Georgia Southern University’s Institute for Interdisciplinary STEM Education (i2STEMe) received the 2019 Inspiring Programs in STEM Award from INSIGHT Into Diversity, a diversity and inclusion publication in higher education. The Inspiring Programs in STEM Award honors colleges and universities that encourage and assist students from underrepresented groups to enter the fields of STEM.

Award winners were selected by INSIGHT Into Diversity based on their efforts to inspire and encourage a new generation of young people to consider careers in STEM through mentoring, teaching, research, and successful programs and initiatives.

“The Institute for Interdisciplinary STEM Education has developed and partnered on numerous endeavors to ensure that STEM education is reaching rural, diverse, low socioeconomic status and underrepresented youth,” said i2STEMe Coordinator Kania Greer, Ed.D. “We not only partner with regional schools to assist with STEM events, but we also offer a lending service to provide schools with curriculum, materials and equipment for both science and social studies classes, as well as our Science To-Go mobile unit, which allows us to put science in the hands of individuals at any location.”

i2STEMe, which is housed in the College of Education (COE) at Georgia Southern, provides professional development, engages in community outreach and seeks external funding to promote STEM teaching and learning in both formal and informal educational settings. The Institute hosts many annual events including summer camps, Science Olympiad, and the annual Interdisciplinary STEM Teaching and Learning Conference.

“We know that many STEM programs are not always recognized for their success, dedication and mentorship for underrepresented students,” said Lenore Pearlstein, owner and publisher of INSIGHT Into Diversity. “We want to honor the schools and organizations that have created programs that inspire and encourage young people who may currently be in or are interested in a future career in STEM. We are proud to honor these programs as role models to other institutions of higher education and beyond.”

i2STEMe will be featured, along with 49 other recipients, in the September 2019 issue of INSIGHT Into Diversity.

The Institute for Interdisciplinary STEM Education was founded in 2012 with the guidance of the COE’s Robert Mayes, Ph.D., professor of STEM education. Together, Mayes, COE Associate Dean for Administration and Faculty Affairs Tracy Linderholm, Ph.D., and Karin Scarpinato, Ph.D., a former associate dean of the College of Science and Mathematics (COSM), proposed a University-wide program to promote STEM education across campus with support from former COE Dean Thomas Koballa, Ph.D., and upper administration. All colleges at the University participated in the development and implementation of i2STEMe.