Dr. Isa Zimmerman
Senior Fellow, The PK-16 STEM Initiative
University of Massachusetts President's Office
UMass Donahue Institute and Academic Affairs
225 Franklin Street, 12th floor
Boston, MA 02210
Tel: 617-287-7060
Fax: 617-287-7022
izimmerman@umassp.edu

Official coalition website: www.stempipeline.org

NASSMC State Summits Implementation Program (NSSIP): The NASSMC State Summits Implementation Program (NSSIP) provides assistance to state based organizations with planning, developing, administering, implementing, following-up and sustaining state mathematics and science education summits. NSSIP grants have been awarded to seven states in April 2005 through funding provided by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Additional support is provided through a separate grant from the U.S. Department of Education. The Massachusetts STEM Collaborative sponsors the annual Massachusetts STEM Summit. This conference links government, business and education practitioners in a common effort to influence policies as well as to design, develop and implement programs to increase awareness in STEM careers.

The Massachusetts Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Summit II was held Monday, October 17, 2005 at the Sturbridge Host Hotel and Conference Center in Sturbridge, MA. This year's theme, "Building a Community" reflects the goals of the Summit which includes bringing together educational, industrial, and government leaders in the state so they can share information and resources that will enable school districts to improve student math/science performance and address the issue of college preparedness for all students. The STEM Summit is one way to address these goals, because its ultimate aim is to raise the visibility of the importance of K-12 STEM education so it can meet the needs of future generations. Only through the kind of collaboration represented by the STEM Summit will we increase the future pipeline of youth interested and prepared for careers in science, math and engineering. Congressman Vernon Ehlers (R-Michigan) co-founder of the non-partisan Congressional STEM Caucus, delivered the keynote address "How to Save Your Kid's Job - and Yours" about STEM education in our K-12 schools and critical workforce needs in this area. Dr. Kati Haycock, Director of the Education Trust in Washington, DC gave a luncheon speech titled "Closing the Achievement Gap." STEM Summit II is organized and funded by the University of Massachusetts, The Mass STEM Collaborative, the National Science Foundation, the Center for Collaborative Adaptive Sensing of the Atmosphere (CASA), the National Alliance of State Science and Math Coalitions, the Massachusetts Board of Higher Education, the Massachusetts Department of Education, The Commonwealth Information Technology Initiative and several industry partners including Analog Devices, Inc., Raytheon Corporation, the Millipore Foundation, and Genzyme. Visit www.casa.umass.edu/educationandoutreach/k-12/stem.html for more information.

The Massachusetts STEM Summit was held on Monday, October 25, 2004. The theme—"Fueling the Pipeline for the Massachusetts Innovation Economy"—was addressed by sessions and speakers representing business, education and public policy. Summit sponsors included the Engineering in Mass Collaborative, The NSF Center for Collaborative Adaptive Sensing of the Atmosphere, Raytheon Company, Analog Devices, Inc., the Millipore Foundation, the Massachusetts Board of Higher Education and the Massachusetts Department of Education. Representatives from NASA and the U.S. Department of Education were also in attendance. Visit www.casa.umass.edu/educationandoutreach/k-12/stem04.html for more information.

NES Partnerships for Sustainability: The NES Partnerships for Sustainability Program was launched in 2003 as a pilot to gauge the effectiveness of state-based coalitions working in active collaboration with the NASA Explorer Schools. The Christa Corrigan McAuliffe Center for Education and Teaching Excellence/Engineering in Massachusetts Collaboration (EiMC) in partnership with Kuss Middle School, was awarded a NES Partnerships for Sustainability grant in 2004 to support and extend NES goals.

The Massachusetts STEM Collaborative takes an active role in influencing government policies and legislative actions to (a) promote STEM businesses, (b) provide highly qualified STEM teachers, (c) promote STEM careers to public and private school students, and (d) actively support the Massachusetts STEM Pipeline.