S4I-2021: STEM4INNOVATION 2021

Website	http://www.stem4innovation.org/
Submission link	https://easychair.org/conferences/?conf=s4i2021

STEM4Innovation 2021

We’ve set our challenge as:  “How do we emerge from COVID-19 impacts with an education system that is responsive, adaptable, contributory, community-linked, and future-focussed?” 

This program was borne out of the imagination of Western Australian educators wanting to generate authentic learning experiences for WA school students to apply STEM-inspired, curriculum-linked, design-thinking processes to solving real-world problems relating to the immediate and future impacts of COVID-19 and other ongoing, community-related needs in Western Australia.

STEM4Innovation piloted in 2020 with 22 schools and over 700 students working to develop solution proposals for Professor Fiona Wood with the support of the WA Innovation Hub, the WA Public Sector Commission, WA Health, Curtin University, and others.  

The STEM acronym should be read as a verb!

STEM4Innovation is an umbrella project for engagement across the entire WA community – linking schools and students more productively and relevantly to broader opportunities and real-world engagement; it emphasises student voice and agency.

We’re already getting things in place for the 2021 series of Challenges – while we are developing some new community challenges, there is plenty of scope for schools and other organisations to develop their own challenge offerings under the STEM4Innovation banner.

Challenges

Details for each challenge will be published on the STEM4Innovation website and will be supported by a range of resources that will assist students with engaging with and identifying a specific project within the challenge.

Submission Guidelines

All work must be the original work of the student teams involved.  All work should identify and cite (in APA 7th) all non-original sources.  Failure to reference properly will lead to rejection of the submission.

Solutions will require two components as minimum requirements.  

• An Innovative Solution Report and
• A summary video (posted publicly to YouTube or Vimeo) with the viewing link added to the cover page of your Innovative Solution Report.

A checklist for the report and video requirements is available here.

Challenge Tracks

STEM4Innovation is growing, and aiming at a series of challenges to provide diversity and engagement for any learning area – we plan for interdisciplinary engagement but realise some schools will focus on specific subjects.

Each Challenge is named and full details are available from the STEM4Innovation website.  It is important that your submission be properly identified with the Challenge it is addressing and the thematic track it relates to.

While all meaningful challenges will have a broad focus, we’ll organise our challenges under these tracks: 

• Health and Well-being (medical, health, and wellness-related challenges)
• Technology and Exploration (relating to Space Science, Oceans, Land, Mining, Resources, etc)
• Food security, Primary Production, Agriculture (relating to food, textiles, and related industries)
• Life on Earth (Living things and ecosystems)
• Education, Culture, Community, Peace and Harmony 
• Industry, Infrastructure, Smart Cities, and the World of Work (including responsible and sustainable priorities around energy, production, and consumption)

Recognition

All complete submissions will be recognised by organisers with the award of digital badges.  These micro-credentials can be accumulated and used to claim higher level awards.  

Submissions of high interest, exemplary quality, or outstanding innovation may be invited to present their work publicly at showcase events around Western Australia.  The selection of teams to present is at the discretion of event organisers.

Committees

STEM4Innovation is currently managed by Tim Rowberry and Kim Flintoff but it is a collaborative undertaking by the Learning Futures Network members and emphasises real-world connection with industry, community, cultural, public sector, and other educational institutions. 

The Curtin Global Challenge platform can be used to scaffold student engagement.  Please contact Kim Flintoff about access.

There is the opportunity for any collaborator to develop and manage programs that can be offered to WA schools (and eventually Australia-wide, Regional, and Global). 

Program Committee

• Kim Flintoff (Peter Carnley Anglican Community School)
• Tim Rowberry (John Curtin College of the Arts)
• Hayden Brown (Halls Head College)
• David Humphry (Atwell College)

Organizing committee

• Kim Flintoff (Co-founder and Chair)
• Tim Rowberry (Co-founder and Chair)
• Hayden Brown (Halls Head College)
• David Humphry (Atwell College)

Champions

• Health and Well-being - Professor Fiona Wood
• Technology and Exploration 
• Food security, Primary Production, Agriculture 
• Life on Earth 
• Education, Culture, Community, Peace and Harmony 
• Industry, Infrastructure, Smart Cities, and the World of Work - Professor Dawn Bennett

Contact

All questions about submissions should be emailed to STEM4Innovation@kimflintoff.com.

Supporters

STEM4Innovation has garnered recognition via WENHUI Award (UNESCO Bangkok and Beijing) and has the focus of DFAT, Australian National Commission to UNESCO, WA State Government and Public Sector Commission, and many corporate, community, and other organisations.