Bring STEM Opportunities to Your Classroom or School District
Day of STEM
Our Day of STEM program partners a school with a local business to bring STEM professionals into the classroom or an after-school program. This exciting day can also be delivered virtually or in person. It enables students to interact directly with STEM professionals and learn firsthand about STEM careers.
Future City
Future City is a project-based competition program in which 6th-, 7th-, and 8th-grade students imagine, research, design, and build cities of the future, using the engineering design process to guide them and prepare them for competition. The regional competition-winning team advances to the National Competition.
Contrapt Wisconsin
ContraptWI is a middle school contraption competition. A contraption accomplishes a simple task in the most complicated, fun way possible. It lets students explore engineering, simple machines, trial and error, physics, teamwork, and creativity. This unique, theme-based competition is offered to WI middle schools.
Engineering Machine Design Contest
EMDC is an opportunity for teams of 3-12 high school students to design and build a complex machine that accomplishes a simple task using everyday objects, with a coach's guidance. Each year, there is a new theme and new elements.
Project Lead The Way
PLTW provides transformative learning experiences for PreK-12 students and teachers across the U.S. PLTW creates an engaging, hands-on classroom environment and empowers students to develop the in-demand knowledge and skills they need to thrive.
Learning Blade
Teachers and Wisconsin educators have free access to Learning Blade, a career-readiness and STEM Education resource. Learning Blade aligns with Grades 5-9 and includes 400+ online lessons and 100+ hours of project-based activities. These resources help students develop industry-ready skills and provide exposure to high-demand careers.
The AI Education Project
aiEDU is a non-profit that creates equitable learning experiences that excite and empower students with Artificial Intelligence (AI) literacy. Whether you have nine weeks of class time or five minutes, they offer an engaging, easy-to-implement curriculum option for everyone. aiEDU utilizes research-based teaching and learning strategies + educational psychology frameworks.
Gearbox Labs
Gearbox is a non-profit founded in July 2019 with experience in education, classroom teaching, educational publishing, and children's and adult learning, and it has received many awards. The founders created Gearbox Labs to address an international shortage of STEM professionals. Their mission is to produce cutting-edge and rigorous STEAM education resources and programs for schools, homeschools, out-of-school programs, and self-motivated learners.
Hour of Code MKE
Hour of Code is available year-round, and each December, classrooms can join millions of students worldwide in celebrating Computer Science Education Week. Learn about MKE Hour of Tech, a regional effort across SE Wisconsin that inspires students and shows them the power of technology and innovation.
For Inspiration and Recognition of Science & Technology (FIRST) Wisconsin
FIRST has three programs: FIRST® LEGO League, FIRST® Tech Challenge, and FIRST® Robotics Competition. Programs vary by age and challenge, starting at age 6 and continuing through middle and high school (up to age 18).
STEM Grants from WI DPI
Contact the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction to apply for STEM program grants and connect with WI DPI’s STEM Leadership Team. Also, review the resources on effective grant writing to help you fund your STEM programs.
Badger State Science & Engineering Fair
BSSEF coordinates an annual exposition of student research projects in a poster-session format, including one-on-one interviews with professional scientists across 8 disciplinary categories, giving WI high school students an opportunity to showcase their original research.
Girls Who Code
Girls Who Code provides after-school clubs for 3rd-12th grade girls to explore coding in a fun & friendly environment. The Summer Immersion Programs are 2-week summer programs for rising 10th- to 12th-grade girls to learn coding & gain exposure to tech jobs.
Technovation
Technovation partners with schools and community organizations to help youth, especially girls aged 8-18, develop crucial skills in technology, problem-solving, and leadership. Empower girls in your community by engaging them in Technovation’s free technology entrepreneurship program.
NFPA Fluid Power Action Challenge
Fluid Power Action Challenge is a STEM-based competition that challenges middle or high schoolers to solve an engineering problem using fluid power. Students work in teams to design and build these power mechanisms, then compete against other teams in a timed competition.
BootUp
BootUp empowers elementary teachers and students through computer science. Since 2015, BootUp has worked with over 470 elementary schools, impacting over 150,000 students, providing in-person professional development, coaching, and resources that prepare teachers to facilitate coding projects in Scratch and ScratchJr. Students are inspired through creative, interactive lessons that let them explore their personal interests with code.
Rockets for Schools
The Rockets for Schools program is a fun, exciting way for kids to learn about space technologies while giving them the chance to be part of an extraordinary team-building event. It gives students the opportunity to participate in aerospace technology and rocket launches: learn about rocket construction and perform as part of a team.
VEX Competitions
VEX Competitions fosters curiosity through competition, helping students become future innovators. Tournaments are held year-round at regional, state, and national levels, with the VEX Robotics World Championship in April. Opportunities to learn about aerial drone operations are also offered through in-person and virtual competition-based experiences.
Engineering Tomorrow
Engineering Tomorrow empowers the next generation of engineers through virtual labs, impactful projects, and inspiring mentorship. By providing students with hands-on engineering exploration, students frequently show an increased interest in pursuing an engineering career.
Club SciKidz
Club SciKidz was founded on the principle that parents want to provide their children with exciting, challenging, and life-impacting academic enrichment experiences. They are committed to demonstrating how science works in the real world by providing activities in veterinary medicine, robotics, forensics, video game creation, food science, paleontology, engineering, chemistry, biology, astronomy, oceanography, emergency medicine, and special effects.
Northeastern Wisconsin Invention Convention
Through its Invent Wisconsin initiative, the Hearthstone Museum in Appleton is the NE Wisconsin affiliate of Invention Convention, a STEMIE-based program run by The Henry Ford Museum. Teachers throughout WI can use free invention education curriculum in classrooms to teach students the invention process. K-12 students then create inventions after identifying the problems they want to solve. Students can compete in the spring at the local, state, and national levels.
If you know of a program we should feature, email Allison Zahn - azahn@stemforward.org