Dr. Joni Lakin helps make STEM education more accessible for students, teachers across Alabama

Through her involvement in student engagement efforts, classroom to career-focused initiatives and various collaborations, Professor of Educational Research Dr. Joni Lakin is helping to expand STEM learning opportunities for both students and teachers across Alabama.

Earlier this year, Dr. Lakin participated in the inaugural Summit for Alabama STEM Education & Workforce (SASEW) in Birmingham, hosted by the Alabama STEM Foundation; iSTEM Alabama, which Lakin is a member of; and the Alabama STEM Council. She also served on the summit organizing committee.

The two-day event brought together nearly 400 educators, industry partners and organizations in an effort to strengthen STEM connections across the state and featured both student and “STEM Across Alabama” showcases.

Lakin hosted a session called “From the FARM to the lab: Classroom-to-career connections in Agricultural Science and Research,” and Alabama Technology in Motion Specialist Dr. Robert Mayben also participated, hosting a session about STEM and combative robotics.

In her session, Lakin discussed Auburn University’s USDA-funded Fostering Agriculture Research and Mentoring (FARM) project. The grant, which she is an evaluator on, seeks to inspire student interest in agri-science, connecting teachers in rural Alabama with extension agents and experts across the state and enabling them to bring real-world agricultural applications into their science classrooms.

“We’re working to connect students interested in STEM to career paths in agriculture and to show younger generations that there are exciting, high-tech pathways in this industry,” Lakin said.

The FARM project also hopes to increase student involvement in independent research projects by encouraging them to participate in science and engineering fair competitions.

With no regional science fairs in West Alabama, students must travel long distances to compete across the state. Another project, funded by College of Education Dean Joyce Alexander, is working to expand STEM fair competitions in our region. The effort included this year's first Invention Convention competition held at the Center for Community-Based Partnerships’ STEM Showcase in February.

“Invention Convention appeals to a wider range of students since it is more focused on creativity, innovation and entrepreneurship,” Lakin said. “Students who attended were excited to learn about patent applications, intellectual property among other topics.”

In March, Dr. Lakin also participated in the sixth annual Scientific Research and Education Network (SciREN) Expo, which brought scientists, researchers and educators together for an evening that allowed them to network, exchange ideas and foster new partnerships.

“For this expo, science and engineering faculty have taken their high-tech research and STEM research and created lesson plans that are suited for K-12 classrooms,” she said.

By directly connecting STEM researchers and educational organizations with K-12 teachers and home-school parents, the expo introduces educators to STEM education opportunities and gives them access to classroom-ready materials that they can incorporate into their lessons.

Each of these initiatives emphasizes the widespread importance of STEM education opportunities and making them more accessible to K-12 educators and students.

Lakin said she hopes to see these events continue to grow and more people attending STEM-related events in the future.

“The big outcome is the connection that we make with educators, organizations and communities,” she said. “That is what helps these efforts grow and create a lasting impact.”