Hadley Hitson, Montgomery Advertiser
September 7, 2023
Montgomery-area industry, government and education leaders launched one of Alabama’s first regional STEM ecosystems on Saturday with a celebration at the Cramton Bowl Multiplex.
More than 850 kids registered for the TechMGM event where they participated in dozens of science-related activities — from making elephant toothpaste and riding hovercrafts to watching a sheep heart dissection and seeing flying drones.
“What an incredible turnout for our partnership with STEM Global Action, STEMFEST,” Montgomery Public Schools Superintendent Melvin Brown said on social media. “This is how we change the educational game for all of our students!”
With the creation of the new ecosystem, these kinds of activities will become more common and readily available to students in the the areas around Montgomery, Tuskegee and Auburn.
“It’s really about exposing students to STEM careers, as well as just the possibilities,” TechMGM executive director Charisse Stokes said.
Stokes serves on the executive committee for the Alabama STEM Council, which Gov. Kay Ivey formed in 2020 to improve the STEM education and workforce in the state.
Over the last year, the council sought to obtain a credentialed STEM Learning Ecosystem for Alabama and join more than 100 active groups working toward the same goals of providing kids STEM opportunities at a young age.
The council succeeded, and now they are creating similar regional ecosystems, one of which is the I-85 STEM Learning Ecosystem.