CSTEM Sea Turtle Robotics Challenge

The CSTEM Sea Turtle Robotics Challenge aims to connect various content areas through project based learning interdisciplinary in scope.

This initiative upholds a feeder pattern concept which allows elementary, middle, and high school students to collaboratively solve problems in STEM. The robotics competition provides an opportunity for students to develop team building skills, serve as mentors, and apply STEM to solve real-life problems.

Through this project, students will under stand how their work impacts the lives of others and exposes the needs of sea turtles worldwide. Some of the content areas covered in this project include: Communication, Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics, English, Art, Interactive Media and History. Students are not only inspired to continue STEM learning, but they are made aware of how they can fit into the global community and understand how they can improve different ecosystems.

In the end we are one world and one community. It is our social responsibility to protect mother earth.

FIRST Robotics

CSTEM supports 7 Houston area middle and high schools that participate in the FIRST Robotics Competition annually.

The CSTEM supported participants are: Carver High, Chavez High, J.J. Pearce High, Sharpstown High, Thurgood Marshall High, Wheatley High and Hogg Middle School.

For most of these underserved students, this is their first exposure to the groundbreaking field of robotics, putting them on the leading edge of 21st century innovative technologies.

Click here to read more about CSTEM supported schools at the FIRST Robotics Competition

CSTEM-RainbowPUSH Coalition Scholarship

CSTEM has partnered with the RainbowPUSH Coalition Energy & Science Project to award two $2500 College Scholarships that will contribute to the educational advancement of 2 high school students from schools participating in our Robotics Competition.

The winners were announced at the 2008 CSTEM Sea Turtle Robotics Competition, which took place on May 3rd at Texas Southern University.

The scholarships were awarded at the RainbowPUSH Coalition Energy & Science Project Luncheon held on May 7, 2008.

The 2008 CSTEM-RainbowPUSH Scholarship recipients are Olivia Johnson and Ruben Campillo.

Girls Exploration Team (GET)

The Girls Exploration Team (GET) initiative allows schools to provide an opportunity for girls to develop and explore their interest in communication, science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.

This initiative develops a culture on school campuses fostering STEM hands-on learning and involving discovery, team building, and problem-solving in an environment that encourages girls to showcase their math and science interest and ability.

FIRST/VEX/LEGO Robotics (during and after-school)

Inspires and motivates students by challenging them to build a remotely controlled robot to accomplish a defined task within a competitive setting.

Our consultants and partnering school teachers are used as coaches to guide student teams through the

engineering design and construction process.

Summer STEM Enrichment Camps

The goal of this project is to provide targeted enrichment that will engage students in hands-on, project-based learning activities that promote problem-solving, thinking outside the box, increased self-esteem, and teamwork.

Community Partnerships

Since 2002, CSTEM Teacher and Student Support Services, Inc. has been working to find ways to bridge the STEM gap for underrepresented students by bringing together teachers, parents, and community resources at various educational levels and building ongoing relationships between them.

One of CSTEM’s goals is to collaborate with college mathematics, science, engineering, technology and education departments; partnering them with other organizations and corporations; public, private and charter schools. Through CSTEM’s partnership with local colleges, we have been able to eliminate barriers between schools, institutions of higher learning, and the community, preparing the students for the global workforce.

For example, CSTEM’s collaboration with Texas Southern University for the East Region Summer Challenge Conference and the Aeronautics Workshop during the summer of 2008 successfully engaged several hundred minority, socio-economically disadvantaged, at-risk, and gifted and talented students from local elementary and middle schools in real-world application of classroom STEM learning. Teachers who participated had the privilege of engaging in a teacher preparation and certification dialogue around STEM project-based learning with several TSU faculty members. Parents were encouraged to participate in the STEM based Summer Challenge Conference and the Aeronautics Workshop because parental involvement in children’s learning is positively related to achievement and affects attitude toward school, self-esteem, behavior, time spent on homework, absenteeism, motivation, and retention. The students had the opportunity to meet STEM industry professionals from Southwest Airlines, Houston Police Department’s Forensics Division, and Schlumberger.

Our community partnerships have given CSTEM the platform needed to develop student’s interest in math and science and with pursuing careers in related fields to literally thousands of students.

For the coming 2008-09 academic year, CSTEM desires to continue providing an educational environment that promotes teacher, student, and parent participation in our STEM programs and building cohesiveness between the community’s public and private sectors.

Teacher Support Services

CSTEM recognizes the need to help teachers prepare today's students for an increasingly well-educated global workforce with greater demands for innovative development and use of STEM technologies. Our services include:

• STEM based Curriculum Development
• Project-based Learning Professional Development Workshops
• STEM enrichment/resource information (i.e. camps, training, scholarships, programs, etc.)
• Program/project development and implementation services through collaborative partnerships
• Video documentation of student work
• Instructional Resource Kits, materials, and equipment
• STEM Resource Garage (i.e. resources for schools to check out to support instruction)

CSTEM is here to provide the training and resources needed for teachers to develop interdisciplinary project-based learning STEM programs that work.

Project-Based Learning/Training

CSTEM ensures that children experience project-based learning (PBL) and problem-solving in settings that further develop their interest and ability to perform and compete at the highest levels.

The organization prides itself on eliminating some of the barriers that schools face with implementing PBL curriculum, teacher training, developing STEM projects for students and building capacity through the community.

The goals are to:

1. Add value to rigorous curriculum provided by teachers in preparing students for college and workforce readiness.
2. Inspire more creative hands-on projects and teaching methods.
3. Development of a STEM culture that works through a whole school approach.
4. Bring environmental awareness and social responsibility to students and the public.

We bring together diverse community resources to provide high quality and innovative STEM training to help ensure our students a place in future global competitiveness and leadership.