Wilmington Chamber of Commerce, 910.762.2611, ext. 220 or smyth@wilmingtonchamber.org