STEMposium Winners: Five Outstanding STEM Projects

Editor's Note: Today's guest blogger is Amy Whittaker, one of the co-producers of the STEMposium event.

On April 1st, a sold-out crowd of 250 students, teachers and civic, business, philanthropic, nonprofit, education and technology leaders flocked to the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco for STEMposium^TM - a celebration of excellence in K-12 STEM education innovation presented by the nonprofit EnCorps Teachers Program with co-host Citizen Schools.

Eleven education innovators showcased their STEM teaching innovations for bringing science, technology, engineering and math to life. From hosting a STEM Slam at your school to connecting your students with engineers and scientists, you can find great resources for your class and community by watching these videos.

The eleven STEMposium^TM finalists were selected from more than 130 initial video submissions. The evening concluded with five winners being selected to receive awards valued at $10,000.

This year's five winners are:

Caleb Cheung, Science Program Manager, Oakland Unified School District Caleb Cheung is an award-winning teacher and the K - 12 Science Manager for Oakland Unified School District. Cheung's innovation, Dinner with a Scientist brings together local scientists, teachers, and students to learn from each other, and engages more than 500 elementary and secondary school students annually. View Caleb Cheung's entire STEMposium^TM presentation.

Tony DeRose, Senior Scientist & Research Group Lead, Pixar Animation Studios: Young Makers Program Tony DeRose is a Senior Scientist and Research Group Lead at Pixar Animation Studios and Co-Founder of The Young Makers Program. The Young Makers Program is a collaboration between MAKE Magazine, The Exploratorium and Pixar Studios. The purpose of the program is to inspire and develop the next generation of makers, creators, and innovators through creating a community, both online and physical, that brings together like-minded teens, adult mentors, and fabrication facilities to make things. View Tony DeRose's entire STEMposium^TM presentation.

Meg Omainsky, Librarian, Palo Alto Unified School District: STEM Slam Meg Omainsky is a Palo Alto Unified School District Teacher and Librarian with a longtime passion for using technology to engage students. Omainsky is creating STEM Slam to reinvent science fairs through an online portal where students can upload their science fair demos and learn from viewing one another's innovations. View Meg Omainsky's entire STEMposium^TM presentation.

Lia Shepard, Teaching Fellow, Citizen Schools: Tell Me Something Good! Lia Shepard is a Citizen Schools Teaching Fellow who teaches science at Lionel Wilson College Preparatory Academy in Oakland. Her innovation, Tell Me Something Good!, teaches students how to build smartphone applications through a simple ten-step guide. View Lia Shepherd's entire STEMposium^TM presentation.

Alejandro Vega, The Techno Guards: Have Robot, Will Travel Alejandro Vega: Alejandro Vega is a high school freshman at Horizon Charter School and co-founder of The Techno Guards. The Techno Guards mission is to promote science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) within the community and foster teamwork, leadership, community involvement, and drive for excellence in the FIRST robotics program among area youth. TechnoGuard's STEMposiumTM innovation, Have Robot, Will Travel, brings robotics demonstrations to teenage science students around California and engages students in joining robotics clubs. View Vega's entire STEMposium^TM presentation.

If any of these inspire you, you can get involved. Share your innovation! For more information on entering STEMposium^TM 2012 visit STEMposium's site.