Community Outreach
Grant boosts STEM teaching in region and at IU Southeast
Through a School of Natural Sciences and School of Education partnership, IU Southeast is helping current and future elementary teachers learn new strategies for teaching and aligning curriculum to Indiana STEM standards, as well as technologies and practices in computer science and robotics.
STEM, which stands for Science, Technology, Engineering and Math, helps students improve their problem-solving and critical thinking skills, build collaboration and team building abilities, and prepare graduates for more technology-driven jobs that employers look to fill.
By 2025, Indiana’s Department of Education will require all students in Indiana K-12 schools to have daily teaching in STEM topics. Through a unique collaboration, Indiana University Southeast has paired with schools, community, foundation, and business partners to prepare local teachers for teaching computer programming and robotics by integrating fun, interactive exercises with math or reading exercises. Professors Suranga Hettiarachchi, associate professor of computer science and Sumreen Asim, associate professor of elementary science and education are the project directors for this initiative.
On Saturday, January 28, nine elementary school teachers assembled for the session to learn about combining Sphero robot programming with ongoing curriculum. Jorge Valenzuela facilitated the session, STEM Master Class, tools for teaching STEM and computational thinking in all subjects, with Asim and Hettiarachchi.
“Computational thinking is the way to solve complex problems.” said Valenzuela. “Given the difficult times we currently have in education, students are not as engaged. These techniques of computational thinking help engage students.”
“The goal of this workshop is to give teachers practical take-and-use techniques they can use in their classrooms right away,” said Asim. “Robots in classrooms are relatively new. Using and programming robots help students with the five “E’s”—Engage, Explore, Explain, Elaborate and Evaluate.”
Dr. Suranga Hettiarachchi and Dr. Sumreen Asim advise Tabitha Resener, teacher at Fairmont Elementary School in New Albany, on how to program her Sphero Indi.
The teachers utilized two types of robots throughout the workshop, the Sphero Indi, a small robot resembling a car, is designed for the youngest learner; the Sphero Bolt, a spherical orb, is for more advanced learners. The participants used preprogrammed cards with the Indi to make the robots follow specific routes and instructions. The more advanced Bolt required using iPads to program the orbs to do desired tasks.
“My wheels are turning, I’d like to start writing lesson plans right away to incorporate these concepts into our core instruction,” said Tabitha Resener, from Fairmont Elementary School in New Albany. “In the past we did Tynker coding and the kids flourished. One specific child, an at-risk student, excelled. The students learned teamwork, to collaborate; they were excited to learn. Then we had to repurpose the rooms and lost our computer labs. This is something we could do anywhere as it requires no dedicated space and can be incorporated into a variety of lesson plans. I know it is possible.”
The project is made possible by a generous grant from the Caesars Foundation of Floyd County with additional support from Rivera Group and the IU Women’s Philanthropy Leadership Council to fund a year-long STEM initiative.
In the short term, the project serves elementary schools, elementary students, and elementary education majors at IU Southeast. In the long term, IU Southeast elementary education students who have learned how to integrate computer science and robotics into their teaching will be ready with the most advanced teaching skills when they enter local classrooms as in-service teachers. To date, four training sessions have been held, impacting 19 current elementary teachers and 20 current high school teachers from seven area school districts and 22 IU Southeast School of Education students. These 61 current and future educators will directly impact more than 4,000 students each academic year.
For Asim and Hettiarachchi, the program is just beginning. The pair is currently working on a larger grant to seek funds for an expanded project in 2024 that will include funding for expansion of technology improvement in Floyd County Schools.
"Investing in STEM education is investing in the future of our community,” said Faye Camahalan, dean of the school of education “Our mission is to respond to the needs of K-12 schools, and STEM is one relevant component of the curriculum that must be met. Thank you to Caesars Foundation and Drs. Asim and Hettiarachchi for their initiative to contribute to the professional development of in-service and pre-service teachers in Floyd County. Integrating experiential learning experiences in computer science and robotics in K-12 classrooms will help advance the education of our kids."
Pizza with a Professionals boosts STEM to education students
IU Southeast alumnus Rich Boling prepares to speak at Pizza with a Professional.
IU Southeast Alumnus Rich Boling has been reaching for the stars from Greenville, Indiana since 2000. Boling was a guest speaker in January for a new initiative called Pizza with a Professional.
His presentation, titled, “How a Hoosier Middle School Student’s Science Project is Impacting the Future of Deep Space Exploration and Human Health on Earth,” was a hit in a room full of current and former IU Southeast education students. Several community members interested in science education also attended the sold-out event at Bearno’s Pizza on Charlestown Road in New Albany.
This event was made possible through the Growing Tomorrow's STEM Teachers (GTST) Grant Program funded through an Indiana Council for Higher Education grant; the IU Alumni Association Kentuckiana Region, the IU Southeast Advancement and Alumni office; and the IU Southeast School of Education.
Boling is vice president of corporate advancement at Redwire in the space manufacturing and operations business unit. In this role, Rich leads business development efforts for the company's biotechnology and materials science portfolio. Redwire payloads have flown aboard parabolic flight aircraft, sub-orbital rockets, space shuttles, Northrop Grumman Cygnus cargo vehicles, SpaceX Dragon cargo and crew vehicles, and the International Space Station.
Before joining the company in 2000, he started his career at a large public relations agency, serving clients such as the Regional Airport Authority of Louisville, and UPS Airlines.
Boling earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in communication from Indiana University Southeast. His wife Dawn is also an IU Southeast graduate. She is a secondary education alumna and teaches seventh-grade math at Highland Hills Middle School.