Published: 16 Aug 2022
In May of this year, the ComSoc Educational Services Board adopted a 2022 strategy and action plan for Pre-University STEM Education. The overall goal of ComSoc’s Pre-University Program in 2022 is to accelerate the creation and delivery of Pre-U activities and materials for the benefit of our members within all of the communities that they live and work. For 2022 this means:
- Accelerate creation and delivery of Pre-U activities and materials.
- Create activities and materials that follow traditional STEM with a focus/perspective on Communications Systems and Technology.
To begin, we started with a definition of the types of Pre-University STEM activities. If you run a search on ‘STEM activities’ you will find many lists of individual projects or experiments for teachers and parents to use with young students. However, looking beyond just hands-on activity, there are other ways to encourage interest and engagement in STEM. Therefore, our definition includes a broader and more varied set of actions in which IEEE volunteers can participate and support as noted below.
In Class - Lesson Plans, In-person talks and demonstrations.
Outside of Class - Science or Maker Fairs, In-person talks and demonstrations, clubs and competition teams.
Career Exploration - Facility Tours, Career Day events, Mentorship.
Community STEM Support - Teacher training, Scholarships, and Fundraising that support STEM
The second key to our strategy and actions is to partner with and leverage other IEEE resources and activities, and include external partners as appropriate, that provide both opportunities or resources to enable ComSoc members to be more active with Pre-University STEM education in their communities. For 2022 this means:
- Evaluate and select partners to accelerate ComSoc’s Pre-U results
- Identify active and enthusiastic local ComSoc volunteers (students / members) that are already engaged in STEM activities supported by the IEEE Educational Activities Board
For 2023 and beyond, we hope to empower all ComSoc Chapter members interested in Pre-U activities with new resources that do not exist today.
Learn more about ComSoc's Pre-University STEM Program.
You Can Help ComSoc reach these goals!
Share your past or current Pre-University / STEM Education activities in your communities with us via this online form.