What's in it for me?

STEM 16 is intended to provide benefits for several stakeholders in the STEM community. These include, but certainly are not limited to:

• Students, who are the ultimate focus of all STEM 16 activities, and will benefit from expanded learning opportunities, increased knowledge of STEM pathways to higher education and careers, and increased visibility of their emerging knowledge and talents;

• Educators, who will benefit from tighter connectivity to STEM funding resources in the business community and government sources, networking with local businesses and organizations whose business models include STEM related projects and processes, access to local professionals who are leaders in STEM careers, and increased visibility of their innovations in and out of the classroom;

• Administrators, who will benefit from opportunities to showcase the depth and breadth of their STEM programming efforts;

• Businesses, who will benefit from the early identification of and prospect of enhancing a future workforce; and

• Public servants and their constituents, who will benefit from a stronger regional competitive advantage in academics, and from attracting tomorrow's industries to the Region.

We welcome other suggestions of the value of STEM 16 for you, and for our Region. Comment below!

1st Annual FiRST STEM Summit

Fredericksburg Regional Chamber of Commerce Technology Council, FredTech, is pleased to announce that the 1^st Annual FiRST STEM SUMMIT will take place on October 20th from 5pm to 8pm at The Olde Silk Mill in historic Fredericksburg. FredTech is an affiliate of the Fredericksburg Regional Chamber of Commerce. The event is FREE to the public, and intended for anyone interested in accelerating science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) for students in Virginia’s Planning District 16: City of Fredericksburg, Stafford, Spotsylvania, Caroline and King George Counties.

The event will feature demonstrations of ongoing and successful STEM projects presented by students from the region. Captain Heidemarie M. Stefanyshyn-Piper, Space Shuttle astronaut and current Commander of the Carderock Division of the Naval Surface Warfare Center, will provide the keynote address. Mr. Ed Sullivan, Office of Career and Technical Education Services, Virginia Department of Education, and Mr. Brad Repp of HDT Global, will highlight STEM achievements from educational and business perspectives. The event will also provide a networking opportunity for STEM advocates.

Register on-line, or contact the Fredericksburg Regional Chamber of Commerce, (540) 373-9400 or email heather@fredericksburgchamber.org.