I hope you have all had a wonderful summer break and are feeling recharged for the new year.
2021 was a big year for the STEM Alliance Aotearoa. We farewelled two key members of the COMET STEM team, Dr Sarah Morgan and Claire Hall. We also welcomed a few new faces, including myself (Ying) as the STEM Alliance manager and two new members to our Steering Group, Julie Baker (MOTAT) and Elizabeth Sommerville (NIWA).
STEM Alliance alumni might notice a few other changes too (including this newsletter!). After various starts/stops over the years, we are re-launching a quarterly newsletter to deliver you the latest news and advice on STEM community engagement. We also have a brand-new website that will be home to our resources and articles going forward - be sure to check it out if you haven’t already!
As a small, largely volunteer-driven group, adapting to COVID has meant having to prioritise our focus areas and the ways we engage with businesses, schools and education providers. What hasn’t changed though, is our commitment to driving systems change in STEM education by promoting effective collaborations between educators and STEM industry.
We believe strongly in the power of partnerships. Which is why I’m really excited about the offerings we are developing for you in 2022, including a book about how to engage with communities (full of practical tips and evidence-based principals). We’ll also be hosting a few networking events in Tāmaki Makaurau to start bringing our community of engagement practitioners together. I hope to see you at one of our events this year!
Ngā mihi
Ying