News
Gateway Symposium Connects the "T and E" in STEM
April 07, 2011
Fifty representatives from Massachusetts state government, education agencies, teachers, and administrators from 20 Gateway Program districts joined members of the Museum of Science staff to share successes and build a sense of community among all the district teams at a March 2011 symposium at the Museum in Boston.
The event featured guest speakers, Dr. Lynn Griesemer, associate vice president for economic development from the University of Massachusetts Donahue Institute, and Dr. Jacob Foster, director of science and technology/engineering from the Mass. Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. Gateway districts also showcased their students' projects. One involved Burlington, Mass., students in creating a "gutter boats" race course -- a 12-foot long waterway constructed from a drainage gutter in which students race sailboats created from recycled materials, powered by a small fan. All guests were also treated to a private viewing of Undiscovered Worlds: The Search Beyond Our Sun at the Charles Hayden Planetarium.
The Gateway model, designed to help Mass. educational leaders find innovative ways to implement K-12 Science and Technology/Engineering standards, introduces leadership teams of educators to tools, curricula, and resources to develop action plans for their districts. The Gateway Project has helped nearly 300 educators from 65 school districts in aligning their curriculum and assessments with the Massachusetts Science and Technology/Engineering Curriculum Framework, reaching 379,900 students (40% of Mass. public school students). Gateway components are being replicated in Maine and Texas.