Happy July!

Hello, {{Constituent First Name}}, please see this month's updates from the Columbia Gorge STEM Hub!

STEM Hub News

2023 Advanced Manufacturing Educator Externship Thank YOU!

We would like to thank each of our educators and industry hosts for making the 2023 Advanced Manufacturing Educator Externship a success! 16 local middle school and high school educators from four school districts gained a greater understanding of career paths in Advanced Manufacturing, a prominent field in the Gorge region. 

Educators engaged in a 3-day, hands-on learning experience that included an overview of the Advanced Manufacturing program at Columbia Gorge Community College (CGCC) as well as tours of six manufacturing sites in The Dalles and Hood River.

At each industry site, educators:

• Received a general overview and history of the company
• Participated in an interactive tour of the facility
• Gained a better understanding of the technologies used
• Gained a greater awareness of career opportunities, wages, and level of education associated with different positions, within each company (and the broader Manufacturing landscape).

The Educator Externship is a component of the STEM Hub’s Career Connected Learning work which focuses on expanding career awareness, exploration, and preparation for Gorge youth through engaging educators and industry professionals across multiple sectors.

Interested in receiving updates for Next Year's Educator Externship?

Sign Up At Our Website

REGISTRATION IS OPEN! The 2023 Gorge STEM Symposium!

The Gorge STEM Symposium is a professional development and training opportunity for Columbia Gorge Educators in Oregon and Washington. In-person and virtual options are avaliable throughout the summer.

Learn More and Register Today!  

Oregon Community Foundation and partnership with OSU Wasco County 4H in hiring teen leaders continues to support STEM summer programming in Hood River, Wasco, and Gilliam counties

We are thrilled to announce the continuation of our STEM Teen Leaders program for yet another year! In partnership with OSU/Wasco County 4H, our STEM Hub received a grant from Oregon Community Foundation to hire teen leaders to serve as mentors for students in STEM programs throughout Hood River, Wasco, and Gilliam Counties. Starting last summer, 22 teen interns have been trained in Social Emotional Learning and provided educational support to younger students in STEM activities, robotics programming, and maker clubs throughout the region!  

Educator Opportunities

Interested in helping to support the STEM Hub’s mission?
We invite you to join one of our Collaboratory Committees! The committees provide an opportunity for you to provide feedback to the STEM Hub's work, and connect with partners who may be able to support you in your own efforts & initiatives!  Connect with others who share your passion of ensuring quality STEM experiences for youth in the Gorge!

Upcoming Meetings:

• Career Connected Learning (CCL) Collaboratory: Wednesday, 8/23, 4-5pm
• Empowered Educators Collaboratory: Thursday, September 28th, 7-8pm
• STEM Advisory Council Meeting: Monday, July 31st, 9-11am

Learn More & Apply Here 

Educator Resources

HS Educators: Oregon Connections - Industry Connections Playlists

See a variety of industry professionals speak on STEM careers, and more! Oregon Connections is provided by South Metro-Salem STEM Partnership and sponsors to educators in our STEM Hub Region.

Summer Academy: Summer Teacher Externships

Getting Started Guide Here

K-12 Educators: FREE Online Teacher Professional Development: Cascadia Earthquake Education The University of Portland STEM Education and Outreach Center is offering a self-paced, free course on local earthquake science principles. 28 PDUs can be earned at completion of the course.

For questions: Email Bob Butler, University of Portland Professor Emeritus, butler@up.edu. View Full Flyer

K-12 Educators: Oregon Agriculture in the Classroom Foundation Resources

Apply for a Classroom Grant! Oregon Educators may apply for classroom grants of up to $1,000 for projects that directly benefit youth (up to college-age) and be aligned with Oregon Women for Agriculture's mission of "Working Together to Communicate the Story of Today's Agriculture." 

Educator Professional Development: Amazon Future Engineer 

• BootUp PD: Free Computer Science student projects and teacher resources Learn More

• MS Computer Science PD: Multiple resources for learning and teaching CS: Learn More

Youth & Community Opportunities 

Introductory Robotics 2-Day Workshop from Google: Sept 16th-17th

Google is sponsoring a 2-day introductory robotics workshop for 6-8 grade middle school students on September 16-17, 2023 at the Fort Dalles Readiness Center in The Dalles.

This workshop is for any middle school student in grades 6-8 who is interested in robotics and STEM topics.  Best suited for students with beginner or limited experience with robotics.

The focus of these workshops is to give kids a chance to experience STEM and work with a group to build a robot over the course of the 2-day weekend in a fun and inclusive environment. 

Robotics instructors will support students through the robot building process, with everyone having a chance to have a friendly competition with their robots on day 2.  Google will provide breakfast, lunch, snacks, all robotics supplies, and a full two days of inspiration and STEM curriculum.

Location: Fort Dalles Readiness Center, 402 E Scenic Dr, The Dalles, OR 97058

Dates: September 16-17, 2023

Time: 8am-4pm daily

Learn More & Register Here

Wasco County 4-H Summer Camps 

A variety of summer camps are still avaliable including many STEM camps.

View all Camps & Register

Free Library Resources:

• Experience Pass - Use your library card to access Free Passes to local exhibits including Columbia Gorge Discovery Center and WonderWorks Museum!  Learn More

• Bookmobile - Check out books for all ages just like at the main library. See Bookmobile schedule

Summer Camps and Programs across Oregon

Check out an extensive list of summer programs happening across the state!

View List

MS/HS Students: American Rocketry Challenge

The American Rocketry Challenge is the world’s largest rocket contest with nearly 5,000 students nationwide competing each year. 

The contest gives middle and high school students the opportunity to design, build and launch model rockets and hands-on experience solving engineering problems. 

Teams can include 3-10 students who are currently enrolled in grades 6 through 12 in a U.S. school or homeschool. A single school or a single U.S. incorporated non-profit youth or educational organization (excluding the NAR, Tripoli Rocketry Association, or any of their local chapters or any other incorporated rocket organization), may apply to be a team.

Registration is Now Open!

Learn More

See Rules

MS/HS Students: NASA’s Student Launch Rocket Competition

Student Launch is a research-based, competitive, experiential exploration activity in which (MS/HS and college/university) teams compete in a 9-month timeline to design, build, launch, and fly a payload(s) and vehicle components that support NASA research on high-power rockets.

August 14, 2023 - Request for Proposal (RFP) released.

See Activities and Schedule

Learn More