Inspiring the Creators and Thinkers of Tomorrow: A STEM Symposium 

Tuesday, December 5, 8 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.
Engineering Education & Research Center
The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas

Hosted by the Texas Girls Collaborative Project, led by the Women in Engineering Program at The University of Texas at Austin, and the Texas Advanced Computing Center at The University of Texas at Austin in collaboration with special guest, LEGO® Education.

Join us for an engaging, hands-on STEM Symposium focused on bringing computational thinking, coding and STEM to life in elementary and middle school classrooms and programs. Discover ways that you can empower students to develop analytical thinking, creativity, collaboration, and problem solving skills, while preparing them for the STEM and technology-focused jobs of tomorrow.

This event is hosted during Computer Science Education Week (CSEdWeek), held in recognition of the birthday of computing pioneer Admiral Grace Murray Hopper (December 9, 1906), and is one of the many events or programs joining in the Greater Austin STEM Ecosystem's CSEdWeek amplification.

What: Hands-on workshops that will cover creative ways to engage students in computational thinking, robotics, science, technology, engineering and math.

Who: Open to elementary and middle school educators, administrators and program providers.

Cost: Cost is $30 and includes parking validation, breakfast and lunch. Limited scholarships available.

Registration: Please complete the online form to register for the workshop. You will receive a confirmation email with additional information on parking, the workshop agenda, etc.

Agenda:

  • 8:00 a.m. – 8:30 a.m. Registration & Breakfast
  • 8:30 a.m. – 8:50 a.m. Welcome from Cockrell School, TxGCP, TACC, and LEGO Education
  • 9:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. Session 1: LEGO® Education Workshops
  • 11:10 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. Diversity & Inclusion in STEM Education & Computational Thinking
  • 11:30 a.m. – 12:45 p.m. Lunch & Tours: TACC Visualization Laboratory Tour, Cockrell School of Engineering Maker Studio Tour, Engineering Education & Research Center Self-Guided Building Tour
  • 12:45 p.m. – 2:45 p.m. Session 2: LEGO® Education Workshops
  • 2:45 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. Closing Keynote: Advanced Computing for Social Change: Educating and Engaging our Students to Compete in a Changing Workforce, Closing Ceremonies

Session 1 and 2: LEGO® Education Workshops:

WeDo 2.0: Computational Thinking and Tinkering to Solve Travel Challenges: 
Coding, Computational Thinking and Computer Science. These are all buzz words that are being thrown around, even at the elementary level. Come learn the difference between these concepts, while learning how LEGO® Education WeDo 2.0 can bring them to life in your classroom. Using LEGO® Education, elementary students can explore, create, and share discoveries as they build solutions to real-world problems and standards-based projects. During this session, participants will be encouraged to think about the future of travel and communication. They will use LEGO® Education WeDo 2.0, Computational Thinking and science to help solve an emergency on interstate 35. During this session, participants will learn how hands-on problem solving allows students to deeply engage with science practices and the engineering design process while solving real-world problems. Participants will experience a tool that develops students’ confidence to ask questions, find answers and solve problems by putting discovery into their own hands.

LEGO® MINDSTORMS® Education EV3: Coding and Robotics for Middle School Students – Getting Started: 
Robotics is a proven and effective way to capture students’ attention and keep them engaged in hands-on science, technology, engineering, and math lessons. This workshop is designed for participants who are brand new to robotics, computer science and programming. The session will cover basic sensor and motor control, linear programming statements, and loops. Participants will experience an ultimate challenge based on the future of robotic controlled vehicles. During this session, attendees will apply STEM knowledge through LEGO® MINDSTORMS® Education EV3 to teach students how to use robotics to solve real-world problems.  Attendees will complete hands-on robotics lessons that leverage programming skills and are built around national standards. Not a programmer? Not an engineer? No problem. By the end of this session, you will feel more than confident in your programming abilities and eager to bring robotics to your classroom.