Northshore STEM Coaltion to establish STEM Centers.
In partnership with LA STEM, the Northshore STEM Coalition is establishing STEM centers that will increase access to materials needed to study science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM).
Southeastern Louisiana University and Northshore Technical Community College are partnering to be the STEM center for the northshore region. The centers will be established later this year in Hammond, La., and they will add to the assistance that the coalition already offers.
In addition to these centers, the Northshore STEM Coalition also offers outreach events and STEM and Mechatronics mobile labs.
The Director of Innovative Technologies and STEM Outreach, Chuck Crabtree, said, “The point is to make it as close to career exploration as we can. So the students that come on board actually get their hands on real equipment.”
The STEM mobile lab was nicknamed the Brain Food Lab, and the coalition drives it to local elementary and high schools. The Mechatronic Mobile Lab also is brought to local schools and is an element of the Mechatronics Apprenticeship.
The Mechatronics Apprenticeship is a program with Laitram, Zatarians, Elmer’s Candy Corporation, Nunez, Delgado, and Northshore Technical Community College.
“They come to us for training for about two months, and they’ll rotate through several training sessions and alternating with that they’ll go to work. They’re getting on-the-job training as well as the lab setting,” Crabtree explained.
Interest seminars for anyone wishing to apply for the Mechatronics Apprenticeship will take place this spring, and any additional information about the coalition can be found at nortshorestem.org.
The video format of this story can be found here.
