Legislative Visits

Before and after the PI meeting, 11 ITEST projects met with legislators on Capitol Hill to inform them about the ITEST projects. The visits allowed Congressional Members to hear firsthand from ITEST project leaders—including community partners and educators—about the youth programs on emerging technologies and STEM careers in their home states and how they are addressing workforce development needs. For ITEST projects, the meetings were a valued opportunity to explain and share examples of their innovative work and what they are learning with elected officials. 

legislative visits

Dr. Stacy Forsyth of the University of Colorado at Boulder (left, front) and Ian Matty of the Mountain Lakes Public Library (left, back) shared examples of 3D-printed tactile storybooks with Donni Turner, legislative counsel for Colorado U.S. Senator Michael Bennet (D) (right). The interactive books, which were created for children who are visually impaired or have other disabilities, were digitally designed and fabricated by middle and high school students in library makerspaces as part of their ITEST project, The Tactile Picture Books Project. To learn more about this project, watch this short video. 

 

Project Take Flight/Dr. Amanda Bastoni

Dr. Amanda Bastoni of CAST met with Members of Congress from Montana to discuss Take Flight, an ITEST project that developed a middle school curriculum integrating drone technology, communal motivation, and strength-based approaches to make STEM more accessible to female students in rural areas. Pictured from left to right are: U.S. Senator Jon Tester (D-MT), Congressman Ryan Zinke (MT-01), Dr. Bastoni, Congressman Matt Rosendale (MT-02), and U.S. Senator Steve Daines (R-MT). To learn more about this project, watch this short video.