STEM Education Showcase '26

The STEM Education Center Presents:

Register now to join us for the 3rd Annual STEM Education Showcase!

Explore the Sessions

Keynote: Balance, Belonging, and Becoming: Supporting Student Wellness in a Digital Age
Richard Lopez, Ph. D., Assistant Professor of Neuroscience and Psychology



Digital media and artificial intelligence are reshaping how students think, connect, and make sense of themselves and their learning. Understanding how technology can strengthen and strain students’ mental health and wellbeing invites us to reimagine our roles as educators. K-12 education can become a place where students feel grounded, supported, and empowered as they navigate increasingly complex digital landscapes. By acknowledging students’ lived experiences with technology and co‑creating approaches that foster balance, belonging, and intentional learning, we can build environments that honor the whole student and help them thrive in both their academic journeys and their broader lives.

Workshop: Fostering Effective Teamwork in the K-12 Classroom
Anne Ogilvie, Director for Team Learning, Worcester Polytechnic Institute
Brian LaPointe, Classroom Grade 4/5 Educator, Ayer Shirley Regional School District

Teamwork is a powerful driver of student learning, yet it can be one of the most challenging practices for both educators and learners. This interactive workshop will provide PK–12 educators with practical strategies to more confidently incorporate teamwork into classroom experiences and equip students with the collaboration skills they need to thrive. Educators will explore the benefits and common challenges of teamwork and explore strategies to form teams, establish team agreements, structure group tasks, and guide productive dialogue.

Workshop: Translanguaging: Practical Strategies to Support Multilingual Learners in STEM
Evelyn Larose, Science Program Director, Boston Public Schools
Step into the shoes of a multilingual student! Come experience a high-quality science task as a multilingual learner, through a hands-on lesson immersion activity in another language! Engage in translanguaging firsthand and walk away with practical strategies for supporting your multilingual learners.

Workshop: DESE AI Literacy Resources for Educators
Paula Moore, CS Policy Specialist
Explore the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) resources designed to help educators understand and teach AI literacy. This session, led by Paula Moore, former Digital Literacy and Computer Science Content Lead at DESE and member of the DESE AI Task Force, will guide participants through materials addressing AI fundamentals, bias and societal impact, and strategies for helping students engage thoughtfully with AI.

Workshop: Lesson Plans Inspired by RET Research on the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals
Abbey Prisby, Debbie  Baird, Demetrios Kennedy, Em Beeler, Jared Quinn, Jessica Drozd, Michael  Nixdorf, Tiffini Cornock 
Pre-service and in-service teachers in the 2024-25 cohort of the Research Experience for Teachers program at WPI share their lessons and research inspired by the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. The authentic research experience provided context for teaching “integrated STEM” and inspired ways to engage students in classrooms.

Workshop: Authentic Family Engagement: Moving from Participation to Shared Decision-Making
Déborah L. González, Ph.D., Supervisor Translation and Interpretation Services, Worcester Public Schools
Family engagement is often misunderstood as attendance at events or compliance with paperwork. In this interactive panel session, leaders from Worcester Public Schools — including a SEPAC parent leader, wraparound coordinators, and a Spanish interpreter — explore what authentic engagement truly looks like in practice. Using a real-world special education case scenario, participants will examine how language access, scheduling, power dynamics, and systems design impact family trust and student outcomes. Attendees will leave with actionable strategies to shift from outreach to partnership and from compliance to shared leadership.

Workshop: What’s the Story? Data Literacy for the K-5 Classroom
Tiffany Davis, Instructional Coach, Ashburnham Westminster Regional Schools
This session provides resources and strategies to help you identify grade-level milestones for data literacy and weave essential data literacy skills and concepts into the math and science lessons you already teach.
 

More sessions will be announced soon—check back for updates!
 

Connect, Learn, and Grow at the 3rd Annual STEM Education Showcase Register today!

More details, including the full agenda and program, will be shared here soon.

2026 Schedule

Optional Post-Event: STEM-tastic Futures Await! Touch Future Tech at LEAP
The Lab for Education & Application Prototypes (LEAP@WPI/QCC) at WPI is a state-of-the-art innovation space where you can see how tomorrow’s technologies are created, from next generation microelectronics to photonic integrated circuits—tiny chip-based systems that use light instead of electrical signals. Join us for a guided tour of LEAP and stay for a follow-on reception and discussion to spark curiosity and STEM engagement in your students.

Don’t Miss the 3rd Annual STEM Education Showcase, register to join us!

What Attendees Are Saying

“The opportunity to connect with other educators, share ideas, and be inspired by what others are doing in their classrooms.” — ’25 Showcase Attendee

“High-quality workshops with relevant topics, engaging presenters, and time to really learn—not rushed.” — ’25 Showcase Attendee

“A welcoming, well-organized morning full of practical ideas, meaningful conversations, and connections I’m excited to bring back to my school.” — ’25 Showcase Attendee

Looking Back: STEM Education Showcase ’25

Want a sense of what to expect?
Read our STEM Education Showcase ’25 recap for highlights, reflections, and moments from last year’s event.