In our pursuit of quality STEM education and programming, SHARP has partnered with Cathy Stagmer and Northwestern Mutual. Their specific awards are described in the complete article below, provided by STEM Forward. We are pleased that their efforts have been so honored.
The STEMMY (Excellence in STEM) Awards were established in 2005 to recognize educational institutions, businesses, organizations and individuals who promote STEM awareness and improve the STEM competency of students.
Nominations are accepted in four categories: Employer, Education, Partnership and Individual.
The Winners Are…..
Education Award: Milwaukee Area Technical College
5th-12th Grade Pre-College Programming
Milwaukee Area Technical College(MATC) is being honored for its extensive STEM workshops and summer camps offered to 5th-12th grade students.
Since 2012, more than 90 workshops and 3,800 camp hours have been delivered to over 5,500 middle and high school students. These summer camp and workshop experiences encourage students to engage, explore, and gain mastery in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) concepts and skills through hands-on problem solving. The combination of four MATC campus locations enable low-income, minority and other under-represented youth access to high quality instruction and exposure – not readily available outside of wealthier school districts, which creates camp environments of diversity and inclusiveness. Approximately, 65% of summer campers and Career Exploration Day attendees are students of color who attend Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS). More than 4,000 of all participating students attending camps and workshops come from MPS schools that have poverty rates high enough to provide free and reduce meals to 100% of the students in their respective schools.
Partnership Award: Leeward Business Advisers and KTEC
Over the past three years, Leeward Business Advisors has created a pivotal partnership with the Kenosha School of Technology Enhanced Curriculum (KTEC). Leeward has reached over 1,500 KTEC students by helping to facilitate a computer science club. The club has taught students how to build their own applications and deploy it to the cloud, configure computers for real customers and build computers.
They have also facilitated computer science programming for elementary-age KTEC Girl Scouts. This year, students “became” the internet. Girls received labeled shirts at the beginning of the activity that included information like an IP address and more. Two students were assigned to be the firewall and one student was the antivirus, responsible for only letting in the correct “data packets” (students) and keeping out viruses disguised as data packets respectively. Post-activity, students were able to elaborate on how the Internet worked and what role the different pieces played.
Leeward also helped facilitate a two-day workshop for the Girl Scouts where girls got to learn about 3D printing and design as well as design their own project to print.
Individual Award: Cathy Stagmer
Cathy’s passion for STEM-related education is evident not only through her work, but also in the number of organizations she supports in her free time. Currently, Cathy serves as Komatsu’s Manager of Global Social Responsibility where she leads the development and management of an integrated global community relations strategy.
Her commitment to and involvement in STEM education have long been a part of Cathy’s values and practice. Particularly, she focuses on showing young women that a STEM career is a real and viable option for them.
In the fall of 2012, Cathy launched the planning of Komatsu’s first “Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day,” which took place during Engineers Week 2013. Next year will mark the eighth year of the program, which has allowed 140 young women to interact with dynamic women in STEM at Komatsu.
In her spare time, Cathy has worked to plan major events with the Muscular Dystrophy Association, serves on the PLTW (Project Lead the Way) Advisory Committee for Bay View High School and West Allis Central, has been a judge for STEM Forward’s Future City competition, is on the Planning Committee for the Menomonee Valley Partners Valley Week, the Urban Ecology Center’s Valley Branch Advisory Committee, and more.
As you can see, Cathy’s efforts to serve the community are multitude. Please join us in congratulating her.
Employer Award: Northwestern Mutual
hi, Tech
Northwestern Mutual recognizes that technology and innovation drive the future of southeastern Wisconsin. Recognizing that technology talent is critical to our region’s success and as part of their commitment to Milwaukee, they are focused on attracting and retaining digital innovators, creative thinkers and leading talent. Currently, they are partnering with dozens of local companies and organizations to advance technology and make the Milwaukee area a tech hub. They are taking action to develop a strategic plan and formalize a tech industry coalition to pursue critical initiatives as well as forming partnerships with economic development groups, educational institutions, non-profits and government.
hi, Tech, Northwestern Mutual’s technology outreach program, introduces students and teachers to what’s possible. Participants connect to, explore and transform the world around them. Students don’t just build apps – they build confidence. They don’t just unlock the next game level – they unlock their career potential. These efforts directly support our mission of making Milwaukee a tech hub by focusing on building the capacity for teachers and students to gain and apply tech skills and better understand digital concepts and their connection to future careers. With hi, Tech, Northwestern Mutual wants to welcome K-12 students into the world of technology by giving them skills to explore the many facets of technology creation and real-world experiences to put their learning to the test. Serving nearly 6,000 students, teachers and parents in 2018, their STEM outreach program relies on support of roughly 350 volunteers, all focused on inspiring the next generation of tech talent to see the key role they can play in the future success of our communities.
You can learn more about their accomplishments and meet them at STEM Forward’s sySTEMnow Conference. Registration closes on Friday, October 25th, so be sure to reserve your seat!
Find out all the details of Milwaukee’s premier STEM Conference, including the full agenda, speaker information and list of breakout sessions here!
