EPA Research Partner Support Story: Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) education

Partners: Citizen Schools, Duke Energy Initiative, Durham Children’s Initiative, Durham Public Schools Science Alliance, NC Science Festival , NC Science Mathematics and Technology Education Center, NC State University Kenan Fellows Program for Teacher Leadership, Project PEACE, Research Triangle Cleantech Cluster Triangle Women in STEM, RTP Foundation, WakeEd Partnership
Challenge: Preparing the future environmental health workforce by providing STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) education, especially in K-12 schools with low-income populations
Resource: EPA's Community Engagement & STEM Education Program in Research Triangle Park (RTP), NC
Project Period: 2003 – Present

EPA's Community Engagement & STEM Education Program (CE-STEM) communicates EPA science to K-12 and university students, to educators and to the public. CE-STEM outreach at schools, community events, and at EPA-RTP increases the public’s knowledge of how protecting the environment protects human health. Most CE-STEM programming serves students at low-income schools (i.e., 50%+ free/reduced lunch) to help close the opportunity gap and build capacity for a more diverse workforce. CE-STEM also provides training and guidance to EPA regional offices and labs, as well as to U.S. embassies. CE-STEM was initiated in 2003 and typically reaches more than 25,000 people at 350 plus events, mostly in central NC, through the participation of more than 200 EPA-RTP employees. In March 2020, CE-STEM pivoted to providing programming via online platforms which expanding our geographic reach.

“EPA's Community Engagement and STEM Education Program in RTP has not only has been a source of ideas for our own outreach program improvement but also serves as a model STEM outreach organization in the region, because of its impactful work in schools, museums, and on-site for students of all ages through speed mentoring, job shadowing, and hands-on STEM activities.” – The Research Triangle Foundation, STEM in the Park Outreach Program Manager Sarah Council Windsor

CE-STEM engages the public in protecting human health and the environment by:

• Establishing relationships with educators and local, regional, state, national and international stakeholders;
• Translating EPA science into hands-on activities and lessons for employees to use in the community;
• Recruiting and training EPA employees to educate K-12 students, college/university students and the public at school, community events and at EPA-RTP; and
• Building capacity for an educated, informed, diverse and inclusive pipeline of future EPA employees and environmental decision makers.

CE-STEM was awarded two US2020 STEM mentoring awards in 2017 – one for Excellence in Volunteer Experience, and a second for Volunteer Mobilization. The Excellence in Volunteer Experience Award recognizes STEM programs that provide high-quality, well-supported STEM activities for their volunteers, while the Volunteer Mobilization Award honors organizations that effectively engage their workforce to support youth-serving organizations. In 2019, the Research Triangle Cleantech Cluster recognized CE-STEM with the Diversity Initiative of the Year at their Cleantech Innovation Awards. In 2020, the program received the Research Triangle Cleantech Cluster Talent Initiative of the Year Award, as well as STEM RTP’s Community Serving Organization of the Year Award.