Samtec Cares grant advances STEM education at IU Southeast
IU Southeast recently received a Samtec Cares grant award of nearly $50,000 to upgrade the School of Education’s STEM Learning Laboratory to better meet the demands of 21st-century skills needed in the community. New technology and equipment have allowed future K-12 teachers to design and implement hands-on experiences to support student learning.
The grant has funded upgrades including a SMART board, a class set of 24 iPads and an iPad charging and storage cart, assistive listening technology for hearing impaired students, virtual reality headsets and a computer system that is augmented-reality- and virtual-reality-compatible, as well as an Apple computer system. The technology was installed during the fall 2019 semester and was part of the spring 2020 curriculum.
According to Sumreen Asim, assistant professor of elementary science and technology and lead investigator of the grant proposal, the new technology has been instrumental in empowering the next generation of STEM educators to make them innovative leaders in their classrooms by harnessing educational technology in their teaching practice.
“As a teacher educator, I work tirelessly to keep the needs of students, community and STEM education in my mind as I develop my courses,” said Asim. “Teacher candidates in the IUS STEM Learning Lab now have access to an interactive SMART board and iPads. The SMART board has assisted me in improving how I model the use of technology in teaching STEM. The use of iPads allows teacher candidates to have a hands-on experience with apps that can enhance teaching practices. Overall, the grant has helped us to be at the forefront of the state STEM Strategic Plan.”
Founded in New Albany in 1976, Samtec, Inc. is an industry leader in electronic connectors with nearly 6,000 employees in more than 40 locations worldwide, selling its products in more than 125 countries.
The Samtec Cares grant program was created to positively impact and assist charitable organizations within surrounding communities in the areas of community development, health and social services and arts and culture.
“The upgraded science education clearly puts IU Southeast as a foremost science teaching facility,” said James Hollenbeck, professor of secondary science education. “No other university can boast of such an advanced teacher education laboratory. With the partnership with Samtec, we hope that we can provide STEM educators that will continue to enhance the community and provide the STEM foundation for our future.”