500+ teachers will attend STEM education conference at Purdue

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — More than 500 teachers and education professionals from across Indiana will attend the Indiana STEM Education Conference.

The annual conference runs from 9 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. Thursday (Jan. 10) in Stewart Center. This is the fourth year for the event, sponsored by Purdue’s College of Education, the Center for Advancing the Teaching and Learning of STEM (CATALYST), the Indiana Department of Education and the Indiana Commission for Higher Education.

Retired NASA astronaut Buzz Aldrin, known for his STEM education-focused foundation Share Space and for advocating expeditions to Mars in addition to his experience as an astronaut, is scheduled to speak at the daylong event.

Carla C. Johnson, executive director of Indiana GEAR UP and professor of science education in the College of Education, said that while hundreds of attendees are already registered a handful of registrations are still available.

“The conference provides a venue for K-12 educators and leadership across the state and beyond to share their own best practices in STEM education,” said Johnson, chair of the conference. “It is outstanding to see how much the commitment, investments and impacts of STEM education have grown across the four years of our annual conference.”

The conference workshops and presentations are split into three strands: K-12 STEM practice, STEM education research and STEM resources. Attendees can select from over 80 sessions to learn from Purdue faculty and fellow education professionals.

“Participants will learn about curriculum, pedagogy, research and resources to enrich experiences for and better prepare students in important STEM disciplines,” Johnson said.

Attendees can register online at http://bit.ly/purduestemconf2019 by January 9 at 5 p.m. or until capacity is reached.

Source: Carla Johnson, 765-494-0780, carlacjohnson@purdue.edu

Media contact: Brian Huchel, bhuchel@purdue.edu

Note to Journalists: Media are welcome to cover Aldrin’s speech and the conference sessions, however he will not be available for questions or interviews before or following his speech.