Research Park Employees Lead Panel on STEM Education

Verteran employees from around the Research Park as well as other influential community leaders in education sat on a panel to discuss STEM education and fielded questions from an audience of teachers from all over Illinois. Ross Bundy of Turn; Ken Taylor of Akuna; Kerris Lee of Storyboard, Inc.; Howard Gerwin of John Deere; and Sena Cooper of Project Lead the Way gathered at the iHotel in Champaign as part of the state-wide STEM conference. Instrcutors who teach a wide variety of subjects in junior high and high school from all around the state had the commonality of wanting to learn more about STEM education and the best ways to implement technology into the classroom.

With their diverse backgrounds in a wide scope of engineering, the panelists were able to enlighten the educators on what employers currently look for in student interns and what they will look for in the future. They also gave valuable insight into best practices to keep the engineering door wide open for students as they endeavor through junior high and high school, keeping it a realistic option as they enter college. The fusion of knowledge and experience from the panelists with the dedication of the educators of Illinois forged a hopeful feeling towards the future of technology.

View more panel pictures here.