Mark your calendars for this year’s 22nd Annual sySTEMnow Conference on October 29, 2025!
Italian Community Center - Milwaukee
Theme: Ignite the Spark – Growing STEM from Curiosity to Career
The sySTEMnow Conference is Southeast Wisconsin’s premier annual event for advancing STEM education and workforce development. This year’s theme, “Ignite the Spark: Growing STEM from Curiosity to Career,” celebrates the whole journey of STEM discovery—beginning with early curiosity and extending through education, training, and professional careers.
The conference brings together a dynamic mix of students, educators, industry professionals, and community leaders to explore how we can ignite interest, foster engagement, and build sustainable pathways in STEM. Through interactive panels, workshops, and networking sessions, participants will uncover strategies for connecting real-world careers to classroom experiences, strengthening STEM ecosystems, and creating equitable access to opportunities. Join us as we light the way for the next generation of innovators—wherever they are in their journey! Save the date; registration will be available in August.
Keynote Speakers Announcement
We’re excited to welcome Dr. Nehemiah Mabry, P.E. — structural engineer, award-winning educator, and founder of STEMedia, a groundbreaking platform blending STEM, creativity, and culture. Known for his unique mix of technical expertise and motivational energy, Dr. Mabry makes STEM come alive in ways that are engaging, relatable, and deeply inspiring. Get ready for an energizing session that breaks down stereotypes, celebrates innovation, and sparks fresh ideas for making STEM more inclusive and impactful. You’ll leave his talk motivated and ready to ignite the curiosity of the next generation of changemakers.
STEM Forward is thrilled to announce Tara Chklovski, founder and CEO of Technovation, as our morning keynote speaker for this year’s event. Featured in the award-winning documentary Codegirl, Tara has been recognized by Forbes as “the pioneer empowering the incredible tech girls of the future” and honored by Discovery Science Channel as its first-ever “CEO Science Super Star Hero” for her groundbreaking work inspiring the next generation of innovators, problem solvers, and game changers. A true global advocate for young changemakers, especially girls, Tara will share powerful insights on how we can ignite curiosity, fuel confidence, and equip the next generation of STEM leaders to shape a better future.
THE STEMMY AWARDS
The Excellence in STEM Awards—The Stemmys were established in 2005 to recognize educational institutions, businesses, organizations, and individuals who promote STEM awareness and improve students' STEM competency. The four award categories are Education, Individual, Employer, and Partnership. The award winners will be celebrated at the sySTEMnow Conference.
Submit your nomination before the September 30, 2025, deadline!
Generation STEM Displays
Generation STEM (Gen STEM) is a K-12 student display that enables schools and organizations in the Southeastern Wisconsin area to showcase their students’ amazing STEM projects. Since this is always a favorite part of the conference for attendees, make time to interact with local youth as they share their STEM projects from 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM at the sySTEMnow Conference.
Submit your nomination before the September 30, 2025, deadline!
Conference Sponsorship Options
Support the future of STEM in Wisconsin by becoming a sponsor of the 22nd Annual sySTEMnow Conference on October 29, 2025. Sponsorship opportunities offer visibility and the chance to champion STEM education in our region. Together, let’s Ignite the Spark that drives curiosity, creativity, and careers in STEM. Contact Rich Merkel (rmerkel@stemforward.org) or Theresa Wolf (twolf@stemforward.org) and view the sponsorship information to learn more.
A look back at our 2024 sySTEMnow Conference!
Wednesday, October 30, 2024
Italian Community Center in Milwaukee
The 21st annual sySTEMnow Conference, presented by STEM Forward, brought together over 250 educators, industry leaders, and students to explore the future of STEM in our region. The 2024 event sparked powerful conversations around innovation, inclusion, and workforce development, with engaging keynotes from Captain Barrington Irving and Ted Wells and three rounds of energizing breakout sessions exploring topics like building partnerships in our area to healing math trauma.
Each year, we present the STEMMYS - The Excellence in STEM Awards. This was established in 2005 to recognize educational institutions, businesses, organizations, and individuals who promote STEM awareness and improve students' STEM Competencies. The 2024 Stemmy Award Winners were:
Education Award: Muskego High School WarriorBots & Twist
Employer Award: Generac
Partnership Award: Lincoln STEM Elementary & PTO in Watertown
Individual Award: Maveric Berner, Marquette University
Don’t miss the 2025 conference—it's your chance to gain fresh ideas, real-world solutions, and renewed energy to spark STEM innovation across our region.