STEMworks™ partners heavily with industry to provide innovative curricula and resources to teachers and students, while connecting them to industry and work-based learning opportunities enabling students to develop the skills and career awareness and preparation to succeed in a dynamic 21st century workforce. 

Under the guidance of STEMworks™ Advisors (teachers) and industry mentors, students devote classroom time utilizing industry standard technologies such as ArcGIS Pro, Fusion 360, 3-D Printing, 3-D cameras and videos, Adobe Creative Suite, Final Cut Pro, Drones, Unity, and more to create solutions to local, state, national, and/or global community issues.

Students learn to become self-directed learners as they explore training tutorials via YouTube, Vimeo, Google, Lynda.com, Khan Academy, and more to master proficiency in STEM software and technology. Most students participate in STEMworks™ Software training camps to further develop their tech proficiency, then return to class to share knowledge with peers and lead student training. Through student and industry collaboration and presentations, students develop essential 21st century soft skills such as team building, communication, and leadership skills.

Through this hands-on project-based service-learning environment, students develop problem-solving and critical thinking skills as well as stewardship and sense of citizenship as they design solutions to community needs. Projects (works) range from being simple to complex; may involve one individual student, a small team, or the entire community; and may address a need or issue that may be local to global.

STEMworks™ students receive priority access to college and industry career awareness, exposure and immersion opportunities such as:

• Software Camps led by industry professionals

• Industry Connections - Job shadowing event to engage with STEM professionals

• Internships - Six week summer high school and college internships with local host companies needing help with a specialized project

• Hawai‘i STEM Conference - a regional technology conference celebrating students’ STEM service-learning projects & encouraging the next generation of innovators and leaders

• In-person and online presentations featuring the STEMworks™ College Toolkit - Resource designed for families to help students plan for college and to help navigate through the complex application, financial aid, and scholarship process.

• In-person and online presentations featuring industry professionals in geospatial, engineering, computer science, virtual reality, renewable energy & sustainability, cybersecurity, and more...Check out STEMworks™ Industry Connections Video Resource here!

STEMworks™ teachers receive priority access to STEM curricula and professional development offered throughout the year such as:

• Annual STEMworks™ Professional Development (PD) Training featuring the Project-based Service-Learning and Engineering Design

• STEMworks™ Service-Learning Curriculum including the following Modules and Toolkits:

• STEMworks™ THINKit™ K-12 Curriculum

• STEMworks™ Energy K-12 Curriculum

• Geospatial Information Systems (GIS) Curriculum

• CAD Design & Build Curriculum

• Exploring the Watershed Through STEM Curriculum

• STEMworks™ Engineering Design Process Toolkit, College Toolkit, Oration Toolkit, Community Resource Guide, and Technology Tools

• Career awareness/technical skill building tools: STEM Jobs Posters and Magazines (including a STEMworks™ Hawaii STEM Jobs customized poster) and Lynda.com classroom subscription

• STEMworks™ THINKit tools

• Industry standard software, technologies and STEM equipment

For more information on STEMworks™ In-School, contact: Katie Taladay, katie@medb.org, 808.429.5745.