TechMGM launches I-85 STEM Learning Ecosystem to support regional education opportunities

Hadley Hitson, Montgomery Advertiser
·2 min read

Montgomery-area industry, government and education leaders launched one of Alabama’s first regional STEM ecosystems on Saturday with a celebration at the Cramton Bowl Multiplex.

More than 850 kids registered for the TechMGM event where they participated in dozens of science-related activities — from making elephant toothpaste and riding hovercrafts to watching a sheep heart dissection and seeing flying drones.

“What an incredible turnout for our partnership with STEM Global Action, STEMFEST,” Montgomery Public Schools Superintendent Melvin Brown said on social media. “This is how we change the educational game for all of our students!”

With the creation of the new ecosystem, these kinds of activities will become more common and readily available to students in the the areas around Montgomery, Tuskegee and Auburn.

Kids perform a volcano experiment Sept. 2 at STEM Fest in Montgomery.
Kids perform a volcano experiment Sept. 2 at STEM Fest in Montgomery.

“It's really about exposing students to STEM careers, as well as just the possibilities,” TechMGM executive director Charisse Stokes said.

Stokes serves on the executive committee for the Alabama STEM Council, which Gov. Kay Ivey formed in 2020 to improve the STEM education and workforce in the state.

Over the last year, the council sought to obtain a credentialed STEM Learning Ecosystem for Alabama and join more than 100 active groups working toward the same goals of providing kids STEM opportunities at a young age.

Local children make slime Sept. 2 at STEM Fest in Montgomery.
Local children make slime Sept. 2 at STEM Fest in Montgomery.

The council succeeded, and now they are creating similar regional ecosystems, one of which is the I-85 STEM Learning Ecosystem.

“We are thrilled to welcome the Alabama STEM Ecosystem and the other 10 new Ecosystems, with their unique talents, lived experiences and resources to our Community of Practice,” said Judd Pittman, chairman of the STEM Learning Ecosystems Community of Practice Leadership Coordinating Council. “We know that they will learn from and grow with the existing communities expanding opportunities for more diverse scholars to realize the promise of a STEM career.”

STEM Fest also offered virtual reality games Sept. 2 in Montgomery.
STEM Fest also offered virtual reality games Sept. 2 in Montgomery.

A lot of the Montgomery-area initiative is modeled after STEM NOLA, a nonprofit that has been able to consistently expand the number of science, tech, engineering and math activities available to Louisiana students. From weekly events, to summer camps, to year-long extracurriculars, Stokes said Alabama’s state and regional initiatives hope to create new opportunities while also leveraging existing ones in the area, like school robotics programs and Girls Who Code.

“There’s thousands and thousands of vacant STEM jobs,” Stokes said. “When you look at a lot of your top in-demand jobs, the bulk of them are STEM careers. It's about exposing you to those sooner so that we, one, can fill the job openings that we have, and it's also about building digitally competent and competitive talent.”

The I-85 STEM Learning Ecosystem’s main goal is bringing STEM to as many kids as possible, and if its launch event is any indicator of future success, it’s off to a great start.

Hadley Hitson covers children's health, education and welfare for the Montgomery Advertiser. She can be reached at hhitson@gannett.com. To support her work, subscribe to the Advertiser.

This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: I-85 STEM Learning Ecosystem launches to build 'talent pipeline'