STEM Resources | STEM Mentors | STEM Committee

STEM Committee

Jennifer Arseneau, UA Museum of the North

Deanna Baier, Dillingham 4H

Kendra Calhoun, UAF Cooperative Extension 4H

Rachel Elmer, UA Museum of the North

Courtney Havrilek, FNSBSD 21st CCLC

Karla Horner Raffaele, PEAK Program Sitka

Keith Miller, ASD 21st CCLC

Kristy Lee Peterson, Hope 4H

Rebecca Soza, Juneau Economic Development Council

Katrina Tirman, Sitka Sound Science Center

The Alaska Afterschool Network and our STEM partners are collaborating to push a statewide effort to increase quality science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) learning in afterschool programs throughout the state of Alaska. Currently only 66% of afterschool programs offer STEM learning opportunities. The Alaska Afterschool Network has formed a STEM Committee group to create statewide change to engage more youth in STEM. The purpose of the committee is to strengthen the overall current state of STEM learning in Alaska by focusing on three main goals.

In order to work toward these goals, the Alaska Afterschool Network STEM Committee has developed a strategic plan for moving forward:

1. Connecting afterschool program providers with STEM professionals

Assemble a directory of professionals and youth programs
Connect sites with professional speakers
Establish a STEM professional mentor program

2. Creating a central hub for afterschool providers to share, collaborate, and utilize resources

Launch a website platform where organizations in the state can access the necessary tools and share information with others programs
Support programs that provide STEM learning via webinars, teleconferences, and newsletters

3. Cultivating equitable, culturally relevant professional development and training opportunities in STEM

Offer a STEM-specific afterschool conference
Develop statewide standards and choose an assessment tool to assist programs in monitoring quality
Create a STEM certification program for providers