Cultivating the Future Leaders in STEAM
Who We Are
Founded in 2019, Seeds in STEM is an organization dedicated to providing STEM education to 5th-12th grade Santa Maria students. It is vital that we are planting seeds in STEAM as early as elementary school, before interest in math and science decreases for some students in middle school.
We believe this push towards K-12 STEAM education will foster interdisciplinary learning and research experience for students, specifically focusing on students from under-represented communities. Numerous studies have shown the positive lasting effects of exposing children to science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM), and more recently, art (STEAM).
Our organization wants to mend the educational gaps affecting students of various backgrounds across the Central Coast in addition to increasing diversity in the STEAM community, fostering critical thinking skills that will be necessary in all fields of an increasingly digitized society, and leading to higher all-around student achievement.
How We Were Planted
The three Cal Poly students who founded Seeds in STEM in 2019 realized there was a growing need for computer science education for low-income students. Historically, K-12 students from low-income and minority backgrounds have been prevented from exploring careers and educational opportunities related to STEAM—we aim to address this problem.
Programs within Seeds in STEM, which include Generation STEM, the Generation STEM Mentorship Program, and Full STEAM Ahead, aim to provide more STEM education opportunities for low-income elementary, middle, and high school students in the Santa Maria, California community by promoting academic achievement, equal opportunity, and diversity in the industry.
An LAES 411 course of 12 students at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, led by Dr. Matthew Harsh and Dr. David Gillette, has been added to the project for the Spring 2021 Quarter.
Our Programs
Seeds In STEM
Seeds in STEM was launched as a LAES senior project and remains handed off for continuation. The program introduces 5th-12th grade students in the Santa Maria community to facets of science and engineering often overlooked when introducing Latinx students to STEAM fields.
Generation STEM Mentorship Program
The Generation STEM Mentorship program is in partnership with the Robotics Club at Delta High School in Santa Maria. This program was designed to get middle school and high school students to serve as mentors for generation STEM programs.
Full STEAM Ahead.
Full STEAM Ahead is a day where TRIO students can come to Cal Poly to learn about different engineering disciplines and organizations on campus, in order to inspire students to pursue engineering and see the different disciplines that fall in STEM.
Future Growth
Expanding STEAM Programs
Our past programs have focused on Computer Science, however, we acknowledge that the fields of STEAM are much more expansive than just Computer Science. We want to make an emphasis on bringing art and creativity into STEAM as well.
Incorporating Bilingual Activities
Knowing that there are many English as a second language students in the Santa Maria area and multiple languages are spoken in Santa Maria, incorporating multilingual activities is an important step in creating equitable programs. Our March workshop will have all materials accessible in English, Spanish, and Mixteco.
Ensuring Accessibility
We want to strive to make our programs more accessible as we develop new strategies for virtual learning and we want to make all of our activities accessible for all participants.
Definitions for Our Readers
Equity
Fairness and justice. Recognizing that we do not all start from the same place and must acknowledge and make adjustments to imbalances.
Inclusivity
Giving equal access and opportunities to all. Getting rid of discrimination and intolerance (removal of barriers). The aim of inclusion is to embrace all people regardless of race, gender, disability, medical, or other need.
Sustainability
Meeting our own needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.
Social Justice
A commitment towards providing equal distribution of rights, privileges, opportunities, and resources within a society.